Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, digital infrastructure and startup innovation are transforming the European business landscape at unprecedented speed.

In this rapidly evolving ecosystem, companies are increasingly looking for opportunities to connect with innovators, investors, technology providers and decision-makers capable of shaping the future of digital business.

This is precisely why events such as VivaTech Paris have become strategic reference points for the international technology sector. Scheduled in Paris in 2026, the event continues to strengthen its role as a leading European tech conference, attracting startups, enterprises, governments, investors and technology leaders from across Europe and beyond.

For British businesses in particular, VivaTech represents much more than a traditional technology exhibition. It has become a key opportunity to understand emerging trends, build international partnerships and remain competitive in a market increasingly driven by innovation and AI.

Europe’s technology ecosystem is evolving rapidly

Over the last few years, Europe has accelerated investments in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and strategic technologies.

Governments and enterprises are prioritising:

• AI adoption
• cloud infrastructure
• digital resilience
• cybersecurity governance
• startup ecosystems
• sustainable innovation

At the same time, European regulation is becoming increasingly influential in shaping global technology standards through frameworks such as:

• the EU AI Act
• NIS2
• DORA
• GDPR

For UK companies operating internationally, maintaining visibility into these developments is becoming essential.

Technology events are no longer just networking opportunities — they are strategic observatories for understanding where the market is heading.

Why VivaTech has become strategically important

Unlike traditional trade fairs focused on individual sectors, VivaTech brings together multiple dimensions of the digital economy under one ecosystem.

The event typically attracts:

• global tech companies
• fast-growing startups
• venture capital firms
• cybersecurity specialists
• AI innovators
• public institutions
• enterprise decision-makers

This creates a highly dynamic environment where emerging technologies, business strategy and investment trends intersect.

For companies looking to expand internationally or identify new partnerships, access to this ecosystem offers significant strategic value.

AI is dominating the technology conversation

Artificial intelligence is expected to remain one of the dominant themes at VivaTech Paris 2026.

Across every industry, organizations are trying to understand how AI will impact:

• operational efficiency
• customer experience
• cybersecurity
• data governance
• automation
• workforce management

At the same time, businesses are also becoming more aware of the risks associated with uncontrolled AI adoption.

Issues such as:

• data exposure
• AI governance
• regulatory compliance
• third-party risk
• ethical AI usage

are becoming increasingly central in enterprise discussions.

This balance between innovation and risk management is likely to play a major role during the event.

Cybersecurity is now part of every technology discussion

One of the clearest trends in modern digital transformation is that cybersecurity can no longer be separated from innovation.

As companies accelerate cloud adoption and AI integration, their exposure to cyber threats also increases.

Today, organizations must manage:

• supply chain vulnerabilities
• ransomware risks
• third-party exposure
• identity compromise
• AI-related attack surfaces
• data leakage risks

Technology conferences like VivaTech increasingly reflect this reality by integrating cybersecurity into broader conversations around digital business transformation.

Paris is strengthening its role as a European innovation hub

Paris has become one of Europe’s most important technology and startup ecosystems. Significant investment in innovation, AI research and digital infrastructure has transformed the city into a major international hub for technology companies and investors.

For British businesses, this proximity offers important advantages:

• easier access to European markets
• networking with continental partners
• visibility into EU innovation policies
• opportunities for international expansion

Despite Brexit, collaboration between UK companies and European ecosystems remains extremely active, especially in sectors such as AI, fintech, cybersecurity and digital services.

Startups and enterprise innovation are converging

One of the defining characteristics of VivaTech is the interaction between startups and large enterprises.

Corporations increasingly rely on startup ecosystems to accelerate:

• innovation processes
• AI experimentation
• cybersecurity capabilities
• sustainability initiatives
• digital transformation strategies

At the same time, startups benefit from direct access to enterprise buyers, investors and strategic partners.

This convergence is reshaping how innovation is developed and commercialised across Europe.

Technology events are becoming intelligence platforms

Modern technology conferences are no longer just about product showcases or keynote speeches.

