The Humber is a land of opportunity as Business Week begins

If there is one key word to describe the future of businesses in the Humber region it is “opportunity”.

This was the message from KCOM CEO Tim Shaw speaking at a Humber Business Week launch event today at Hull City’s MKM Stadium.

The event, entitled Let’s Talk Place, was organised by Future Humber to energise the local business community and build momentum towards a shared prosperous future.

Mr Shaw said there was enormous potential for the digital and tech sectors in the Humber, using KCOM’s  award winning full fibre broadband as a platform to build on.

“Digital and tech are really key in the area,” he said: “There are many global companies  that are using the Humber as their base and lots of great start-up companies such as Vertual, which is developing world leading cancer treatment, at places such as C4DI Add to this the potential for remote working that was kickstarted by the pandemic and we have  a huge platform here to attract people to our region.”

Mr Shaw added that the growing green energy sector led by companies such as Siemens had the potential to transform’s the area’s economy, while the region also had a strong pipeline of talent coming through from the strong science-teaching institutions such as the University of Hull, Hull College and Ron Dearing UTC.

“If we can fix the carbon problem right in the Humber we can take that right  around the world,”  he said.

Mr Shaw was part of a panel discussing the subject alongside Jane Stafford, CEO of Hull University Students’ Union, Charlotte Bowen, Founder of The Culture House and James Trowsdale, Strategic Lead for Culture, North East Lincolnshire Council.

John Till, of place branding experts Thinkingspace, who chaired the event said the Humber estuary was “a blue unifier” bringing both banks of the river together.

Mr Till said it was important that all sectors across the region - private, public, academic and voluntary – needed to coalesce around a shared story to promote the Humber,  adding: “The Humber is a blue unifier, in a fantastic geography that is dripping with assets.”

Once that shared vision was established, stakeholders then needed to “actively collaborate” to create “the best possible experience” of that region to visitors and investors.

The event was also used as a launch pad for Future Humber’s  Your Move campaign – promoting all the benefits of living and doing business in the area.

KCOM is taking part in events across Humber Business Week and is a main sponsor of The Business Day, which is taking place at Bridlington Spa on Friday, 9 June.

For more detail about the Your Move campaign visit www.future humber.com

For more detail about Humber Business Week visit www.humberbusinessweek.co.uk