ENTREPRENEURS promoting the value of community came together at a major North East business conference.

The Entrepreneurs’ Forum’s Together We Can Take on the World event brought the contrasting stories of reclamation and innovation entrepreneur Kresse Wesling MBE and former supermodel and lingerie brand owner Caprice Bourret together with Indian fashion ecommerce expert Paul Shoker and new bank founder Anthony Thomson.

Opening the conference at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Forum chairman Nigel Mills said: “It’s really important the area comes together and supports each other and the Forum plays a huge part in that.”

He said the Scottish independence debate and the proposed HS2 rail system stopping at Leeds meant “from the outside the North-East was becoming more and more isolated”.

“On the inside, the Local Enterprise Parnerships, councils and business organisations including the Forum are standing up and showing people inside and outside the region the unbelievable opportunities that exist here,” he added.

Caprice’s business grew out of her need to find a life after modelling and began with a licence agreement with Debenhams to invest in a lingerie range bearing her name.

After five years she decided to launch her own brand, By Caprice.

In an honest appraisal, she said: “Initially it was a big of ego and a need for a plan B. It wasn’t about integrity, it wasn’t about passion.”

The first collection failed and, hit financially, she realised she would have to take the business more seriously.

“Now it’s 12 hours a day. I have my staff, I have factories, I have warehouses, I am supporting families, I have a big brand and I have huge responsibilities.

“But when you achieve success it’s a huge accomplishment. I want this business to stay in my family for generations, I’m very proud of it.”

Now a mum of two baby boys, she will return to licensing her name in the future, while also looking to develop a maternity range, beachwear and childrenswear.

Serial entrepreneur Paul Shoker, founder of fashion website Koovs, gave in a lesson in the scale and challenge of breaking into the Indian ecommerce market. He said: "In the next 45 minutes 100 million Google searches will have taken place in India, there will be 170,000 new mobile phone subscribers and 100,000 deliveries.

“The Indians are very open to learning and they want the best. We are looking to the UK and the US for people with the right skills. It’s about working with people together."