A year of change and continued success

The co-operation and goodwill shown by businesses across Northamptonshire has been praised during SEMLEP’s Annual General Meeting – the first since the merger with Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership was made official.

SEMLEP chief executive Stephen Catchpole addressed a panel of business leaders at Franklin’s Gardens, home of Northampton Saints, and said he had been delighted with the ‘overwhelmingly positive’ reaction from employers to the merger.

He said: “We have spoken to a significant number of businesses since the merger was announced and the response has been extremely pleasing.

“Understandably, there have been questions, there have been concerns but we have been able to share our vision and our passion and assured the business community in Northamptonshire that they are very much part of the SEMLEP family.

“There is huge potential for further growth in Northamptonshire and we look forward to playing our part in helping to achieve that.”

The AGM also featured a networking session attended by dozens of business leaders from across the South East Midlands plus a number of presentations looking at the importance of ‘place’ in the growth agenda.

Ian Harrison, director of the Department for International Trade, said Britain was ‘very much open for business’ while Angela Rushforth of the East Midlands branch of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) gave delegates an overview of the regional prosperity agenda.