Like all town and city centres, Newport has faced significant challenges, but collaboration between businesses, local leaders and community groups mean there are plenty of plans and opportunities underway and on the horizon. Host Carwyn Jones is joined by Kevin Ward, manager of business improvement district Newport Now, Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, leader of Newport City Council, and Niall Leighton-Boyce, director of Boyce Group, to discuss what lies ahead for Newport’s city centre.

Host Gemma Casey discusses Business in the Community's (BITC) first place-based initiative in Wales, the Newport Place Programme, with guests Tracy Rees, Director of BITC in Wales; Huw Williams, Senior Director of Operational Excellence at KLA; Matt Sparkes, Sustainability Director at Linklaters; and Professor Simon Gibson CBE DL, Chair, BITC Newport Place Programme Board. They explore the programme's principle, which is that businesses can make a meaningful and long-lasting impact on the areas in which they operate when they work in collaboration with local communities and listen to their needs.

In our inaugural episode of Newport Business, Business News Wales editor Gemma Casey delves into Newport's rapid growth and key economic sectors, including semiconductors and green energy. She also examines the pivotal role of the port, city centre development, and the importance of skills and infrastructure in sustaining this growth. The episode features insightful discussions with experts Debbie Wilcox, the Baroness Wilcox of Newport; Ashley Curnow, Divisional Port Manager for Wales and the Southwest with Associated British Ports; and Kevin Ward, Media and Management Consultant.