Creating the skilled workforce of the future… the way forward
The Business of Yorkshire Conference returns on Thursday, November 28th with its usual mix of insightful discussions and networking opportunities.
Many of the region’s leading business figures will be speaking while thebusinessdesk.com event is split into three segments – business investment, people investment and regional investment. To book your ticket click here.
A big part of what delegates will enjoy are a five 30-minute discussion panels, each one covering a different key topic.
Our third panel discussion at 12.45pm is on ‘Creating the skilled workforce of the future’ and features five of the most highly qualified Yorkshire-based speakers.
Business investment and the developing sectors will create opportunities for jobs to be created and reshaped. Technology will have a huge impact on the skills of the future workforce.
It will need a focused and joined-up approach from across the education and business eco-system to ensure that Yorkshire can develop, attract and retain the talent it needs for its companies to thrive.
Our Creating the skilled workforce of the future panellists
Jessica Armstrong, Lloyds Banking Group
Jess is Head of Professional Services Sector coverage at Lloyds Banking Group, delivering strategic advice, working capital, risk management and global transactional banking solutions to firms in the accountancy, consultancy, legal and real estate services verticals. She joined from HSBC in 2023, having spent 12 years progressing through a variety of roles including leadership, coverage, group strategy and M&A, in London, Hong Kong and the North of England.
This experience, alongside her current role, has given Jess an appreciation for the levels of progress made in the areas of D&I, equality and equity in both the financial and professional services industries, on a regional and global basis. She is committed to helping to continue this progress and ensuring the right conversations continue and best practice is shared. Outside of work, Jess is lives in Harrogate with her husband and is kept busy by their two young children!
Andy Sykes, Siemens Gamea
Andy Sykes (pictured above) has been working for wind turbine manufacturers Siemens Gamea for nearly nine years, moving to his current plant director role in February 2020.
Before that he was Deputy Operations and Quality Director and started his Siemens career as an operations manager at the Hull plant.
After a short time away from Siemens, he moved to Hull having worked in Siemens Metals Technologies (2008-2015) and then and three years previous to that was an Information and Performance Manager at Sheffield City Council.
Jo Glover, EMIS
Jo Glover is Director of Organisational Development at healthcare specialists EMIS and is an accomplished senior organisational development professional and she specialises in helping businesses develop people strategies that result in increased employee engagement, which leads to improved performance.
With more than 25 years experience in learning and development, HR and organisation development – working in retail, telecoms, consultancy and tech – Jo’s speciality is using data-driven insight to create an inspirational culture and a great employee experience.
Katrina Ritchie, Gripple
Katrina is Group People & Culture Director at wire-hanging specialists Gripple and She began her career at the employee-owned company 25 years ago in export sales. With no HR or learning and development experience, but crucially, an innate understanding of the unique business culture, its values and what makes a great ‘Gripple person’, Katrina was given the opportunity to build a People & Culture department from scratch.
She began developing the people agenda and grew the department to a global team of 17 today, with responsibility for recruitment, training and development, health and wellbeing and leadership development.
While also responsible for ‘HR’, the term at Gripple is effectively ‘banned’, to ensure managers, rather than a personnel team, take responsibility for their people. As Katrina says herself, “If we hire the right people, treat them right and manage them right, there’s no need for ‘HR’ in the traditional sense”.
Professor Catherine O’Connor, Leeds Trinity University
Professor Catherine O’Connor is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Experience at Leeds Trinity University and her portfolio includes oversight of teaching and learning, student engagement and wellbeing and graduate outcomes.
She joined Leeds Trinity University in 2007, initially as a visiting lecturer in journalism. She was appointed as Head of Journalism in 2009, then as founding Head of the School of Arts and Communication in 2015, transitioning to be Head of the School of Communication, Business and Law in 2019.
In her current role, she has supported the establishment of a Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and was appointed as Professor for Higher Education, Learning and Teaching at Leeds Trinity in February 2021.
Catherine’s research interests are in higher education pedagogy, student co-creation, graduate employability and skills gaps. She has utilised her background in journalism to co-supervise PhD projects looking at the impact of digital and social media on the regional news industry and is currently co-supervising further projects examining journalism training and the impact of work-integrated learning.
Prior to joining Leeds Trinity in 2007, Catherine spent 15 years working in the regional news media. She began her journalism career as a reporter for the Halifax Courier before becoming Deputy News Editor at the Yorkshire Evening Post. She then spent eight years at the Telegraph & Argus in Bradford, where she was Deputy Editor.
