Q&A with Marina Larios
Marina Larios joined the Sheffield First Partnership Board in May this year.
Marina is President of WiTEC Europe with offices in 14 member states and Director of Inova Consultancy, an organisation providing consultancy services in the area of diversity and equal opportunities.
Here we ask Marina for her thoughts about Sheffield and how she would like to contribute, via the SFP Board, to shaping its future.
Do you think the perception of Sheffield is changing?
Yes, I think Sheffield is in a process of enormous change and it is becoming much more of a cosmopolitan city. Developments such as the refurbished train station, the city centre regeneration and projects such as Sevenstone, the new retail quarter, and proposed West Bar development will give Sheffield a much more exiting, vibrant and modern image. Some of my European colleagues visited Sheffield recently and they said that it looked like a new city to them compared to the Sheffield they visited 5 years ago! They were also very impressed by the hospitality they found.
What would you like to see Sheffield famous for?
I would like Sheffield to be recognised internationally as one of the best cities to work, study and live in. Also based on the work I do in the field of equal opportunities, I would like Sheffield to be the best place for female entrepreneurs to set up in business and where everybody feels supported and empowered to achieve their goals.
Burning Issue – What needs to get better in Sheffield?
I think Sheffield needs to bring more leverage to its current assets. For example there is a large community of close to 10,000 international students from 120 countries in the city who, after their studies, go home. They could be great ambassadors for us and spread the word worldwide about how great it is to study and live in Sheffield.
I think we also have to start looking more at widening the economic base of Sheffield and encourage more companies and organisations in Sheffield to become more internationally minded and to promote the use of languages. “Global mindsets” are necessary if we are to compete in global markets. 75% of the world’s population don’t speak English at all and one in five exporting companies say they are losing trade because of language and cultural barriers according to CILT the National Centre for Languages. I read the other day that if the UK economy could rebalance its trade with non-English speaking countries this could add £21 billion per year to the UK GDP!
Why is it important to you to represent the private sector on the SFP Board?
I think it is very important to add diversity to the voices that contribute to the exciting developments both socially and economically in Sheffield. I also feel, both from the perspective of living in this great city as well as a business person, that we all have a responsibility to help and do our best to enable Sheffield’s progress. Finally, Sheffield has been a great platform for my international work, so I thought it was time to give something back to the city!
How do you see the business sector playing a role in moving Sheffield forwards?
The business sector plays a significant role in the success of the overall economic development strategy. It is their presence and work that gives the city its economic base from which to further build the reputation of the city as a place to live, invest, study and work.
A strong economy is crucial to Sheffield’s success so the business sector should play an active role in developing strategies at every level. In addition, I believe the business sector could help Sheffield move forward by ensuring it recruits, trains and retains talent, and by fostering and supporting enterprise, acting as role model to help others set up in business.