Category: Business growth and finance

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In conversation with Chas Howes, former CFO of Superdry

On Thursday we welcome Chas Howes to the North East to be the keynote speaker at the next Growth Hub Live event, Taking Leadership to the Next Level.

Chas is the former CFO of global clothing brand Superdry, joining in 2007 and overseeing a growth in turnover from £41m to £341m. He chaired the project team responsible for listing the business on the London Stock Exchange in March 2010, winning ‘IPO of the Year’ in 2010 and achieving FTSE250 status within one year.

Here, Chas shares some advice for growing businesses here in the North East. To hear more, book a free place at Growth Hub Live: Taking Leadership to the Next Level.

What’s the most memorable moment of your time with Superdry?

Sitting in the London Stock Exchange to see the first trade when we listed. It was at £4.99 against a flotation price of £5.00 – from there the share price went North for about a year, with us ending up as a FTSE250 company. It was the culmination of my career and the result of a lifetime of work – not many CFOs get the chance to list on the LSE, and I won’t get another one!!

What qualities do you think a person, or a team, needs to lead a growing business?

Those who can make decisions in ambiguous circumstances will be the most successful. If it isn’t a contradiction in terms, I’d say make decisions on fact or knowledge-based intuition and also don’t interfere – trust others to do their job. Have respect for other members of the business or team and be prepared to muck in. Provide air-cover for your employees, particularly those that work for you. Recruit, reward and retain the best, think clearly under pressure, and plan and anticipate for things to go wrong – it’s how you recover that matters.

What are some of the most common challenges faced by companies as they grow?

Too much to do and not enough resource of the right quality or quantity. There can be a lack of focus on what is really important – choose the few initiatives that will make a difference and do them really well. Another danger is to be always chasing new business and forgetting the infrastructure back in the office – it is more exciting doing a new deal that implementing a new IT system!

Do the same challenges apply to businesses operating in different sectors?

On balance yes, but they may take a different form depending on the industry – financial services vs retail for example. When growing, the scarcest resource is cash so, whatever the sector, make sure it is really well managed by experts and look for opportunities to generate more cash – e.g, liquidating old stock or leveraging the supply chain / cash cycle.

If you could offer one piece of advice to someone who wants to grow their business, what would that be?

Don’t forget the infrastructure – systems, people, facilities, controls, and particularly IT.

How can companies learn from success stories like that of Superdry?

Everything you do must be with the brand in mind. If an entrepreneur confuses personal and professional objectives, decision making will be flawed.
Don’t be afraid to surround yourself with good people to improve business performance and fill personal skill gaps with the exceptional.
Have the strength of your convictions and never give up – keep the energy and positivity going no matter what the environment throws at you.

Growth Hub Live – Taking Leadership to the Next Level is on Thursday 7 December, 8.30am to 12.30pm. Find out more and book a free place.

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Scaleup North East helps ambitious businesses achieve their full potential

A new multimillion pound programme, Scaleup North East, aims to create more than 6,000 new jobs and boost the number of scaleup businesses in the region by 50% by 2024.

Expressions of interest are now open for Scaleup North East, which is being delivered by RTC North as an integral part of the North East Growth Hub. The programme will support businesses with the ambition and drive to achieve a real step change in business growth.

Businesses involved in the programme will be matched with an experienced ‘Scaleup Partner’ to work with them throughout their journey to support and inspire them to achieve their growth goals.

Colin Bell, Business Growth director at the North East LEP, said: “Scaleup North East is an incredibly exciting programme that is aimed at businesses that want to scale, become more profitable and employ more people.”

“This is something totally new. It’s a real step-change for the region that will help us meet our goal of creating more and better jobs and opportunities, as set out in our Strategic Economic Plan.

“Scaleup North East will create and sustain more scaleup businesses and has the potential to make a truly transformational impact on the North East economy.”

Andrew Buckley, Chief Executive at RTC North, said “RTC has been supporting North East businesses for 30 years and is incredibly proud to be delivering the Scaleup North East programme. We are looking forward not only to working with the region’s existing scale up businesses, helping them to overcome any barriers to continued growth, but also to identifying and nurturing the next generation of scale up businesses”.

