State of the Region: Entrepreneurs are key to the region’s success

ENTREPRENEURS will be the ones to drive the economic recovery in the Leeds City Region, senior business figures have said.

The business leaders were speaking at State of the Region Round Table discussion held at DLA Piper in Leeds and hosted by TheBusinessDesk.com.

John Sutcliffe, finance director of South Yorkshire-based construction and development group Henry Boot said he believes entrepreneurs are the people bringing this region out of the tough economy, despite getting a bit of a “pasting” over recent years. He said that as well as the banks, entrepreneurs have often been blamed for the economic problems being referred to as “lazy” and “over paid”.

“We need these people to make things happen. It is the good quality entrepreneurs who have dealt with the recession and it is them who should take advantage of the opportunities the next few years will present,” he said.

“The good quality people who drive things forward have lost their mojo a bit but I think 2014 we will start to see these really strong characters who drive decision processes forward get their mojo back.”

Lee Collinson, managing director and head of Northern Key Clients at Barclays, said: “We need to get more entrepreneurs in Yorkshire. 

“Banks need to play a bigger part encouraging entrepreneurs and helping them to access funds, if we are going to get good dynamic growth.”

The business leaders taking part in the discussion were: Sarah Day, managing partner at DLA Piper, Leeds; Jonathan Procter, partner and head of the Leeds Corporate Group at DLA Piper; chairman of Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, Roger Marsh; chief executive of Leeds Building Society, Peter Hill; Land Securities’ portfolio director, Gerald Jennings; Lee Collinson, managing director and head of Northern Key Clients at Barclays; John Sutcliffe, finance director at Henry Boot and Andy Caton, corporate development director at Yorkshire Building Society. The event was chaired by David Parkin, founder and director of TheBusinessDesk.com.

Business people also highlighted the need to take more risk in order to create a successful entrepreneurial environment. 

Chief executive of Leeds Building Society, Peter Hill, said: “Risk has become a dirty word but to be successful and create the right entrepreneurial environment, you have got to take risk. Whether the risk is crossing the road with children or risk with banks, people have got to understand that risk is a fundamental part of life.”

Andy Caton, corporate development director at Yorkshire Building Society, said businesses have gone through a period of consolidation.

“Management have been focused on putting deals together but we are moving now into an environment where there’s the confidence and there’s a little bit more risk on the table.”