It was ‘standing room only’ as Humber Freeport launched its new Investment Prospectus in front of a packed audience on day two of UKREiiF 2026.
Hosted inside a bustling Connected Places Catapult Pavilion, Humber Freeport’s Chair Finbarr Dowling was joined on stage by Luke Campbell MBE, Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire and Ibrahim Mohamed, a Strategic Advisor for the Department for Business and Trade.
The launch of the prospectus provided a platform to discuss the Humber’s broad investment landscape, with key topics ranging from skills and employment to supply chains and the energy transition.
The scale and prominence of the delegation inside the pavilion reflected the Humber’s collective ambition for growth, job creation and prosperity.
It was perhaps best summarised by Mr Dowling, who said: “Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what party colour you are, we are all chasing the same thing in the Humber. That is growth. That growth leads to jobs and supply chain opportunities, and that investment into the local economy creates an uplift that stretches deep into our communities.”
Our new Investment Prospectus is available to view on our website now. It details a £3bn investment opportunity across the three Humber Freeport tax sites, with the potential to create up to 5,000 new jobs.
Day two at UKREiiF kicked off with a panel discussion which spotlighted the impact of the Freeport’s £25m seed capital fund on projects across North East Lincolnshire and beyond.
Richard Beason, Humber Freeport’s Head of Investment, was joined by Carolina Borgstrom, Director of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure at North East Lincolnshire Council, Andrew Milne, Lead Property Development Manager at Associated British Ports and Jacqueline Gray, Director of Business Development and Partnerships at CATCH.
Conversation centred on the future of investment in the region, and how seed capital can act as a stimulus for growth, unlocking new opportunities and attracting investors.
Speaking at the event, Mr Beason said: “Seed capital is crucial. For every £1 spent through our seed fund, £7 has been spent through private sector partners. It creates momentum for projects which are making a real impact across our region.
“It also provides momentum for investment across our tax sites. Those investments generate retained business rates for local development, which ultimately creates the next round of seed funding for future projects.
“It becomes a virtuous cycle. We have the agility and the flexibility to allocate funding to projects which are strategically significant to the region.”
After the prospectus launch and a Humber Freeport delegate lunch, CEO Simon Green took to the stage at the Invest Hull and East Yorkshire Pavilion, for a session focused on investment across the north bank of the Humber.
Mr Green chaired a panel comprising Jo Barnes, Managing Director of Sewell Group, Tom Wheldon, Executive Director of HBD and Paul Addison, Director for the North at the Department for Business and Trade.
“Humber Freeport is an opportunity to do something which is once-in-a-generation,” Ms Barnes said.
“We have a window of opportunity, and that opportunity is now. We can provide the groundwork for peoples’ livelihoods, and for social improvement, for generations to come.
“We have a global opportunity, and we have to work closely together to make sure we seize this moment.”
UKREiiF will return for its final day in Leeds tomorrow, on May 21. We’ll be hearing from our Freeport Future Ambassador, Rian Patel, who will share his insights and reflections from a busy week at the conference.
