CLUB EVENT
The power of the Tees Valley - The enlightenment of Dogger Bank
The power of the Tees Valley - The enlightenment of Dogger Bank
Speakers at our June event will be discussing the exciting news of the multimillion-pound deal with global offshore manufacturer GE Renewable Energy to build a state of the art wind turbine blade manufacturing factory on Teesworks.
The blades produced by GE Renewable Energy will be supplied to the Dogger Bank wind farm, around 80 miles off the coast which, when completed in 2026, will be the largest offshore wind farm in the UK and will be capable of powering up to six million homes.
We will also be hearing from The Prince's Trust young ambassador Emma Quinn. After suffering from some serious health issues and wanting to get back on her feet Emma started researching self employment and business. She came across The Prince’s Trust online and within a week of getting in touch, was able to complete the Enterprise programme, which is when she founded her business: Piffy & Egg. Piffy & Egg is an art therapy based eCommerce business, selling craft boxes and care bundles to support people with their mental health and it donates 7.5% profits to the mental health charity, Mind. Emma also runs several successful mental health campaigns and has featured on BBC, ITV and local news and radio.
Additionally, recently elected MP for Hartlepool Jill Mortimer will be sharing her plans for Hartlepool and what the £25m high street fund means for the town. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen will join us to provide his regular update.
Agenda:
06.00pm – Welcome and introduction from Jane Reynolds MBE, Chair, TVBC
06.05pm – Networking in breakout rooms
06.30pm – Speakers and presentations, Chris Beck - Tees Valley Combined Authority, Tom Nightingale - Equinor, Joanne O’Brien - Tees Valley Skills, Emma Quinn - The Prince's Trust
07:35pm – Jill Mortimer MP for Hartlepool
07:45pm – Update from Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen
08.00pm – Summing up by Jane Reynolds MBE and event close
Presenter biogs can be found to the right hand side of this web page
Attendance to this event is without charge for members and eligible guests*.
Member invitations will be issued by direct email.
*Guest booking: We enable six guests to attend each of our events. If you have not attended one of our events in the past, and would like to come to an event to find out if the club is something you would like to be part of, please get in touch info@teesvalleybusinessclub.co.uk for further information.
All places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Chris Beck, Tees Valley Combined Authority
Chris Beck is the Director of Business & Skills for the Tees Valley Combined Authority. Chris leads on business and skills for the Tees Valley Combined Authority and was formerly the strategic funding manager for TWI, The Welding Institute. There he led on government engagement and the management of funding for large projects. He has represented TWI on the UK’s Metals Council.
Chris was previously technical specialist for the government within BEIS and UKTI, working on advanced technology and research focused inward investment.
Tom Nightingale, Equinor
Tom joined Equinor in April 2021 as North East Stakeholder Manager, focusing on Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm. Tom represents Equinor’s Renewables Division in North East England, working alongside Dogger Bank partners to engage with and build relationships across the community, industry and the supply chain.
Prior to this, Tom has held various marketing, communication and business development roles in the energy supply chain, where he has supported the growth of businesses including TechnipFMC Umbilicals and JDR Cables and helped to attract inward investment to the region. Before joining Equinor, Tom was Marketing & Strategy Director (Flexible Pipe Systems) for Baker Hughes.
As part of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, Tom represented JDR Cables on the Offshore Wind Industry Council where he was an advocate for the supply chain and increasing UK content. At this time, Tom also worked with NOF to deliver the first Offshore Wind North East conference. Tom has won various awards and accolades for businesses including SubseaUK awards, Offshore Achievement Awards, Northern Powerhouse Export Awards and the Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade.
Tom lives in Newcastle with his wife and two children and spends his free time exercising, planning his travels and socialising. Tom is also a member of the North East Board of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Joanne O'Brien, Tees Valley Skills
Joanne recently joined Tees Valley Combined Authority as a Business Skills Adviser within the new ESF, Skills for Growth Programme, having previously worked for Stockton Borough Council, Learning & Skills on the Routes to Work project for just over two years. Prior to this, she worked for the Sector Skills Council for Engineering and Manufacturing SEMTA for almost 19 years performing several different roles including ESF Contracts Officer, Skills Competition Specialist and Key Account Manager.
With a Business Management Degree from Teesside University and many years of experience from working with businesses of all sizes throughout the UK her passion is to help businesses new and old find the help and support they need to develop, maintain, and grow their company.
Please check back after the event to view any show notes...
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