Last night, I attended the launch event for the East Midlands presence at UKREiiF 2025. Held in Nottingham and hosted by the new regional Mayor Claire Ward on the anniversary of her mayorship. The evening offered a clear statement of intent about how the region plans to present itself at the UK’s leading real estate and infrastructure forum later this month.
As a relative newcomer to the East Midlands myself, it was encouraging to see such a strong, coordinated message coming through from the combined authority. The event brought together a broad cohort of those working across Leicester, Nottingham and Derby, all three of the region’s core cities, and reflected a growing sense of collaboration that it appears has not always been visible in the past.
A joined-up vision for growth:
As Claire took the stage, she began by untangling her lapel microphone and casually discarded it on the stage, before announcing that ‘No one has ever complained about not being able to hear her’.
She then proceeded to give a booming, confident and well-articulated vision for the region, built around a central message of “One region, one voice”. Her speech touched on both place identity and economic potential, referencing Nottingham’s heritage and creative industries, Derby’s industrial roots as well as the wider region’s role in clean growth, advanced manufacturing and transport innovation.
A key focus was the scale of opportunity. The East Midlands Combined Authority is projecting an investment pipeline that could deliver up to 100,000 new jobs, over 50,000 new homes, and contribute £4 billion to the UK economy. Major projects including the UK Fusion Energy Centre at West Burton and regeneration around former power station sites are already in motion. The region is also home to global employers such as Rolls Royce and Toyota, and benefits from strong transport assets including the East Midlands Freeport and Airport, two major investment zones.
Claire finished by congratulating Andrea Jenkyns, the first of what could be subsequent reform Mayors who took Lincolnshire in last week’s local elections. She made it clear that just as the collaboration with the West Midlands mayor Richard Parker, the EMCA would seek the same level of engagement and collaboration with Lincolnshire and any other devolved administrations.
Building on the region’s strengths:
Amy Harhoff, Chief Executive of the Combined Authority, took to the stage next, and outlined the strategic thinking behind the region’s offer at UKREiiF. Her remarks focused on the long-term opportunity to position the East Midlands as a region of national and international relevance. With globally recognised universities, innovation clusters, and a mix of urban and rural economies, the foundations are strong, but with success dependent on joined up delivery.
She made it clear that for the region, UKREiiF is being treated as more than a standard conference appearance. The East Midlands delegation will use it as a platform to engage investors, developers, and policymakers around a clearly defined spatial and economic strategy.
A positive step forward:
It was encouraging to hear a clear narrative coming throughout the evening. The perception is certainly that in the past, the East Midlands has sometimes struggled to project a coherent message at national level. What is clear however, is that Claire and her team have answered this call and have put together a robust and ambitious vision for the region.
From a comms perspective, the consistency of the messaging across the public sector, anchor institutions and business partners really stood out to me. When looking at key infrastructure requirements, it was reassuring see a commitment to not just the large numbers which have been allocated by central government, but a devolved administration embracing private sector investment, combined with clear delivery mechanisms in mind to achieve place-based outcomes which are grounded in the unique character of the region.
Next step – Leeds.
With UKREiiF just weeks away, the tone and content of the launch event felt like a constructive step forward. There is still work to do in making the case for the East Midlands, particularly around energy infrastructure, transport links, and cross-regional collaboration. But the foundations being laid are promising.
Cratus will be watching closely to see how the region’s presence lands in Leeds, and how the conversations started this month carry forward into the East Midlands’ future. To find out more about Cratus’ presence and to meet one of my colleagues next week, just visit our dedicated UKREiiF page here.