Welcome to Coventry (and Warwickshire)!

Julie Nugent became the new Chief Executive of Coventry City Council in June and, just a few days into the job, she caught up with Chamber Chief Executive Corin Crane.

Julie, who has 20 years of experience in attracting and delivering investment to support businesses, people, and communities, joined the City Council from a role as Executive Director for Economic Delivery, Skills and Communities at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

The pair, who have worked in tandem in previous roles in the Midlands, met up for a chat at the wonderful Tales of Tea at St Mary’s Guild Hall, which is operated by No Ordinary Hospitality Management, and Corin began the conversation by asking what led Julie to taking on the new job.

Julie: There wasn’t a really defined plan when I started my career. I began in academia and then economic development. I’ve worked nationally, regionally and locally. I’ve always believed in economic growth – but good economic growth – where communities benefit, so skills and training have been a big part of that. I’ve spent the last five years working at the WMCA, overseeing its work on skills, communities, health and economic development and have worked closely with councils. I see this job as a leadership role – I’m not an expert in children’s services or adult social services but we have experts in the team, so this is about getting the best out of everyone and delivering our One Coventry plan, which aims to improve outcomes and tackle inequalities, improve economic prosperity and tackle the causes and consequences of climate change.

Corin: I’m a trade unionist by background – there’s not many trade unionists who end up as chief executives of a Chamber! I am a big believer in social justice and social conscience so, for me, this role isn’t about just making big businesses richer, it’s making sure communities feel the benefit of successful companies in their area.

Julie: The two things aren’t opposed to one another. If you bring investment in and create good jobs for people, it gives people more spending power and that, in turn, benefits businesses. It’s a win-win. You and I have worked together in this way over many years and here in Coventry, that’s what the council wants to do. We want to be business friendly and make sure we are working closely with the private and public sector.

Corin: I’ve been in post at the Chamber for a year now and you realise pretty quickly that there is a real strength in partnerships here in Coventry and, indeed, Warwickshire. It’s right across the patch. Yes, Coventry has one foot in the Combined Authority area but it’s always looking at the economic continuity into Warwickshire.

Julie: It’s not an either or for me. Coventry has to be a partner within the West Midlands but it’s vital that we continue working with Warwickshire because it’s a crucial partnership. Everything we do is in the interests of our residents and our businesses.

Corin: We are in such an unusual area. You’ve got urban and industrial places and then you get into areas of Warwickshire and you’ve got a rural economy, so we’re a microcosm of the whole country. You’ve got every sector –from logistics to tourism and everything else in between.

Julie: There are real strengths. From an inward investment point of view, it really matters to people where you locate, where people might live and send their kids to school. This region gives you lots of options and it makes it a really attractive package.

Corin: We have got some amazing assets here. You think of the universities we have here…

Julie: I agree and Coventry needs to shout more loudly about that. There aren’t many areas outside London that has two world-class universities. We’ve got catapults, the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, big companies, small exciting start-ups. There’s so much going on and it’s a question of how we tell that story and capitalise on it.

Corin: We think about this all the time. What are this area’s genuine USPs? The net zero agenda, which the City Council is driving, is unbelievable and ambitious. It’s really exciting for people and businesses.

Julie: It needs to be. There’s a whole host of reasons for that. There are the environmental elements to it but also an economic driver. Coventry has been at the centre of manufacturing and automotive for many years and, as that needs to change, the city can be at the forefront of this new green industrial revolution. There are going to be really good business opportunities that come out of this and the question for us, as a council, is what we can do to support it and create the conditions for business to thrive.

Corin: The big question for all of us is how we take the amazing, high-level developments that are coming out of universities, the great work the council is doing on this agenda and feed that into smaller businesses? It’s something we haven’t really nailed.

Julie: It’s not easy. There is something about the strength of the partnership in the region that means we can make an offer to SMEs about being more efficient and how they achieve decarbonisation. There’s lots to do but, where we can, we must make sure we support it.

Corin: You can make a little do a lot. I had a meeting with businesses recently who had some small grants to make their businesses more efficient and they’ve now got the net zero bug and want to do more of it. They can see commercial opportunities for their businesses and are moving towards the green agenda when they previously thought they wouldn’t be able to do it.

Julie: You can frame it in a different way. With energy bills being what they are, if this is a way companies can reduce their costs – and it also achieves decarbonisation – that’s great and that can be part of the messaging to business.

Corin: The other USP for me, at the moment, is the tourism offer the city has. It feels remarkable. We’re sitting in this amazing venue, then you’ve got places like the Charterhouse that recently opened. Coventry is getting so much right. It’s an amazing city to come to.

Julie: Again, how we build on this, comes down to the strength of partnership. The council, University of Warwick and Coventry University have committed to working together with the cultural and tourism sector to drive forward a brilliant legacy programme from City of Culture. Moving forward, there are lots of positives to build on. There is so much talent and energy in our communities. There is so much going on here. Both of us have just come into Coventry and you can really feel it.

Corin: There’s real momentum. You look at the plans for the old IKEA building and there’s so much happening at Coventry Building Society Arena. It’s really exciting.

Julie: For me, it’s emblematic of Coventry being a phoenix city. It reinvents itself but, somehow, always remains true to itself too.