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Adam Clements

Starting his career as a Business Adviser with The King’s Trust, Adam has extensive knowledge of the region’s business support and finance and funding landscape from his roles at Transmit Startups, Teesside University and Virgin StartUp. An entrepreneur himself, Adam completed an MBA in 2025 and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

Based in Morpeth but spending a lot of his time exploring the wider region, Adam is a huge football fan and plays three times a week (alongside supporting his beloved Newcastle United). His energetic Springer Spaniel Penny also helps to keep him fit and active.

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Introductions

As a Business Growth Adviser, we’re the public face of the North East Growth Hub. It’s our job to help new and scaling businesses find the right support to help them on their journey. As well as signposting business owners and entrepreneurs to the programmes available through the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, we can also connect them to other business support and finance and funding providers right across the region and nationally. 

There’s so much information out there it can become overwhelming for businesses. It’s my job to bring it all together and be that fountain of knowledge. Any business that needs some help and direction can contact the North East Growth Hub and we’ll open up all the available routes for them. 

Something that makes the North East Growth Hub unique is that all the Business Growth Advisers have experience of either running a business or getting it to the revenue stage. That knowledge gives us a unique insight into the challenges business owners face, and importantly, how to resolve them.

 

How does the North East Growth Hub help businesses to grow?

We treat every business owner and entrepreneur as an individual. We listen and we tailor support that’s right for each person. Whilst there are lots of ways people can access information, for example through AI or online searches, nothing can replace speaking to someone directly. We’re an independent, unbiased service that addresses people’s needs. We direct businesses to the support available through their local authority, across the wider North East region, and as part of national programmes. Often people aren't aware of the range of support that’s available to them - that's where we can really help.

It’s also worth mentioning that because we’re a diverse team with lots of lived experience, businesses can access a wide range of specialist knowledge from people that have seen it and done it. When you contact the North East Growth Hub, you’re benefiting from our entire team.

What particular areas can you support North East businesses with?

There are four specific areas I have a lot of experience in from running my own business: creative; tech; innovation; and ecommerce. I also really enjoy helping businesses explore trade and export, taking them from scaling local markets to expanding nationally and internationally.

A lot of business owners struggle with taking on too much and not using data, measurement and insight to guide their approach. That can really impact decision making. I like helping businesses focus on actual results and making informed decisions that help them grow. Understanding your audience and how they interact with you is vital. 

As a bit of homework, I always encourage business owners and entrepreneurs to listen to podcasts from their industry. They’re a great, free way to stay up to date with trends and changes in your sector. Some of the things you’ll learn as a small business owner can really help kick start growth.