Successful innovation depends on diversity and without diverse female leadership and ideas, we will not reach our potential.

The North of England is a hotbed of technology and invention; home to thousands of businesses in sectors that are changing our society and our world. Sectors like digital, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and green technologies.

With the North increasingly at the forefront of innovation in these industries, women across our region have a vital role to play in the North’s future economic prosperity – and by extension the country’s.

Many of the businesses that are driving our future, innovation-led growth are led by and employ significant numbers of women.

But if our ambition is to grow our economy by providing and exporting solutions to global challenges, we need more women – and those from different social, economic, cultural and other backgrounds – to have a seat at the top table.

Successful innovation depends on diversity and without diverse female leadership and ideas, we will not reach our potential. We will miss out on perspectives and solutions that could make our economy, communities and environment that much stronger.

The North, like the UK generally, needs to drive up digital skills to enable businesses in all sectors adapt to the demands of a digital world and pioneer the technologies that will propel our economy into the 22nd Century and beyond. We need to keep encouraging women and girls to enter innovation and technology-led sectors, which will benefit from their experiences and in return offer a rewarding and flexible career.

I’m so pleased that this year’s International Women’s Day is focused on the power of innovation and technology to accelerate gender equality, which in turn benefits us all. As a partnership of northern business leaders, the NP11 will continue to ensure that our efforts to generate growth and investment in the North’s innovation and technology sectors create meaningful opportunities for women and girls in our region.

Clare Hayward MBE DL, Deputy Chair of the NP11 and Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership.