James was the first Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and spent 14 years in local government. It was during his time as a leader and as Mayor that James became aware of the lack of investment into the east, in comparison to other regions and the lack of a strategic voice here. During his time in politics, James was responsible for a number of key projects, including Ely Leisure Village, Peterborough University and Soham Railway Station. James also worked on the Ely Southern Bypass, the King's Dyke Crossing and Cambridge South Station. James is passionate about adult education and transformed the service during his time as Mayor, concentrating on retraining opportunities for the low paid and those out of work. James supported businesses during the first lockdown, giving grants to allow them to invest and grow.
The Eastern Powerhouse is the business-led voice for the East of England. The Eastern region is home to 7 million people, 120 major towns and cities, 800,000+ businesses, 8 universities, 4 international airports, and the UK's largest container port. The East is at the forefront of global trade and is central to the UK's future success to which eastern companies exported £17.9bn worth of services globally in 2023. The session will look at the enormous opportunities we have to import and export in the region and demonstrate that the East is the place to invest, grow your business and go global! We believe that business in the east is local, but our reach is global.
