THE LAST WORD

Chamber president and ER Recruitment owner EILEEN RICHARDS MBE on forging an identity for East Midlands business

Our three counties are masterful at marketing our diverse business offer, which ranges from engineering to manufacturing and logistics to leisure.

But can we say the same of how we forge our regional identity so as to get ministers reaching for their infrastructure chequebooks?

It was suggested during a recent Chamber president’s roundtable event that a united East Midlands business community might help promote our ever-developing offer as we seek to catch the eye of mandarins sitting in Whitehall.

Politically, of course, we do not have the regional mayor or combined authority that provides places such as the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and the Tees Valley with a direct line to decision-makers and a straightforward pipeline for regional public investment.

Could business play its part by shaping a regional coalition with a simple narrative and a single voice with which to speak to London? The centre of England is, after all, a centre of trade.

Whether such a coalition would open the same doors (or answer the same Zoom calls) as a regional mayor is another matter. However, we must work with what is within our gift – and time is pressing.

The Levelling Up White Paper – due later this year and led by the Prime Minister, with the advice of Harborough MP Neil O’Brien – presents a tremendous opportunity to position ourselves as the economy reopens. But position ourselves as what? What do we want to be known for as a region?

A united business community may be somewhere to start. A regional coalition that moves as one from the lone entrepreneur to the multinational.

One suggestion I liked at the round table was for the Chamber to work on such a project in collaboration with universities and regional branches of groups such as the Institute of Directors and Federation of Small Businesses. promotion then we already have the networks –at every level – to make our case.

As suggested recently by Rob Day, founder and chairman of Blueprint Interiors, our companies already work across regional, national and international borders – and are happy to say why they are based in the East Midlands.

The challenge, of course, is that they are sharing individual perspectives. What if our businesses were armed with a single, unifying message that they can use to hammer home our case every time a client shows an interest in our region? Our offer is, after all, significant.

LEVELLING UP OPPORTUNITIES WILL HELP CONFIDENCE RETURN

Meanwhile, the emerging recovery narrative is a positive one. The Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey is showing that, while some sectors remain challenged, recovery is happening at pace.

Confidence is as high as it has been since 2019. This is a business region ready to capitalise on opportunities – if the leads are forthcoming.

Currently, much investment is heading to our West and North. How can we get more of that coming our way?

After all, the levelling up agenda is aimed squarely at place – and that means the East Midlands, as well as the West.

How can we position ourselves consistently as being at the forefront of investors’ minds when they are looking for a region that can be relied upon to consistently deliver a trial or a programme?

Government is placing increasing emphasis on the role of the Midlands Engine and we are fortunate to have strong representation on that platform.

How can we help our representatives by swinging an exciting (and unified) business narrative in behind them for when they go in to negotiate with our Whitehall leaders?

The Chamber – spanning as it does Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire –feels well-placed to spearhead a collaborative push driven by regional businesses of all sizes. And what a statement that would be.

AWARDS SEASON EDGES CLOSER

It’s amazing to think that I’ve already reached the halfway point of my year as president. Fair to say that it’s been eventful!

The challenges have been welldocumented – not least for our leisure and hospitality sectors, as reported in last month’s magazine. But the creativity and resilience has been inspiring and I want to do all I can to lock that energy into the benefit of Chamber members.

As such, increasing membership has been a top priority for me so far. That’s why I have been really pleased to have had my timelines buzzing as new members are welcomed aboard.

So what am I looking forward to during the second half of the year?

Well, there’s the Generation Next Awards. This is our new initiative to build a network that develops and celebrates our future leaders. The list of finalists was revealed last month and the winners will be announced in July.

There’s also the 24th anniversary of Enterprising Women to look forward to with a gala awards dinner in October.

In the meantime, there’s also our three sets of Business Awards. They’ve also had timelines buzzing as sponsorships are snapped up.

Most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing people face-to-face again. The technology has been (mostly) effective but business, for me, is about people.

It’ll be great to see you all soon in the flesh, rather than on a screen!