For many organizations, events like VivaTech function as real-time intelligence environments where companies can:

• identify emerging trends
• monitor competitor activity
• evaluate market shifts
• discover strategic partnerships
• understand evolving customer expectations

In highly competitive sectors, this visibility becomes strategically important.

Being physically present where innovation conversations happen often provides insights impossible to obtain remotely.

The growing importance of ecosystem visibility

As digital ecosystems become more interconnected, businesses increasingly need visibility not only into technologies, but also into the broader networks shaping the market.

This includes understanding:

• investment movements
• startup acceleration trends
• AI adoption patterns
• cybersecurity priorities
• regulatory evolution
• international partnerships

Events such as VivaTech offer a unique concentration of these signals within a single environment.

Why UK businesses should pay attention now

British companies continue to play a major role within the European technology landscape. However, the speed of technological change means that maintaining strong international visibility is becoming more important than ever.

Whether operating in:

• cybersecurity
• AI
• fintech
• SaaS
• cloud infrastructure
• digital consulting

UK businesses need direct exposure to the conversations shaping the future of European innovation.

VivaTech Paris 2026 represents one of the most important opportunities to engage with that ecosystem in real time.

Because in today’s technology market, competitiveness is no longer determined only by internal innovation, but also by the ability to understand, anticipate and participate in the broader evolution of the global digital economy.

NEW YORK — John Travolta and his daughter Ella Travolta appeared together on the TODAY show on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, to promote their upcoming Apple TV+ film “Propeller: One-Way Night Coach.”

During the live broadcast from Studio 1A, co-host Willie Geist played a 1977 interview clip of Travolta from his “Saturday Night Fever” era, originally conducted by Jane Pauley. The archival footage prompted an immediate family discussion about generational resemblance.

Ella Travolta, 26, reacted first. “You look like Ben!” she said, referring to her younger brother.

She added, “It actually reminds me a lot of my little brother, too. You guys look so similar.”

Ella Travolta, who plays a flight attendant in the film, expressed pride in her father’s early career. “I’m also so, so proud,” she said.

John Travolta responded to the clip of his younger self. “You know what? I’m proud of him,” he said.

He later drew a connection between his younger personality and his daughter’s. “He reminds me of Ella. He’s very down-to-earth and real and tells the truth, and I like him,” Travolta said.

The father-daughter duo shared laughs during the segment as they reflected on the 1977 footage and family similarities. The appearance blended personal memories with promotion for “Propeller: One-Way Night Coach,” which Travolta wrote, directed and narrated.

The film follows a young aviation enthusiast on a transformative flight. Travolta has a long-standing interest in aviation and holds a pilot’s license.

Ella Travolta described her father’s preparation for directing. “It was so inspiring and so incredible because he had the whole film — all the music, all the shots — everything in his head beforehand,” she said.

She detailed their early collaboration. “He just knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish and he achieved that incredibly,” Ella Travolta said.

The pair worked closely in pre-production, using basic consumer technology to map out narrative structure and scenes before full filming began.

John Travolta has transitioned into directing later in his career. He previously directed episodes of television and now moves into feature projects with this Apple TV+ film.

Ella Travolta has built her acting career with roles alongside her father and in independent projects. She joined him at promotional events, including appearances at the Cannes Film Festival earlier in 2026.

The TODAY show segment highlighted their close father-daughter partnership. Ella Travolta plays a flight attendant, tying directly into the aviation-themed story.

Travolta’s family has frequently appeared together in public, including past photos with his late wife Kelly Preston and children Ella, Ben and the late Jett.

The 1977 clip showed Travolta at the peak of his early fame following “Saturday Night Fever,” which earned him an Academy Award nomination. The TODAY discussion connected that period to the current generation of the Travolta family.

Ella Travolta noted the physical similarities between her father’s younger appearance and her brother Ben. The lighthearted exchange brought warmth to the broadcast.

