Kings of Shaves founder Will King among leading entrepreneurs to speak at New Anglia’s ‘Next Generation’ conference

Focusing on the needs of the 'next generation' will be at the heart of a conference looking at growth in Norfolk and Suffolk next month.

Skills minister Matthew Hancock will be speaking at the event at Wherstead Park in Ipswich on November 28, while Paul Drechsler, chief executive of Wates plc, who is also chairman of Business in the Community's Education and Leadership team, was today unveiled as the keynote speaker.

Also speaking is Lowestoft-born entrepreneur Will King, founder of King of Shaves.

The free event, which is sponsored by East of England Co-op, is entitled 'New Anglia: Next Generation Conference 2013' and follows a series of skills summits with firms in Norfolk and Suffolk about what steps can be taken to boost opportunities for young people.

New Anglia Chairman, Andy Wood, said: 'We wanted to give our November 28 conference a name that would reflect the strong themes it will address – which are the skills that businesses will need in the future, and also the strategic economic plan, which looks at how we can create more jobs in the region over the coming years. So 'Next Generation' seemed to be the perfect choice.

He added: 'We are very excited to welcome a host of inspirational speakers to the event who we know will bring together the business community and galvanise it into action.'

To book a place at the conference, go to www.newanglia.co.uk.