To join Scaleup North East, businesses must:

  • Be based in the North East LEP area (Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham)
  • Be a registered company and have been trading for more than three years
  • Have a minimum of five and less than 250 employees (FTEs)
  • Have an annual turnover of more than £500K and less than €50million
  • Operate in an eligible ERDF sector (not banking, insurance or retail sectors)

But, most importantly, participating businesses must have the ambition to grow.

Businesses that think they could benefit are now being asked to come forward to register their interest and sign up to the launch event on January 26. You can do that here.

Scaleup North East is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

The project received a £700,000 grant from the Local Growth Deal through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

For more information, please visit www.scaleupnortheast.co.uk or call RTC North on 0191 516 4400.

ENDS

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

 

RTC North Contacts:

RTC services are designed to help clients innovate, compete and grow. Specialising in the commercialisation of new products and services, we work with individuals, businesses and the public sector to help create more innovative and vibrant economies.

Founded in 1989, the company has vast experience of helping organisations with all stages of the innovation and IP commercialisation process and uses this expertise to support partners at a UK regional, national and European level.

RTC is a lead UK partner in the worlds’ largest business support network – Enterprise Europe Network – and has established relationships with partners in Asia as well as North and South America.
ERDF: The Scaleup North East project is supported by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The project is receiving up to £2.5m of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

 

About the North East LEP

The North East LEP is a public, private and education sector partnership that covers Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland local authority areas.

The £270.4m Local Growth Fund, secured as part of the North East Growth Deal, supports the North East LEP’s delivery of the Strategic Economic Plan, which aims to create 100,000 more and better jobs by 2024.

Local Growth Fund

Local Enterprise Partnerships are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone.

That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders.

Analysis has shown that every £1 of Local Growth Fund invested could generate £4.81 in benefits.

If you would like some further facts about the Fund, or the wider regeneration work going on across the country, please contact DCLG press office by emailing [email protected] in the first instance to request any additional information you might need.

 

 

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The triumphs and challenges of growing a multi-million pound brand

Growth Hub Live event

Thursday 7 December, 8.30am – 12.30pm

The former Chief Financial Officer of clothing brand Superdry will be sharing the triumphs and challenges that a business can face as it grows from a small brand to a global name, at a free event in December.

Chas Howes joined Superdry in 2007 and oversaw a growth in turnover from £41m to £314m in 2012.

He chaired the project team responsible for listing the business on the London Stock Exchange in March 2010, winning ‘IPO of the Year’ in 2010 and achieving FTSE250 status within one year.

Colin Bell, Business Growth Director at the North East LEP, said: “Chas Howes will be sharing his knowledge and experience with North East businesses at our next Growth Hub Live event on 7 December.

“We’re inviting businesses leaders who have the ambition to take their business to the next level to come and hear from Chas, who will give an insight into the reality of leading a multi-million pound brand through a period of rapid growth and the highs and lows that come with that.”

Howes will be the keynote speaker at the Growth Hub Live event, which takes place on Thursday 7 December from 8.30am to 12.30pm at Sage Gateshead.

Hosted by North East Growth Board member and entrepreneur Ammar Mirza, the event will address the challenges that business leaders can face when taking a company to the next level of growth. There will be a panel of representatives from North East businesses including Sue Ormerod from Nigel Wright and Nigel Mills, Chair of Lakeland Distillery and the Entrepreneurs Forums, who will tackle some of the issues commonly faced by growing enterprises.

The event is free to attend and is aimed at businesses which have five or more employees and a current turnover of at least £500k per annum.

Register for your free place at the Growth Hub Live event here.

 

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In conversation: Dinah Jackson discusses the Rural Growth Programme’s current funding calls

With more than £10 million to invest in businesses in the North East LEP area, Dinah Jackson, North East LEP Business Growth Programme Manager, outlines how the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) Growth Programme will unlock business investment across the region to create jobs and growth.

We’re thrilled to be able to announce that the deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest to the RDPE Growth Programme has been extended to 31 May 2018. This gives an additional four months for businesses to apply for three grants which are available: rural business development, rural tourism and food processing. The Growth Programme provides capital funding to support projects that invest in building businesses, creating new jobs and growing the economy in rural areas.

We’re extremely pleased with the decision to extend the deadline for the benefit of the rural economy. We hope that the grant will incentivise businesses to bring forward their investment plans despite the uncertainty of current times. Individual projects could be eligible for up to 40% grant funding in most cases, and in some cases a higher grant threshold is available (for some specific projects to build our rural tourism infrastructure).

