The city and communities of Leicester have been, like the rest of the world, badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic aftermath. But there has been a determination to fight back from the onset – across community groups, businesses, local authorities and beyond.

Mark Charlton, Associate Director for Public Engagement at De Montfort University, will chair a panel of speakers bridging the academic, public and private sectors, for a discussion delving into the outcomes of a campaign, spearheaded by De Montfort University and Leicester City Council, to ‘Build Back Better’. Key discussion themes will include:

• Innovation opportunities identified through the pandemic – at the scale of individual businesses through to city-wide transformation.
• The levelling up agenda – focusing on Leicester’s R&D agenda and the potential for investment opportunities, including digital infrastructure developments.
• The power of the ‘sharing economy’ for utilising the latent potential of existing assets within the city.

Join our expert speakers to discuss the future opportunities for Leicester, as it emerges from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mark will be joined by LBV Board Diredctor, Roger Merchant and:

• Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Founder and Chair, Morningside Pharmaceuticals and Board Member, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership
• Prof Rachel Granger, Professor of Urban Economics, Faculty of Business and Law, De Montfort University
• Sheetal Sanghvi FCA, Tax Partner and Head of Innovation Reliefs (Central Region), RSM UK

This virtual event is a collaboration between ICAEW Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, De Montfort University, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) and Leicestershire Business Voice.

Businesses and representatives of business support organisations in Leicestershire are particularly encouraged to attend.