Speakers

Paul Callaghan

Chairman, Leighton Group

Paul is Chairman of Leighton, the Sunderland-based technology and communications group that he founded. Leighton operates in over 45 countries on 6 continents and in 10 languages at the cutting edge of new technology and has many clients world-wide in the Leisure, Travel and Tourism sectors including British Airways, Tourism Australia, Virgin, Best Western Hotels, Malmaison, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Cooperative Travel, Jersey Tourism and Mitchell and Butlers, Ernst and Young voted Paul the ‘Northern E-business Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 2000 and in 2005 he was voted the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in the Portfolio Awards.

He is a founder director of the Entrepreneurs Forum, Chairman of RTC North, Chairman of Business Link North East and is a Board Member of ONE North East. Paul was born in Sunderland and trained as an economist. He has a first degree in Economics from the London School of Economics, a Masters degree in Management and Education from Newcastle University and a further Masters degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Salford.

He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of Sunderland in recognition of his contribution to the business and academic life of the region, has since joined the University’s Board of Governors and he is currently the ‘David Goldman Visiting Professor of Business Innovation’ at the University of Newcastle. Paul is one of the featured ‘Passionate People’ in ONE North East’s award-winning Regional Image campaign ‘Passionate People, Passionate Places’ and he is genuinely passionate about helping the North East region to grow and prosper.