Lord Adonis Attends Event As He Prepares Report On Economic Growth
By David Shirt
The Sheffield office of law firm Irwin Mitchell played host to the former Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis, on 13 September at a Policy Review Tour organised by the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce.
The event, which was also attended by, amongst others, senior figures from Siemens, Natwest, Creative Sheffield and the City's Universities, was an opportunity for local organisations and advisers to discuss the state of the economy, as well as highlight key issues which could affect future growth.
Lord Adonis, who was a guest speaker at the event, has been tasked by Labour leader, Ed Miliband, to conduct a review on how to encourage economic growth. The event at Irwin Mitchell was part of a series of his visits around the UK to listen and gather views from different regions.
In addition to being Secretary of State for Transport from June 2009 until May 2010, Lord Adonis has held a number of high profile positions in Government including Minister for Schools from May 2005 until October 2008. Between July 2010 and January 2012, Lord Adonis served as Director of the Institute for Government, an independent charity with cross-party and Whitehall governance working to improve government effectiveness. He is currently the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure.
Matt Ainsworth, corporate partner at Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield, said: "Irwin Mitchell was delighted to host such a high profile event for the local business community. Lord Adonis had some very positive things to say about the economy here in South Yorkshire and it was interesting to hear his views on a range of issues including access to finance and also the importance of investing in new infrastructure for long term economic growth."