Wrapping Up a Busy Year

And just like that, the end of 2025 is almost upon us!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all – our investors, stakeholders, partners and the wider community – for your continued support for Humber Freeport.

As we reflect on a busy year, it is perhaps best summarised in a single word – partnership.

Economic conditions remain challenging, and competition for investment and funding is fierce, but one thing is clear – the Humber must have an aligned, clear ask of Government, and as a region, we must pull in the same direction.

That’s why, in 2025, and going forward, working closely with private and public sector partners is key to everything we do.

Our focus remains on attracting the investments which will create thousands of skilled jobs, supporting the Government’s plan for growth and a stronger industrial future.

The Government’s has placed Freeports, alongside Investment Zones, at the heart of its Modern Industrial Strategy, praising them for “playing an important role in building the foundations for long-term regional and national growth”.

It’s fair to say, an exciting and crucial period lies ahead.

For now, I’d like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas break and a happy New Year. Humber Freeport looks forward to working in partnership with you in 2026.

Finbarr Dowling

Chair, Humber Freeport

As we head into the New Year, we’ve made a number of key appointments to our Board of Directors.

Our Freeport Board comprises of senior representation from both private and public sectors and, crucially, now includes leaders from all four of the region’s local authorities, and its two Mayoral Combined Authorities.

Among the new arrivals on the Board is Tom Wheldon, Executive Director of Henry Boot Developments (HBD).

Tom brings a wealth of experience spanning property development, land acquisition and business growth.

He is joined by Matt Jukes, Hull City Council’s Chief Executive, Paul Belotti, East Riding Council’s Chief Executive, and Sharon Wroot, Interim Chief Executive of North East Lincolnshire Council.

Representing the two Combined Authorities – Hull and East Yorkshire (HEYCA) and Greater Lincolnshire – are Interim HEYCA Chief Executive Alan Menzies and Professor Neal Juster, who recently also served as the Freeport’s Interim Chair.

We hope you’ll join us in giving a very warm welcome to our latest Board members.

We were proud to stand alongside businesses and industry leaders at The Great Exhibition of Lincolnshire, the county’s flagship inaugural event showcasing world-leading innovations and investment opportunities.

The exhibition, held at the Lincolnshire Showground, brought together attendees from across not just the county, but the country, to celebrate Lincolnshire’s economic strengths and future potential.

Organised and led by the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority, the event was the brainchild of elected Mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who took inspiration from the famous Great Exhibition of 1851.

For Humber Freeport, the exhibition was a chance to showcase opportunities for investors at our tax site in Immingham and customs site in Grimsby. Our team also spoke to delegates about our commitment to support key areas including skills, employment and innovation.

Find out more here: 

Ideal Heating recently gave Hull MP Dame Diana Johnson a tour of its flagship UK Technology Centre, as development of the facility enters its final stages.

The UKTC is a purpose-built centre, at Ideal’s headquarters site in National Avenue, Hull, focused on pioneering low carbon heating technologies.

The £19.2m facility is an integral part of Ideal’s pivot towards heating solutions which will help to decarbonise UK homes and business premises.

Backed by more than £2m of funding from Humber Freeport, the UKTC will house more than 100 Ideal specialists, in roles ranging from R&D and product management, to design engineering and software development.

We allocated a proportion of our £25m seed capital fund to Ideal Heating, recognising the UKTC as a key investment which aligns closely with the Freeport’s objectives to stimulate innovation, skills development and low carbon technology in the region.

Read more about it: 

We’re very pleased to share that we’ve joined manufacturers’ association Make UK, strengthening Humber Freeport’s ties to industry and major employers.

We provide a range of investment opportunities across our three tax sites in Hull, Goole and Immingham, and have identified manufacturing as a key target sector.

Joining Make UK connects the Freeport more closely with manufacturers already located in the region, alongside prospective investors considering the Humber region as a place to do business.

It will help us better understand the needs of the manufacturing sector, which employs almost 300,000 people across Yorkshire and the Humber. Looking ahead, we’re particularly keen to focus on skills development and innovation within the sector.

Humber Freeport will also be represented on Make UK’s Yorkshire & Humber Regional Advisory Board, helping to inform the organisation’s external affairs and policy work.

Read more on our website:

We recently welcomed UK freeport innovation leads and Government representatives to the Humber for a two-day tour.

On day one, we spent time at the Aura Innovation Centre in Hessle, with key presentations from speakers including Katie Hedges from CATCH, Lee Viney from Innovate UK, and Nicola Robinson from the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

On day two, we hit the road and visited a number of locations synonymous with innovation and technology. We stopped at Saltend Chemicals Park, where we were met by Stephen Lowdon and Carl Shuttleworth from px Group, before heading on to the Reckitt site in Hull, with a tour led by Umair Shams.

The visit highlighted the Humber's rich and proud history of innovation, and the evolution of technologies which have powered our region's economy.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us, and who played a part in making the visit such a success.

Here are some upcoming events to put in your diary!

January 13

Aura Innovation Centre, HU13 0GD 

January 15

CATCH, Grimsby, DN41 8TH 

May 19-21

The Royal Armouries, Leeds 

We recently ran a week-long social media campaign to highlight some of the biggest incentives for investors across our three tax sites.

The campaign focused on five incentives:

All of these incentives are available at our three tax sites, in Hull East, Immingham and Goole.

Missed the campaign? Don’t worry, we’ve put it all into a handy blog:

We’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions, or want to know more about investment opportunities across our sites, please get in touch via contact@humberfreeport.org or visit our website at www.humberfreeport.org/contact.

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