Jon leads the Inward Investment division at the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), the appointed economic development and investment promotion agency for the West Midlands Combined Authority. His team promote the region domestically and internationally, and facilitate inward investment aligned to WMCA priority sectors. Jon led the Inward Investment workstream of the Birmingham 2022 Business and Tourism Programme – a £23.4m two-year programme delivered in partnership with UK Government to drive an economic legacy from the B2022 Commonwealth Games. The programme’s success has fuelled a record level of FDI investment into the West Midlands; in FY22/23, UK Government figures placed the West Midlands as second only to London in terms of FDI projects and jobs attracted per annum.

Jon joined the Growth Company in 2018, initially as Sector Lead for Business, Professional and Financial Services. In his time with WMGC, Jon has led on the Growth Company’s successful bid to secure a major investment into Birmingham from Goldman Sachs and overseen the region’s engagement with the UK Government’s Places for Growth programme, delivering major regional investments from DfT, DLUHC, Visit Britain and a number of other agencies and arms-length bodies across the breadth of the WMCA geography.

Prior to joining WMGC, Jon held a number of business development and consultancy roles at Gateley Plc, Grant Thornton and Barclaycard.

Jon earned an MBA in Global Banking and Finance with distinction honours from University of Birmingham, and an BA from Durham University.

Steve is Managing Director of LKAB Minerals UK and Construction and has over 40 years’ experience. He joined the group in July 2015 and became managing director in 2023.

Outside of the Group he is a Trustee of Dudley and Wolverhampton Citizens Advice, is on the board of the Institute of Concrete Technology, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, was previously a mentor for Aston University an is currently a mentor for the Swedish Chamber in the UK .

Nigel Driffield is Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for regional engagement at Warwick University and also Professor of International Business at Warwick Business School, having held a similar post at Aston Business School for 10 years. His main areas of interest include the impact of inward investment on host locations and policy responses to globalisation.

He is the Organisational Capital Theme Lead for the (£35m) ESRC Productivity Institute. He recently held a £1m investment from ESRC looking at productivity in the West Midlands, “From Productivity to Prosperity”. This focussed on how productivity growth through investment, skills and supply chain collaboration can be translated into inclusive growth.

More generally, he has been an advisor to the (then) BEIS Select Committee, and the Department of International Trade, with a focus on inward investment. Locally, he is on the board of the investment zone for the West Midlands, and various advisory boards under the chair of the mayor, as well as the Board of Warwick Science Park.

Paul Edwards is Head of Economic Development and Delivery at the West Midlands Combined Authority. As part of his role, he is responsible for the publicly funded business support ecosystem in the West Midlands – Business Growth West Midlands – along with mobilisation and support for the region’s medium term high growth strategy, Plan for Growth with a focus on high growth potential clusters.

He is also the responsible officer for the Business Energy Advice Service pilot, delivered in conjunction with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, aimed at helping West Midlands businesses reduce their energy usage and boosting their productivity. Paul has a 15-year career in regional economic development working across policy, practice and delivery for universities, local enterprise partnerships and central government departments.

Most recently, prior to joining WMCA, he ran his own economic development consultancy business. 

James McAllister is the General Manager of Atlas Copco Tools & Industrial Assembly Solutions in the UK and Ireland. He oversees the delivery of a diverse range of advanced manufacturing and Smart Factory solutions which drive sustainability and digital transformation for manufacturers across the UK and Ireland.

James holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Newcastle. He has worked with Atlas Copco Group since 1995, where he has held many Senior Management positions across the globe including Vice President Marketing and President of the General Industry division within the Industrial Technique business area.

Sean Adams is a Partner in Gowling WLG's Commercial Disputes and Risk Advisory team and Co-leader of the firm's UK Advanced Manufacturing and Automotive sectors. He advises UK and international businesses on complex commercial disputes, risk management and supply chain issues, working extensively with manufacturers, OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and technology driven businesses operating across global markets. As Head of Gowling WLG's Nordic Desk, Sean regularly supports clients with cross border matters and international growth strategies. His work spans the key issues shaping the future of advanced manufacturing, including supply chain resilience, emerging technologies, AI, ESG considerations and the legal challenges arising from rapid industry transformation.

Dr Benjamin Silverstone holds an MSc in Management and a PhD in Engineering as well as a professional teaching qualification. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Ben has worked in education for almost 20 years and has held various teaching and management positions in Colleges and Universities.

At present Ben is the Head of Skills Policy and Strategy at WMG. His role places him as a thought leader in the space of future skills, and he is regularly engaged with government bodies in establishing the evolution of skills in the UK. Ben is a founder of the National Electrification Skills Framework as part of a coalition of leading UK institutions and industrial partners. As part of this work, he previously chaired the national forum on Electrification Skills. In addition to his leadership roles Ben has also published in a wide range of media on the topics of skills and human interaction with technology. Early in his career Ben spent a total of 15 years with the Royal Naval Reserve and HM Coastguard earning several commendations.

Neema Patel is Corporate Counsel at Atlas Copco Group and a UK-qualified solicitor with over 11 years' experience advising international businesses on commercial, corporate and regulatory matters. Her expertise includes commercial contracts, M&A, technology transactions, data protection and governance. Having held senior in-house legal leadership roles across multiple sectors, she is passionate about helping organisations manage risk while achieving their strategic objectives. Neema is also a school governor and an advocate for diversity, inclusion and community engagement.

Sue is a Real Estate Development Lawyer at Fieldfisher LLP, advising on some of the UK’s most significant regeneration and redevelopment schemes including the World Leading Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Sue works with a number of life sciences businesses in delivery of their premises and has detailed and specialist knowledge of delivery of mixed laboratory, manufacture, treatment and office facilities

Sue is noted in the Legal 500 “Technically Excellent”

Sue has long standing and strong connections with the British Swedish Business Community and is the Midlands Chapter Chair for the SCC UK.