Business News The Griffin Report
This month, Chamberlink launches The Griffin Report. In each edition, Jon Griffin, the magazine’s award-winning journalist, will conduct an interview which gets to the heart of important issues affecting the wider business community in the West Midlands. Here he talks to Sir John Peace about his plans as he takes
on the chairmanship of the Midlands Engine. Sir John says the region has a fantastic story to tell but needs to shout about more…
The new Midlands Engine project could take Shakespeare or Leicester City to China to help fly the flag for an unprecedented economic boom which aims to deliver 300,000 new jobs to the region. Innovative plans are in the pipeline to export the best of the region’s
culture and sporting assets to lucrative overseas markets as part of the Midlands Engine initiative, new chairman Sir John Peace has revealed. Sir John told Chamberlink the likes of the Stratford Bard, Premier League
title-winning Leicester City, the Richard III story and the Pilgrim Fathers’ history could all play a key role in taking the Midlands Engine message across the globe.
‘We have to shout more, we need to shout about what a great place the Midlands is.’
Sir John, who also chairs Standard Chartered plc and the Burberry Group, was appointed to take over at the helm of the Midlands Engine in early June. The initiative, launched last December, is working with businesses, universities, colleges and the public sector to create 300,000 new jobs and generate an additional £34 billion by 2030. The Midland knight, son of a Nottinghamshire miner, said: “A trade
mission does not have to always be a party of business leaders. This is not just about the economy, it is about people, it is about waving the Midlands Engine flag. It is about celebrating who we are. “The Midlands is a fantastic story. Shakespeare lived here, Leicester are
from the Midlands, we have world-class businesses like Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, JCB. “The Pilgrim Fathers’ roots were in the Midlands, Richard III is a great
story….the opportunities are huge and I want to use all these things. We do not celebrate our heritage enough. “We have to shout more, we need to shout about what a great place the Midlands is. I think we are a bit modest, and you have to raise the bar.” Sir John believes substantial improvements to the transport network,
more promotion and marketing of the Midlands, innovation through working with the education sector and eliminating skill shortages could all play key roles in delivering the aims of the Midlands Engine. He said the geographical area covered by the Midlands Engine – which
boasts a population of 11.5 million, 15 cities, 27 universities, 23 science parks and three international airports – was crucial to the UK economy. “The Midlands Engine can provide the impetus for economic growth. It is
bigger than the Northern Powerhouse, bigger than London. I want to join the dots with business, councils, politicians, the education sector.” He cautioned against ‘knee-jerk reactions’ following the Brexit vote.
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8 CHAMBERLINK September 2016
An engine for growth: Sir John Peace at the Thinktank Science Museum “It is important that we come together and find a way forward – there
are massive opportunities here. We have all got to be careful, there should be no knee-jerk reaction. “I think that right now the global economy is a little fragile. Europe has
not been growing and creating jobs in the way that the UK has been able to. The markets do not like uncertainty and we are living through a period of great political uncertainty. “You can see many countries – China, India and others – where the UK,
and the Midlands in particular, has great opportunities for export.” He said the Midlands Engine could drive economic growth by working with
a variety of sectors, from business leaders to universities. “We have a great workforce, great businesses – we are bringing all the stakeholders together.”
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