Companies to prepare for future

Jun 10 2009 By The Journal

ONE of the UK's most senior business leaders has praised the region’s effort to take advantage of emerging economies.

Richard Lambert, director general at the CBI, told delegates at the Great North Revolution launch event at Darlington FC he believed the region was leading the way in preparing now to create the jobs of the future.

Mr Lambert praised the initiative’s diverse support which has seen people from all sectors work together, a backing he said was not seen "anywhere else in the UK".

He urged the region to ensure it continued to plan not just for the end of the recession but for the decades afterwards as well.

Mr Lambert said: "It’s critical the Government’s new industries, new jobs policy is led by business and not dictated by government.

"The event in the North East was the first to my knowledge where a region’s businesses have collectively considered the supply chain opportunities created by key UK trends including the move to low carbon, increased digital capacity and the implications of an ageing population.

"If North East companies can quickly align their business investment and R&D capability to developments such as electric vehicles, they have a chance of being contenders in not just the national roll out of these technologies but in the international infrastructure development."