West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin welcomed delegates to MemberCon25 at the start of the conference today (13 March), describing the event as “key” for boosting regional trade.
In a video addressed to attendees, Brabin congratulated the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade on its achievements, and on hitting its 90th anniversary.
“You should be so proud of everything you've achieved and excited for what's to come in the future.”
Mission-focused
As mayor, Brabin said she was on a mission to make West Yorkshire more prosperous, and that events like MemberCon were “key, helping boost our regional export and supporting businesses to upskill on their customs and their trade knowledge”.
The Batley-born mayor said her region had many advantages for exporting goods:
“Yorkshire is such a strong brand, delivering quality products and services, and home to an incredible business community driving inspiration and innovation and exporting across the world.”
She said that West Yorkshire was both a “manufacturing powerhouse” and “creative force”, referencing companies that were exporting their goods from the Yorkshire riding to the rest of the world.
Goods and services from the region had travelled as far as the Coachella festival in California, while also playing a part in King Charles III’s coronation, she added.
Brabin bio
Brabin, previously MP for Batley and Spen, is the inaugural mayor of West Yorkshire, having won in 2021 and been re-elected in 2024.
A Labour MP, she served in the shadow cabinet of both Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer, her last role being shadow minister for cultural industries under Starmer.
An actor by training – she previously starred in shows like Casualty, Coronation Street and The Bill – Brabin first entered politics in a by-election, succeeding Jo Cox in a by-election in 2016. After Brabin stepped down from Parliament, she was replaced as Batley and Spen MP by Kim Leadbeater, Cox’s sister.
Before her acting career, she studied drama at Loughborough University and gained a masters in screenwriting from the University of the Arts London.
