Tracy Brabin leads West Yorkshire trade mission to Switzerland and Germany to deepen economic ties and drum up jobs and investment

A dozen businesses have joined the West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin on a European trade mission to drive investment and growth across three of the region’s biggest job-creating sectors.

Mayor Brabin landed in Zurich at the head of a 12-strong business delegation yesterday afternoon (Sunday 22 February), in a push to strike-up new export deals, secure inward investment, and solidify economic ties with some of Europe’s most advanced industrial regions.

The five-day trade mission – organised by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and supported by KPMG – will see the delegation travel from Zurich in Switzerland to Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart in Germany.

Backed by the Government, the trade mission is designed to strengthen UK-European trade across three of the country’s most important export markets – financial and digital services, health technology, and advanced manufacturing – sectors which underpin thousands of jobs across Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds and Wakefield.

The businesses attending will have the opportunity to develop and deepen their trade relationships with Switzerland and Germany, boost their overseas exports and job creation back in West Yorkshire, and champion the high-growth sectors they are proud to represent on the international stage.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“Europe is our most important trading partner, with investment from Swiss and German firms – and exports from our homegrown businesses – supporting thousands of good jobs in every part of our great region.

“Now, thanks to devolution and our strong, public-private West Yorkshire partnership, we have the potential to go so much further.

“Over the next five days, we’ll showcase our multimillion-pound healthtech investment zone, champion our Northern Square Mile of global financial and professional services firms, and create new export opportunities for our world-class manufacturers.

“Together, we’ll build international relationships that will stand the test of time and help us build a brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.”

Lucy Rigby MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister, said:

“The UK’s message is clear: we are open for business and ready to do deals, and West Yorkshire is taking that message to Switzerland and Germany. Strengthening our European partnerships will unlock investment, back innovation and create great jobs across the UK.

"Our Financial Services Strategy is supporting high-growth firms, and putting UK financial services at the heart of stronger UK‑Europe trade.”

Switzerland is the UK’s 11th largest trading partner, with a bilateral relationship worth almost £47 billion to the economy every year. Services account for more than 60% of that trade, supporting around 130,000 jobs across the country in areas including finance, legal services and transport. For West Yorkshire – which is widely recognised as the UK’s second financial and professional services centre outside of London – the Swiss market is especially important, underpinning thousands of good jobs for local people and putting more money in people’s pockets.

With the region’s prosperity inextricably tied to its trading relationship with Europe, the Mayor will look to use her £2 billion of new, flexible funding to leverage additional private sector investment from Europe into the region, by creating the conditions for businesses to thrive through key investments in transport, skills and housing. The trade mission will deliver on West Yorkshire’s public-private Local Growth Plan, which prioritises scaling up the region’s fastest-growing sectors while supporting local businesses to access finance, skills and markets.

A key objective of the visit is to promote opportunities for European investors to take part in West Yorkshire’s £160 million Healthtech Investment Zone, designed to accelerate innovation in medical technology, diagnostics and digital health. The region’s internationally-significant strengths in clinical research, life sciences and health innovation – anchored by its seven world-class universities – are being pitched as a natural partner to Switzerland’s unrivalled biotech ecosystem.

It is hoped that by deepening cooperation on trade, investment and knowledge-sharing, the region can accelerate its development of lifechanging technologies for patients, boost its homegrown exporting businesses while bolstering the NHS, and create good jobs in this high-growth sector for generations to come.

Carly Walter, CEO at the women’s wellbeing technology company MAGI, said:

“This trade mission to Switzerland and Germany is a pivotal opportunity for us to build relationships with AI and healthtech leaders, explore research collaboration, understand European regulatory pathways, and connect with early-stage investors and distribution partners.

“Both countries are recognised leaders in medical technology, digital innovation and research excellence. Establishing partnerships there will accelerate our product development, strengthen our evidence base, and support our pathway toward national and international scale.

“The support of the Mayor has been instrumental in our growth journey. From early-stage funding through the Mayor’s Big Ideas Challenge to international trade access, the region has backed female-led innovation in health technology.

“That support signals that West Yorkshire is serious about exporting world-class digital health solutions and investing in preventative, inclusive healthcare.”