John Travolta reflected positively on his younger self and drew personality parallels with Ella. The segment offered viewers insight into both family dynamics and the filmmaking process behind “Propeller.”

The Apple TV+ project marks a significant creative endeavor for Travolta. He handled multiple roles including writing, directing and narration, demonstrating a hands-on approach from the earliest stages.

Ella Travolta praised the clarity of her father’s vision. Their collaboration involved detailed planning of music, shots and story structure using simple tools in the initial phases.

The promotional appearance on TODAY reached a wide audience. Clips of the father-daughter interaction spread quickly on social media, with many noting the family resemblance and their evident bond.

John Travolta’s career spans decades with iconic roles in “Grease,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Saturday Night Fever” and many others. His work with Ella on “Propeller” adds a personal dimension to his later career.

Ella Travolta has gained attention for her acting and public appearances. She has supported her father at red-carpet events and promotional activities throughout 2026.

The film “Propeller: One-Way Night Coach” draws on aviation themes close to Travolta’s personal interests. His piloting experience informed aspects of the project.

No specific release date was announced during the TODAY segment, but the joint appearance signaled an upcoming debut on Apple TV+.

The broadcast maintained a warm, family-oriented tone. Travolta and Ella shared laughs while discussing the 1977 clip and the new film.

Their collaboration reflects a multi-generational approach to storytelling. Ella’s role as a flight attendant connects directly to the narrative centered on a young aviation enthusiast.

John Travolta has spoken in past interviews about family importance, especially following personal losses. Public moments with Ella and Ben often highlight their close relationship.

The TODAY show regularly features celebrities discussing projects and personal stories. The Travolta segment combined archival history, family resemblance and professional promotion.

Ella Travolta’s comments showed admiration for her father’s creative process. She highlighted his complete pre-visualization of the film before production started.

The father-daughter duo continues joint promotional efforts for “Propeller.” Their appearance on May 20 provided fans with both emotional family moments and details about the upcoming Apple TV+ release.

John Travolta’s directorial debut in this format represents a new chapter. Ella’s involvement adds depth to the project as both actress and collaborator.

The segment ended on an uplifting note with shared laughter and pride in family ties and creative achievements. Their joint TODAY appearance reinforced the personal nature of “Propeller: One-Way Night Coach.”

Inflation dropped to 2.8 per cent in the year to April, latest ONS figures have revealed

Inflation fell slightly compared to the previous month’s figure as Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget policies held back an anticipated surge in price growth. The Office for National Statistics revealed the consumer price index (CPI) reading came in at 2.8 per cent, below what City forecasters had predicted.

The price growth data for the year to April was measured against a previous inflation reading of 3.3 per cent in the year to March.

Both of the last two readings have exceeded initial expectations as a consequence of the Iran war, where disruption across the Strait of Hormuz has triggered an energy price shock and threatened critical supply shortages.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile items such as food and energy, stood at 2.5 per cent, as reported by City AM.

The services inflation rate came in at 3.2 per cent, which may ease concerns among some Bank of England policymakers, as the figure is regarded as a key indicator of underlying price pressures.

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG, said she anticipated prices would climb as “food costs feed through”, with the ONS reporting a 7.7 per cent rise in prices for raw materials over the year.

“Firms are likely to seek to protect margins by passing on some of these higher costs to consumers,” Selfin said.

“However, weak domestic demand is likely to limit firms’ ability to pass on higher input costs in full, reducing the risk of a broader pickup in inflation.”

Economists believe inflation will “hover” around the three per cent mark until July.

The latest figures may offer Reeves some justification that her Budget policies have helped to ease price pressures.

Responding to the data, she said: “The war in Iran is not our war but one we will need to respond to, and the decisions I took in the Budget last year have kept inflation down as we deal with global instability.

“We have the right economic plan, and to change course now would risk our economic stability and leave working people worse off.”

The central policy involved removing the renewable obligation subsidy from household energy bills and transferring them to general taxation, resulting in a £117 reduction on Ofgem’s energy price cap for April.

