Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney to speak at Northern Powerhouse Business Summit

The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, will be delivering a speech at the government’s first Northern Powerhouse Business Summit this summer, the Minister for the Northern Powerhouse Jake Berry announced on May 30.

Governor Carney will be the principal speaker on the second day of the Summit, which is being held in NewcastleGateshead from 4-6 July, as part of the Great Exhibition of the North.

In his role as Governor of the UK’s central bank, Governor Carney chairs the interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee, the Financial Policy Committee and the Prudential Regulation Committee.

He also serves as Chair of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), First Vice-Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board, and is a member of the Group of Thirty and the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum.

Themes of discussions across the three day Summit will include how the Northern Powerhouse can be at the forefront of the fourth Industrial Revolution – Industry 4.0 – and the government’s Industrial Strategy, including the role of the North in the ‘Grand Challenges’. These challenges are: growing the Artificial Intelligence and data driven economy, clean growth, the future of mobility and an ageing society.

There will also be a number of workshops, delivered by northern businesses, designed to provide a more in-depth look at these themes. Workshops will include practical sessions on designing for an ageing population, the future of work, digital transformation and building a northern industrial strategy.

The government announced it was launching the Northern Powerhouse Business Summit earlier this month.  Designed to be the central business event during the Great Exhibition of the North, the Summit will bring together ministers, city region mayors, and council and business leaders.

The Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry: said: “The Northern Powerhouse Business Summit is the first ever event of its kind to be held by government and will bring together leaders from across the country to determine the next stage of the Northern Powerhouse and how we ensure that it is creating a Northern economy fit for the future.

“As one of our most respected economists, I am delighted that Governor Carney has agreed to be a keynote speaker this summer. He will be an invaluable voice in this debate.”

Tickets for the three-day Summit – which is free to attend – are available from 2pm today via the link below.

In addition to Governor Carney, Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University, and Collette Roche, COO of Manchester United, have today been announced as speakers for the first and final day of the Summit, respectively.

Carol Bell, Executive Director for Great Exhibition of the North, said: “The aim of the Summit is to provide businesses across the North of England with learning, networking and commercial opportunities, through talks and practical workshops.

“Every speaker we are bringing to NewcastleGateshead is a leader in their field, and the range of topics we plan to cover – from AI, to clean growth, to virtual reality – we hope will help delegates to get inspired, learn from the top, and ultimately help to prepare their organisations for the future.”

The Northern Powerhouse Business Summit is supported by the European Regional Development Fund and will be taking place at The Boiler Shop in Newcastle, and at selected other venues, from 4th-6th July. Details about the programme and how to book tickets can be found at www.getnorth2018.com/business.