Mayor leads trade mission to North America
A West Yorkshire delegation led by Mayor Tracy Brabin touched down in Toronto yesterday and will travel to Boston, New York and Lititz Pennsylvania this week to boost trade and investment.
Mayor Tracy Brabin will meet with leading US and Canadian business leaders, to champion West Yorkshire as a top destination for jobs and growth.
The mayor will visit the North American offices of several homegrown businesses, to celebrate their success and discuss how best to scale and export other local businesses to the US, Canada and around the world.
Tracy Brabin said: “This trade mission is an exciting first for West Yorkshire – a chance to show the US and Canada what we’re made of, as we boost jobs, investment and opportunities for local people.
“We have so much going for us – bustling towns and glorious countryside, nationally celebrated cities of culture, and a work-life balance that makes our talented graduates want to stay in the region.
“As we continue to punch above our weight with an economy that’s bigger than several EU nations, now is the time to declare West Yorkshire open for business, as we build a stronger, brighter economy that works for all.”
The trade mission follows the appointment last week of aerospace manufacturing expert Mandy Ridyard as the mayor’s business advisor.
With 7 universities, almost 100,000 businesses and an economy estimated at £60 billion, the mayor hopes to attract the attention of major global investors looking to expand and export to the UK.
Among the firms the mayor will visit is the New York office of Cognizant, which has pledged to create1,000 new jobs in West Yorkshire.
The mayor’s visit to the New York office is expected to strengthen Cognizant’s commitment to the region, after they partnered with the Leeds Community Foundation to provide digital support and laptops to local charities. The company has also donated a quarter of a million pounds to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to support smaller digital businesses to take on new apprentices.
Rohit Gupta, UK and Ireland Managing Director at Cognizant, said: “Opening a delivery centre in Leeds was an easy choice given the wealth of talent the city and surrounding area has to offer. I have been amazed at what the team has accomplished in a little over 12 months. We remain committed to Leeds and look forward to creating many more opportunities for the next generation of digital talent.”
Sarah Tulip, head of the Leeds Delivery Centre at Cognizant, added, “Leeds is the most important part of the country to me. It is where I choose to live and I’m proud that Cognizant chose this city to open up our UK delivery centre. We are on a mission to empower people from under-represented backgrounds to shine in the north of England’s digital sector.”
The mayor will also meet with the US leadership teams of several leading West Yorkshire businesses, including the Academy of Live Technology, Turner & Townsend, and IMA-HOME.
Leeds-based IMA-HOME, the UK’s largest full service integrated agency outside of London, has clients including adidas, Hisense and the UK’s number one tour operator, Jet2. IMA-HOME are 350-strong as an agency, with the majority based in West Yorkshire and growing international offices spanning New York, Sydney, Amsterdam and Cape Town.
Mayor Tracy Brabin, Ms Ridyard, and officials at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will be hosted by Toronto’s Budget Chief Cllr Shelley Carroll, Boston’s Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu, and by His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America and HM Consul General for New York, Emma Wade-Smith OBE.
Prew Lumley, Leeds Office Managing Partner at global law firm Squire Patton Boggs – which hosts its biggest offices in Leeds, London, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. – will also be a part of the West Yorkshire delegation.
