8:30am - 10:30am

To launch Humber Business Week 2023, Bondholders will shine a spotlight on the place we all call home.

Emboldening you, as the people that make our place, to be proud and excited as the Humber defines itself through renewed confidence, ambition, investment, and opportunity, this event will kickstart conversations and inform the development of our region’s shared narrative.

On the 5th June, we kicked off Humber Business Week 2023 with a celebration of our place and our time.

After an introduction from Bondholders Chair Bill Walker, with the Humber’s story front and centre, keynote speaker and host, John Till, Founding Director, thinkingplace, explored topics from the placemaking stage. 

Our panellists included:

• Tim Shaw, Chief Executive Officer, KCOM
• Jane Stafford MBA CMgr FCMI, Chief Executive Officer, Hull University Students’ Union
• Charlotte Bowen, Founder and Creative Director, The Culture House
• James Trowsdale, Strategic Lead for Culture, North East Lincolnshire Council

The discussions focussed on the importance of being involved in the national conversation, the impact of collaborative working, and the value of promoting what we are already good at - green economy and features such as our vast amount of waterfront were put forward as two of our many assets. 

Following the panel discussion, guests were invited to have their own discussions with their tables, with the aim of coming up with some priorities for the region and to bring them to the ideas board. Thank you to Edenic Group for providing this activity and to the table hosts for their enthusiasm in corralling the energy in the right direction. 

All the time, artist Calvin Innes of Pace Communications was interpreting the conversation and the energy in the room through paint and canvas, while poet Vicky Foster was composing a poem. 

The session ended with the call to action - be proud of our place and don't be afraid to shout more about the wonderful assets we have.