Panel reminds business folk why 'we love Sunderland'

The free briefing, I Love Sunderland, was held last Friday (February 14) at Sunderland’s City Hall and was organised by Sunderland wealth management company Northern Spire. It was the latest in a long-term programme of briefings organised by the company and aimed at supporting local businesses

I Love Sunderland featured a panel of city leaders playing key roles in the ongoing development of the city. The panel included Coun Michael Mordey, Leader of Sunderland City Council; Nick Malyan, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture; Alison Gwynn, Chief Executive of North East Screen, and John Longford, Financial Adviser at Northern Spire

The event was hosted by Rob Lawson OBE, former editor of the Sunderland Echo and current Chair of the Sunderland Business Partnership.

Topics covered by the panellists included the Riverside development; the huge potential of the Crown Works studios; the catalysts behind the spate of recent city developments; the role of culture in the continuing regeneration of the city; Glassworks: Sunderland; future developments and job opportunities; the current level of confidence among Wearside businesses and the impact of last Autumn’s Budget and increases in National Insurance on local businesses.

Panellists also had practical advice for local companies and stayed after the panel session ended to meet with members of the audience to give 1-2-1 advice and support.

Nick Malyan said: "I enjoyed the I Love Sunderland event and the opportunity to talk about Sunderland Culture's role in the city and how it supports the local economy in different ways. I also enjoyed the chance to meet so many people at the event and answer their questions directly - or to signpost them to further advice or support.

"One of the reasons why there's so much happening in the city at the moment is there's a real partnership approach to regeneration and taking the city forward. There was clear evidence of that partnership approach on Friday morning - everyone is pulling together for the benefit of the city and Wearsiders."

Deborah Telfer, Managing Director at Northern Spire, said: “We’d like to thank the panellists for their time and contributions. There was so much knowledge and experience on the panel and the feedback we’ve had has been amazing.

“Panellists have and remain involved first-hand in what is going on in the city at the moment and audience members were able to ask questions and speak to them after Rob had asked his own questions.

“It’s an exciting time to own or run a business in Sunderland and the many developments offer opportunities to businesses of all sizes. We’ve organised several similar events over recent years and usually have a specific theme such as selling a business and supporting young entrepreneurs, but we wanted this event to inform local business people and give them an opportunity to meet those involved in major developments in the city.”