Speakers for a large scale Tees Valley business conference have been announced, focused on promoting the area as a place to grow ambitious companies. The Grow Tees Valley Conference, taking place at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough on Thursday 18th November, has attracted high profile speakers from across the country to the region.
With an opening address from the elected Mayor of Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, the event will go on to cover ways to overcome barriers to growth and opportunities to build successful companies in Tees Valley. Alongside themes around healthcare and transition to Net Zero, the conference will share success stories from local businesses who have created growth in the region.
Ben Houchen commented on how the event fits with his plans for the area, saying: “The Grow Tees Valley Conference is a great example of how our area is getting an even higher profile on a national stage and I’m delighted to welcome such a great group of speakers and experts to the region. It also highlights all we’re doing, now and in the future, to achieve our ambitions for Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool to raise aspiration of local businesses. Showing them they can grow and thrive right here is vital to our region’s success and to creating high-quality, well-paid jobs for local people. I can’t wait to meet everyone on the day and talk about how we can work together towards our common goals.”
Other speakers include Henri Murison, Director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Mel Ellyard, Senior Manager at the UK Government’s business finance arm, the British Business Bank, Laura Woods, Director of Academic Enterprise at Teesside University and Catherine Bladen, Chief Operating Officer of fast-growing Wilton-based biotechnology company Absolute Antibody.
The event also includes in depth workshops, with expert speakers on accessing grant and investment funding, digital marketing and building successful teams.
With a focus on small and medium-sized businesses from Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees, the Grow Tees Valley Conference is free for local businesses to attend.
The Grow Tees Valley Conference is being delivered by ed/ge, a local specialist innovation and business growth company, in partnership with Teesside University and Tees Valley Business, established by the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority. It is part of the Grow Tees Valley programme, which is receiving up to £3.238m of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
