News & views

17 September 2026

Yesterday, Leicestershire Business Voice Chair Sue Tilley attended the Competing to Win Economic Summit, joining leaders from business, universities, local government and the voluntary sector to consider the economic future of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Our thanks go to Professor Rachel Granger, Kate Broadhurst and Professor Mohamed Shaban for the invitation and for convening such a wide-ranging and important conversation.

The policy papers produced by Professor Granger and her colleagues provided a strong evidence base for the day, setting out both the scale of LLR’s economic opportunity and the challenges that must be addressed if the region is to realise its full potential.

Andy Reed OBE opened the summit before keynote contributions from Professor Harris Beider the Founder and CEO of the Forward Institute an independent, not-for-profit “ideas factory” and innovation engine based in Birmingham, United Kingdom provided some powerful insights and together with Tom Wolfenden set the tone for the discussions that followed.

Tom shared valuable lessons from the development of Sheffield’s Innovation Spine. Its success has been built around existing economic assets and evidence of genuine business demand, rather than an imposed structure or a “field of dreams” approach.

His observation that “the prospectus isn’t the work” captured one of the day’s most important messages: strategies and structures matter, but they must lead to sustained action and delivery.

Sue joined the morning panel on Mobilising Place Leadership, chaired by Kevin Allen-Khimani, alongside Professor Katie Normington, Tom Wolfenden and Zafar Saleem.

The discussion explored the kind of leadership required to build a stronger economy during a period of significant structural change. It also reinforced the importance of involving businesses of every size, alongside universities, local government, the voluntary sector and the communities that understand how the local economy works.

Speaking after the summit, Sue said: “Place leadership cannot belong only to institutions or to people with formal titles. It must draw upon the knowledge, experience and commitment that exist across our whole economy.

“Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have considerable strengths in areas including advanced manufacturing, logistics, space, life sciences and health. But assets alone do not create an effective economic ecosystem. That requires relationships, active brokerage, shared priorities and sustained leadership.

“It has to be about the people, the will and the means to collaborate.”

The afternoon innovation session considered how LLR can connect its existing assets more effectively, make innovation easier for businesses to access and create the confidence and freedom for people to act.

For LBV, the crucial question is what happens next.

The region must now translate the energy and engagement generated by the summit into a focused programme of delivery, with clear priorities, named responsibilities and tangible outcomes over the next 12 months.

LBV will continue to ensure that the experiences and ambitions of businesses large and small help to inform that work. Our role is not to make policy, but to ensure that the voice of business informs policy — and that discussion is followed by ongoing action.