A business summit designed to ignite growth across the New England North West (NENW) kicks off in Tamworth on Tuesday, April 30.
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Business NSW New England North West, in partnership with Tamworth Regional Council, is hosting the first New England North West Regional Leadership Summit: Leading The Way Matters.
Business NSW regional director Diane Gray said the summit would provide an opportunity to "connect, collaborate, and propel" the New England North West region forward.
"This is an opportunity to learn, grow, connect and be inspired by businesses from across our region," she said.
"Our speakers are leaders who are leading the way in their industries, leading the way in business, and they are leading the way innovation for their industry and for the region - that's why we've chosen to share their stories."
Ms Gray said the majority of the "sold-out" summit's speakers were from the NENW and would provide "home-grown stories" highlighting home-grown success.
Topics covered range from opportunity and innovation, tourism and "place making" to employment, engagement and retention of workers.
Ms Gray said expert leaders in their field would speak on a range of topics during the two days, sharing their insights on maximising opportunities to build a thriving region through advancing industries to empower businesses, she said.
The event's keynote speaker is Peter Baines, an international speaker and leadership expert, who began his career in the NSW Police and spent some time policing in Tamworth.
Mr Baines has led teams responding to Bali after the 2002 bombings, and was called in 2005 to lead international teams in response to the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in South East Asia. Mr Baines also set up the charitable organisation Hands Across Water to assist children impacted by natural disasters in Thailand.
Wide and varied speakers
The speakers' list includes Tamworth businessmen like Geoff Bower from Andromeda Industries and Dave Errington from Apollo Engineering; Gunnedah businessmen, Andrew Mahony, Rural Fit, and Glenn Many from Many Fabrications and Engineering, as well as Geraldine Faber, from Faber Group, Narrabri; Thomas Thorncroft from Uniplan Group, Armidale, and Ed Campbell from Meralli Solar, Uralla.
Casting the net wider Stephen Doley from Challenge Community Services, Maree McKenzie from Homes North Community Housing, Belinda Kotris from Tamworth Family Support Services, and Tamworth Regional Council general manager Paul Bennett have also been invited to speak.
Ms Gray said the conference would likely become a regular part of Business NSW's New England outreach.
"Business NSW anticipates making the summit an annual event on the NENW calendar," she said.
The summit will be held at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre (TRECC), from Tuesday and Wednesday, April 30 and May 1.