Reeves also financed a freeze on train fares and prescription charges in a bid to tackle the cost of living.

However, inflation is anticipated to deteriorate further in the coming months, with the Bank of England cautioning that the CPI figure could surpass six per cent within months in the worst case scenario where the US and Iran fail to re-open the Strait in peace negotiations.

Economists are concerned that second-round factors – whereby robust wage growth and escalating price rises fuel a spiralling effect – could trigger a surge in inflation, after the economic phenomenon was underestimated following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Traders and prominent economists also believe the UK is especially vulnerable to the energy price shock, given its position as a net importer of oil and gas.

The latest batch of figures could offer Reeves and fellow Labour ministers a brief reprieve from the mounting political turbulence engulfing the party.

The Chancellor is expected to set out a full energy support package, which is understood to include scrapping a planned fuel duty rise in September.

On Tuesday evening, reports emerged that Reeves was seeking to broker a deal with supermarkets whereby prices on essential food items would be capped in return for a suspension of packaging and health regulations.

The proposal has faced a backlash from leading City economists, while a retail boss has cautioned that it could prove damaging to businesses.

Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: “Any fall in inflation is welcome, but prices are still rising far too fast and Labour have left our economy weak and exposed to the impacts of the Iran war.

“The recent spike in borrowing costs shows markets are increasingly worried about Labour’s leadership chaos and economic mismanagement, leaving families to pick up the bill for a £300 Burnham Penalty.”

Trader Joe’s is expanding its footprint with 25 new locations across 14 states, adding to its previously announced growth pipeline, the company said.

The popular California-based grocery chain announced Wednesday that nine additional stores are now in development, bringing the total slate of upcoming openings to more than two dozen.

All locations have been identified, though opening dates remain to be determined.

“We are proud to be joining the neighborhood, and to continue our commitment to providing nourishment to the surrounding communities through our Neighborhood Shares program,” the company said.

TRADER JOE’S WORKERS SHUT DOWN LONG-RUNNING CHECKOUT LINE RUMOR: ‘OVER-THE-TOP FRIENDLINESS’

A customer walks past a produce aisle at Trader Joe’s. (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The new round of storefronts spans Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Utah.

The nine new locations across eight states include:

• Arizona: Phoenix (21001 North Tatum Boulevard, Suite 1030)
• Florida: Sarasota (8199 S Tamiami Trail, Unit 100)
• Illinois: Chicago (804 West Montrose Ave.)
• Massachusetts: Quincy (111 General McConville Way)
• Michigan: Farmington Hills (27658 Middlebelt Rd.)
• New York: Syracuse (3515 West Genesee St.)
• New York: Yonkers (2482 Central Park Ave.)
• Ohio: University Heights (2643 Warrensville Center Rd.)
• Utah: West Jordan (5561 W 7800 S.)

COSTCO FANS ERUPT AFTER BELOVED FOOD COURT ITEM REPLACED BY HIGH-CALORIE NEWCOMER

A Trader Joe’s store is seen during nonoperating hours in Sherman Oaks, California. (Trader Joe’s)

The other 16 previously announced locations include: 

• Arizona: Tucson (2150 E. Broadway Blvd.)
• California: Anaheim Hills (6336 E. Santa Ana Canyon Rd.)
• California: Paso Robles (2457 Golden Hill Rd.)
• Florida: Orlando (1444 North Alafaya Trail)
• Florida: West Palm Beach (8111 S. Dixie Highway)
• Georgia: Johns Creek (1000 Medley Blvd.)
• Illinois: Oswego (1930 US-34)
• Kansas: Merriam (8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway)
• Louisiana: New Orleans (2428 Napoleon Ave.),
• Louisiana: Mandeville (3377 US Highway 190)
• Louisiana: Lafayette (1710 Camellia Blvd.)
• Massachusetts: Reading (34 Walkers Brook Drive)
• New Jersey: West Orange (471 Mt. Pleasant Ave.)
• Utah: Herriman (4850 W. 13400 South)
• Washington: Seattle (401 NE Northgate Way)
• Washington: Spokane Valley (13414 E. Sprague Ave.)

