Derby has the right ingredients – let the alchemy begin!

Derby has all the right ingredients; it now needs to bring them all together – that was one of the key messages from this year’s Derby Property Summit.

Held for the first time yesterday at Vaillant Live, in Derby city centre, an audience of 300 plus people, including business leaders, key decision-makers and investors from across the region and beyond, heard from respected keynote speakers and panellists who shared their views on Derby’s emerging regeneration story.

The summit also explored what makes a city successful, and the ingredients needed to achieve that success.

Delegates heard about the progress the city is making – and how it is aiming to bring all the key elements of its regeneration together to achieve its goal of making Derby a successful city.

It is why the central theme of this year’s summit was ‘The ‘Alchemy of Cities’.

Speaking at the summit, John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “The alchemy of cities involves the people, the economy and the place itself.

“For me, it’s about change and transformation. It’s about shaping. All of us in this room are alchemists.”

The Derby Property Summit 2025 was organised by Marketing Derby, the city’s investment promotion agency, and was backed by event partner AtkinsRéalis and brand sponsor Compendium Living,

And it was once again expertly hosted by respected business journalist Declan Curry, who firstly introduced Mr Forkin, who talked about the complexity of cities, where people, business and place interact in a built environment of the past, present and future.

This year’s summit featured a stellar line-up of keynote speakers.

They included Andrew Carter, chief executive of urban policy research unit Centre for Cities, who offered the national perspective, talking about the key elements that make a successful city – from encouraging and nurturing entrepreneurialism and innovation, to strong, forward-thinking leadership

He was followed by Paul Morris, director of St James Securities, the company that is delivering the regeneration of Becketwell, of which Vaillant Live is a key element.

He reflected on the successful first two phases of the £200 million regeneration scheme and the importance of delivering a truly mixed-use project.

Becketwell is one of a number of major schemes rising out of the ground in Derby city centre – and at this year’s summit, Tammy Whitaker, director of city growth at Derby City Council, outlined what is coming down the pipeline, including Derby MADE, the council’s new flagship regeneration project at the Market Place .

Finally, a panel discussion took place, offering the perspective of those who had already invested in the city – and in some cases, now call Derby home.

The panel was made up of Karen Clark, director of operations at Ergo Advantage, Emma Davies, head of regeneration at AtkinsRéalis, Henrik Juhl Hansen, managing director (UK and Ireland) at Vaillant Group, Bruce Lister, managing director at Compendium Living and Lesley So, founder of OMOMO Korean Street Food.

Once again, the Derby Property Summit also showcased the work of architecture students at the University of Derby, who shared their stunning visions for the North Riverside area of the city on video screens around Vaillant Live.

The summit also welcomed members of the Visit Derby team, who handed out copies of their new Summer What’s On Guide to delegates.

And at the conclusion of this year’s summit, attendees were handed copies of the newly updated Derby Investment Guide, which details the city’s major investment opportunities. and sets out the city’s credentials as an investment location of choice.

A digital version of the updated guide can be found here.