WNY Chamber celebrates Bradford Annual Dinner

West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce welcomed well over 130 people to its Bradford Annual Dinner for 2026.

Held at the spectacular Bradford Live’s ballroom, employers from across the region came together to celebrate the region’s business community.

They heard from Bradford Chamber President and Yorkshire Building Society’s Director of Data and AI Rebecca Fitzgerald who talked about the importance of focusing on Bradford’s future whilst staying proud of its heritage.

She said: “We hear often of Bradford’s young population as a strength of the city. But it will only prove to be a strength if we can maximise the opportunities that exist for these young people as they enter the workforce.

“We need a Bradford operating at scale and harnessing the power of partnerships between the city’s business community, its civic leadership and its core institutions.

“This is where the Chamber can play a crucial role, as it is the convening point between these bodies. It is where decision-makers can come together to plot the best course of action for Bradford’s future.

“And it is why we are so frequently called upon for our inputs, our expertise and our reach to make sure these decisions have the views of employers at the heart of any future trajectory we plot as a city region.”

Themed around the subject of Business of the Future the event also staged a panel event featuring Ms Fitzgerald, Eat IT Drink IT’s Cliff Gurdin and Bradford College’s Sarah Towan.

Entertainment came from musician Alesia Violin and was compered by former BBC presenter Andrew Edwards.