Katherine Megson is the Head of Innovation and Growth for Leeds and Manchester at Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s largest property provider dedicated to creating state-of-the-art workspaces for technology, innovative & science businesses. Her role is predominantly about supporting customers, from startups and scale-ups to large corporations – helping them grow by providing access to talent and skills, funding and investment, and introductions to the business’ wider ecosystem. She also runs their Female Founders Incubator programme which has seen great success in Leeds, Manchester and Alderley Park in Cheshire.
Here she shares a recent week in her life…
Monday
One of the many things I love about my job is that no day is the same. In fact, sometimes even though my diary is highly organised, it can change in seconds – meaning I always need to be on the ball when it comes to directing my attention.
Monday started with an early journey to West Village for the monthly board meeting of One for the City – a collective of Leeds businesses which donate one per cent of their profit to help local causes – where we discussed exciting progress in funding community projects. These initiatives are vital to Bruntwood SciTech’s mission of supporting the broader ecosystem beyond just our immediate customers.
I then joined the West Yorkshire Innovation Network run by West Yorkshire Combined Authority to discuss our ambitions to support even more innovation in the region, and debrief on the recent West Yorkshire Innovation Festival. We hosted several events at the festival and it was great to see so many new and familiar faces there.
Mid-morning, I jumped on a call to meet fellow panellists for an upcoming Manchester Digital stage takeover event at DTX. It was valuable to discuss potential topics and hear snippets of everyone’s experiences before the actual panel.
In the afternoon, our team was setting up for a major event at our West Village campus with our customer and partner, Par Equity. They were launching their Northern Lights 2.0 report to 85 guests, with drinks and nibbles provided by Friends of Ham. I was asked to speak about Bruntwood SciTech, my role, and how we support business growth across our portfolio. It was also wonderful to be able to highlight the importance of collaboration across not only our business community but the wider ecosystem. The event was the first of its kind in the space too so it made it feel even more impressive and special to showcase!
Tuesday
The following day began at our Platform building in Leeds, meeting a new customer to discuss a potential event collaboration planned for the summer around neurodiversity. I’m speaking to more and more people about neurodiversity, how learning styles differ, and how we can do more to raise awareness with employers. These conversations always energise me as they represent real opportunities to make our workspaces more inclusive and supportive.
I also had a meeting with Leeds Beckett University, another of our strategic partners. This time was to discuss the funding for the Help to Grow programme and some really exciting collaboration coming soon on this!
In the afternoon, I caught up with our Community and Operations teams in Leeds to plan the month ahead – we often chat about welcoming new customers, making sure they feel part of the fold and finding ways to spark early connections. We’re also bringing some new communal space to life over at 14 King Street, so we bounced around ideas for how that could look and feel.
Wednesday
My first meeting of the day was for the Role Models working group I am part of with The Lifted Project, where I also sit on the Regional Advisory Board in Leeds. The Lifted Project is a data and ecosystem-led approach to increasing the flow of capital to regional, high-growth female founders – a five-year project aligned with the Rose Review and Treasury.
We met to discuss an upcoming project showcasing nine role models over a three-month period through podcasts and social media. These women are at different stages of their founding journey, and by highlighting their stories, we hope to inspire more women-led businesses to seek funding and encourage a new wave of women-led startups.
Later, I met with Leeds Digital Charity Ball which is happening in June. Bruntwood SciTech has been a sponsor since the ball’s inception, supporting efforts to address the digital divide in Leeds and fund projects that promote digital inclusivity.
Initiatives like these align very much with my personal values, as well as those of Bruntwood SciTech. They also allow me to have additional stretch in my role and further develop my approach to leadership.
Thursday
Thursday began with another early train, this time to Manchester for a few days of work across the city. My first stop was Circle Square to meet Fadeke, a new member of our marketing team. We discussed my role, our upcoming events and partnerships to consider in our social media content, ensuring our communities stay informed about valuable opportunities.
