News / North Yorkshire Ambassadors Prepare to Spread...
North Yorkshire Ambassadors Prepare to Spread the Word
Sixty eight of the most prominent business names in York and North Yorkshire converged on Castle Howard last week to attend the first ever North Yorkshire Ambassadors’ Dinner. Organised by york-england.com and event sponsors Langleys Solicitors, the Dinner was hailed a great success, securing the support of dozens of company chiefs representing business interests across a range of sectors. All of whom were brought together to help spread the word about the widespread benefits of doing business in York and North Yorkshire.
The evening commenced with a champagne reception hosted by The Hon. Simon Howard, after which guests from a range of influential organisations across York and North Yorkshire, including Morrisons, the Potter Group, Pindar and Johnson and Johnson, were given the chance to meet and discuss their plans for promoting the area, accompanied by music from a section of the Scarborough College Band. Following dinner, guests heard from keynote speaker, Martin Vander Weyer, Business Editor of The Spectator.
“The event was an enormous success. Our audience of prospective Ambassadors included senior managers from some of the biggest companies in North Yorkshire, all of whom loved the idea of becoming Ambassadors for our region and helping us spread the word about the benefits of doing business here,” said Denise Stuart, Chief Executive of york-england.com. “Their help will be invaluable in helping promote North Yorkshire as a business base and to get the message out about our growing range of thriving business sectors like Bioscience and Creative Industries as well as our outstanding track record for profitability and quality of life.”
In a recent survey of senior decision makers in the North and South of England carried out on behalf of york-england.com, 44 per cent of respondents from the South had no idea what the region had to offer as a business location. According to Denise Stuart, “such results highlight the importance of initiatives like the North Yorkshire Ambassadors’ Dinner and the work done by york-england.com in marketing the region as a top business location.”
Tom Pinzone, a guest at the Dinner and Director at GHD, the international professional services company which opened its new UK base in York last year, highlighted the potential he and his fellow Ambassadors have to support the work of york-england.com: “Our company has thousands of clients across the globe which gives me an enormous opportunity to talk about North Yorkshire and the high quality business environment and quality of life I have experienced since I came to the region. I think the Business Ambassadors initiative is a fantastic idea and I’m delighted to have been invited to take part.”
Roger Taylor, Commercial Property Partner at Langleys said: “The fact we have been able to grow our business and attract top professionals to join us is reflective of the business opportunities which already exist in the region. However if our business like many others are going to continue to grow we need to support initiatives such as this. We need to ensure that the beauty of North Yorkshire is matched by the business opportunities which also means that our younger people do not move away because they have a perception that the opportunities are greater elsewhere.”
Over the last decade, york-england.com (formerly York Inward Investment Board) has been instrumental in attracting 138 companies to the region, which has translated to the direct and indirect creation of more than 13,500 jobs. In the last three years alone, since york-england.com, which is supported by Yorkshire Forward, the City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council, expanded its remit from York to the whole of North Yorkshire, it has attracted 69 companies half the ten year total.
The next Ambassadors’ Dinner is due to be held in November and will be sponsored by the First TransPennine Express.
