Project aims to unearth ‘hidden gems’

Chambers of commerce representing businesses in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire have joined forces to create the Big Investment Project (BIP).

According to Jill Thomas, the chief executive of Future Life Wealth Management, who is one of the supporters of BIP, the project aims to unearth hidden business gems, and help them to forge ties with City-based investors. BIP will help to generate growth opportunities put forward by businesses and individuals in the region. With help from an evaluation board, BIP will identify the best projects that will be presented to a group of mainly London-based investment fund managers who are set to visit the region early next year. Ms Thomas, who is junior vice president of Sheffield Chamber, is among a number of leading figures across South Yorkshire and the Midlands who will sit on the BIP evaluation board.

Ms Thomas said that, in the past, many investors had rarely ventured beyond the M25, but those who had visited sites such as the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham had experienced a “eureka” moment.

David Thurkettle, Sheffield Chamber’s president elect, said: “We want to create exciting and sustainable jobs in South Yorkshire.”