Liz Whitefield, Co-Founder and Director at the full service consultancy Hippo Digital, said:

“As a company founded and headquartered in Leeds we are proud to represent the digital and technology ecosystem in place across West Yorkshire.

"This visit offers an opportunity to engage with organisations in Switzerland and Germany, understand the challenges they face and showcase the work they do across the region in healthcare and AI to help deliver world class patient-centric services.”

At the same time, the delegation is highlighting the significance of West Yorkshire’s Northern Square Mile – a thriving ecosystem of 30,000 financial and professional services firms employing almost 300,000 people, anchored by national institutions such as the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the National Wealth Fund.

The Mayor is expected to stress how the UK-Switzerland ‘Berne Financial Services Agreement’, alongside the Chancellor’s recent flagship ‘Leeds Reforms’, can help to unlock further growth in financial and digital services. Together, the two frameworks reduce regulatory barriers, strengthen cross-border cooperation, and position Leeds as the go-to UK base for finance firms that are ready to launch or looking to move.

Phil Murden, Leeds Office Senior Partner at KPMG UK, said:

“This trade mission represents a significant opportunity to deepen West Yorkshire’s economic relationship with Switzerland and Germany – two markets that are central to Europe’s financial, industrial and innovation landscape. For firms across our region, stronger links with these economies means greater access to capital, closer collaboration on regulation and digital standards, and new routes into high-value export markets. At a time when global competition for investment is intense, building practical, long-term partnerships with trade counterparts will help ensure that West Yorkshire remains outward-looking and competitive.

“Leeds has firmly established itself as the ‘Square Mile of the North’, and the wider region is now recognised as one of the UK’s leading financial and professional services centres outside London. Major banks, building societies, insurers, fintech businesses, wealth managers and regulators have chosen to invest here, reinforcing the region’s role as both an operational and regulatory hub. KPMG has deep roots in Yorkshire, employing hundreds of people locally and supporting clients across financial services, technology and advanced industry. By backing this mission, we are helping to strengthen the international profile of the region and support sustainable job creation across West Yorkshire’s most important sectors.”

High-profile meetings in Zurich include those with national trade and investment bodies, leaders in financial technology, health technology and rail technology, and the city’s urban development team, to take learnings from their successful transport and regeneration policies.

The Mayor will also meet with James Squire, the UK’s Ambassador to Switzerland, and take part in a joint conference with the British-Swiss business community.

In Germany, the focus shifts to advanced engineering and AI-enabled manufacturing, with visits to leading research centres and innovation campuses in Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart. The programme includes discussions around the development of sustainable, sophisticated transport systems – an area where West Yorkshire is seeking to build a centre of excellence, in partnership with universities, Network Rail and private-sector innovators.

Ahead of the launch of the landmark Weaver Network in 2027, Swiss and German expertise in mass transit design and precision engineering is being viewed as a source of practical lessons for the region’s own, multibillion-pound integrated transport ambitions.

Kelly Weston, Chief Operating Officer at the AI and data business The Data City, said:

“For us, this mission is about three things: building long-term relationships in Switzerland and Germany, showcasing UK data and AI capability on the international stage, and supporting the transition to Net Zero through better, real-time economic intelligence.

“The partnership with the Mayor of West Yorkshire is important to us. As a fast-growing tech business headquartered in Leeds, international visibility and trade connections are critical to scaling.

“The region backing innovative, export-focused companies like ours sends a strong signal about West Yorkshire’s ambition in digital and advanced industries.”

Caroline Jones, Director at the sustainable growth consultancy NextGen Zero, said:

“This trade mission is about building strategic partnerships with European leaders in clean technology and industrial AI to unlock new supply chain opportunities for UK businesses.

“By combining West Yorkshire’s industrial strengths with digital innovation, we can accelerate the energy transition and position our region at the forefront of the low-carbon economy.”

The delegation includes a mix of established exporters and high-growth firms from across financial services, digital technology, health innovation and advanced manufacturing, reflecting the breadth of West Yorkshire’s diverse business-base, and its ambition to compete on the international stage.

For a region with a proud industrial heritage and a growing confidence in its plan for growth, the message from Mayor Brabin from Zurich is loud and clear – West Yorkshire is open for business.