The conference saw a packed audience enjoy an inspiring and dynamic day of knowledge sharing, discussions, ambitious visions and networking, helping to further strengthen Crawley’s position as a thriving hub for business growth and innovation.
Hosted at The Create Building, the event welcomed investors, developers, business leaders, and key stakeholders eager to explore Crawley’s ambitious plans for economic growth, regeneration, and sustainability.
The conference chair Jo Gumb, Director at White Label Creative, started the programme with a warm welcome, leading on to keynote speeches and a series of engaging panel discussions.
Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, said in his address, “Crawley has always been a town of ambition, innovation and resilience from its origins as a planned new town to becoming an economic powerhouse in the south-east. Our story is one of continuous evolution.
“As we move through to 2025, we say with renewed confidence, underpinned by significant infrastructure investments and the unwavering spirits of our businesses and residents, that we have a bold vision for the future.”
Ian Duke, Chief Executive of Crawley Borough Council, said in his keynote speech, “Crawley is a £6 billion economy with just 120,000 residents and one of the highest job densities outside London. It is also the seventh most innovative place in the UK when looking at patents per capita. It's the density of the networks and the way they work in the town and how connected people are. When you come in, you are not just coming into a location, you are coming into a network of like-minded people who want to do business and that is really impressive.”
In a keynote address that followed, Dee Mathieson, Managing Director at Elekta Ltd discussed innovation in Crawley, leveraging the town’s strategic advantages, saying “It is really important that we stay in Crawley. I can demonstrate tangible benefits from being here through our collaborations and community projects. Crawley has a fantastic history of innovation. We are extremely proud of what we have done here and we will carry on designing and delivering world-class radiotherapy technology.”
The “Commercial Opportunities” panel explored Crawley’s role as a business hub, with speakers Adam Godfrey, Partner, SHW; Dee Mathieson; Steve Sawyer, Executive Director, Manor Royal BID; and Christophe Williams, Founder and CEO, Naked Energy Ltd; discussing key sectors, future developments and investment trends.
Alison Addy, Head of External Engagement and Policy at London Gatwick, in her keynote speech, highlighted the airport’s role in economic growth, its £5.5 billion contribution to the UK economy, its support for over 76,500 jobs, and its investments in sustainable infrastructure and transport connectivity.
The “Innovation, Development and Growth Ambitions for Crawley” panel discussion focused on major developments shaping the area and plans for the next five years, with contributions from Arora Group, Rainier Developments, Arcus Property Capital Development, Hemiko and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Emma Smith, South-East Area Lead, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, acknowledged the “strong signal of government investment” in Crawley for over three years with the Towns Fund programme and praised how Crawley has used it to prioritise “sustainable growth, regeneration, long term economic and productivity”.
She said,“ The Towns Fund has enabled Crawley, Gatwick and the wider region to fund improvements, such as the rail connections, housing, recreation, culture, accessible healthcare and social infrastructure that's absolutely vital to attract and retain skills and integral to any investment proposition.”
Investing around £500-600 million in Crawley through the County Mall shopping centre and three hotels (Arora Hotel Gatwick Crawley, Hilton London Gatwick Airport and Sofitel London Gatwick), Sanjay Arora, COO of the Arora Group said: “We absolutely love Crawley, we work with people who actually will help you succeed and not be a hindrance to your schemes.”
Richard Mees, Chief Executive of Rainier Developments, shared that they have planning permission for a £45million redevelopment scheme for 152 apartments, a ground floor commercial, a new pocket park and a dedicated electric vehicle charging hub in the town centre. He said: “The council have been amazingly supportive. They have been really pushing us to deliver and if there were any issues, we've dealt with them proactively and collaboratively. So we're really focused on Crawley. We want to do more in Crawley. I think it's a fantastic location. It has its own economy, great connectivity, and we're very happy to be here.”
Local employment and business supply chains took centre stage in the “Local Procurement and Skills” discussion, where representatives from London Gatwick, Morgan Sindall, Crawley Borough Council and Chichester College Group examined strategies to strengthen the regional workforce and create long-term opportunities for residents and businesses alike. This includes education providers listening to their communities and developing a future-oriented strategy in order to meet their needs, aspirations and expectations; businesses working in collaboration with education providers to reimagine career paths and get people into jobs to address the skills shortage issue. Lastly, Crawley Borough Council encouraged local businesses to bid for contracts, particularly SMEs and social enterprises.
The afternoon saw delegates head out on an Investor Tour, hosted by Metrobus. The tour showcased some of Crawley’s most exciting business opportunity sites and infrastructure projects. During a stop at the Metrobus’ hydrogen liquid fueling station, the largest in the UK, Dave Wright, Operations Manager at Metrobus, discussed the innovative step toward sustainable transport.
The conference concluded with an exclusive visit to the Crawley Innovation Centre, an impressive development constructed by Morgan Sindall on behalf of Crawley Borough Council. Guests were given a guided tour of the state-of-the-art facility, which aims to support innovation and research while creating over 200 new jobs and benefiting up to 40 businesses. The centre was officially named with a plaque unveiling by the Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Sharmila Sivarajah.
For further updates and investment opportunities in Crawley, visit www.InvestCrawley.co.uk.