How does the North win?

Agenda

Speakers

• Tom Forth

  Open Innovations Ltd & The Data City

  

  Tom has a PhD in computational biology and heads up data at both Open Innovations and The Data City. He also runs software and data consultancy Imactivate.

  AsCTO at The Data City, Tom champions both the data quality and product

  development cycles. He works closely with the Data Scientists and Developers

  to support the vision for the product and align The Data City development,

  data teams and external technical resources to deliver on the ambition. As an

  expert in A.I. and Machine Learning Tom plays a vital role in R&D of

  the product bridging the gap between A.I. and the user.

  Tom writes regularly on industrial strategy, urban big data, and new methods for

  measuring economies in both English and French and is regularly approached for

  comment in outlets including The FT, BBC News, BBC Radio 4, The Economist, and

  The Guardian.

• Paul Connell

  Founder Open Innovations & The Data City

  

  Paul founded Open Innovations in 2013 with the mission to create a place and community to unleash the power of open data and deliver innovation across the region. He is an entrepreneur who has built Open Innovations into a 21st century Institution and co-founded DataCity which is a Data as a service Company whilst running his own innovation company. His primary role at Open Innovations is twofold - providing the drive, direction and purpose for Open Innovations and leading and developing our Innovation Services. Originally trained as an environmental scientist at Lancaster University and Imperial College he worked for British Coal, ICI and leading global consultancies and clients for nearly 20 years before transitioning his skills to apply them in the domains of Smart Cities, Open Data, Open Innovation and Innovation. He is an accredited Cognitive Edge practitioner and applies these techniques in the Open Innovations Innovation practice.

• Tom Riordan

  CEO Leeds City Council

  

  Tom has been Chief Executive of Leeds City Council since 2010 and during this time has overseen a significant transformation of the council and the city, including achieving OFSTED outstanding ratings in 2018 and 2022 and a £10 billion regeneration programme in the city. Tom's top priority is for Leeds' growth and public services to be inclusive, championing mental health and diversity causes in the city.He has held various roles promoting local and central government engagement, including devising the local coronavirus (COVID-19) response framework during the pandemic, being a trustee on the Centre for Cities Board and a member of the Children's Social Care National Implementation Board.

• Tom Bridges

  Arup UK Government and Innovation Leader, Leeds Office Leader, and Director.

  

  Tom is a chartered town planner with over 22 years' experience in economic development, town planning, urban and regional policy, transport, regeneration and city operations. Alongside his role as Leeds Office Leader, Tom is responsible for developing Arup's UK Cities Advisory services. This includes advising on city and city region strategies for economic development, inclusive growth, skills and innovation, supporting clients on funding and finance, socio economic advice, housing growth, neighbourhood renewal, regeneration programmes and other city-wide potential strategies.

• Robert White

  CEO Brabners

  

  Robert White is the CEO of Brabners, a leading independent law firm. Brabners is a purpose-led firm committed to demonstrating that business can bring about positive change. It is a firm with a national reach that is proudly anchored in the North and is dedicated to making the difference for its clients, its people and the communities it serves. It recently launched True North, a new network committed to supporting the future of the North that will unite the region's most influential voices and purpose-driven organisations to co-create a path forward — with a view to ensuring we play our part in unlocking the true potential of the Northern economy, and the attitude and ambition that is in an abundance here. 

• Jennifer Williams

  Financial Times - Northern England Correspondent

  

  Jennifer Williams is the Northern England Correspondent for the Financial Times since 2022. Prior to that, she was the Politics and Investigations Editor at Manchester Evening News for 11 and half years.

• Eve Roodhouse

  Chief Officer, Culture & Economy, Leeds City Council

  

  Eve leads on Culture and Economic Development at Leeds City Council. Her portfolio is wide ranging, spanning everything from oversight of Leeds Museums and Galleries through to visitor economy, international relations, economic policy, employment and skills and business support.

• Paul Swinney

  Director of Policy & Research, Centre For Cities

  

  As Director of Policy and Research, Paul oversees the research programme and strategy of the Centre. He has published on a wide range of subjects relating to city economies, including the development of UK cities over time, the role that city centres play in the national economy and the trading relationships UK cities have with the rest of the world.

• Andrea Barry

  Principal Economist at Youth Futures Foundation

  

  Experienced Senior Analyst with a demonstrated history of working in the public policy industry. Skilled in Stata, Socio-economic Research, Econometrics, Economic Growth, and International Economics. Strong business development professional with a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD focused in Economics from University of York. 

• Christian Spence

  Economic Data Lead, Open Innovations

  

  I'm an economist and data scientist with a passion for, and 13 years experience in, public policy.I'm currently the Economic Data Lead at Open Innovations Ltd, a #RadicallyOpen not-for-profit organisation that helps people and organisations do more with data. I'm also Chief Economist and Fellow at The Institute of Place Management, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Member of the Regional Studies Association, and run my own consultancy, Economic Analytics.

• Philip McCann

  Chair of Urban and Regional Economics, Alliance Manchester Business School

  

  Professor Philip McCann is Chair of Urban and Regional Economics at Alliance Manchester Business School. He is one of the world's most highly cited spatial economists and economic geographers and has won seven academic awards for his research in different parts of the world including the 2019 ERSA European Prize in Regional Science.