With more than £10 million to invest in businesses in the North East LEP area, businesses are invited to submit expressions of interest as soon as possible to give the maximum amount of time available to deliver individual projects.

So what types of projects can the Growth Programme fund?

Here are some examples of the kinds of projects that could be eligible for a grant:

Rural business development grants – New equipment or machinery that creates productivity and efficiency gains, new premises or facilities that diversify farming activities

Food processing grants – Expansion of a meat cutting and processing plant to meet new international markets, a new milk processing facility or expansion to an existing soft fruit processing facility to enable processing of lower quality and lower value fruit to supply growing markets for end products

Rural tourism – New footpaths, bridleways or cycle paths, extending a local museum or new high quality visitor accommodation

We now need good strong applications from rural businesses, rural tourism businesses and food processing businesses to ensure that we maximise the economic benefit returned to the North East from the programme.

Here are some top tips that will help you progress your project to create growth and jobs:

How do you apply for a Growth Programme grant?

The first step is to identify whether you are eligible. It may sound overly simple, but if you don’t meet basic eligibility requirements, you cannot apply.

Are you an eligible business, located in an eligible area, intending to carry out eligible activities?

With the exception of applicants for food processing grants, your business must be located in the rural North East. You can use the postcode checker tool

Whilst all business development and tourism projects must be in the Rural Growth Network area, your food processing project might be eligible in the urban parts of our region, depending on the exact nature of your project.

The next stage is to follow carefully the advice provided by RPA.

Clearly written handbooks are available for each of the three calls provided by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), the grant administrator. The handbooks set out information on what activity is eligible (and what activities aren’t) and how to apply. They also give a summary of our local priorities for rural business growth. Your project will need to deliver against national and local priorities.

Each project will be considered on its own merit and the application process is competitive. This means grants are not awarded automatically to an applicant. The RPA will assess all expressions of interest to see which best meet the criteria. This is through a rigorous two-part application process (starting with submitting an ‘expression of interest’) to tell RPA about the work you’re doing and how the grant could help you with it.

If RPA assesses that your expression of interest is suitable, they will invite you to submit a full application.

Top tips for applicants

Before you start an application, here are some important reminders…

Jobs + growth + rural

Every successful application starts with a good idea and a clear plan for how to make that idea a reality. The whole aim of the RDPE Growth Programme is to create jobs and growth in the rural economy. Your application will need to show how your project will help do this.

Sell your idea

Explain clearly what your project does and how it will benefit the economy.
Show what the funding will mean to the success of your project. If you can show that your project is good value for money, and that you’re planning to use the grant money to improve your project, you’re more likely to produce a successful application.

Do the market research

Explain how there is real demand for what you want to do.

Be prepared

You will need to keep detailed records about your project, because you’ll have to provide proof (including detailed quotes) of how much the various elements of your project will cost.

An information event discussing the available funding, the types of projects funded and the application process will be held on Monday, 11 December at Wansbeck Workspace, Ashington. To book a place at this free event, click here.

For further information
For further help on growing your idea, see further information at www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk/finance-and-funding/department-for-environment-food-and-rural-affairs/rdpe-growth-programme/  call the Defra Helpline on 03000 200 301, or email the Growth Programme at [email protected].

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Incredible in India

Earlier this year I shared my personal experiences of the significant and substantive opportunities open to UK businesses in exporting to India and why every business with growth ambitions should consider doing so. This topic has become even more important given the various Brexit considerations.

India is the second largest country in the world by population, the world’s largest democracy and the largest English speaking nation in the world. Recording an annual average growth rate of 7.5% from 2004 to 2013, India’s economy is now growing faster than China’s. The country’s economy is set to exceed the size of the UK economy in the next few years and is forecast to be the 7th largest economy in the world by 2019.

India’s new government is committed to pursue economic growth and initiatives including “Make in India”, “Digital India,” “Skill India” and “Smart Cities” have created a positive business environment with a number of business growth opportunities.

