Former government minister Greg Clark with Nigel Driffield, Professor of International Business at Warwick Business School (right) at the Centre for Cities event at WBS London at The Shard.

Partners: (l-r) Andrew Carter, CEO of Centre for Cities, former UK Government minister Greg Clark, and Nigel Driffield, Professor of International Business

Former Secretary of State Greg Clark has stressed the vital role that UK universities and business schools will place in delivering the UK's Industrial Strategy.

Mr Clark was speaking at a joint event held by Warwick Business School and the think-tank Centre for Cities to explore the Government’s recently published Industrial Strategy Green Paper.

'An Evening with the Rt Hon Greg Clark' at WBS London at The Shard brought together prominent voices in public policy, academia, and business, with thought-provoking discussions on the strategy’s framework to stimulate local and national economic growth.

Mr Clark, who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy from 2016-2019 and stood down as MP for Tunbridge Wells at the last election, said: “To achieve visible change in less than four years’ time is quite a tall order, and you can only do this through partnerships.

“Two of the principal partners that can make a tangible difference on the ground are local governments and mayoral combined authorities, and universities – who are standing forces in their regions who really make a difference.”

The event was opened by Nigel Driffield, Professor of International Business, and a board member of the West Midlands Innovation Zone, who underscored the critical role of place-based strategies within the UK’s Industrial Strategy.

He said: “Greg Clark has made the case for how the UK’s Industrial Strategy can generate productivity growth when based on a clear set of propositions for investors and intervention. To my mind, this raises one particular question: if place is important, then any national policy can only ever be a framework for local delivery.”

Reflecting the School’s dual presence at its main campus in central England and in London, the venue at The Shard symbolised the broader theme of the evening: the localisation of the Industrial Strategy and the need for regions across the UK to adapt national policies to address local needs effectively.

Professor Driffield added: “Once strategy becomes place-specific, we must recognise the case not just for a local strategy that allows regions to link delivery of skills, innovation, business support, and investment, but also to address market failures at a local level.”

The evening was hosted by Andrew Carter, CEO of Centre for Cities, and featured a keynote address from speaker Mr Clark, who has recently been appointed as the first Executive Chair of the University of Warwick’s Warwick Innovation District.

Karen Barker, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, said: “The event was a great success and  reaffirmed the School’s dedication to promoting dynamic connections between business, academia, and policy across the UK.

“It highlights Warwick Business School’s continual commitment to providing a platform for critical conversations on the future of UK economic policy and further demonstrates the School’s unique role in linking the West Midlands with policy leaders in London to foster meaningful, regionally inclusive growth strategies.”

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