EVENTS
This is Tees Valley Launch Event: August 2025
DIGITAL LIFE, TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY, MIDDLESBROUGH
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Panel power – pictured, from left, Bill Scott OBE, Craig Peacock, Joanna Burgess and Chris Renahan.
THE POWER OF POSITIVITY
200 attend national magazine’ s 2025 launch event
“ The Tees Valley is open for business!” That was the upbeat message at a flagship launch for the new edition of This Is Tees Valley magazine.
Held in Teesside University’ s stunning new £ 41m Digital Life building, the launch event proved a suitably inspiring occasion for the more than 200 delegates who attended.
Sponsored by leading digital marketing agency Outrank, the launch shone a spotlight on the strength and ambition of the Tees Valley.
The event included two Q & A panel discussions featuring influential voices from the region’ s business, public and education sectors.
It also heard from Helen Staples of Outrank and Teesside University’ s head of partnerships and business development Emma Barron, who spoke of the magnificent Digital Life building and the university’ s ambitious plans.
Resolution director Dave Allan, who cohosted the event with fellow director and founder Martin Walker, said the launch – and This Is Tees Valley magazine – was an antidote to traditional Teesside negativity.
He said:“ Talking ourselves down seems to be part of our DNA on Teesside. But today is about the very antithesis to Teesside negativity.
“ Let’ s park our natural cynicism and replace it with the power of positivity.
Read about This Is Tees Valley on pages 8-9.
6 | Tees Business
“ Just as we were when William Gladstone made his famous speech about our region 150 years ago, here in 2025, once again we’ re an infant.
“ But, once again, we’ re an infant Hercules – the BEST is yet to come!”
It was a message echoed time and again by the launch’ s expert panelists – all wellknown figures in the Tees Valley business and education scenes.
A discussion about the region’ s thriving tech scene featured operations director at event sponsor Outrank, Francesca Kosina, communications and PR specialist for games developer Double Eleven, Kirsten Donkin, reigning Tees Business Leader of the Year, Alt Labs’ Imran Anwar, and Helen Stewart, MD of Colewood Digital and the first woman to be named Tees Tech Business Leader of the Year.
A separate panel, which discussed what makes Tees Valley an investment powerhouse, included the CEO of Wilton Group and recently voted the region’ s most inspiring business leader for the second year running, Bill Scott OBE DL, Tees Valley Combined Authority’ s director of inward investment, Craig Peacock, Teesside University head of professional apprenticeships Joanna Burgess and Stockton Council’ s assistant director of inclusive growth and development, Chris Renahan.
And when asked why the rest of the UK
should sit up and take notice of the Tees Valley, the opportunities for growth and the warmth – and talents – of its people were recurring themes.
Joanna Burgess said:“ We bring people from all over the country here and we knock their socks off!
“ The warmth of our community is absolutely astounding – but the vision of our community is even more powerful.”
Chris Renahan agreed, saying:“ Once you get someone here, they are completely sold.”
Bill Scott agreed that the people were“ warm-hearted, open and generous”, with an ability to adapt to the skills demanded – whether in digital or“ Teesside heritage” skills such as shipbuilding, offshore or manufacturing.“ Those skills are born here and are transferrable,” he said.
And Craig Peacock said the main message to get out there is that“ Tees Valley is open for business.”
Referencing major developments such as the SeAH Wind monopile factory at Teesworks and the new Crown Square development in central Middlesbrough, both of which received planning permission in weeks rather than months or years, he added:“ A really powerful message when we speak to businesses outside the area is that we are here to help – and we say‘ yes’.”