On Wednesday (8th January 2020), prominent business and public sector leaders will come together at the North East Development Conference – the region’s largest construction and real estate conference of the year.

The event, hosted by Built Environment Networking, will see some of the biggest names from regional business, politics and local government lead a regional economic debate including discussions on infrastructure, housing, skills and the industrial strategy – looking at opportunities to drive economic growth.

More than 30 speakers will discuss and present plans for the future of the North East including:

  • North East Combined Authority; Cllr Iain Malcolm, Chair
  • Tees Valley Combined Authority; Julie Gilhespie, Chief Executive
  • Nexus; Philip Meikle, Transport Strategy Director [emaillocker id=”71749″]
  • North East LEP; Helen Golightly, Chief Executive
  • Newcastle University; Iain Garfield, Director of Estates and Facilities
  • University of Sunderland; Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor
  • Highways England; Louise Pavitt, Regional Delivery Director
  • Teeside International Airport; Phil Forster, Head of Airport Development
  • Network Rail; Kieran Dunkin, Principal Programme Sponsor
  • Karbon Homes; Charlotte Carpenter, Executive Director
  • Thirteen Group; Chris Smith, Executive Director of Development and Delivery
  • High Street Residential; Rodger Till, Director of Acquisitions

The day long event will provide a unique opportunity for delegates to hear about the collaborative approach to economic growth from the public and private sectors with the aim of ensuring positive regeneration and development within the region.

Keith Griffiths, Managing Director of Built Environment Networking, said: “Civic and business leaders in the region have an evident ambition to deliver an unprecedented level of economic growth in the North East, and the next five years will set the foundations for that. It’s an incredibly exciting period for the region and this conference will be central to understanding the barriers to growth whilst ensuring alignment and collaboration in the industry to boost jobs, skills and regeneration across the whole North East.”

Helen Golightly, Chief Executive of The North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The inaugural North East Development Conference is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the region and demonstrate why the North East is a high quality location to live, learn, invest and do business.

Iain Garfield, Director of Estates and Facilities at Newcastle University, said: “Collaboration on city centre development sites is essential to their success. Newcastle University, Newcastle City Council and Legal and General were recently recognised for their collaboration on the Helix development and through our involvement in this event we’ll highlight the benefits of this collaboration and how we’ll carry forward similar and extended collaboration on the development of the recently acquired Newcastle General Hospital site.

Denise Spearman, Business Development Manager at Sir Robert McAlpine, added: “Sir Robert McAlpine has recently celebrated its 150th Anniversary and has a long-established presence in the North East. We are delighted to attend and exhibit at this event to share the great opportunities we have to contribute to the region’s economic growth, delivering a number of projects using the local supply chain and workforce.”

Darren Laybourn, Director, Strategic Lead Newcastle & Teesside & Global Head of Healthcare at Turner and Townsend, said: “The built environment has an important part to play in the regional development of the north east, particularly in the context of the Northern Powerhouse agenda. This conference provides a great opportunity to move this discussion forward, share knowledge and unlock the region’s potential. Turner & Townsend is delighted to be part of the discussion.”

For information or to book tickets to the event visit: www.built-environment-networking.com/NEDC20

[/emaillocker]