Leeds Beckett brings Bank of England insight to Yorkshire businesses

The event was delivered by Alex Golledge, the Bank of England's Agent for Yorkshire and The Humber and drew on analysis from the bank's latest Monetary Policy Report. Attendees in-person and online heard how national policy decisions translate into regional economic conditions, including signals on growth, employment, inflation, and long-term resilience across UK regions.

The lecture highlighted how the bank combines forward-looking policy and delves deeper into survey data and intelligence gathered directly from businesses to 'get beyond the headline figures' to understand what is really happening on the ground. The lecture also explored what conditions are needed to unlock sustainable growth across the regions, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty.

Chaired by Olga Munroe from Leeds Business School, the lecture and following Q&A session also offered Leeds Beckett students the opportunity to combine lecture theatre learning with real-world expertise.

Olga says: "The Guest Lectures by Leeds Business School are designed to enhance the academic learning of our students by exposing them to business professionals and national organisations, and building networks. We encourage all of our students to start building their professional portfolio and networks to support their employment opportunities after graduation."

About the event, she says: "We believe that raising awareness of important societal issues and macroeconomic trends, through lecture like this, supports the development of their critical thinking skills.

"For businesses, the event provided practical perspectives on how to navigate current and future challenges. Events like these further strengthen our role as an anchor institution within the region."

The lecture was hosted in partnership with Virgin Money and introduced by John Bullock, Head of Strategic Finance for Yorkshire and North-East, further underlining the collaborative approach to regional economic insight.

Sharing advice for soon-to-be graduate students in the current job market, John advises up-skilling: "On top of academic learning, join a sports team or society, learn leadership skills. How are you getting your CV to stand out?"

For those who land a role, he advises: "Never stop learning - you have decades of it ahead of you."