Details surrounding the store openings — including store size, parking capacity and inventory offerings — remain limited beyond the listed addresses. 

As of May 20, Trader Joe’s opened four new storefronts across the country earlier this year, including one in Hamden, Connecticut; Miller Place, New York; McKinney, Texas; and Woodinville, Washington.

Close-up of a Trader Joe’s grocery bag, showcasing the store’s logo, in Reliez Valley, California, May 29, 2024. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The chain, known for its private-label products, affordable prices and upbeat shopping experience, currently operates stores across 42 states and the District of Columbia.  

States currently without a Trader Joe’s location include Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming. 

“Don’t confuse cancellation with failure.” That, famously, was the line David Letterman, the bloke who actually built The Late Show, passed to Jon Stewart years ago. And it was the line Stewart hurled back across the Ed Sullivan Theater this week, voice catching, finger jabbing, as Stephen Colbert prepared the wake for America’s number-one late-night programme.

Read that again. Number. One. As in top of the bloody pile, comfortably ahead of Fallon and Kimmel, the most watched chat show in the United States. And tonight, somewhere around 11:35pm in New York, CBS will pull down the shutters, sweep the studio and try to convince us, with all the conviction of a teenager denying he’s been at the cooking sherry, that this was, and I quote, “purely a financial decision.”

Of course it was. And I am Beyoncé.

Let us be grown-ups about this. CBS euthanised its highest-rated chat show three days after its host called the network’s parent company, Paramount, out for paying Donald Trump a sixteen-million-dollar settlement over a 60 Minutes interview. Colbert called it, with the kind of plainness America used to specialise in, a “big fat bribe”. Seventy-two hours later, the man was told he was for the chop. The merger Paramount needed waved through by Trump’s pet FCC sailed merrily on soon after. If you don’t smell something on the breeze, you’ve no nose.

Letterman, never knowingly understated, called CBS executives “lying weasels” and signed off with a parting shot, borrowed from Ed Murrow and inflected with a vowel Lord Reith would not have approved, that I cannot quote in these pages without an asterisk. Quite right too. The man invented the franchise. He owns the moral high ground and he’s busy strewing it with broken set furniture flung from the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater.

For those of us who have written before about Colbert and the slow strangulation of political satire in the age of Trump, tonight is not so much a final episode as a final warning. The message coming out of West 53rd Street is now horribly simple: take the mickey out of the man in the Oval Office, embarrass the parent company in front of the regulators he appoints, and your career, Emmy-bedecked, network-leading, fifty-two weeks a year, is over before the band finishes the play-out.

That is not a financial decision. That is a precedent. And a vile one.

I happen to run businesses for a living. I have spent thirty years arguing that British plc should be tougher, braver, more willing to stick its hand up at the back of the room. So I am the last person to wring my hands when an American media giant decides it can no longer afford a hundred-million-dollar talk show. Late-night is unwell. Audiences are migrating to TikTok and YouTube faster than commissioners can flick the studio lights on. Even my dog has a podcast.

But that is not what happened here. What happened here is that a man told a joke about a man who cannot take a joke, and the bean counters folded the chair he was sitting on. As I argued when Trump’s tariffs began squeezing British exports, this White House treats business as an extension of grievance. CBS didn’t get cancelled by the market. It got cancelled by a sulk.

That is the bit that ought to terrify British boardrooms, not just American ones. Because the chilling effect does not stop at the Hudson. Every UK media business doing deals in the United States, every studio, streamer, format house, news brand, is now reading the body language. Don’t annoy the President. Don’t let your talent annoy the President. Settle, smile, soften the gag. It is, to borrow from another television creation I have written about, Jed Bartlet’s worst nightmare arriving on a Wednesday afternoon: the executive branch quietly dictating the punchlines.

