The Yorkshire Mafia

Yorkshire Mafia
Industry Business Networking
Founded November 2008
Headquarters Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Area served
 Yorkshire, UK
Website Homepage

The Yorkshire Mafia is a community built around LinkedIn that was founded in November 2008 by Geoff Shepherd. Its headquarters are in Leeds. It provides small businesses a platform to obtain necessary skills from established entrepreneurs. Its twelve thousand members can meet, network and trade where appropriate.

The Yorkshire Mafia is one of the biggest business-to business events in the North England.[1] Offline events include small round-table discussions, social events and an annual conference.[2][3] The Yorkshire Mafia uses these events to facilitate the building of business relationships for multiple businesses across the county.[4]

Overview

The Yorkshire Mafia depends on social media networks, grown out of a LinkedIn-based networking group to encourage local businesses.[1][5] In its second conference in April 2012, delegates heard from Wade Burgess, LinkedIn director of northern Europe, and Ivan Heneghan, head of strategic client services at Facebook.[6][7][8] Around 3,000 attended the event.[9][10][11]

The motto of the group is: "a tight-knit group of diverse industry executives who share a homogenous interest in the advancement of the Yorkshire region."[12]

Events

Skill Will

One of the events held by Yorkshire Mafia is Skill Will. Skill Will is a Social Enterprise offering business, public, charity and social enterprise sectors the opportunity to meet, connect and support each other through partnership opportunities and programmes.[13]

Skill Will was originally set up for businesses and charities across Yorkshire, but the organization has now spread across United Kingdom. Businesses are offered targeted assistance enabling volunteers to improve their skills, create new contacts and raise morale within businesses.[14]

Other Events

Yorkshire Mafia facilitates better relationships by bringing businesses together in Yorkshire in order to promote healthy relationships among them. Buy Yorkshire, an annual conference, is one of such events to promote such activities in the region where different businesses have a chance to interact with one another.[15]

The Yorkshire Mafia also organizes Leeds Business Week where different organizations from across the city joined up as “Event Partners” to organize their own business events in support of the exercise. Companies such as The Institute of Directors, 4Networking, Irwin Mitchell, Northern Ballet, Leeds City Council, Propaganda, Barclays were among the attendee's.[16]

Geoff Shepherd, chairman of The Yorkshire Mafia, said:

“Leeds is the third largest city in the UK. It should already have a well-established Business Week that brings its business community together. It doesn’t and being a can-do organisation we decided to lead the charge."[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Running with the mob". Bq-magazine.co.uk. 2013-07-09. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  2. ↑ "Yorkshire News: Sahara Trek For Favourite Charities". Yorkshiretimes.co.uk. 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  3. ↑ "HS2 campaigners face down rail chief at Yorkshire Mafia event in Leeds". Yorkshire Post. 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  4. ↑ "Insider News Yorkshire – Ahmed accuses "immoral" banks". Insidermedia.com. 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  5. ↑ "Delegates flocking to the Buy Yorkshire Conference". Yorkshire Post. 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  6. ↑ "Learning about social media at the Yorkshire Mafia Conference (From York Press)". Yorkpress.co.uk. 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  7. ↑ Published on Thursday 5 January 2012 06:00 (2012-01-05). "Mafia gets ready to aid smaller players - Business News". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  8. ↑ "Don't let suppliers become the untouchables, urges the Yorkshire Mafia | Official CIPS Magazine – Supply Management". Supplymanagement.com. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  9. ↑ Published on Tuesday 27 March 2012 06:00 (2012-03-27). "Second Mafia summit hailed a huge success - Business News". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  10. ↑ "CEO of R&R Ice Cream says keep cool and focus on the future". The Manufacturer. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  11. ↑ Published on Friday 23 March 2012 06:00 (2012-03-23). "Mafia hears of Google’s mobile mission - Business News". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  12. ↑ "About". The Yorkshire Mafia. Retrieved 2012-09-27.
  13. ↑ "Skill Will Networking Evening - Event - Leeds Business Week". Leedsbizweek.com. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  14. ↑ http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/uk-wide-role-for-charity-skills-broker-1-6383196
  15. ↑ Mark Lane (2013-04-18). "Countdown to Yorkshire Mafia’s business spectacular | Bdaily Business News". Bdaily.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 David Gatehouse (2013-08-06). "Yorkshire Mafia to run first Leeds Business Week | Bdaily Business News". Bdaily.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-01-18.

External links