A new chair of Humber Business Week has been unveiled ahead of the 2023 launch.
Pat Coyle is to succeed Kath Lavery, and will host this evening’s preview of what is in store for this year’s festival. The director of marketing and client relations at law firm Rollits has been a key figure on the volunteer steering group for more than a decade, supporting her predecessor in the delivery of ‘Biz Week’.
She has been involved in many of Business Week’s most successful events, including a number organised by her firm. And in her previous role as chair of the Institute of Directors in East Yorkshire, she attracted high-profile speakers including Midge Ure and Kevin Keegan to the Humber Luncheon element. That event is to return in 2023.
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“Stepping into Kath Lavery’s shoes as the chair of Humber Business Week is both a privilege and a challenge,” Mrs Coyle said. “It’s a daunting task, but with determination, innovation, and collaboration, I look forward to building on the great work that has been done by Kath and the steering group to build on the event’s legacy and ensure a platform from 2024 onwards for businesses to connect, learn, and grow.
“Humber Business Week is an important event for our region, and I am committed to ensuring that it continues to be a success.”
Ms Lavery announced she was stepping down last week, having spent 14 years at the helm. She was involved from the outset.
Tonight’s event at the Doubletree by Hilton traditionally announces a number of anticipated highlights coming in early June, while acting as a rallying call for other businesses to confirm the details of their own events and ensure they are part of the programme, which begins on June 5.
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Marketing Humber will once again kick off the week on ‘Destination Monday’ at the MKM Stadium. The event, aimed at all regional business leaders, employees and young talent, will see delegates ‘talk all things place’.
Other staple events returning include the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce Expo, and Biz Week founder Paul Sewell OBE’s ‘Elevenses’ chat-show style event.
The Business Day, at Bridlington Spa, is once again set to provide an inspirational climax to Humber Business Week, on Friday, June 9. Gyles Brandreth returns to host, with decorated broadcaster Clare Balding CBE, chair of the five-strong collaborative of chief executives at Bettys & Taylors Group, Rachel Fellows - the company behind Yorkshire Tea - and Keith Reginald Harris, a London-based career investment banker and financier who has held senior executive positions at leading institutions Morgan Grenfell, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Apax Partners, and HSBC Investment Bank.
Mrs Coyle added: “Our launch night is always the kick-start to really bring Business Week together. Over the coming weeks we will be announcing new events to the programme continually, which always adds to the excitement and builds momentum towards the week itself.
“We expect new events to be confirmed in the lead up to the week, until we reach between 40 and 50 events in total, so I’d urge everybody who wants to be part of the week to follow our social media channels and keep checking the Business Week website for updates.”
Businesses can still apply to host events. To put forward an event email S.C.Auskerin@hull.ac.uk or call 01482 466115.
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