We are British. We invented taking the mickey out of the powerful. From Spitting Image to Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You to whatever Charlie Brooker fancies doing next Wednesday, satire is, for us, a load-bearing wall of national life. A democracy that cannot laugh at its leaders is not a democracy in good health; it is a banana republic with better dental cover.

Colbert, for what it is worth, will be seen off in his final week by Jon Stewart, Tom Hanks and Barack Obama, hardly the send-off you stage for a man whose ratings have gone south. Letterman is right. Cancellation is not failure. The failure belongs to CBS, to Paramount, and to every executive who decided that the easiest way to grow up was to crouch down.

The joke, on this last night, is not on Stephen Colbert. The joke is on the rest of us, if we sit politely and watch.

Richard Alvin

Richard Alvin is a serial entrepreneur, a former advisor to the UK Government about small business and an Honorary Teaching Fellow on Business at Lancaster University.

A winner of the London Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the year and Freeman of the City of London for his services to business and charity. Richard is also Group MD of Capital Business Media and SME business research company Trends Research, regarded as one of the UK’s leading experts in the SME sector and an active angel investor and advisor to new start companies.

Richard is also the host of Save Our Business the U.S. based business advice television show.

Debate at giant Leeds showcase on how to ‘Unlock Wales’ Competitive Edge’

Freeports and investment zones in Wales can all complement each other and help the nation as a whole to grow, giant UK regeneration showcase UKREiiF has been told.

The Leeds showcase has attracted thousands of delegates to Leeds this week to hear about investment and regeneration opportunities across the UK.

The Wales pavilion hosted a debate on place based impact and development, as well as seeing the launch of the South West Wales investment prospectus which identifies investment opportunities from Pembrokeshire to Port Talbot.

And it hosted a panel discussion on whether Wales’ freeports and investment zones, which both offer tax advantages to investors to encourage them to choose Wales, can “Unlock Wales’ Competitive Edge”.

Host Mark John asked how they could be used to help promote Wales as an “investable nation”.

Christian Branch, head of service at the Regulation and Economic Development Service at the Isle of Anglesey Council, explained that Anglesey Freeport was a public-private partnership between the local authority and Stena Line, owner of the Port of Holyhead.

Asked if the freeports and investment zones across Wales were competing with each other, he said there were in fact opportunities for them to work together. He said: “From a national perspective it’s very much about complementing each other and I think there’s very much scope for all areas to improve”.

And he added that if one free port is successful “then all Wales is successful” and that it could help spark growth well beyondthe port boundaries.

Mr Branch said the freeport aimed to boost economic activity on Anglesey and beyond.

He said the island was dealing with challenges including an ageing population, young people moving away, and with thousands of job losses in recent years. But he said it also had many opportunities, including the Port of Holyhead, Rolls-Royce’s development of its Small Modular Reactor project at Wylfa, and the announcement of an AI Growth Zone on the island.

Cathy Hall, interim chief executive at Celtic Freeport – which covers the ports of Milford Haven and Port Talbo – said that while Mr Branch “hasn’t let me copy his homework yet”, she did expect that the freeports would learn from each other.

She explained that her freeport covers the ports of Milford Haven and Port Talbot, with a focus on the green economy through supporting offshore wind and the hydrogen economy. She said “It’s not just the two ports but the whole industrial ecosystem.”

Ms Hall said there were many similarities between coastal areas across Wales and the UK, but said each port also had its own specialities.

Ms Hall said one aim for the Celtic Freeport was to develop a “stickiness” in the supply chain – making sure that work in and around its ports helped to “build a long term skills base for the region as a whole”, rather than relying on contractors coming in and then leaving.

She highlighted the success at the Humber ports, particularly Grimsby, which have pivoted from fishing to supporting offshore wind in a move that has created skills and opportunities for local people.

Ms Hall said freeport and investment zone bosses could also act as “convening powers” for potential inward investors in areas such as offshore wind. They could, she said, help businesses new to Wales to get in touch with the right people to drive investments forward.

