#35: Growing A Global Business In Sussex Could Be So Much Easier

– Episode #35

Growing A Global Business In Sussex Could Be So Much Easier

Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Matt Barker – Founder & CEO, MPB

Richard is joined by Matt Barker, founder and chief executive of MPB, one of Sussex's biggest global business success stories - built from modest roots in Brighton and now operating at serious international scale.

What began as an eBay side project while Matt was a student has grown into the world's largest platform for buying, selling and trading professional photography and video equipment, employing more than 500 people globally, with over half still based in Brighton.

Matt talks candidly about why MPB succeeded because of Brighton's culture and creativity - and why it often succeeded in spite of the city's infrastructure, property market and lack of meaningful business engagement.

The conversation ranges from devolution and leadership, to skills gaps, transport, commercial space, and his perception that there is a failure to recognise Sussex's own success stories until they're already global.

"I don't think MPB would be what it is if it hadn't been founded in Brighton. But I also don't think Brighton really noticed us until about three years ago."

This episode is about what it really takes to grow a business in Sussex - and what a future Sussex mayor will need to understand if devolution is going to deliver anything more than new structures and old habits.

Matt argues that Sussex risks missing a once-in-a-generation opportunity if devolution is shaped by the same voices, the same reports, and the same transactional approaches to business.

If Sussex wants growth that sticks, and spreads beyond Brighton, it needs to understand why so many businesses never make it past a certain point, and why those that do often have to look elsewhere for leadership support.

This is a challenge to policymakers, councils and future mayors: listen earlier, engage properly, and fix the basics.

• How MPB grew from a student eBay project into a global platform

• Why Brighton's creativity and diversity mattered more than formal support

• The invisible ceiling facing Sussex businesses at 20–50 staff

• Why CEO-level support networks don't really exist locally

• Commercial property, listed buildings, and the constant fight for space

• What a Sussex mayor should actually understand about growth businesses

• Why devolution risks being shaped by the "usual suspects"

• Brighton's uneasy relationship with the rest of Sussex

• Transport, skills and connectivity; and what really holds growth back

• Why fixing cleanliness, perception and basic infrastructure matters more than shiny strategies

MPB – company background and global platform

Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Matt Barker Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue

Want devolution that actually works for businesses and places? Want Sussex leadership that understands how growth really happens?

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