Over the past 12 months, the Federation of Asian Business (FAB) has developed meaningful and practical relationships with organisations in India and particularly with the state of Karnataka. FAB have organised a trade visit supported by the North East LEP, Northern Powerhouse and Department for International Trade (DIT) for the end of November. Offering a unique opportunity, the visit will enable organisations and businesses to explore first-hand the incredible prospects of expanding into India that everyone should consider as part of their business growth plans.

Meeting with Ministers, educational institutes, trade bodies and businesses the visit will showcase the state of Karnataka with the ambition of developing bi-lateral trade and civic relationships with the North East of England. Earlier this year I had met with Ministers and various officials in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, where the people reminded me of the North East –friendly, hospitable and passionate. I was astounded at the level of development, technology and infrastructure that existed, with Industrial Strategies having been developed back in 2003, which has led to a significant economic boom.

Everyone that I met was keen to develop action orientated relationships that have subsequently flourished and translated into real trade activities.

Given that English language is widely spoken, the legal system is the same as ours and the significant ease of doing business, alongside the support from FAB in ensuring that the trade visit provides tangible results, now is the time to explore incredible India and help your business grow.

There is a FAB India Awareness Session organised at the SME Centre of Excellence, Newcastle Business Clinic on November 3. To register your interest, email [email protected].

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VentureFest North East – what’s new for 2017?

As the region’s fifth annual innovation event approaches, we caught up with the Innovation SuperNetwork’s Deputy Director, Estelle Blanks, to find out how businesses can benefit from attending VentureFest North East, and what’s new for 2017.

Who is VentureFest North East aimed at?

VentureFest North East brings together more than 700 people who wouldn’t usually connect with each other to inspire new ideas, solutions, and collaborations.

As well as local businesses, we welcome investors, researchers, experts, and support professionals. The whole idea is to create an exciting environment where people from all different sectors and backgrounds can explore new opportunities and learn from each other. VentureFest is aimed at any size business. Start-ups, growing businesses, sole traders, SMEs, not-for-profits, larger companies operating internationally – it’s a valuable event for anyone looking to remain relevant and competitive.

What will people get from the event?

Investing a day at VentureFest North East will get you access to advice from leading innovation experts from a range of industries who can provide practical tools and techniques to apply directly to your business. There are obviously opportunities to make new contacts and networks, but also to access new market opportunities, and get inspiration from outside your usual business sector too.
As always, we will be hosting FinanceCamp at VentureFest North East, which is a programme of preparatory workshops that lead to a series of one-to-one meetings with investors. Whether you need a £1,000 start-up load or a multi-million pound equity funding round, FinanceCamp makes it easier and speedier for businesses to get hold of the money they need to grow.

What can you expect on the day?

You can expect lively debates on topical issues affecting your business, real-life stories of innovation, practical workshops, inspiring exhibitions, speakers, one-to-one meetings with investors, and expert advice sessions.
We’ll also be working with innovation experts at the North East BIC to put on our popular Innovation Showcase, which is a very special part of VentureFest North East, and is designed to shine a light on innovative North East companies. We can’t wait for everyone to see some of the products, services and other big ideas of the region’s most cutting-edge businesses.

Why is it important that businesses attend?

VentureFest is all about exploring innovation, and innovation is a vital toolkit for a business’s survival.
Successful companies not only respond to the current needs of their organisation and customer base, but they also anticipate future trends or demands and design processes, tools, products, and services to meet these.
VentureFest is their opportunity to identify what else is out there that could help their business grow, whether it’s a connection with another company, a new product on the market, or an upcoming trend.

What’s new for 2017?

As VentureFest 2017 enters its fifth year, we continue to evolve the event in response to what businesses tell us they want to learn. This year we have some new additions to the programme such as a People’s Choice theme, which has been shaped directly by the business community. The People’s Choice agenda will be focusing on emerging technologies, and we look forward to sharing more details of that soon.

A ‘Women in Innovation’ theme will also feature throughout the conference and we’ll be tackling some core issues facing the business world and society at large throughout the day.

Our Innovation Challenges will be running throughout the event, which will be looking at how smaller companies can help businesses overcome their challenges through innovation.

We’re really excited by the new features of VentureFest North East 2017, and think it’s going to be bigger and better than ever before. We hope you can join us!

VentureFest North East is being held at St James’ Park, Newcastle, on Tuesday 14th November. Register now for free here or visit venturefestnortheast.com for more information.

