Consultancy and Advisory Awards 2017

CORPORATE VISION / 2017 Consultancy & Advisory Awards 7 CWLEP GrowthHub is an innovative organisation offering business growth advice and support to firms across Coventry andWarwickshire. Craig Humphrey, Managing Director, tells us more. CWLEP Growth Hub The Growth Hub was founded in 2014 by the Local Enterprise Partnership at a time when the UK was emerging from the worst economic crisis in many generations and there was increasing attention given to delivering and supporting economic growth. The team inherited a support landscape that was crowded, confused and supplier led with 125 publicly funded support products delivered by 61 different organisations. At a time when they were charged with stimulating economic growth it was somewhat surprising that only 12% of those services had any eligibility criteria which favoured businesses with high growth potential. Craig explains how the organisation was created in this environment and how it grew into the success it is today. “Here at the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub we have the team and a model that offers the required flexibility to adapt to the changing circumstances around us which is readily appreciated by the businesses that my team work with. I am pleased that their hard endeavour has been recognised with this award. “When we first started, we wanted to simplify the support landscape and tailored our services around the needs and challenges of businesses rather than those of the products that were being offered, driven by tangible outcomes as opposed to the outputs of any given programme. Our research strongly indicated that our support should be face to face which whilst the most resource intensive was the most valued and effective. The sub region endorsed that vision financially and we built a team that have sector expertise and credibility in the market.” Currently, to ensure that clients receive only the very best service possible, account managers in Coventry and Warwickshire are given the flexibility to build relationships with their clients and deliver a deeper business intervention to help increase business resilience and transform potential into growth and increased productivity. This will remain the focus as the organisation looks towards a bright future, as Craig concludes. “Moving forward, of we are to address the business challenges raised by our country’s changing relationship with Europe, then a strong and stable business support infrastructure is needed, equipped with the resources and flexibility to respond to changing circumstances and priorities. This will be our ongoing focus as we look to the future.” CO170004 , Business Mentor of the Year - Midlands Company: CWLEP Growth Hub Contact: Jeremy Moore Contact Email: [email protected] Address: Enterprise Centre, Coventry University Technology Park, Puma Way, Coventry. CV1 2TT Phone: 0300 060 3747 Website: http://cwgrowthhub.co.uk/ Grow your business in Coventry &Warwickshire