Coventry and Warwickshire’s presence at MIPIM will be boosted by a range of new members to its partnership.
The area has had a presence at the world’s largest commercial property and development show for more than 20 years, and this year more than 20 companies and organisations will be representing the region at the four-day show in France, which starts on Tuesday (March 13).
The Coventry & Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership organises a range of events and meetings as part of a larger Midlands UK presence and this year has been bolstered by several new members.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Shearer Property Group, Deloitte, The Wigley Group, Morgan Sindall, Extra MSA Group and Pegasus have all signed up for the first time with the partnership.
The construction and infrastructure division of FTSE 250-listed property and regeneration group, Morgan Sindall, is a major employer in Rugby where it has its national headquarters.
It delivers landmark projects for both public and private sector customers across the UK and it is committed to promoting the wider region’s excellent infrastructure links and its growing credentials as an attractive place to do business.
It is currently working with the University of Warwick to deliver a £27 million Mathematical Sciences Building which will enable the institution to grow its world-renowned reputation for pure and applied mathematical research.
Morgan Sindall’s area director in the Midlands, Richard Fielding, said:
The region is very much home to Morgan Sindall and we’re proud to be part of Coventry and Warwickshire’s delegation in Cannes.
MIPIM is an unrivalled shop window for city regions to attract inward investment from an international investor base, and news of the UK City of Culture 2021 win for Coventry has come at the ideal time.
As a long-standing and financially responsible construction partner, we’re aware of the challenges faced by local authorities in times of austerity.
Through our work on frameworks, we support sustainable economic growth across the region by engaging the local supply chain wherever possible, and ensuring that all of our projects deliver additional social value to the communities in which we work.
Developments being showcased at MIPIM include the National Automotive Innovation Centre at the University of Warwick which will be used by Jaguar Land Rover to develop and test new electric, light weight and semi-autonomous vehicles, and will be Europe’s largest automotive research and development facility with an estimated investment of £1bn.
The last 12 months have also seen a number of positive steps forward for the area in terms of jobs and investment, putting Coventry and Warwickshire at the heart of the electric vehicles revolution in the UK.
Among the biggest of these developments will be the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) which could create up to 10,000 jobs, which was revealed to be coming to Coventry by Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in December.
Other major developments included the opening of new Geely London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) purpose-built electric vehicle HQ and manufacturing facility in Ansty, which was the first electric vehicle purpose-built factory in the UK and created an estimated 1,000 jobs.
Les Ratcliffe, chair of the Coventry & Warwickshire Champions, which helps promote the area said the new additions were a reflection of the partnership’s strong presence.
He said:
Coventry and more latterly Warwickshire has established a very strong presence at MIPIM and a reputation for really promoting its assets.
But any partnership is only as strong as its members, and it really encouraging that we are attracting new companies who want to be associated with this area.