What a Northern Powerhouse in Yorkshire means to: Oliver Shaw, CEO of Cascade HR

As Bdaily’s Northern Powerhouse series continues to give the business people of Yorkshire the opportunity to voice their opinions on the the government’s Northern Powerhouse initiative, we speak Oliver Shaw, CEO of Cascade HR.

Cascade HR is a Leeds-based HR and payroll software specialist.

Hi Oliver, so what do you think the Northern Powerhouse will do for Yorkshire?

The creation of a better connected and collaborative region will naturally make Yorkshire – and other areas within the Northern Powerhouse – a more attractive place to do business.

From a practical perspective, travelling 50 miles to get to work in a morning will no longer be a deterrent, because the journey, in theory, should become quicker and easier. With the stronger transport infrastructure that has been proposed, businesses will have greater accessibility to skilled human resources, which will become increasingly crucial amidst the growing battle for talent.

The combined impact of seemingly simple benefits, could be huge.

What will the Northern Powerhouse do for Cascade HR?

Cascade is part of IRIS Human Capital Management – a business spread from Wigan to Stockton, with four sites across the North West and Yorkshire. We’ve experienced continued incremental growth for the past eight years which presents a constant recruitment challenge. The Northern Powerhouse will give us more opportunities to access the talent we need, train those people to be incredible in their jobs, and create ever-more challenging roles that will help retain them.

We’ve also recently acquired a business in the South East and are relocating that to the North too. But this wasn’t a difficult conversation to have given the growing buzz surrounding this part of the country. People are happy with what it has to offer.

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

No. The amount of money spent on culture and infrastructure in London, compared to what is spent in the North in general, is vastly incomparable. The government needs to commit more to our transport framework, and fast. We need quicker and more reliable links across the Pennines to better connect the key zones in our Northern Powerhouse.

Connectivity has been a major driving force behind the Northern Powerhouse. Do you believe that spending billions of infrastructure will improve the economic climate in the North?

Yes, I think it’s crucial, but it’s not necessarily better connections to London that will improve the economic climate in the North. For me, HS2 is a white elephant. I’d rather they stop and concentrate on building better links between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Hull.

What, if any, other sectors/industries should the government key in on to achieve a Northern Powerhouse?

Historically, the North has been renowned for heavy industrial manufacturing and engineering, but I think it deserves more credit for its professional services excellence.

All too often, during a merger or acquisition for example, companies will look to London for their legal, financial, tax, risk, insurance and due diligence advisors. But there are some fantastic consultancies in Leeds and Manchester, who charge considerably more cost-effective fees. However, they remain overlooked because they don’t carry the same reputation as providers from our capital city.

If the government could support the reputation-led profile raising of this sector, in the North, these high quality providers would facilitate more deals, the money would be retained in our region, and the potential for further investment would go on.

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

I’d like to see more money spent at a local level – between the Northern boroughs – on the areas we think we can be specialists in. As a region we have some fantastic computer science competencies, for example, but further investment would magnify our potential. If the North was renowned for this specialism, more businesses would seek support from our brands; individuals would look to the North for their next employment opportunity; and academics would come to our region to inspire and develop the talent of the future.

Without this reputation, the opportunity could be lost to another part of the UK. This can – and does – happen. Look at AstraZeneca – a Northern stalwart relocating to Cambridge to be closer to the talent pool. It’s incredibly disappointing.

As with the Sheffield, should the other regions in Yorkshire try to strike a devolution deal with the government?

Why wouldn’t they? For as long as we’re part of a London-managed system, we will never achieve the leverage we want and need, to develop.

It could be argued that local authorities are potentially not savvy enough to thrive with devolved power. But to get to the position where they can make this work, they need to be given accountability and ownership. Create the opportunity and the skills will come.

Will the Northern Powerhouse be realised in Yorkshire?

If enough people want it to happen, then yes. We don’t just need the government, to realise the vision.

I’ve spoken to a lot of people in London recently, and their perception of ‘normal life’ is so different to the reality in the North. They have no idea what it’s like here. They don’t know that it’s possible to invest in a fantastic home, develop a career, secure places in good schools, enjoy some world class food, soak up the diverse social scene and be out in the countryside within minutes.

We need to focus on these positives and become better communicators. Whilst previous generations may have previously gone to London to realise their goals, this is no longer an option for the majority – it’s simply inaccessible now. So we need to demonstrate that we have a great option right here. And that means living and breathing everything that the Northern Powerhouse could be, now.

Thank you Oliver.

Don’t miss our latest Northern Powerhouse coverage here. To nominate a Yorkshire business leader to be part of our new series, contact Nick at nick.hill@bdaily.co.uk.