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Scaleup North East gathers momentum with recruitment drive

Scaleup North East, part of a drive to create economic growth, is seeking a Programme Director and five Scaleup Partners as work gets underway.

Led by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and delivered by RTC North, Scaleup North East forms a key part of the Strategic Economic Plan, which aims to deliver 100,000 more and better jobs by 2024.
Working with NRG, the North East LEP and RTC North are looking to fill these key positions with strong leaders who have the appropriate skills and experience to unlock the potential of the North East’s most progressive businesses.

The Programme Director’s role will be to manage the multi million pound programme aimed at businesses with a turnover in excess of £500k in the last year. The Scaleup Partners will be change agents who can drive productivity and expansion.

Colin Bell, Business Growth Director at the North East LEP, said: “Scaleup North East is a really exciting programme aimed at helping entrepreneurs to scale their businesses, become more profitable and employ more people. The benefits of this are widespread; more money and jobs are created, which supports the local economy and creates competitive advantage.

“While the programme aims to engage with businesses that have the potential to grow turnover and/or profits at a rate of 20% per year over a three year period, there are also opportunities for companies with a turnover of greater than £250k with strong growth potential.”

RTC North will deliver Scaleup North East, as part of the expanding North East Growth Hub initiative. RTC has an enviable track record in delivering transformational and innovation services to scaleup businesses. The programme will operate from 1 January 2018 until 31 December 2020.

Andrew Buckley, Chief Executive at RTC North, said: “Scaleup North East is a ground-breaking programme for the region and we are proud to deliver this as a key contribution to the delivery of the region’s Strategic Economic Plan.

“Scaleup North East will create an ecosystem that increases the density of scaleup businesses in the North East by 50% by 2024, creating 6,000 additional jobs. We’re now looking for highly competent and equally ambitious leaders who can deliver these ambitious targets. We can’t wait to get started.”

Therese Liddle, CEO of NRG, the Newcastle headquartered recruitment business, said: “We see this as an influential programme helping to drive the North East economy and are pleased to be working with the North East LEP and RTC as the recruitment partner for such strategic, influential positions.”

To find out more about these roles and apply, please visit RTC North.

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Responding to Powerhouse 2050: The North’s Routemap for Productivity

Richard Baker, Head of Strategy and Policy at the North East LEP, comments on the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Powerhouse 2050, report.

On Friday, the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) published their report Powerhouse 2050: The North’s Routemap for Productivity, which sets out proposals for driving forward four areas of Northern Industrial excellence.

The report has been produced following a summer of discussion and engagement with economic partners from across the north and the proposals aim to show how, with government funding and business support, the North of England can make a step change in economic performance to rival the best countries and regions in the world.

The NPP highlight Advanced Manufacturing & Materials, Energy, Digital Technology and Health Innovation as the areas of the economy in which the North of England is seen to have the opportunity to achieve the greatest global competitive advantage. They set out an ambitious vision to create an additional 850,000 jobs by 2050 and contribute an extra £97bn to the UK economy, and call for collaboration between the Government, Northern Leaders and the business community to transform the North and truly unlock its potential.

Long term opportunity

The proposals are, of course, strongly welcomed by the North East LEP. We share with LEPs and other partners across the North of England a determination to rebalance the UK economy, ensuring that we deliver not just more, but better opportunities for our residents and our businesses and strengthen our role in the UK. As we move towards a UK Industrial Strategy and contemplate the challenges and opportunities created by Brexit this is a ‘must do’ for the UK as a whole.

We welcome the recognition of the many assets we have here in the North East and the synergies between the areas of opportunity identified in the report and the proposals we set out in the North East Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) refreshed earlier this year.

And the proposed collaborative approach mirrors that which we believe to be central to the successful delivery of the SEP – as we work to foster strong partnerships between the business community and leaders from National and Local government and education to deliver More and Better jobs. We are aiming to strengthen our work with other areas across the North and other parts of the UK where this collaboration can deliver more by pooling our strengths and our voice.

Encouragement to do more

We should take encouragement from some of the central findings of the report. The NPP draw from a significant piece of independent economic analysis which was undertaken for Transport for the North last year to underpin their proposals.

