North East LEP urges region’s businesses to prepare for Brexit

Businesses across the North East are being urged to prepare for Brexit by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The LEP is teaming up with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Newcastle law firm Ward Hadaway to host a briefing event called The Impact of Brexit on Business.

The seminar will see speakers from each organisation provide attendees with local, national, legal and practical perspectives on the changes that Britian’s departure from the EU will bring for the region’s business community.

The North East LEP’s business growth director, Colin Bell, said: “The reality is that we don’t yet know the minutiae of how Brexit will affect business but that doesn’t mean that we can’t begin to prepare for the changes it will bring.

“The key question therefore is how can businesses best prepare for what’s largely unknown?”

He continued: “We’ll be talking more about managing risk, developing a flexible and adaptive culture, and advising business leaders on where they can go for advice as the implications of Brexit become clearer.”

The free-to-attend seminar, taking place this Wednesday (June 21), will be geared towards senior management in the private sector.

CBI regional director Sarah Glendinning will discuss the national perspective on Brexit, while Colin Bell will look at the process from a North East perspective. Ward Hadaway’s head of commercial, partner Colin Hewitt, will address the legal and practical considerations.

Speaking further, Colin Bell said: “This event will be particularly important for any companies trading within Europe or looking to establish markets overseas.

“Having the ability to manage and lead your business and its people through change is going to be critical and it’s never too early to start the process of planning for this.”

Ward Hadaway’s Colin Hewitt commented: “There has been an awful lot of talk about Brexit since the vote to leave the EU last June, obviously many businesses are unsure about what it will mean for them and how they can best prepare for what is to come.

“The general election result has of course thrown further uncertainty into the mix, with a potential change in the approach to negotiations.”

He continued: “Despite this, there are some issues that businesses can start to address and some practical steps which companies can take now in order to prepare themselves for what the Brexit negotiations may bring.

“Attending this seminar will give senior managers a useful overview of some of the key issues, where we currently stand, what they can expect over the coming months and what they can start to do now to be ready to meet the challenges.”

The North East LEP said it plans to hold regular events on Brexit with Ward Hadaway and the CBI throughout the course of the negotiations.