Senior leaders back five priorities to propel Humber as a national engine of growth

Over 60 senior leaders from Humber’s private and public sectors joined forces to set the agenda for growth, investment and opportunity across the region at Future Humber’s business leadership event this week.

Pan-Humber unity, physical connectivity, investment and innovation, and future-proofing skills and place reputation are five priorities that regional leaders committed to advancing to accelerate the region’s economy at the Humber Leadership Exchange event.

Left to right Andrew Dawes, Mayor Luke Campbell MBE, Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns DBE, and Henri Murison at Future Humber’s Humber Leadership Exchange

Organised by Future Humber, the exchange brought senior representatives from the public and private sectors together to shape a collective direction to unlock the region’s potential as a national engine of growth. Drawing on real business insights to help inform regional priorities across key areas, the session focused on developing a shared vision for, and identifying next steps to drive, Humber’s long-term prosperity.

Andrew Dawes, Chair of Future Humber, and Humber Director for ABP, said: “Humber is united on our region’s potential. And that potential is ready to be realised.

“By bringing leaders together, we’re building the momentum needed to accelerate delivery and unlock the full scale of opportunity. This is about aligning our purpose with what is right for our businesses and our communities, to move the conversations and our region forwards. The opportunity now is to turn that engagement into visible, coordinated action that delivers for our region, and the wider national economy.”

Henri Murison, Chief Executive, The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Fundamentally, the UK economy cannot succeed without the North, and the North needs the Humber. With highly productive industrial sectors concentrated in both energy and manufacturing highlighted in the State of the Humber inaugural report, both banks of the Estuary together make up an economy of capabilities not easily replicated elsewhere. 

“The national requirements for energy security are simply not possible without the Humber. The Humber Growth Board will be a single joined-up, compelling, and cohesive voice uniting Mayors, civic and business leaders. Its team will be critical to encourage inward investors to make the right decision and invest here both in the Freeport and more widely in infrastructure and projects.”

Strengthening collaboration between private and public sector leadership, the event brought together mayors and senior officers from the Hull and East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire combined authorities, alongside key stakeholders from all four local authorities and the wider business community, to accelerate long-term economic growth across the region.

Dame Andrea Jenkyns DBE, Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, said: “For too long, Greater Lincolnshire has been pushed to the back of the queue. That has to end. We are finally standing up, raising our voices, and demanding the respect our regions deserve on the global stage.

"I’ve seen the incredible spirit across the Humber, and I’m telling you now: the excuses are over. We are moving forward with a plan that puts our people and our businesses first. We aren't just 'aligning priorities', we are building a powerhouse.

"By working together and speaking with one loud, proud, and unified voice, we are going to seize every single opportunity and make our areas thrive like never before."

Luke Campbell MBE, Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, said: “The Humber has more untapped potential than anywhere else in the country. That’s the story that we need to be telling.

“I want to make this region the best place to live and work, but we need to join together with one voice to do that.

“With combined authorities on both sides of the Humber, we’ve got a chance to change that by collaborating – not competing and duplicating.”

Humber’s five shared priorities for a stronger economy are rooted in aligned objectives across mayoral strategies and Humber’s Economic Strategy.

Held at Forest Pines, Brigg, on May 12, the private, invitation-only event was facilitated by Arup and designed for senior leaders from Future Humber’s Principal and Major Partner business network. A driving force for strategic collaboration, Future Humber helps build a prosperous and sustainable future for the region, working with senior business and public sector leadership to shape Humber’s long-term success. For information on becoming a Future Humber Principal or Major Partner, contact leahann.barnes@futurehumber.com