The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, visited WMG at the University of Warwick today (4 May 2018), as part of his ‘homecoming’ tour around Coventry, the city where he was first ordained.

During his visit to WMG, Archbishop Welby toured world-class automotive research facilities, including the Energy Innovation Centre and the new £150m National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) with WMG Chairman Professor Lord Bhattacharyya.

The NAIC will be the largest research facility of its kind in Europe, and is due to open later this year.

He also joined a small group of business leaders to discuss the future of smart, connected and electrified vehicles, and the renaissance of the automotive industry in the West Midlands– topics which are at the heart of WMG research and development.

The Archbishop was keen to discuss the recently announced UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and explore its significance for the region and further afield.

Archbishop Welby was ordained at Coventry Cathedral in 1992, and worked for a number of years as an executive in the oil industry before starting his ministry. He is still very much interested and informed about UK industry and economics.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, founder and Chairman of WMG at the University of Warwick, commented:

“I was delighted to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury to WMG and to show him the part we play in the resurgence of automotive in the region and globally.”

Notes to editors:

The Energy Innovation Centre at WMG is a national facility for battery research across the R&D process from materials and electrochemistry through to application integration and recycling / re-use.

The facilities support test, development and scale up of new battery chemistries from concept through to full proven traction batteries, produced in sufficient quantities for detailed industrial evaluation in target applications.

The National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) will provide a critical mass of research capability combining automotive expertise nationally and internationally. NAIC will be a unique resource, with an environment to foster collaboration, cohesion and cross-fertilisation of knowledge. It is due to open later this year.

Image 1: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya

Image 2: Bishop of Coventry (Rt Rev Christopher Cocksworth), Archbishop Justin Welby with Mark Amor-Segan in WMG's Energy Innovation Centre

Image 3: Rt Hon Justin Welby in the National Automotive Innovation Centre at the University of Warwick