Member Article

Bernie Callaghan on nurturing new ideas from the classroom onwards

“The so-called ‘brain drain’ from the region is worrying, especially in the software industry,” says Bernie Callaghan, CEO of Sunderland Software City. “ this is why we need to make sure there are good graduate level jobs available to keep and attract more talent to the region.”

Education is high up on the agenda for Bernie, who has previously worked in a range of senior positions in academia and the private sector. He and his colleagues work closely with schools and universities in the region, but also with individuals looking to start up alone.

“We educate people on business planning and development, as well as providing the right individuals for businesses to flourish.

“What is equally important to us however is working in schools with children, who are ultimately going to be the software entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Its incredibly refreshing to see young people who have no preconceptions, and are completely confident in their ideas.”

Sunderland Software City was initially created as a regional initiative via One North East to support the regional software economy. Now it works closely with private sector partners, and receives funding from other sources, but Bernie is calling for more aid to ensure Software City can help more businesses.

“There are 350 software companies in the North East who bring £250 million into the region annually. This figure shows the high level of skilled individuals we have in the region, and now is the time to grow this further.

“We need more public sector initiatives to ensure we can continue to provide a sustainable service which businesses see and really value.”

Next year, Sunderland Software City is moving to a brand new 55,000 sq ft office in Sunderland. For Bernie, the new building is the physical manifestation of the company.

“I’m passionate about the region, and the development of software in the region, and over the coming months, I hope we can deliver more to help businesses grow in the region.

“We need to develop competitive industries in the region and the software industry could and should be part of this.”

When asked what people should do if they have an idea, but don’t know what to do with it, Bernie is welcoming: “Come and talk to us. We will go through your plans, and if its good we can help you realise it. If its not we will send you away to improve it – people often come back two, three, four times with their ideas – you’ve just got to go for it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .