Why latest Innovate Magazine is a ‘class act’

In the latest edition of Marketing Derby’s Innovate Magazine launched this week, we focus on one of the most exciting new developments which is set to ‘come alive in ’25’.

Once it opens later this year, the University of Derby’s Cavendish Building will be the new home of the Derby Business School.

This impressive £70 million building, in the heart of Derby city centre, is now nearing completion.

It is a powerful symbol of the university’s ambition – to encourage innovation, create new leaders, stimulate growth and, through ground-breaking research, demonstrate how business can help build a better global future.

Innovate sits down with Derby Business School head Nicola Lynch to understand more about the project’s aims, including the commitment to sustainability which is guiding the way the school is constructed and will operate.

We also interview Marvin Cooke, who after a long and distinguished career with global car manufacturer Toyota, has been made Professor of Enterprise at the University of Derby.

His journey over the last four decades has spanned the UK, Czech Republic and Belgium – and seen him appointed managing director at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK and executive vice-president for Manufacturing at Toyota Motor Europe.

In his interview with Innovate, Marvin talks about his new challenge – to lead on industry engagement, to promote employability and business development and to support the university’s academics in delivering impactful research.

A business which has close ties with the university is Bloc Digital, a firm which is using digital technology to do amazing things.

It is taking 3D content and alternative reality technology to support clients in the industrial sectors with marketing, training and industry 4.0 solutions.

It can create jaw-dropping animations, which appear to leap from billboards, intricate 3D teaching aids allowing virtual jet engines to be taken apart and put back together again by learners and factory simulations that can visualise the real-time effectiveness of production processes on an iPad.

It services are in demand – particularly in the US, where it has established two offices.

We meet one of its founders, Keith Cox, who gives us a tour of his exciting virtual world.

Hospitality is a sector that has endured many challenges in recent years – but if you get the recipe right, you can be a success.

A prime example is OMOMO – the brainchild of entrepreneur Lesley So – which serves authentic Korean street food.

Lesley shares with us her entrepreneurial journey – and how, as well as serving delicious food, her business has created jobs for people in society who need them most.

OMOMO was among the winners at Marketing Derby’s Food and Drink Awards back in October – and Innovate takes a look back at that memorable night.

A sector that Derby has a long and proud involvement in is rail – and Innovate finds out why the city stands at the brink of an exciting new dawn for the industry.

It looks at plans for Rail Campus Derby – a proposed hub for rail businesses, keen to be close to the new headquarters of Great British Railways.

And it also finds out more about Derby Station Quarter, which aims to regenerate the area around Derby Midland Station.

2025 is set to be a big year for Derby – and in our latest Talking Business discussion, a panel of experts come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the city this year.

And in this edition of Innovate, we shine a light on the work of Derventio Housing Trust – a charity which has helped an astonishing 10,000 people who were once homeless rebuild their lives by providing accommodation, training and restoring their confidence and self-worth.

Finally, in his latest Innovate column, John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, asks whether your glass is half-full or half-empty when it comes to the city’s prospects in 2025 – and explains why his glass is very much half-full.

A digital version of the latest edition of Innovate magazine is now available on the Marketing Derby website, here.

To find out more about advertising opportunities in future editions of Innovate Magazine e-mail Andrew Lowe at andrew.lowe@marketingderby.co.uk.