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.

Tess is a Business Development Manager - Consumer Tech & Services at the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), where she drives digital and technology inward investment into the region. A natural connector and partnerships leader, she works with scaling tech businesses and global enterpris-es to navigate UK market entry, providing consultative support, market insights, introductions, and access to the right ecosystem partners.

Over the past four years, Tess has guided more than 20 companies in establishing and expand-ing their UK presence, attracting multi-million-pound of investments into the West Midlands. She has collaborated with a wide range of businesses, from startups like Inicio.ai to major corporates such as Howden and Alvarez & Marsal, helping them unlock opportunities and build lasting re-gional footprints.

Her contributions to the industry have been recognised with a place on the Innovate Finance Women in FinTech Powerlist 2024 and as a finalist in the Women in Tech Awards 2025. Beyond WMGC, Tess is committed to supporting the next generation of business developers and current-ly mentors early-career professionals through Tangent, a platform advancing social mobility in the tech sector.

Driven by a belief that the right connections can make or break market entry, Tess is passionate about building bridges between businesses, investors, and ecosystem partners to ensure growth is both impactful and sustainable.

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.