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The Heart of the South West Pop Up Business Cafes

From now until the end of April, the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership is running a series of free Pop-Up Business Cafés at established café venues across the area.

They are informal events co-hosted with a local business organisation offering one-to-one ‘no pressure, no sales pitch’ advice from volunteer business experts. The Business Cafés are for budding and experienced business leaders and entrepreneurs.

The Business Cafés aim to raise awareness of the benefits of business support and the range of support available to them locally to make their organisation more productive and successful.

Popular topics of conversation include accounting, business planning, structures, finance raising, growth, HR, marketing, regulations, nuclear supply chain management, recruitment, selling, social media, training, tax, websites and many more.

15 events have already been planned in Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay, they start at either 8am or 9am until 12 midday.

Full details and registration instructions are at  www.heartofswgrowthhub.co.uk  and more events will be added as they are arranged. Alternatively, the Heart of the South West Growth Hub booking team can be contacted on 03456 047 047.

The Business Cafes complement the main “Service for All” element of the Growth Hub, which started to operate last month, providing a one-stop shop for business advice and signposting.

Heart of the South West LEP Chair Steve Hindley said: “I urge anyone with a business in the Heart of the South West to come along to one of our Pop Up Business Cafes for free one-to-one advice from volunteer business experts.

“These events offer a conversation worth having, based on a smart and informed look at your business or start up idea, and they are taking place throughout Devon, Plymouth Somerset and Torbay until the end of April.”

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      David Ralph

      Chief Executive

      David Ralph started as Chief Executive of Heart of South West LEP at the beginning of June 2018. Previously, he had spent 5 years as CEO of the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (D2N2) LEP from 2013 where he oversaw the development of the D2N2 Strategic Economic Plan and sector strategies, 3 Growth Deals with HM Government to deliver a £1billion capital investment programme, securing and implementing £200m ESIF programme, the Derby and Nottingham Enterprise Zone, the D2N2 Skills Deal and Time for Innovation programme, community fund and led the executive team to develop the HS2 East Midlands hub. He was also closely involved in the proposed North Midlands Devolution Deal and one of the key architects in establishing the Midlands Engine, chairing the officer steering group. Whilst in this role David was a NED of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, and Marketing NG, the Outer Estates Foundation and a Governor of Nottingham College and on the advisory Board of Nottingham Business School.

      Before the East Midlands, David was CEO of the Have Gateway Partnership working closely with local stakeholders including the ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich and BT Adadastral Park across Suffolk and Essex and prior to that was Chief Exec of the Barton Hill New Deal for Communities programme in Bristol and the Nelm Development Trust in Norwich.

      David is a keen sailor, walker and trail runner.