Latest news from Loughborough University
| 15 March 2005 | PR 05/18 |
Leader of the House of Lords to address African Caribbean business conference
Baroness Amos, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council, will address a conference on Friday 18 March at Loughborough University, that will look at ways of strengthening African Caribbean businesses.
Through a series of workshops and presentations, the conference – Developing Potential, Overcoming Barriers – will consider:
- the level and quality of support given by Government-supported agencies and the private sector
- the access to finance for African Caribbean businesses
- whether there are problems in securing contracts from Government sources
- the specific problems faced by Black women, and
- other trade barriers faced by this community
The conference is part of a three-year Loughborough University Business School research project exploring the reasons for the success and failure of African Caribbean businesses.
“We’re expecting over 100 delegates from a diverse range of businesses, groups and organisations,” says Professor Geoff Chivers, director of the research project.
“The conference will allow people to network and share ideas and experiences. It will also enable us to determine future key priorities for our research work and communicate the outcomes we’ve found to date.”
Anticipated attendees include African Caribbean businesses and business associations, local authority economic development and equality units, Regional Development Agencies, and Learning and Skills Councils.
The Business School research project is being funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).
– Ends –
For further information contact:
- Hannah Baldwin, Head of PR,
T: 01509 222239, E: H.E.Baldwin@lboro.ac.uk
Notes to editors
1. Members of the media are welcome to attend the conference, being held on Friday 18 March, at the Ford College, Loughborough University. Please contact Hannah Baldwin, Head of PR, in advance on 01509 222239, if you would like to attend.
Event programme
| 09.00 | Registration | |
| 09.50 | Session 1 | Chair: Prof Chivers |
| 09.55 | Welcome to the University and the Business School | Prof McCaffer and Prof Davidson |
| 10.00 | Opening Speaker | Vernon Barratt, Business Link London |
| 10.05 | Speaker | Brenda Stern, Director of the Private Sector, CRE |
| 10.30 | Keynote Speaker | Baroness Amos, Leader of the House of Lords |
| 10.55 | Questions | Hosted by Baroness Amos |
| 11.15 | Break | |
| 11.20 | Session 2 | Community Success Experiences Speakers include Dr Christopher Johnson, Roselle Antoine and Lee Williams |
| 12.45 | Lunch | |
| 13.45 | Session 3 |
Parallel Workshops |
| 15.00 | Break | |
| 15.15 | Session 4 | Chair: Malcolm Cumberbatch – Report back from Workshops |
| 15.55 | Questions/Answers/Outputs | |
| 16.15 | Closing remarks | Prof Chivers |
Baroness Amos
The Rt Hon Baroness Valerie Amos of Brondesbury was created a life peer
in 1997. She was appointed Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President
of the Council on 6 October 2003. Prior to this Baroness Amos held many
high profile positions in Government. She was Secretary of State for International
Development from May 2003, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs in June 2001 with specific responsibility for Africa,
the Caribbean and the Commonwealth. Baroness Amos, who was born in Guyana,
has a long track record in equal opportunities work. After distinguished
service in a number of London Boroughs. She became Chief Executive of
the Equal Opportunities Commission from 1989 to 1994. She was also Deputy
Chair of the Runnymeade Trust from 1990 to 1998.
The research project team
Professor Geoff Chivers (Director) has had a long and
distinguished research career. He was instrumental in setting up the East
Midlands Region African Caribbean Business and Educational Development
Association (EMRAC BEDA).
Ron Chapman (Project Manager) has a keen interest in lifelong learning and equal opportunities. He has returned to higher education after a long career in industry and has in depth experience of managing European funded programmes.
Malcolm Cumberbatch (Researcher) has a long track record in researching and working with African Caribbean businesses. He is Director of South Yorkshire African Caribbean Business and Enterprise Centre and helped to set up EMRAC BEDA.
Mike Atkins (Researcher) was head of race equality in local government for many years and has delivered a number of high profile projects in the field of economic regeneration. He is also a director of South Yorkshire African Caribbean Business and Enterprise Centre.
Elaine Harris (Secretary) plays a key role in supporting team members on this project.
2. Loughborough has an established reputation for excellence in teaching and research, strong links with industry, and unrivalled sporting achievement. Assessments of teaching quality by the Quality Assurance Agency place Loughborough in the top flight of UK universities, and industry highlights Loughborough in its top five for graduate recruitment. Around 45% of the University’s income is for research. The University has been awarded four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes: for its collaboration with aerospace and automotive companies such as BAE Systems, Ford and Rolls Royce; for its work in developing countries; for pioneering research in optical engineering; and for its world-leading role in sports research, education and development.