Iain Taylor, Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone programme manager at Ambition North Wales, said that zone was focused on areas including advanced manufacturing and supporting SMEs. Key sites include Gateway Deeside, Wrexham industrial estate, and Warren Hall.

He said the zone’s developers wanted to create thousands of jobs and to help smaller firms as well as the big companies in the region such as Airbus.

He talked about the tax reliefs on offer at particular sites, but said those reliefs in North East Wales and at the other sites featured on the panel were designed to attract long-term investors. He said: “The message across the panel is we’re here for the next generation,” and added that he wanted the local economy to be able to adapt to broader economic changes in the decades to come.

The Cardiff and Newport Investment Zone covers three strategic sites.

Cllr Deborah Davies, deputy leader at Newport City Council, said they include the proposed Cardiff Parkway station and integrated business park on the outskirts of Cardiff at St Mellons, which she added should develop its own business “ecosystem” once it opens.

But key industries in the investment zone will include advanced manufacturing and semiconductor R&D, which Cllr Davies described as “investment that matters to all Wales”. Key companies in the area include IQE, while its semiconductor expertise is attracting interest from around the world as the area still boasts plenty of space for firms to base themselves around that semiconductor cluster, and it also has strong transport links.

That investment, she said, will continue to lead to the development of local industries and businesses.

The investment zone also covers Imperial Park at Newport, which is home to leading tech firms including KLA and Vishay, and a parcel of land stretching from the Central Quay development in the centre of Cardiff down to Cardiff Bay and the Atlantic Wharf regeneration site.

The South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee (SWWCJC) has also unveiled its first regional investment prospectus at UKREiiF, marking a milestone in the region’s long-term economic development strategy.

The statutory body, that covers the local authority areas of Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, and Swansea, has identified a portfolio of strategic opportunities across a range of sectors including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, innovation, tourism, and infrastructure.

Councillor Rob Stewart, chair of the SWWCJC and leader of Swansea Council, said: This prospectus is a statement of confidence in South West Wales. We are presenting a single, coherent regional offer to investors- one that reflects our shared priorities, our world-class natural assets, and our commitment to sustainable, inclusive growth.

“UKREiiF is one of the country’s leading events for driving investment, regeneration, and infrastructure development, making it the perfect platform to showcase the scale of opportunity in our region. It brings together public and private sector leaders from across the UK and beyond, and we are proud to support the Welsh Government, Ambition North Wales, Cardiff Capital Region, and Growing Mid Wales in showcasing the very best that Wales has to offer.

“Our participation at UKREiiF forms part of a wider programme to strengthen investor engagement and promote South West Wales as a dynamic, future-focused region ready to play a leading role in growing Wales’ and the UK’s economy.”

This article was written by

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Smruti Sriram OBE, the second-generation chief executive who has built Bags of Ethics by Supreme Creations into one of Britain’s most quietly influential sustainable manufacturers, has been named winner of the 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award. Alisha Fredriksson, the 31-year-old co-founder of maritime carbon-capture pioneer Seabound, takes home the Bold Future Award.

The awards, now in their 54th year and the longest-running international honours for women in business, were presented in London last night by Thomas Mulliez, president of the champagne house. The pair join an alumni list that includes Dame Julia Hoggett DBE, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, vaccine scientist Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, and Anne Pitcher, the former chief executive of Selfridges Group. Hoggett picked up the same honour at last year’s ceremony alongside Shellworks co-founder Insiya Jafferjee.

For Sriram, the award caps an eighteen-year run at the helm of a business that has done more than most British SMEs to give the much-abused phrase “purpose-driven” some commercial heft. Founded in 1999 by her father, Dr R. Sri Ram, Supreme Creations has grown into a vertically integrated supplier of reusable merchandise and sustainable packaging that, on the company’s own reckoning, has displaced an estimated 30 billion single-use items. Its “Bags of Ethics” label, which guarantees full supply-chain transparency, has become something of a quiet standard in a sector still riddled with greenwashing.

