West Yorkshire has gone stateside, with a dozen of the region’s businesses joining Mayor Tracy Brabin in Nashville, Tennessee, to meet with potential investors and trade partners.
The trade mission, which has been organised by the Mayor to create opportunities for West Yorkshire businesses, began yesterday (Monday 7 October) and will conclude ahead of the government’s inaugural International Investment Summit in London on Monday 14 October.
It will see the Mayor and businesses working together to secure new contracts and sign new trade agreements, helping businesses to export and scale, create new jobs, and grow the economy.
Trade in goods and services between West Yorkshire and the US is worth over £4 billion, with almost 2,000 local businesses exporting goods to the US.
By putting forward a united public-private plan for investment, the Mayor hopes to inspire confidence in the region’s fastest growing sectors, including its health and life sciences sector.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “By coming together with business to champion our great region abroad, we’ll attract investment, create good jobs, and put more money in people’s pockets.
“This public-private trade mission will help our businesses to grow and succeed, by opening up export and investment opportunities in a stronger, brighter region.
“And here at home, our investments in transport, skills and homes will help create the right environment for growth, by connecting businesses to the talent and finance they need to succeed.”
As part of the mission, the Mayor will speak at the NCQA Health Innovation Summit and meet with the Mayor of Nashville, Freddie O’Connell, to progress talks on a new partnership between the two regions’ health and life sciences sectors, to increase the flow of knowledge, products and investment.
As the home of NHS England’s headquarters and Europe’s largest teaching hospital, West Yorkshire is recognised as a global leader in health innovation. The sector employs over 100,000 people across over 300 companies, and will be supported to grow even further through a 10-year, £160 million Investment Zone secured from the government.
Nashville, which has almost doubled its number of health and life sciences jobs since 2000, has been identified by the Mayor as a prime trading partner for West Yorkshire. Overall, the state of Tennessee ranks third in the US for the export of medical supplies and equipment, worth over $4 billion.
Joining the delegation on behalf of Health Innovation Leeds, Kate Lodge, Partnership Director at the Leeds Academic Health Partnership, said: “I’m delighted to join our regional partners as, together, we further strengthen our burgeoning health innovation industry sector.
“As well as showcasing the world-renowned strengths of Leeds and West Yorkshire, I’m sure we’ll bring back valuable insights and opportunities as we connect with other global health innovation leaders.”
Regarded as the birthplace of country music, Nashville will also host representatives from Leeds Conservatoire, The Piece Hall in Halifax, and Tileyard North in Wakefield, to deepen trade, investment, and knowledge sharing between the two regions’ music industries.
Since her election in 2021, the Mayor has invested more than £13 million into the creative industries, including in a brand-new music network for musicians and industry professionals to collaborate on shared opportunities.
Nicky Chance-Thompson MBE DL, CEO of the Piece Hall Trust and Deputy Chair of the WYCA Culture, Heritage and Sport Committee, said: “The music and cultural scene in West Yorkshire has always been rich with talent, and due to investment, the region is now achieving unprecedented recognition.
“However, there is still so much more untapped potential and opportunity to realise if we can nurture and forge stronger worldwide partnerships.
“Famed as the birthplace of ‘country’ and with some of the most iconic venues in the world, Nashville is arguably now the world’s epicentre of music. In many ways it mirrors the talent and assets we have here in West Yorkshire.
“Building strong and collaborative partnerships with the world’s best, will help the region achieve the Mayor’s ambition of putting culture at the heart of its growth and super boost the economy.
“We’ve seen firsthand in Halifax the impact of the success of our summer gig season and the economic impact it has had on the town and region, and The Piece Hall Academy is bringing through the next series of writers, artists and event specialists.
“This is just one catalyst. There is so much more we can do across the whole county. By making these important connections in Nashville, we can really elevate our music scene and realise long lasting benefits to the region.”
