Inside line offered on financing

Financing Growth 2011, which will feature several funders and advisers including Finance Yorkshire, Lloyds TSB Commercial and Irwin Mitchell, takes place on Friday in Leeds.

Graham Bowland, chief executive of Leeds-based Surgical Innovations, and Mark Whitaker, who previously headed Yorkshire Bank's flagship corporate business centre in Leeds and is now a director at professional services firm Begbies Traynor, and Darren Shaw, a business consultant, will be among the speakers at the free morning session.

About 200 people are expected at the event, organised by Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and supported by the Yorkshire Post.

Mr Bowland will talk about his experience of raising finance to invest in research and development. Mr Whitaker joined Yorkshire Bank in 1981 and worked in numerous frontline roles, including traditional branch manager positions in this region and in Oxfordshire before heading the corporate business centre in Leeds.

He has also run his own company and will discuss what lenders are looking for in a business. Mr Shaw, a business consultant and private investor, will speak about the advantages of private equity and angel investment and provide case studies of how funding has helped SMEs to grow.

The event, to be introduced by Yorkshire Post business editor Bernard Ginns, takes place from 8am to 11am on Friday at Oulton Hall, Leeds. To book go to www.yourchamber.org.uk, email [email protected] or call the events team on 0113 247 0000.