The Mayors of North, South and West Yorkshire will travel to India this October at the head of the county’s first-ever joint trade mission, in a collective drive to win new jobs, exports and investment for the region.
10 Sep 2026
Building on the success of previous regional trade missions, the “White Rose” delegation of businesses, universities and creative institutions marks the first time that the great county of Yorkshire has come together under one banner to champion its interests abroad.
The trip will begin in New Delhi on 12 October as part of a wider Great North trade mission, before the Yorkshire delegation breaks away for a dedicated programme in Hyderabad and Mumbai. The programme has been designed to showcase the unique strengths of “God’s own county” and win crucial new investment in the region.
Led by Tracy Brabin, Oliver Coppard and David Skaith, the trade mission represents the first major regional response to the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into force on 15 July 2026. The UK Government estimates that the deal will increase annual bilateral trade by £25.5 billion by 2040, and add £4.8 billion a year to the UK economy.
The delegation came together for the first time yesterday (9 September) at a pre-visit reception. Hosted by Grant Thornton in Leeds, in the heart of the Northern Square Mile of financial and professional services firms, the event was joined by the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Periasamy Kumaran, and India’s Consul General for the North of England, Dr Vishakha Yaduvanshi.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:
“Our ties with India run deep, through our businesses, our universities, our communities and our cricket clubs. It’s a friendship that means a great deal to our region, and it’s one we’re proud to keep building.
“I’ve seen first-hand what these trade missions deliver – a thousand jobs in Leeds off the back of a meeting in Bangalore, £7 million of inward investment after a visit to Mumbai, and local firms striking up trade deals in one of the World’s fastest-growing economies.
“Going as a united Yorkshire makes us impossible to ignore. We may be three Mayors, but we are one delegation speaking with one voice – if you want world-class engineering, brilliant science and a talented workforce, God’s own county is where you belong.”
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said:
“Yorkshire is recognised throughout India for its cricketing heritage. But following the UK and India's recent trade agreement, there is the potential to be known for new partnerships with God's own county.
“York and North Yorkshire is a trailblazing city region, rural powerhouse. Along with business leaders, I will be presenting a York and North Yorkshire that is full of talent and ready for growth, from our world-class strengths and leading-edge research in the bioeconomy to a creative sector that is driving growth in one of the UK's most successful export industries.
“Joining mayors from South and West Yorkshire as a White Rose collective on our trade mission in India will present new opportunities for York and North Yorkshire to build direct links with one of the world's fastest growing economies.”
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said:
“One of the best things about being Mayor is that I get to unashamedly tell people how great South Yorkshire is. Not just because I’m proud of the place I call home, but because I’m determined to make sure more people around the world know all about the things we do so well; so companies, investors and entrepreneurs know to choose South Yorkshire when making decisions about where to put their headquarters, their money and their jobs.
“I’m leading our delegation of South Yorkshire businesses and partners to India in October, where we’ll be telling everyone we can about our world-leading advanced manufacturing capabilities, our brilliant universities, and our thriving tech sector - and everything else that makes us such a unique and special place to invest.
“And I'll be doing it all alongside my fellow Yorkshire mayors, promoting God’s own county in one of the fastest growing economies in the world.”
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, said:
“I’m excited to see this trade deal creating incredible opportunities for businesses right across the UK, opening up one of the world's fastest-growing major economies and supporting jobs and growth here at home.
“Yorkshire already has strong ties with India, and seeing the Mayors of North, South and West Yorkshire unite to champion the region’s strengths on the international stage shows what can be achieved when national government and regions work closely together.”
The mission will be the latest step in a sustained programme of engagement with India rather than a standalone visit. Mayor Brabin’s first trade mission to India in 2022 secured a commitment from technology firm Mphasis to create 1,000 jobs in Leeds. A West Yorkshire delegation of AI, aerospace, textiles and green technology firms visited Mumbai and Bangalore in early 2025.
In October last year, Mayor Brabin travelled to Mumbai with the then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, where Mastek confirmed a £2 million expansion of its Leeds office creating 200 jobs, and Algorithms Software announced a £5 million investment creating another 53 jobs in West Yorkshire.
Since then, Indian technology firm Hexaware has committed £25 million to expand in the UK, creating around 1,200 jobs including a flagship new research and development centre in Leeds. Carbon Clean’s £7.6 million innovation centre in Navi Mumbai is being built with components engineered in Huddersfield, supporting up to 150 roles at Thomas Broadbent & Sons.
To capitalise on the new relationships being developed with Indian businesses and markets, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has hosted: a high-profile delegation from Bangalore; FTA roundtables for manufacturers in Shipley and textile weavers in Huddersfield; and the Government’s FTA roadshow at Opera North in Leeds – the first venue in the country to host it.
Dr Niall Coogan, Founder and Chief Executive of West Yorkshire-based AssetCool – who also joined a previous trade mission to India – said:
“Our recent trade mission to India demonstrated how focused international engagement translates into rapid commercial success, culminating in a formal agreement with APAR Industries just a few months after initial discussions.
“This partnership highlights the immense opportunity created by India’s extraordinary investment in expanding grid capacity, resilience, and renewable energy infrastructure.
“We are proud to showcase how Yorkshire's engineering strength gets in front of this opportunity – and wins. We look forward to the delegation next month.”
The mission will be the first of its kind for York and North Yorkshire, with Mayor Skaith leading a delegation of businesses from the bioeconomy and creative industries, sectors that present significant opportunities in India. The delegation will promote York and North Yorkshire’s world-class innovation, build connections, and explore trade, investment and partnership opportunities.
