Opportunities and challenges

Veka UK’s MD Dave Jones has joined fellow Lancashire Ambassadors to discuss how the programme will see leading Lancashire business voices work together to promote Lancashire as a place to live, visit, work, study and invest.

Veka UK has been based in Burnley since 1986, and the manufacturer is a major employer for the area.

With the majority of Veka’s 380-strong staff living within the local BB postcode, the community spirit led MD Dave Jones to became an official founding Lancashire Ambassador alongside the likes of Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff.

The ambassadors had a wide-ranging and frank discussion about the opportunities and challenges faced in their sectors, the diversity of the Lancashire identity, infrastructure, skills and retention, and the fast-moving digital landscape; each sharing their views on how these influence and impact on business in Lancashire and how working together to champion the county on a regional, national and international levelcan help bring even greater recognition to the county.

Rachel McQueen, chief executive of Marketing Lancashire,said: “Our shared goal is to raise the profile of Lancashire as a prime location for investment, education, skills and the best quality of life. The Lancashire Ambassador Programme will help us take the county brand to ever wider audiences, to new international marketplaces, and to position Lancashire at the heart of national conversations linked to economic growth and prosperity.”