Research shows there’s a record number of women starting new companies in the UK. We meet the female team who are hard at work making sure Darlington is a place of opportunity for all.
The Rose Review*, published earlier this year, shows more women than ever are starting new businesses. Over 140,000 all-female founded companies were created last year, and this figure is growing by over a third each year.
The women laying the foundations for Darlington’s latest workspace, Innovation Central, are using their own hard-earned experience to continue that momentum – creating a collaborative and supportive environment that nurtures entrepreneurship and innovation for all.
The centre, which is owned by Darlington Borough Council and will be run by the North East BIC team, is due to open in October and has been overseen by women from its inception. Its Manager, Vanessa Wood, believes this will encourage more females into the Darlington business community.
“Things have improved so much in recent years when it comes to the gender balance in business, but there are still opportunities to go much further,” she says.
“An important step towards encouraging others is ensuring we have plenty of females in plain sight at all levels of business and in all industries. At Innovation Central we are starting as we mean to go on – even the construction team features lots of females in senior roles.
“Our Design Manager, Senior Quantity Surveyor, Capital Project Manager and Site Administrator are all women and I’m managing the running of the centre on a day-to-day basis. Not so long ago, people would have expected every one of our roles to have been filled by a man over the age of 50! It’s fantastic how much has changed and we are determined to use our experience to encourage other women to fulfil their own ambitions.”
Vanessa, who also manages the Business Central site at Darlington’s Central Park has been involved in the physical design of the new centre from the outset. She says she poured all of her personal experience into designing a workspace that would not only be welcoming and supportive to all but would make starting a business as simple and affordable as possible.
“I knew exactly what I wanted,” she says. “I’ve worked in buildings dedicated to supporting businesses for years so I know what works and what doesn’t work. I used all of my tried and tested ideas to create a really workable space.”
Practical considerations given to making it simple to start up at Innovation Central include the size and layout of the workspaces. Most of the 45 Grade A offices and 5 lab spaces will be relatively small – ideal for those starting out as they’ll be under the threshold for business rates. In addition, rents will be kept affordable thanks to the shared approach to staffing, systems and facilities with neighboring Business Central – including meeting rooms, gym and micro spa.
But it’s the carefully considered support system and caring ethos that the Innovation Central team believe will be the facility’s main differentiator.
“It’s the little things that will make Innovation Central different to other business centres,” Vanessa says. “But those small details make a massive difference to business start-ups and especially to those run by women.
“Becoming a tenant at Business Central or Innovation Central is like becoming part of an extended family. Our team is aged from 27 to 70 and between us we’ve probably experienced everything you can expect in personal and work life so can really relate to our tenants and we’re always glad to lend a hand or an ear.
“We accept that people’s lives are a blend of family and business. The two can’t and shouldn’t always need to be separated. So, in the summer you’ll see more kids around our centres, and tenants bring their children to events, and on occasion they’ll even bring in parents they are caring for and we’ll make them a cup of tea and pop the TV on for them. We just want people to be happy at work because if they’re happy they’ll do great things.”
A full events and business support programme will be launched when the centre opens its doors in October, designed to nurture a new wave of innovative businesses across the Tees Valley with inspiration, support and valuable connections. The events will create a ready-made network for tenants.
Vanessa explains: “We know how daunting and time consuming it can be to attend events for start-ups. But if you’re a tenant who can just pop downstairs to meet new potential customers, suppliers, employees and collaborators, whilst grabbing some breakfast, then that’s a totally different proposition. It leads new businesses into situations and opportunities they might not otherwise have had. I’m confident some amazing ideas will come out of this that will change the world for the better. I’m really excited to get started.”
Meet the Team
Name: Vanessa Wood
Job title: Centre Manager, Business Central & Innovation Central
Role in the project: I’m in charge of the day-to-day running of the new centre.
Vanessa says: “It’s going to be great to see what Darlington can do with access to a facility like this. So many brilliant people are already working away in their own silos but if we can bring those people together who knows what we can do!”
Name: Joanne Wood
Job title: Capital Project Manager, Darlington Borough Council
Role in the project: I oversee and manage the build contract on behalf of the council.
Joanne says: “Innovation Central has been a great project to be involved with and manage. The building looks fabulous and will be a huge asset to the town and Central Park.”
Name: Kate Shaw
Job title: Senior Quantity Surveyor, Willmott Dixon
Role in the project: I lead the Willmott Dixon commercial team which is the main contractor building the site.
Kate says: “It’s been a pleasure to work with the site team as everyone takes an enthusiastic and pragmatic approach to the process which makes the project flow. It’s such a happy place to work.”
Name: Barbara Dixon
Job title: Design Manager, Willmott Dixon
Role in the project: I coordinate the design of the facility.
Barbara says: “Innovation Central is almost complete now and it will be huge asset to the area, providing much-needed office and lab space for start-ups in the region.”
Name: Clair Dolan
Job title: Site Administrator, Willmott Dixon
Role in the project: I support the Innovation Central team with admin duties and also coordinate social value activities on the project.
Clair says: “I love working on such a well organised site but most of all I love the team I work with. I can’t wait to see the finished product!”
To stay informed of updates on Innovation Central email enquiries@innovationcentraldarlington.co.uk
This project is jointly funded by Darlington Borough Council, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), £3.55million from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, and the Government’s Getting Building Fund.