Event title
- Capability and Capacity Building in Place Leadership: Identity, Inclusion and Change
Location
- University of Birmingham, B15 2TT
Date
- 10 April 2025, 09.30-17:00
Keynote speakers
- Professor Rebecca Riley (Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Regional Engagement and Co-Director City-REDI, University of Birmingham)
- Katie Trout (Director of Policy and Partnerships West Midlands Growth Company and former Chief Executive of Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership)
- Kersten England CBE (Chair of Trustees, The Young Foundation, Chair Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, and former Chief Executive York and Bradford Councils)
- Lukas Kammerer (OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities)
Event details
As Europe and the wider world struggle to cope with the ‘polycrisis’ of climate, instability and conflict, the importance of progressive and developmental place-based leadership comes into sharper focus.
This seminar sets out to draw together knowledge and understanding about place-based identities and to discuss how place leadership can build capacity and develop capability to support opportunities for political stability and inclusive and sustainable economic growth locally and regionally, particularly through partnership working.
The seminar provides an opportunity for participants to present and discuss evidence-based examples of leadership at local, regional and national levels that cross and transcend borders. Key questions for discussion include:
- What do place-based identities mean?
- How have they changed in relation to local, regional and national dynamics?
- Where are the connections and contradictions between place-based identity and place-leadership?
- How can people be engaged in collective action to create change at a range of geographical levels?
- How is it possible to build confidence, capability and capacity in place?
- How can national and sub-national leadership best combine to support policy innovation in place?
- What skills are key for place leaders to navigate the political and emotional challenges of place-based partnership working?
There are no registration fees for this workshop. Venue, lunch, and coffee breaks will be covered by the University of Birmingham.
There will be an optional dinner on the evening of Wednesday 9 April to be covered by attendees at the Edgbaston Park Hotel. The evening will include reflections by Des McNulty who is:
- Chair of the LPIP Hub Board;
- Former Minister for Communities and Social Justice Scottish Parliament; and
- Former Assistant Vice-Principal, Economic Development and Civic Engagement at the University of Glasgow.
Call for abstracts
Abstracts for the seminar are invited for which the submission deadline is Friday 14 February 2025. To find out more, here is the call for abstracts.
Attendance at the event is free and can be booked via Capability and Capacity Building in Place Leadership: Identity, Inclusion, and Change.
Organised by Dr Abigail Taylor (City-REDI, University of Birmingham) and Professor Joanne Murphy (Department of Management, University of Birmingham).