The judging panel, which this year included Kristina Blahnik of Manolo Blahnik, Allwyn UK managing director Bridget Lea, Ada Ventures co-founder Matt Penneycard and The Dots founder Pip Jamieson, cited Sriram’s work scaling a globally integrated supply chain alongside her commitment to social impact. More than 80 per cent of the workforce at the group’s factory in Pondicherry, southern India, is female; partnerships with the British Fashion Council and the Royal Forestry Society have raised millions for environmental and educational causes.

“As a second-generation entrepreneur, my journey has been shaped by a strong foundation of values, kindness, purpose and business acumen from my family, and especially my father, who founded the business in 1999 and is still very much involved,” Sriram said. “These eighteen years have been a professional and personal evolution, with a strong belief that business can and should be a force for good. To be recognised alongside such inspiring women is a reminder of what is possible when we use our skills not just to succeed, but to serve.”

She was quick to share the credit. “Our global teams from Pondicherry, and across Europe, are creative, highly skilled, and have always been showcased as partners to our clients, not just suppliers. This award is a spotlight on them, not me. They are the backbone and deserve the full recognition.”

Sriram beat a strong shortlist that also featured Paula MacKenzie, the chief executive of PizzaExpress, and Kanya King CBE, founder of the MOBO Group, as flagged when the nominees were announced earlier this year.

A shipping disruptor with a 95 per cent answer

If Sriram’s award nods to two decades of patient compounding, the Bold Future Award recognises a business that did not exist five years ago. Fredriksson co-founded Seabound in 2021 with a single, audacious proposition: that shipping — the industry behind roughly three per cent of global CO₂ emissions and long regarded as “too hard to abate” — could be cleaned up with retrofittable, container-sized carbon-capture kit bolted onto vessels already at sea.

The London-headquartered start-up’s modular system uses calcium looping to trap CO₂ from exhaust gases and convert it into solid calcium carbonate pebbles that can be offloaded at port. Independent assessments, including a case study published by Innovate UK Business Connect, put potential capture rates at up to 95 per cent. Following successful pilots with Lomar Shipping and Hapag-Lloyd, Seabound has now moved into commercial deployment, with the first full-scale units serving a cement carrier chartered to Heidelberg Materials.

“I am incredibly proud of the journey we have taken at Seabound, tackling one of the toughest challenges out there: reducing emissions in global shipping,” Fredriksson said. “What began as an ambitious idea to address the climate crisis has grown into a brand new category of technology for the industry. With successful pilot projects behind us, we are now at an exciting inflection point: heading into our first full-scale deployments, with the world’s largest shipping companies and regulators actively engaging with us.”

Fredriksson’s win lands at a moment when capital for female-led climate tech is still vanishingly scarce, a recurring theme are investors such as Sustainable Ventures, which backs female founders at twelve times the industry average. The Bold Future shortlist, which also included Josephine Philips of repair-and-alteration platform SOJO and Marisa Poster of matcha disruptor PerfectTed, suggests the talent pipeline is healthier than the funding statistics imply.

A 54-year-old hymn to Madame Clicquot

The awards trace their lineage to Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who took over her late husband’s champagne house in 1805 at the age of 27 and turned it into a global business in defiance of nineteenth-century convention. More on the programme’s history and previous winners is available on the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award UK page.

“Madame Clicquot led Veuve Clicquot to become a brand of excellence and courage,” Mulliez said. “Building on her legacy, Smruti Sriram OBE and Alisha Fredriksson are shaping the future of business. Their businesses tackle global issues and their achievements extend far beyond commercial success, offering powerful inspiration to the next generation of female entrepreneurs.”

For British SMEs watching from the sidelines, the more useful inspiration may be quietly structural. Sriram’s eighteen-year build of a profitable, transparent manufacturing group, and Fredriksson’s rapid commercialisation of a deep-tech climate solution, between them sketch out two viable archetypes for bold business in the second half of the 2020s: patient and purposeful on one hand, fast and technically ambitious on the other. Both are evidently still rewarded.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.