Business Diary: June 15

Happy return for Sir David

SIR David Frost may have had a bird's eye view of Yorkshire as he was helicoptered from Bridlington to Harrogate for the Yorkshire International Business Convention, but he has a good knowledge of the region already.

The veteran broadcaster shot 25 series of the Through the Keyhole in Leeds and told Diary he had frequently visited his sister in Whitby and elsewhere in Yorkshire .

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He said another highlight of visits to the county was hearing Kiri Te Kanawa sing at York Minster.

Party mood

DESPITE a career spent interviewing major political figures from around the world, Sir David Frost has not lost none of his fascination for the horse-trading of British politics.

He recounted how much he enjoyed watching the coalition talks unfold in the aftermath of last month's General Election.

"I thought that the four or five nights of the ongoing saga of who was going to get what was terrific television. Whichever channel was doing it I thought it was just made for television that stuff. It was really great. I think that really added to it (the drama].

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"The first real (coalition] – it wasn't a real coalition in 1972 or whenever – is going to be historic in one way or another."

He also said the coalition could do something to lift Britons after a grim two years. "I think it created an air of optimism, not necessarily that our economy is terrific, because it isn't, but an optimism about things getting better."

Insecure booking

MIKE Firth, organiser of the Yorkshire International Business Convention, tried to get a US President for this year's event.

"We did think about George Bush junior and got quite a way down then his security people told him they couldn't do it," he told delegates. "Obviously, he'd heard about the audience."

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"We tried to get Arnold Schwarzenegger and he wanted to do it, but it is difficult when people are still in office."

Past speakers have included George Bush senior and Bill Clinton.

Forward thinking

ANOTHER speaker for next year could be closer to home.

Mike Firth spoke out in favour of Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, and invited its departing chief executive Tom Riordan to speak to the convention in 2011 about his progress at Leeds City Council, which he joins as chief executive later this year.

Mr Firth said,"Leeds has stalled. It needs a kick start. Hopefully Tom can come back next year and tell us how he's getting on."

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Thea Stein, the agency's new chief executive, was present at the convention, meeting with members of the region's business community.

Bouncing back

NEXT year's billing will go for "the usual mix of inspiration, entertainment and education", Mike Firth told Diary after the event.

He added: "We need great days like this to inspire us to action. Bit more positive thoughts. My sense is Yorkshire is going to bounce back this year."

Leadership style

NICK Robertson, chief executive of Asos, is keen to sample the delights of Yorkshire following his company's decision to open a new state-of-the-art warehouse in Barnsley.

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Barnsley was chosen above the rest of the country as it offers "an abundance" of workforce and the right skills.

Bearing in mind online fashion retailer Asos is going to need up to 1,000 workers at the site, it's great news for the town.

However Mr Robertson is hoping the workers don't take Asos's fashion trends to heart.

One of the company's big sellers has been underwear worn as outerwear, as made popular by outlandish American pop singer Lady Gaga.

Mr Robertson is hoping workers in Barnsley will keep their Asos purchases for weekend wear.