I welcomed 60 guests at the start of the WealthTech Forum event at Circle Square, highlighting our strategic partnership with FinTech North. After a presentation from Future Finance, I returned to the stage for a Fireside Chat with Suz Ferreira on “Delivering Social Inclusion in WealthTech.” I was particularly looking forward to this as Suz is a founder in our Female Founders Incubator in Leeds, building a Financial Wellbeing app for women to help reduce the gender wealth gap. She brings extensive knowledge and statistics from her research and experience as a financial advisor, and also runs financial education workshops for students through to those in professional services.
Following a panel on the future of savings, we broke for lunch and networking before I nipped next door to Manchester Technology Centre to meet with a customer to discuss how we can collaborate and future speaking topics for events.
After a mad dash to Manchester Central, I met up with Manchester Digital’s panel speakers – you’ll remember this from earlier – Jess Jackson (Praetura Ventures), Chi-chi Armstrong (Attendist) and our customer George Fairhall (WAC) at DTX. We joined the Manchester Digital stage takeover to discuss ‘Incubation to Innovation – How an Inclusive Tech Startup Ecosystem Fuels the North’s Digital Economy.’ It was great to discuss the programmes that have helped founders and hear Chi-chi and George talk about getting their products to market. I’ve been helping George with introductions outside of Leeds so it was great to be on a panel together and showcase this. We were able to mention the upcoming Praseed programme run by Praetura Ventures for startups plus the expansion of the Female Founders Forum North, which is an informal networking event I set up in Leeds, which expanded into Manchester in May.
Later that evening, I attended a Pro Manchester dinner with several of their partner organisations at the King Street Townhouse. A lovely, relaxing, informal dinner allowing us to build some new connections.
I definitely try to maximise my time in Manchester, and do tend to fill my diary when there. I try to use the journey time to set myself up for the day and also catch up on my reading.
Friday
I worked from another of our lovely workspaces in Manchester today – Bloc. I had some time for emails prior to preparing for our Manchester Leaders Innovation Roundtable which we were hosting with our Leeds customer, Whitecap Consulting. Expertly facilitated by Julian Wells, Director at Whitecap, we hosted 12 businesses and covered:
- How innovation is defined across different sectors
- What drives genuine value and measurable impact
- Common ornisational barriers and enablers
- How to turn innovation from concept to action
What I enjoy about these types of events is how everyone innovates in their own way, the use of AI and how that is evolving but also, meeting a diverse group of leaders.
In the evening it was time to get the gladrags on as our Leeds Team and guests were representing Bruntwood SciTech at the British Council for Offices Northern Awards held at The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester. Our newest building at West Village, where we invested over £20 million, was up for the Corporate Workspace award. I am delighted to say that we won and we go forward now to the BCO’s National Awards. Winning this award is a true testament to the workspaces I get to work in everyday but what is even more special is how we bring those spaces to life through our innovation & growth team and community teams. It definitely is a team effort and we constantly innovate to be the best at what we do.
Saturday
After a jam-packed week, I had some well-earned downtime with plans for an extended long weekend. Outside of work I like to try and stay fit and I’m currently training for a half marathon, so it’s important that I meet my training plan – some weeks are definitely easier than others!
Closing Thoughts
What I love most about my role as Head of Innovation & Growth is the blend of strategic planning and spontaneous interactions that fill each week. Whether I’m facilitating connections between founders and investors, representing Bruntwood SciTech at industry events, or working closely with our internal teams to create vibrant communities within our workspaces, I’m constantly energised by the innovation happening around me.
The variety keeps me engaged, be that fireside chats about financial inclusion, innovation roundtables with corporate leaders, celebrating award-winning workspaces or planning community initiatives that address real societal challenges. At the core of it all is relationship building and finding creative ways to add value to our customers’ growth journeys.
While the pace can be demanding and the juggling act between Leeds and Manchester requires careful planning, the impact we’re making is tangible. We’re not just developing state-of-the-art workspaces; we’re creating ecosystems where innovation thrives and where businesses of all sizes can access the resources, connections and support they need to grow.
It’s this blend of purpose, variety and tangible impact that makes every hectic week worthwhile. And when I do take time to recharge, like my extended weekend, I return ready to bring fresh energy and ideas to this dynamic role.
