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North East Northern Powerhouse insight: Gary Fish, Haden Freeman

In an ongoing series, Jamie Hardesty is talking to North East business leaders in an attempt to understand the region’s feelings towards the government’s Northern Powerhouse initiative.

The next regional figurehead to take part in our investigation is Middlesbrough-born Gary Fish, Business Development Manager at Redcar-based engineering design consultant, Haden Freeman Ltd.

Gary is one of Haden Freeman’s latest appointments and boasts more than 19 years of experience in the engineering industry, previously specialising in process market places.

What does the Northern Powerhouse mean to you?

The Northern Powerhouse initiative aims to boost the economy in the North, with investment it hopes will create jobs in the region. This is something we at Haden Freeman whole-heartedly support as we are also dedicated to helping to tackle the region’s unemployment rate which is one the highest in the UK.

For the process, pharmaceutical and engineering manufacturing industries specifically, the North East is a hotbed of innovation, and investment from the Government would go a long way in helping the region to reach its full potential.

Are there signs of the Northern Powerhouse starting to bear fruit in the region?

There is some fantastic work going on in the North East, and specifically in the process and manufacturing industries, with forward-thinking companies undertaking some ground-breaking work and making significant investments.

We have suffered recently with the closure of the SSI sites, but there are positive signs too with the development of Middlesbrough College’s brand new STEM centre and the continued investment into The University.

Has the government done enough to convince you of its commitment to Osborne’s vision?

The government’s show of support for the oil and gas industries in the budget back in March was a promising sign for the North East supply chain. However, there is still much work to be done in the process and manufacturing industries as a whole and I’d certainly like to see more investment in the region which would help to give our economy the boost it needs.

Transport improvement is intrinsic to the Northern Powerhouse. Do you believe that spending billions of infrastructure will improve Northern productivity?

Better connecting the individual cities and towns in the north could most certainly help to make the region stronger, the Tees Durham airport is an obvious point in question where I would like to see investment and further connection to our capital.

We have an excellent engineering heritage in the North East yet addressing the ongoing skills shortages is essential and we need to attract more graduates to the region. This would in turn help to boost the region’s productivity.

Are there any other areas which you believe money should be spent on, ahead of transport?

It would be great to see investment being focused on some of the industries which were once the backbone of the region’s economy. Ensuring we are investing in young talent is also a priority.

We need to future-proof the engineering industries by nurturing the all-important STEM skills and making sure young people are aware of the opportunities to be involved with some of the most innovating and cutting-edge projects in the industry.

Does the North East need a mayor? If so, who should it be?

Devolving responsibility to a local level should in theory give the region control over where investment is made, with this being decided by those who understand what the area needs better than anyone else. It will be interesting to see how this pans out and what this means for our economy.

Will the Northern Powerhouse be realised in the North East?

At Haden Freeman, we definitely hope so. We are dedicated to investing in the region and expanding our business in the North East. We have had a successful start and look forward to creating more jobs and enjoying further growth in the next few years.

Thanks Gary.

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