The launch of our first Regional Business Council

It was great to host more than fifty supporters of the Jobs Foundation, including Danielle Phillips, CEO of Cyber North, the former Independent Mayor of Middlesbrough, Andy Preston, and Andrew Whitwell, Chief Executive Officer of Labman Automation, at the Riverside Stadium to hear from an expert panel on Unlocking the North East’s Potential: Innovation, Infrastructure & Industry.

Kiran Fothergill, Chairman of the North East Business Council and a Director at Pickerings Lifts, was joined by our President, Matthew Elliott, Mads Howard MBE, Senior Manager, CEO Office Operations at Sage, and Leanne Cahill, Jobs Foundation Advisory Council Member and Chancellor of the University of Sunderland.

The panel discussion covered a number of pertinent topics, including regional connectivity, the industries best positioned to offer high-wage, long-term employment, and the policy changes required to support job creation across the region. 

Kiran opened the event by asking: “What are the biggest barriers North East businesses face in growing and hiring locally, and how can policy address them?.” He highlighted that the North East has the lowest employment rate in the UK at 69.7%, behind a UK average of 75.1%, and compared to rates of 78.5% in the South East and 79.9% in the South West.

He also highlighted the importance of the Jobs Foundation’s Regional Business Councils, pointing to the £1.5 billion in devolved investment funding controlled by the Tees Valley and North East Combined Authorities over the next 30 years.

The panel discussion was followed by a 30-minute Q&A, with topics discussed including hiring locally, the educational needs of local businesses, tackling negative perceptions of the region, and how the local business community can leverage the power of the devolved Mayoralties to showcase the region to national policy makers.

During the Q&A, Danielle Phillips of Cyber North said: “There’s so many great stories in the North East, just look around this room. We just need to do a better job of telling them.” Following the event, Mads Howard MBE said “I think it was really clear that we all know we’ve got the skills within the region. We just need to know how to harness them, how to get people back to work.” 

The event was a fantastic way to launch the Jobs Foundation’s North East Business Council, which will host regional policy roundtables, contribute to the Jobs Foundation’s research programme, and become a crucial network for our Accreditation Scheme when it launches in 2026.

Special thanks must go to our North East Chairman, Kiran Fothergill, and Middlesbrough FC Chairman Steve Gibson, without who this event wouldn’t have been possible. We look forward to continuing our work in the North East in the months ahead. 

We look forward to launching the South West Business Council in September. If you are interested in working with the North East Business Council, or supporting the rollout of our South West Business Council, please contact our Business Council Manager, Kellen, at kellen@thejobsfoundation.com.