Nearly 300 people registered to attend Hertfordshire LEP’s Annual Conference on Thursday 8 December to help inspire and ignite new ideas and fresh ways of thinking.

Speakers drawn from all elements of the local economy – policing, social care, business, government, charities and education – took part in a series of high-octane debates to help drive tomorrow’s innovation and create a greener, fairer society.

Opportunity Hertfordshire 2022, sponsored by Rothamsted Enterprises and University of Hertfordshire, was shaped around the LEP’s key themes for its new economic vision - stimulating innovation and delivering sustainable and inclusive growth.

And in his last Annual Conference as Hertfordshire LEP Chair, Mark Bretton, who is also Chair of the national LEP Network, paid tribute to his fellow Board Members who are also stepping down - Tina Barnard, Cllr Linda Haysey and Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, who recently took up her seat in the House of Lords. Mark took over as Chair of the LEP Board in June 2016 and became Chair of the LEP Network in September 2019. An announcement on his successor and a phased transition period for the Chair Elect will be made in the New Year.

Setting the scene for Opportunity Hertfordshire 2022, presenter John Darin, Heart Radio, said: “Today is not a case of saying this is what we have done – what do you think about it? Instead, we are re-framing that conversation by going out to the community to ask what sort of future do you want and how can we shape this together.”

The first debate on innovation was chaired by Dr. Nick de Leon, Executive Education and Knowledge Exchange Lead, Royal College of Art (RCA), the leading university for art and design globally. Nick talked about how the RCA has helped shaped the world around us and how local businesses benefited from the Service Innovation programme piloted by the LEP in 2022 in partnership with RCA and ESTU. Simon Hemington, director of The Boffin Lab, talked about how as a result of the programme he had won an Innovate UK grant to develop a circular economy app.

Sharing the stage with Simon were Linda Chandler from Microsoft, William Stokes from Co-Space and Professor Julie Newlan MBE from the University of Hertfordshire who debated how the county can be more innovative and thrive in the 6,800 or so working days to 2050.

The second debate focused on sustainability, with keynote speaker Nicole Sadd, CEO of Rothamsted Enterprises, joined on stage by Bim Afolami MP from the Parliamentary Renewable & Sustainable Energy Group (PRASEG); Hertfordshire LEP Board member Chris Hulatt from Octopus Group; Tommie Eaton from @BambuuBrush and Raynee De Zoysa from Collida.

In the final debate on inclusive growth, Victoria Hobson, CEO, Mudlarks, talked about how the Hertford charity was positively impacting the lives of adults and young people with learning disabilities and mental health issues.

Other panellists debating this hugely important topic included Daisy Cooper MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care; Adrian Hawkins OBE from Hertfordshire LEP’s Skills Advisory Panel and the Stevenage Development Board; Cllr. Lewis Cocking, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire and Sarah Wren OBE, Hertfordshire Independent Living Service.

Delegates also heard about the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise and how businesses can apply from Robert Voss CBE CStJ, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and Dr. John Howie DL, co-founder of premium natural pet supplements Lintbells and two-time Queen’s Awards winner.

Mark Bretton said: “We heard from a diverse range of speakers about how Hertfordshire LEP is working in partnership to develop an inclusive and sustainable economy that stimulates enterprise and innovation. This is in lockstep with the Chancellor’s three growth priorities set out in his Autumn Statement: low carbon economic growth, increasing vital infrastructure, and working with universities to turn innovation into viable businesses by refocussing the Investment Zones programme on R&D.

“If the past few years have taught us anything it is that all elements of the economy must work together if we are to provide a credible route to a brighter, fairer and more sustainable vision for our economy. That starting point is now – as we set down the key aspirations and principles that partners and stakeholders want and the evidence that supports this.”

Neil Hayes, CEO, Hertfordshire LEP, then set out the timescales for developing a new economic strategy structured around the key themes and how this will be taken forward in partnership over 2023.

Delegates were also invited to visit Opportunity Zones which highlighted some of the great work being done locally to support Sustainability, Next Generation/Skills, and Business Acceleration (sponsored by Co-Space). 

Heart, the media partner for Opportunity Hertfordshire, presented a podcasting workshop to help delegates make the most of the business growth opportunities provided by this popular platform.

Sustainable workspace designers JPA Workspaces provided a range of stage furniture made from recycled coffee sacks, cardboard, army fatigues and plastic bottles. Rothamsted Enterprises Head Chef Jeremy Beasley addressed the conference on the importance of food sustainability and provenance, with a specially designed lunch made with ingredients sourced from within a 30-mile radius.

Delegates were welcomed by a festive choir of performing arts students from Oaklands College, with students from Elstree Screen Arts Academy helping to create the Opportunity Hertfordshire showreel (view below) and offered valuable work experience on the day. 

The Opportunity Hertfordshire prospectus set out the county’s global potential across our key sectors, how we are powering enterprise and innovation and creating a high performing, highly skilled economy. View the prospectus.

Opportunity Hertfordshire 2022 showreel produced by ESA.