University experts share their insight this Sunderland Business Week

Published on 14, October, 2025

The University of Sunderland is proud to support this year’s Sunderland Business Week. Experts from the University will join a range of panel discussions and talks over the course of the week, which has been designed to showcase the city as a dynamic place to do business.

Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland, joined key civic leaders for a panel discussion as part of the launch event at the Stadium of Light (13 October). The panel addressed how recent regeneration projects have impacted the city, as well as possible new opportunities on the horizon.

On Wednesday, Professor Graham Thrower, Head of the Institute for Economic and Social Inclusion at the University, will present a keynote speech at Expo Sunderland’s Delivering the Future City 2025 conference, focussed on how we can connect the opportunities presented by regeneration to local communities.

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Professor Thrower will join a range of speakers and panellists, including Andrea Walters, Chief Operating Officer at the University, to share their expertise and best practice with other cities and regions on how Sunderland is embracing and creating opportunities for regeneration and growth.

On Thursday, Dr Alex Connock, Professor of Media Innovation at the University of Sunderland, will be speaking at SunFest, a one-day event at Sheepfolds bringing together business, innovation and creativity with a packed programme of talks and presentations. Dr Connock, a leading international and industry speaker on the media business and how it is being changed by AI, will offer attendees “An illustrated guide to where we are with AI.”

Find out more about what’s going on this week at Sunderland Business Week here and Expo Sunderland here.