Exec Club x True North Panel
Last night the Exec Club x True North panel brought together some of the North’s most influential voices for an evening of collaboration, insight, and ambitious thinking. Hosted by Brabners, the event drew a full house, with a focus on driving regional growth through skills, connectivity, and purpose-led business.
The event featured a keynote address from Mayor Steve Rotheram, who previewed his joint visit to Westminster with Mayor Andy Burnham. The mayors are presenting a united front in advocating for the Liverpool–Manchester railway — a key component of the proposed £90bn Northern Arc plan to supercharge Northern growth by 2040.
Robert White, CEO at Brabners, offered an update on the True North Network, highlighting insights from a recent Pulse Survey of business leaders. The survey captured views on growth drivers and driving economic resilience across the region.
The panel discussion, featuring Jennifer Lee, Mona Hassan, Ruth Wildhart, and Chris Capes, revolved around a unifying theme: skills as the golden thread tying together the North’s ambitions, from digital innovation and net zero carbon to inclusive talent development.
Key takeaways included:
- Stronger alignment between education and industry is vital to create future-ready talent pipelines.
- Young people need more access to real work experiences, through placements, diverse opportunities, and visibility at key industry events.
- Workplace culture matters — businesses must articulate purpose, support junior talent, and foster growth.
- Hybrid working must work for young people, balancing flexibility with meaningful in-office engagement.
- Pawternity Leave for pet parents and thinking more widely about the needs of your people to foster greater engagement and productivity.
The message from the night was clear: investing in skills, people, and purposeful work is essential to building a stronger, more connected North.
For more information about the Exec Club or to request a detailed summary of the panel discussion, contact Louise at louise@accountablerecruitment.com.
To learn more about the True North initiative, visit: www.brabners.com/true-north
The Exec Club is a quarterly event delivered by Accountable Recruitment, in partnership with HSBC, KPMG, and Brabners.
