Business
My Friends in the North is a podcast series from entrepreneur Sarah Waddington in which she interviews some of the North’s most influential organisational leaders. In these next five interviews, Sarah will be sticking to one theme and talking to members of the North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group about what support is available in the region to help businesses. Here she speaks to Helen Golightly, the chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), a client of Astute.Work, about: What the North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group is and who is involved. The Group’s long-term goal and its immediate five point plan. Why this strategic leadership and collaboration is so important. How the North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group is engaging with Government and why this collective voice matters. Advice for businesses trying to stay open and keep people in employment. Opportunities for industry to help solve national and regional challenges. How the work of the North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group will impact the Strategic Economic Plan, which is designed to increase the number of jobs in the North East by 100,000 by 2024. What makes Helen optimistic that the North East can withstand the impact of Coronavirus and keeps her feeling positive at this time. To keep up with the work of the North East LEP and North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group, follow @northeastlep on Twitter or visit the North East COVID-19 Economic Response Group page on the www.nelep.co.uk website. Business support and advice can be found at www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk. If you’d like to feature on future episodes, contact Sarah Waddington on 07702 162 704 or email sarah@astute.work.