Global perspectives on mayoral leadership: UK and Japan mayors in conversation at Nottingham Business School
The Centre for Economy, Policy and Place at Nottingham Business School (NBS) is to hold a special event which brings together Claire Ward, mayor of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), and Aki Takehisa, former mayor of Setouchi City, Japan.
By Helen Breese | Published on 17 December 2025
Categories: Press office; Business; Nottingham Business School;
The in-conversation style session on Thursday 15 January 2026 will see Claire and Aki explore critical themes such as devolution, fiscal autonomy, and the balance between economic growth and wellbeing. They will also delve into the importance of place-based identities and consensus building in multi-level governance.
Claire Ward is the inaugural mayor of EMCCA, elected in 2024 to champion regional economic growth, transport infrastructure, and skills development. Her vision emphasises collaboration across local councils and central government to deliver inclusive prosperity for communities in the East Midlands.
Aki Takehisa served as mayor of Setouchi City, Japan, for 16 years (2009–2025), leading initiatives on inclusive growth, wellbeing, and sustainable development. A former councillor, he earned an MBA in Public Service from the University of Birmingham and worked with Deloitte as a consultant to local authorities. He also taught public management at Kwansei Gakuin University. Currently, he is a visiting researcher at Nottingham Business School, pursuing a PhD on mayoral accountability in Japan and the UK.
The event is the first in a new series of events promoted by the Centre for Economy, Policy and Place at NBS, Nottingham Trent University, which combines research on economic and public policy with a focus on place, public services, and applied economics.
Following opening remarks from Professor Dave Petley, vice-chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, keynote insights will be provided by Professor Anne Green from City-REDI at the University of Birmingham, whose research examines comparative approaches to mayoral governance in England and Japan.
The mayoral discussion will be hosted by Will Rossiter, centre director and Professor of Regional Policy and Development at NBS.
Professor Rossiter said: “This event marks an exciting moment for the Centre for People, Policy and Place. By bringing together leaders from the UK and Japan, we aim to explore how mayoral governance can shape inclusive, sustainable growth and strengthen the connection between policy and place. It’s a unique opportunity to share insights across international contexts and learn from different approaches to leadership.”
The session, which will take place from 6 – 7.30pm on Thursday 15 January 2026, will conclude with a Q&A and reflections from Professor Anne Green.
Places can be booked online.
The event is supported by The Regional Studies Association
Notes for Editors
Press enquiries please contact Helen Breese, Public Relations and Research Communications Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email.
About Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Business School (NBS) at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a leader in experiential learning and personalisation of business, management and economics education and research, combining academic excellence with positive impact on people, business and society. NBS has an unrivalled level of engagement with business, public and voluntary organisations. With more than 8,500 students, NBS is also one of UK’s largest business schools.
NBS is triple crown accredited by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA, placing it amongst the top 1% of business schools globally. NBS is also accredited by Small Business Charter, providing support and development for SMEs, and is a PRME Champion - held up as an exemplar and beacon by the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME).
In The Guardian University Guide 2026, all NBS courses were ranked in the UK Top 20. Subject areas covering Accounting and Finance, Business and Management, Economics and Marketing and PR were all recognised for excellence in teaching, high student satisfaction and strong graduate career prospects.
About Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.
Students have voted us the best university in the UK and 1st in the UK for student employability (Uni Compare 2025).
NTU is 4th in the UK for number of undergraduate students (HESA 2023-24) with over 36,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across six campuses. It has an international student population of 6,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.
NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research on the safety and security of global citizens. The second was awarded for research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment.
NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2025) and was named as Sports University of the Year (Daily Mail University Guide 2025). It has also been ranked as 25th in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2026.
NTU is a holder of the University Mental Health Charter recognising the commitment an institution has shown towards continuous improvement in the area of mental health and wellbeing.
NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and second in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2024).
About the Centre for Economy, Policy and Place
This centre brings together researchers working on economic and public policy issues with an emphasis on ‘place’, public and emergency services and applied economics. The Centre is placing renewed focus on the ‘place’ dimension of its activities in response to opportunities created by devolution and local government reorganisation.
The Centre currently includes some 50 researchers, drawn from a number of departments including Economics, Accounting and Finance, Marketing and HRM. In recent years, the Centre has been extremely productive in terms of research output, publishing numerous world-leading and internationally excellent papers in high-ranking journals across business management and the social sciences. Members of the Centre are highly interdisciplinary.
The Centre has secured significant external research funding (£675,000 grants since 2020) plus income from executive education, contract research and consultancy from a range of sources including the European Commission, UK Government Departments, The Midlands Engine, NFRS and a variety of other public bodies.
https://www.ntu.ac.uk/research/groups-and-centres/centres/centre-for-economy-policy-place