Express & Star

Wolverhampton to host NatWest's growth conference at Molineux

NatWest is holding its first regional growth conference in Wolverhampton.

Published
NatWest Group chief executive Alison Rose

The event will take place at Wolves' Molineux Stadium on May 26.

NatWest Group chief executive Alison Rose will be attending and opening the conference that aims to help drive regional economic growth.

The series of conferences will draw together entrepreneurs, executives and investors to champion local economic strengths, forge new connections and create fresh business opportunities.

The Wolverhampton conference will focus on aerospace, manufacturing and high growth companies from the city and across the West Midlands.

It will include opportunities for local business leaders to highlight the region’s economic success stories, learn from their peers and meet investors, with panel discussions, keynote speeches and networking opportunities.

The regional growth conferences will highlight key industries and successful companies outside the UK’s largest cities and wil build on NatWest’s existing commitments to champion the potential of businesses, including the NatWest Accelerator programme, which supports UK entrepreneurs scaling up their companies, at 13 hubs across the UK.

The West Midlands has been a focus of the Accelerator programme since its inception, with the first accelerator launched in Birmingham in 2015.

Alison Rose said: “Every day, I see the potential of fast-growing companies creating new products and jobs right across the UK. It’s vital that we celebrate these businesses and give them the support they need. NatWest is the biggest high-street bank for start-ups, serving 16 per cent of businesses younger than two-years-old, and we want to see high growth businesses thrive. That’s why we have 13 NatWest Accelerator hubs across the UK, creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem to help companies to scale up and why we are now launching a series of conferences to share knowledge, start conversations and help drive economic growth.

“We know that strong relationships are vital to help businesses thrive. Those relationships flourish where people have an opportunity to meet, share ideas and form new connections. The tremendous network of innovative companies, large and small, in and around Wolverhampton makes it the perfect place to start this work.”