The South West has emerged as the UK’s best region for women’s economic empowerment – outperforming other parts of the country for female participation at work and narrower pay disparities between the sexes. According to the latest Women in Work Index, produced by accountancy giant PwC, the region also has the second-lowest female unemployment...
With less than a month to go until nominations close, Bristol directors are being urged to enter one of the South West’s top award schemes recognising excellence and enterprise. The Institute of Directors’ (IoD) South West Director of the Year Awards 2020 aim to champion the region’s outstanding leaders and entrepreneurs. The awards, which also...
Confidence among the South West’s small and medium-sized manufacturers has bounced back following the breaking of the Brexit impasse, according to a new survey. While the sector ended 2019 by enduring its toughest quarter in a decade – with the worst reduction in sales, profits and staff numbers since the depth of the recession...
The CBI has urged the Chancellor to take bold action on skills, innovation and infrastructure in his Budget to ‘power-up’ the South West’s economy. The seven-point plea was made before Sajid Javid resigned as Chancellor and was replaced by Rishi Sunak – throwing into doubt whether the Budget will go ahead, as planned, on...
South West firms looking to explore export opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean will be able to find out about support from the Department for International Trade (DIT) at an event next month. The DIT’s national LatAC Roadshow arrives in the region on March 12 when experts will provide insights into the vibrant...
The region’s largest business organisation has called on the government to ensure firms get essential support and guidance for life outside the EU as the UK today marks its official departure from the world’s biggest trading bloc. While the UK is leaving the European Union at 11pm after 47 years, an 11-month transition period...
The region’s top annual business award scheme recognising excellence and enterprise in the boardroom has been launched. The Institute of Directors’ (IoD) South West Director of the Year Awards 2020 aim to champion outstanding leaders and entrepreneurs while also focusing UK-wide attention on success in the region. Nominations – which opened this week – can be...
The South West needs its own government minister to champion the case for more funding and spur its economic growth, the CBI’s director general said on a visit to the region. Such a move would ‘power up’ the region, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, pictured, told a gathering of the region’s business leaders. The result would...
Business organisations have welcomed the stability that the resounding Conservative General Election victory will bring – but question marks remain over the kind of Brexit deal a Boris Johnson-led government will strike. Business West, the South West’s largest business group which runs the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative, also questioned how much funding for essential...
A pioneering campaign to help firms in the South West prepare for life outside the European Union has earned a major national award for Business West, the region’s biggest business support organisation. Recognising that Brexit represents the single most radical transformation in the way that British businesses trade for decades, Business West – which...
