New home for business group that speaks up for Yorkshire

The Institute of Directors is moving its Leeds headquarters to the historic Cloth Hall Court.

The organisation for professional leaders will move to the Grade II-listed building on Quebec Street, which is part of Leeds Beckett University, this month.

As the name suggests, the building was built for cloth trading, specifically Yorkshire Broadcloths’, which helped Leeds gain its status as a centre for the wool and cloth industries

In its heyday, the Coloured Cloth Hall housed 1,770 stalls for merchants to display their goods, while the central courtyard welcomed up to 20,000 people for public meetings.

An open house will be held on July 18, where guests will have the opportunity to meet the IoD’s incoming West Yorkshire chairman Richard Smith, managing director of the Leeds-based Surfachem Group.

The new headquarters, which is across the road from Leeds railway station, offers conferencing facilities that cater for small meetings and conferences of up to 300 delegates.

Other features include AV (audio visual) technology, superfast wi-fi and VIP on-site parking. Well Met, the university’s conference department, will manage the new facility.

The IoD was previously based at Old Broadcasting House on Woodhouse Lane in Leeds.

Natalie Sykes, regional director of the IoD, said: “This is an exciting move for the IoD that places us right at the heart of the business community in Leeds.

“We invite you to come and view the redevelopment of a building that’s been part of the city’s fabric for centuries. Come and join us for a cup of tea or coffee and view our new facilities first hand.”

Mr Smith added: “I am delighted to be taking on this role in West Yorkshire and look forward to meeting existing and new members at this and future events.”

Mr Smith is a respected commentator who recently took part in a high profile round table event in Leeds, which was hosted by UK Trade and Investment and The Yorkshire Post, with the aim of encouraging more firms to get involved with exporting.

The event found that in some emerging markets, the economic powerhouses of the future are emerging at a phenomenal rate. Mr Smith said this point was reinforced during a recent trip to China

He told the round table debate: “I remember going to China back in 2004 for a business I was running. We were driving along a beautiful highway.