Wakefield is back and better than ever

Wakefield Business Week was historically an annual event, delivered in a partnership capacity by stakeholders including Wakefield Council, the Chamber of Commerce and Wakefield First. This year, the hosts, WF4 Recovery changed the theme up to be Wakefield Bounce Back Week! With attendees having the opportunity to hear from national and local keynote speakers, business leaders, educators, and disruptive entrepreneurs such as:

• Helen Oldham, Founder of North Invest
• Jodie Hill, Founder of Thrive Law
• Claire Ackers, Founder of Adesse
• Ben Barker, Founder of Gecko
• Susan Cowlishaw, Corporate Wellness Facilitator

Helen Oldham, Founding Board Director, NorthInvest said: “I’m really pleased to have this opportunity to talk about how we can support innovation in Wakefield”

The one-week events series ran from 21st-25th June and focussed on celebrating the achievements of local companies, entrepreneurs, and employees by providing a platform for professional discussion to support business recovery and resilience across the district. Georgia Halston, Founder of marketing agency Halston Marketing hosted 9 specialist webinars throughout the week offering some great insight and Q&A sessions.

The highlight of the week was absolutely the StartUp: Survival and Resilience webinar which housed a panel of local and national business coaches and entrepreneurs to speak about remaining resilient in tough times. Specifically focussing on new start-up businesses, the five passionate and energetic panellists would have undoubtably inspired all who tuned in.

Vic Edwards, Founder & Owner VLAN LTD said: “I was made redundant. I thought should I go work for someone else? Or should I just go on my own? And I took the chance and went my own way and here we are and it's going great”

The event received fantastic feedback from both the speakers and the attendees with the main takeaway from the week being the importance of collaboration and community.

*Thomas Szczepanski Director, The Sanders Partnership
“I thought it was a really well-run event” *

*Ali Gordon, CEO, Eat Out Round About
“We think we can really make a difference if we pull everyone together and we can only out more and just experience more what Wakefield’s got to offer” *

*Adeem Younis, Founder of PennyAppeal.org and SingleMuslim.com
“We are really excited to be bouncing in Wakefield for just over two decades. It’s a great place” *