For 2022, The Big Debate returns as a face-to-face event at The Halls, St Andrews Plain, giving you the opportunity to engage with Norfolk MPs and business leaders. The event brings together Norfolk MPs, and local business leaders to discuss and debate key issues affecting businesses in the region, this high-profile annual policy event is a key date in the commercial calendar for the start of 2022. The topics for 2022 will be:
- People, Skills, and Wellbeing
- Transport and Infrastructure
- Growth and Innovation
- Climate Change
We are very pleased to announce our People, skills and Wellbeing speakers; Chloe Smith, Conservative MP, Rebecca White, CEO of Your Own Place, Jerry White, Deputy Principal of City College and David Melloy, Business Development at Ascot Lloyd. Chloe Smith, MP Chloe Smith gets things done for Norwich North. With thirteen years of experience as an MP, she’s an effective, energetic campaigner for the city. She’s won billions of pounds of investment for Norwich like new trains, new roads, new surgeries and hospital upgrades. She is founder of a project that’s got over 2000 of Norwich young people into work. Her work locally is unlike any other MP: she has built a project which has directly helped bring down youth unemployment in the city faster than elsewhere in the country. Chloe grew up in Norfolk, she went to two comprehensive schools in West Norfolk, followed by York University where she studied English. Before being elected to Parliament, Chloe worked for Deloitte, a leading international firm which advises private businesses, government departments and public bodies. Chloe is currently Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work at the Department for Work and Pensions. In this role she uses her 8 years of first-hand experience from the Norwich for Jobs project, which she founded in 2013. The ongoing project, in partnership with the DWP and local private sector and third sector organisations, focuses on helping young people aged 18-24 into work and supporting those with mild to moderate physical and mental disabilities. Chloe is a member of the Wensum Academy Trust and has been chair of governors for a constituency primary school too. She has helped lead the Norwich Opportunity Area, because she believes in working both nationally and locally to lead improvements for the life chances of the poorest children in Norwich. Chloe’s a mum of two, committed to her family as well as her community. If there’s any spare time left for hobbies she loves cycling and would like to take up kayaking! David Melloy, Business Development Manager, Ascot Lloyd David is responsible for creating and leading business development initiatives for Ascot Lloyd, further driving organic growth for the business. David brings over 25 years of experience within financial services, across business development, financial advice and portfolio management. David has a wealth of experience in promoting the value of financial planning and integrated investment advice to high net worth clients. Rebecca White, CEO Your Own Place Rebecca White is the CEO and Founder of Your Own Place CIC. As a qualified secondary school teacher with years of experience working with people from all backgrounds as well as commissioners, politicians, business people and leaders, Rebecca exemplifies the successful combination of operational, strategic and business experience. What really drives Rebecca is social inequality. By the roll of a dice a person’s life chances are dramatically altered. Homelessness is just one manifestation of this and until people have equality of opportunity Rebecca will work tirelessly to champion people facing disadvantage not of their own making. Jerry White, Deputy Principal City College Norfolk born and bred, Jerry began his professional career in Kent as a University Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science, specialising in Sport and Exercise Psychology and the Sociology of Sport. In this role he worked not only with University students, but also with elite and professional sports people and junior sports teams. Following a return to Norfolk in 2002 he held a number of roles within the Norfolk County Council’s Adult Education Service. In 2009 Jerry joined City College Norwich where he has been Deputy Principal since 2012. In this role he has key oversight for all aspects of the College’s provision, with a particular focus on Higher Education and the development of Adult Skills. Jerry holds a number of Board memberships including serving on Norwich City Council Towns Deal Board, the Productivity East External Board, as a Council Member for the Cambridge Access Validating Agency (which develops Access to Higher Education courses) and sitting on the UEA Learning and Teaching Committee. Jerry is also the FE representative on the Executive Group for the Network for East Anglian Collaborative Outreach (neaco, part of the UniConnect programme), facilitating communication with the college sector for the project. As a sector leader, Jerry chair’s the Association of College’s national Policy Group for Teaching and Learning and the New Anglia College’s Group Deputy Principal group. In addition, he currently co-chairs the Post 16 SEN Strategy Group for Norfolk. Jerry served as a school governor for over a decade at primary and secondary school levels including serving as a Governor of the University Technical College Norfolk. Jerry holds a Non-Executive Director’s position with the company RCU Ltd, which provides data analysis services to Further and Higher Education institutions and organisations. Make sure you are part of the debate on Friday 04 February 2022 – Book you ticket here.