The analysis looked at which parts of the Northern economy had the most potential to drive long term growth and improved productivity. It modeled the impact which could be delivered from the kind of determined and focused long term investment set out in the report. Looking to the long term, we should note that of the 11 LEP areas of the North of England, it is the North East which is projected to deliver the highest rate of gross value added and productivity growth in the second quarter of the century (at 2.9% GVA and 2.2% GVA per head per annum compared with 2.5% and 1.8% respectively for the whole of the North).

This data should prompt us to renew our determination to press on with the delivery of the North East SEP, to ensure that our areas of opportunity can deliver this long term growth for our region, as well as driving our own more immediate targets of 100,000 more jobs between 2014 and 2024, with 70% of them being ‘better’ jobs.

This work is already underway

The proposals identified in Powerhouse 2050 draw from and complement the work being delivered through the SEP by partners across the North East which aims to maximize the impact of our four key areas of opportunity as well as our key enabling service sectors and investment in our business environment and key infrastructure:

Our digital technological capabilities, which boast specialisms in data analytics, virtual reality, smart data and cyber security.
World leading businesses in offshore and subsea technology working in a number of sectors including oil and gas and offshore renewables and a range of new energy technologies coming on stream which can increase our contribution to the UK’s energy economy.

Strengths in globally focused advanced manufacturing with strong clusters in automotive and medicines. As the NPP recognise, there is significant growth potential available through inward investment, supply chain development and exports in these sectors and new opportunities to embed a focus on innovation and higher skills.

New innovation centres in healthcare and life-sciences, including national centres of excellence in ageing, smart data formulation and healthcare photonics are now coming on stream and will create opportunities to take advantage of world class science, innovative small businesses and a research focused health care system.

Opportunities for significant growth in ‘better’ jobs in areas, including financial and professional services and education and through logistics.

Opportunities to do more

Powerhouse 2050: The North’s Routemap for Productivity clearly recognises the North East’s potential, and supports new proposals for investment here in the North East including the recently awarded National Innovation Centre for Data, supporting the recently announced 5G testbed programme and new North East proposals to focus on a new national Centre for Smart Medicine and a Centre for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (CESAM). Alongside key investments such as the Metro replacement programme, critical to regional labour market mobility, and a range of other key infrastructure developments across the region, there is a strong pipeline in place on which to build our future.

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North East businesses invited to learn from John Lewis success

Our popular series of Growth Hub Live events returns on Friday 15 September, featuring a keynote address from former John Lewis Head of Customer Service, Andrew McMillan.

The half-day event at Ramside Hall, Durham, will focus on growing talent in the workplace and scaling businesses by making the most of organisation’s employees.

The secrets behind John Lewis’ industry leading customer journey will be unveiled at Growth Hub Live giving North East businesses the skills to improve talent in their own businesses.

Colin Bell, Business Growth Director at the North East LEP said:

Andrew McMillan played an instrumental role in growing and defining the John Lewis brand we know today.

His focus on exemplary customer service and leadership are qualities all businesses should aspire to and our event will give organisations practical ways to access, grow and retain talent in their workforce.

At the end of the half-day event, businesses will have an action plan to improve the performance of their business by better understanding how their employees tick.

In addition to the keynote address from Andrew McMillan, there will also be a panel discussion and workshop led by HR expert Michael Millward.

Managing director of employee management software and services provider   Abeceder Ltd, Michael will help businesses identify employees with the best potential for development and how to motivate staff to fulfill their potential. He will also help employers spot any skills or knowledge gaps in their existing workforce and how best to fill them.

Growth Hub Live: Growing talent in your business is free to attend and open to any businesses in the North East LEP area (Sunderland, Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Northumberland), with a minimum of five employees and an annual of at least £500k. Colin continued:

This is a rare opportunity to hear from a world-leading expert on employee and customer relations.

The event will have a regional focus so businesses leave with advice and guidance that works for their organisation and their employees.

Growth Hub Live: Growing talent in your business, takes place at Ramside Hall, Durham, on Friday 15 September. For more information and to book a place at the event, please visit the Eventbrite page.

Growth Hub Live is part of the North East Growth Hub, an online business support platform delivered by the North East LEP. Providing expert advice on finance and funding, business support services and housing the most comprehensive events calendar in the North East, the North East Growth Hub is a key part of the LEP’s Business Growth strategy for the region.

For more information, visit www.nelep.co.uk/business-growth