Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative host their first meeting with new Account Director Darren Brindley

Darren Brindley, who took up the position of Account Director for the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative in May this year, welcomed Initiative, Business West Chamber of Commerce members and businesses from the local community to an insightful breakfast meeting on the 26th September. 

New College Swindon kindly hosted the meeting in their fantastic new facility at the Institute of Technology, which opened its doors last winter.  

Attendees filtered in through the doors before the presentations began, admiring the panoramic views of Swindon from the meeting room and warming up from the typical British downpour that thankfully didn’t deter them! 

After casual networking and a croissant or two, Darren Brindley introduced himself to the room of 30+ attendees, welcoming them to the first of many events that Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative plan to hold in the future.  

Matt Butcher, Chief Commercial Strategy Officer from New College Swindon then spoke about the exciting changes taking place on the campus, including their new brand refresh and the investments in the Institute of Technology. Their focus on providing students in post 16 education with the chance to work using industry standard specialist facilities so that they’re best prepared for the world of work is truly admirable.  

The college also work closely with local businesses to give students the best opportunities for work after they complete their studies, and any company who would like to get involved in offering much needed apprenticeships or other support can get in touch with their Business Development and Employer Partnerships team.  

Finally, attendees heard from Professor Martin Boddy, who is the Emeritus Professor of Urban and Regional Studies at the University of the West of England, who spoke about the newly formed Swindon Futures Commission. 

Martin sits on the board for the commission, which was established by Business West earlier this year. Its aim is to bring together business leaders and key stakeholders, with cross-party support from Sir Robert Buckland MP and Jim Robbins, Leader of the Swindon Borough Council, to develop a vision for the future of Swindon that promotes sustainable, inclusive economic growth, and gives businesses and local communities opportunities for investment and support.  

There are several issues that the commission is focusing on, including the economy, education, skills and opportunities, and the town centre, which Martin elaborated on and went on to explain how businesses could get involved and the current timelines for the commission.  

We want to thank Matt and Martin for taking the time to speak at our event, both of their presentations were brilliant and left a lot for attendees to consider and take back to their businesses.  

It was a successful first event back for the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative team, and we look forward to hosting equally interesting events in the future.