Bath and Bristol’s future as a vibrant business centre will be debated by three of the region’s leading business women at the UK’s biggest gathering of female business owners next month.
They will take as their starting point the creation of a so-called Western Powerhouse to unite the region and claw back vital powers and funding from central Government in areas such as transport, housing and skills. 
The debate will form part of the Festival of Female Entrepreneurs, the event organised by small business network Enterprise Nation.
On the panel will be Nadia Abdulla, founder of Bristol-based Park Street Events and creator of Park on Park Street who now runs Experience Factory; Louise Mitchell, chief executive of Colston Hall and Tara Gillam, head of enterprise at Business West, which runs Bath Chamber of Commerce.
With much focus being placed on the role of Northern cities in Britain’s economic revival, the three will discuss where the West fits in during the day-long festival at Colston Hall on October 22.
The debate will pick up on the call earlier this month by leaders of the four West of England local authorities, including Bath & North East Somerset, for the Government to back a devolution bid that could generate an extra £2bn a year for the economy and improve the lives of residents.
In their submission to the Treasury, the authorities propose a £1bn investment to triple the level of spending on major projects such as transport, flood defence and housing over the next 10 years.
Enterprise Nation head of content Dan Martin, who will chair the panel, said: “The West has a lot to shout about; Bristol and Bath is the biggest the tech cluster outside London and world beating companies like Aardman and Airbus call it their home.
“But what is the future for the West? Should the Government champion the region like it is doing with the North, and where do small businesses fit in? Our top class panellists will look for answers about whether we can create a Western Powerhouse.”
Other speakers at Festival of Female Entrepreneurs include ‘City superwoman’ Nicola Horlick; Olympian turned entrepreneur Sarah Gosling; Gabrielle Lixton, co-founder of Bristol-based Turtle Tots and Mike Jackson, founder of technology start-up accelerator Webstart Bristol.
Delegates will also be able to attend practical workshops led by business experts.
Bath Business News’ sister title Bristol Business News is the official media partner of the event.
For more information and to book tickets visit www.enterprisenation.com/festival
