Our November lunch took place last week, kindly hosted and sponsored by Specsavers at their offices on the ng2 business park.
Specsavers moved into Nottingham five years ago with the help of the Invest in Nottingham team, so it was very fitting to be at their offices to see all they have achieved since.
Dilesh Magdani and Sarah Morledge from Specsavers gave an overview of the business, which has offices in Guernsey, Southampton and Nottingham and has grown it’s team here from 50 staff, five years ago to 250 strong today.
A true Nottingham success story, one of the reasons for locating their office here is our talented workforce and connectivity to the rest of the UK.
Simon Gray (NMB), Paul Southby (NMB & Geldards), Sarah Morledge and Dilesh Magdani (Specsavers).
David Ralph from D2N2 LEP then gave an overview as to current activity and plans for the future. He emphasised the importance of private sector business in driving economic growth locally and encouraged business to make its voice heard.
He emphasised that in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire we have a strong manufacturing base, which is closely linked with our Creative, Clean Tech and Life Sciences sectors.
‘Nottingham’s time might be now’, he said and judging by the packed house and energy in the room, it certainly is.
In his very informative talk, David discussed the Growth Hub, infrastructure projects and the European funding that will be available to bid for soon, to support skills and innovation.
David Ralph (D2N2) addresses members and guests at Specsavers.
A big thank you to members and guests (3 of whom after the lunch approached us to join), to Specsavers and also to David Ralph.
Our next event is the Christmas Drinks, which takes place on 10 December at the Nottingham Playhouse and is kindly being sponsored by Russell Scanlan. Please book you place early to avoid disappointment.
A big thank you to our resident photographer Neil Hoyle. To view photos from the lunch please click here and navigate to the CLIENT AREA. The password is EYETEST.