INVITATION ONLY

Fostering innovation partnerships between Greater Manchester and Japan.

This VIP business event taking place at the UK Pavilion is a flagship event to showcase Greater Manchester’s leadership in innovation from its net zero ambitions and pioneering climate partnerships to cutting edge research in advanced materials, biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

The Rt Hon Andy Burnham Mayor of Greater Manchester, Cllr Bev Craig Leader of Manchester City Council and a senior business and academic delegation from Greater Manchester will be joined by senior representatives from Japanese and UK Government and industry to explore opportunities for collaboration.

EVENT DRAFT PROGRAMME 

09:15  Registration starts

10:00  Welcome from the Moderator

• Mrs Jo Ahmed MBE, Honorary Consul of Japan in Manchester and Northwest Senior Partner, Deloitte UK

10:05  Opening Remarks

• Mrs Carolyn Davidson, UK’s Commissioner General for EXPO 2025
• Rt Hon Andy Burnham Mayor of Greater Manchester
• Official from Japan/Osaka (TBC)

10:15   Greater Manchester a Hub of Innovation

• Cllr Bev Craig Leader of Manchester City Council

10:25  Net Zero: A Living Innovation Bridge Between Greater Manchester and Japan

Moderator: Mrs Jo Ahmed MBE

Speakers:

• Mark Atherton, Director of Environment, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• Mitsutoshi Shigeta, Managing Executive Officer, Panasonic Corporation
• Rachel McCrystal, Greater Manchester Partnerships Manager, Daikin UK
• Ben Grunfeld, Strategy & Growth Director, Electricity North West (UK)

This panel will showcase the innovative and ambitious work that Greater Manchester is undertaking in its bid to reach carbon-neutrality by 2038. The panel will include British and Japanese businesses across the sector, demonstrating their strong partnerships and sharing their experience of working within Greater Manchester.

11:10 Break

11:30  Manchester’s Global Impact in Materials and Technologies: 2D materials, biotech, AI and robotics

Moderator: Mr Joe Manning, Managing Director, MIDAS (Manchester’s Inward Investment Promotion Agency)

Panellists:

• Ueno Hiroaki, Representative Director at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Co, President of Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and Chairperson, Life Science Promotion Committee, Osaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• Professor Valdimir Falko, Director of National Graphene Institute, University of Manchester
• Dr Clara Cheung, Head of Internationalisation for ASEAN, Japan, and Korea, Faculty of Science and Engineering,  The University of Manchester
• Dr Nicky Savjani, Application Manager for Energy at the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC)

12:15  Closing remarks

• Mr Mike Blyth, British Consul General in Osaka
• Rt Hon Andy Burnham Mayor of Greater Manchester
• Cllr Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council

12:25  Light Lunch and Networking

13:45  Event ends