Over 20,000 people are employed across York and North Yorkshire’s creative economy, with businesses ranging from photography, film, video, audio, computer or digital arts and interactive media. York is one of only 27 cities in the world – and the only UK city – to have been designated as a UNESCO City of Media Arts.
Jessica Wright, Managing Director of North Yorkshire-based Peel X Group, said:
“We’re delighted to be joining the India Trade Mission and to represent North Yorkshire’s thriving creative and digital sector.
“For Peel X Group, this presents an exciting opportunity to explore new markets, build meaningful international partnerships and share our expertise in digital storytelling, immersive 'XR' technology and innovative learning experiences.
“India’s scale, ambition and rapidly developing digital economy make it an incredibly exciting market, and we look forward to learning from its business community and exploring opportunities for collaboration and growth.”
Mark Corbett, Director of the North Yorkshire-based Biorenewables Development Centre, said:
“The Biorenewables Development Centre was founded in collaboration, and our work with customers addresses the most urgent concern of our times: how do we sustainably use natural resources whilst supporting the health, wealth, and wellbeing of people and the planet?
“Cooperation between the UK and India brings together two leading nations driving innovation and growth in a global bioeconomy set to grow to $30tn by 2050.
“I look forward to the new partnerships that will grow from this mission, accelerating the progress towards sustainable growth."
In South Yorkshire, Sheffield battery pioneer Faradion has been owned by India’s Reliance Industries since a £100 million acquisition in 2022, supporting thousands of good jobs for local people.
Rushabh Shah, Commercialisation Lead at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), said:
“This trade mission arrives at a pivotal moment for high-value manufacturing as the UK-India Free Trade Agreement removes long-standing trade friction. Landmark tariff cuts such as aerospace components dropping from up to 11% to 0%, automotive duties falling from 110% to 10%, together with digital customs processes, greatly simplify cross-border collaboration.
“As part of the University of Sheffield, the AMRC is proud to stand alongside Yorkshire’s Mayors as a strategic partner, driven by our core purpose: transforming lives through innovation. Connecting our research capabilities and supporting our spinout portfolio to access the scale offered by India allows us to translate breakthrough technologies into maximum real-world impact.
“Our track record proves the power of bridging UK ingenuity with Indian industrial scale – from supporting battery pioneer Faradion through early research to build its valuable IP portfolio, to providing critical design and technical expertise to help PTC Industries establish its pioneering titanium casting facility in India.
“Backed by our ties with partners like Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Airbus, and Boeing, an active network of over 2,800 alumni across India, and research ties with IIT Bombay, we are here to attract inward manufacturing investment and build long-term innovation pipelines across aerospace, defence, and clean energy.”
Trade between Yorkshire and the Humber and India has doubled since 2021 to £1.9 billion a year. The region exported £862 million to India in 2023, roughly two-thirds of it in services with manufacturing accounting for 38%. Indian-owned businesses in Yorkshire turn over £4.85 billion between them, while Yorkshire firms with Indian directors turn over closer to £20 billion, supporting almost 130,000 jobs. In addition, around 9,000 Indian students study at Yorkshire universities; more than 80,000 people of Indian heritage call the county home; and visits from India have risen 375% since 2009.
The three regions of North, South and West Yorkshire are stronger together but each bring something different. West Yorkshire has the largest India trade relationship of any Yorkshire region, worth around £903 million a year, with India its fifth-largest export market. South Yorkshire is more specialised in goods exported to India than any other region in the North of England. York and North Yorkshire brings research, agri-food science and higher education to the table, with the University of York Mumbai welcoming its first cohort of students this month.
The three Combined Authorities are working in partnership on a pipeline of commercial, academic and cultural agreements, to be signed during or shortly following the trade mission. These include university partnerships and research collaborations, agreements with Indian screen and live entertainment partners, a proposed partnership between the White Rose authorities and the state of Telangana, and a follow-up Indian delegation to Yorkshire in 2027. Any investment or trade deals confirmed during the mission will be announced to industry and to the public.
The three Mayors argue that the case for the visit is straightforward – India is on course to be the World’s third largest economy by 2030, Yorkshire’s trade with it has doubled in three years, and previous trade missions have helped to drive millions of pounds of inward investment and support the creation of thousands of jobs.
HSBC is proudly sponsoring the Great North trade mission to India, helping strengthen UK-India commercial links and supporting local businesses to grow internationally.
Dr Vishakha Yaduvanshi, Consul General of India for the North of England, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the Great North Mayoral Delegation to India this October. The visit reflects the growing interest on both sides in building a stronger relationship between India and the North of England.
“The opening of the Consulate General of India in the North of England was itself a clear indication of India’s commitment to engaging more closely with the region. India and Yorkshire share strong and growing ties, built on longstanding people-to-people connections and an increasing engagement across trade, investment, education and culture. Yorkshire’s strengths across areas such as advanced manufacturing, technology, life sciences, clean energy and education provide significant opportunities to develop deeper partnerships with India.
“The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement gives this engagement fresh momentum and provides an important opportunity for businesses on both sides.
“We hope the delegation’s visit will help turn this potential into concrete projects, investment and long-term institutional links. The Consulate General of India in Manchester will extend its full support to the delegation and will continue to work closely with partners in India and across the North of England.”
Anuj Chande OBE, Head of South Asia Business Group and Partner at Grant Thornton UK, said:
“Hosting the delegation was a natural extension of the work we do supporting businesses in the UK-India corridor.
“Three decades working with British and Indian businesses has taught me that success comes to those who treat India as a market to be understood, not simply entered, and that's the mindset we want Yorkshire businesses to carry forward.”
