South West Wales has the assets, investment pipeline and sector strengths to become one of the UK’s leading regional economies, with opportunities spanning innovation, city centre regeneration, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, digital technology and floating offshore wind.
That was the central message from the inaugural meeting of the Business News Wales South West Wales Editorial Board, which brought together senior figures from business, finance, education, local government and regional development.
Board members said the region had already established much of the infrastructure needed to support growth, including innovation facilities, modern business space, port investment and regional skills programmes. The next phase will be shaped by how those strengths are connected around businesses, investors and emerging supply chains.
Cllr Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee, said the region’s scale and established relationships gave it a practical advantage when competing for investment.
“We’re small enough to be nimble and connected, but big enough to matter,” he said.
Rob said South West Wales should be confident in its ability to compete internationally, pointing to its universities, business support infrastructure and examples of companies that had started and grown in the region.
Participants said stronger links between universities, investors and businesses would be central to converting research and entrepreneurial activity into commercial growth.
Swansea University is fourth in the UK for spin-outs and among the top ten for student start-ups, according to Ian Mabbett, Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Research Culture at Swansea University.
Ian said the region should compare itself with established innovation centres such as Greater Manchester and Imperial College London, while also seeking partnerships with them.
Russell Greenslade, Director of CBI Wales, said the strongest economies connected businesses, universities and investors around shared commercial outcomes.
He said investment followed confidence in the economy, policy environment and conditions for growth, and argued that South West Wales needed to promote its strengths more clearly and provide investors with a straightforward route into the region.
The board also heard that regeneration in Swansea city centre was supporting wider regional growth by attracting visitors, businesses and new development.
Around 70% of the city centre’s fabric has either been regenerated or is included in active development plans, supported by a development pipeline worth more than £1 billion.
Rob said public investment had been required to demonstrate confidence in the city before private capital would follow. The Swansea Building Society Arena, new office developments and plans for mixed-use schemes were helping to create a city centre based on leisure, employment, education, housing and retail.
Floating offshore wind was identified as one of the most significant longer-term opportunities for South West Wales.
The region’s ports, existing energy infrastructure, manufacturing capability and university research base could support activity across engineering, fabrication, digital services, maintenance and eventual decommissioning.
Ian said discussion should extend beyond the construction of turbines to the industrial uses of the energy generated, including decarbonisation and hydrogen production.
Businesses would need support to gain accreditation, expand their workforces and compete for major supply-chain contracts, the board heard.
Chris Owen, Chief Operating Officer of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee, said the region was moving from strategy into delivery, supported by an investment pipeline valued at around £6 billion.
He said South West Wales wanted to present a unified entry point for investors and work alongside the other Welsh regions to identify complementary strengths rather than compete for the same opportunities.
