CW Champions marks 13th year with highest-ever SME registrations
A record-breaking number of SMEs registered to attend a networking event in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Over 250 SMEs registered for the bi-monthly CW Champions breakfast event in September – the highest ever number for the organisation, which celebrates Coventry and Warwickshire and has been running for 13 years.
Attendees heard from Phil Smith CBE, chair of Skills England, Mitchell Barnes, founder of RYSE 3D, who is an up-and-coming voice of manufacturing within the region and a King’s Awards winner, and Stuart Buckley, managing director of Warwickshire Property & Development Group, who gave an insight into recent developments within Warwickshire.
Hosted at the Bridge House Theatre, part of Warwick Independent School Foundation, which recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, Coventry and Warwickshire businesses heard from Phil how they have a ‘big part to play’ in equipping England’s workforce with the skills to overcome flat productivity.
He said: “We talk about the relationship between businesses and place, and a commitment to the area you are operating in. This event is a powerful demonstration of that, just through the sheer energy and engagement you can feel in the room.
“Through my career I have developed a passion for skills and it is an issue that we have to do something about. That is why I was so pleased to take on this role.”
Phil was preceded on stage by Stuart Buckley, who gave an update on Warwickshire Property & Development Group’s (WPDG) activities and revealed the extent of the Group’s homebuilding and commercial development plans across the region.
Mitchell Barnes, of Warwickshire-based RYSE 3D, followed, and gave an inspiring talk on how the innovative 3D printing business has quickly grown to 30 staff and has plans for further expansion, during an interview with event facilitator Adam Dent.
He said: “Due to COVID-19, we went from nearly a million pounds in the bank to next to nothing in nine months. We have built back up and now employ a team of 30, from a team of three, winning the King’s Award for Innovation, at the Innovation Awards 2024. We are now applying for the King’s Award for Export, which shows our grit and determination as a business.”
The audience of business and civic leaders was also given a flavour of Warwick Independent School Foundation’s work by foundation principal, Richard Nicholson.
The event also marked the final time that Adam Dent hosted CW Champions, as the experienced compere and well-known local PR businessman has stepped down from the role.
He said: “It’s been a fantastic 13 years, and I will continue to tell everyone something positive about Coventry and Warwickshire!”
Craig Humphrey, CEO of the CW Growth Hub Group – of which Champions is a part – said “We had a record-breaking 250 registrations for this CW Champions event which highlights the need for networking and for businesses within the region to have the opportunity to make those all-important connections and discover what is happening around our vibrant and dynamic region.”