Chamber president praises city for ‘ability to adapt’

Speaking at Bradford Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner, Stephen Wright praised Bradford’s industries for their ability to adapt to change.

“Bradford is rightfully proud of its wool heritage and while employment in the industry has declined, we are now seeing what might be considered a new renaissance in textiles”, said Mr Wright.

He said that traditional manufacturing provides “a bedrock to the district’s economy”, adding that the Bradford city region has “one of the strongest manufacturing sectors in the UK”. And the financial services sector has flourished in Bradford in the past few years, he said, with the headquarters of Yorkshire Building Society and Provident based in the city.

Mr Wright said: “We probably forget that the digital industries in the area, that we are so keen to see expand, are mainly the descendants of the Baird TV plant based in Lidget Green. To me this symbolises how Bradford can adapt.

“Now we have innovative electronic businesses such as Pace, Radio Design, Teledyne and Calibre UK. And in a different sense of a digital industry we have many printing and media businesses, such as our guest speaker’s Hallmark, who again in their own right possess a fine Bradford heritage.”

At the dinner, held at Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford, Steve Wright, chief executive of card and gift wrap business Hallmark International, spoke of how the last decade has proved that it was the right decision to move its base in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire to Bradford in 2001. He said Bradford is a city “with heart, diversity and talent, a real reflection of how we see ourselves at Hallmark”.

Chamber president Mr Wright added: “For me the theme that connects all of these sectors is that Bradford can be considered a ‘producer city’ and is far more capable of changing and innovating than most Bradfordians give it credit for. There is a place for stability and longevity but it needs to be matched with a taste for innovation and renewal.” He added that this theme must also apply to the UK economy as a whole.

Vice-president of the Chamber, Paul Mackie, encouraged business leaders to get involved in new project E3 Bradford, which seeks to create a new enterprise curriculum for education providers across Bradford to prepare youngsters for the world of work.