A proposition for Sussex and Brighton's future Mayor · August 2026
A lever for regional growth, prosperity and cultural renewal — hidden in plain sight. Who carries Sussex into the world, and what would make them useful to Sussex now?
The proposition
The Sussex Diaspora is everyone outside Sussex who has a reason to care about it: people born or raised here; those with ancestral or family ties; alumni of its universities and schools; people who have worked, founded, invested or created here; and anyone with a durable civic or emotional affinity to the county. The question is simple: who carries Sussex into the world, what do they care about, and what would make them useful to Sussex now?
Why now
The emerging Sussex & Brighton Combined County Authority creates a moment to unite stakeholders around core strategic issues. Government has consulted on the combined authority and announced long-term funding for the new mayoral model. That makes the next 12–18 months decisive for the story Sussex tells about itself.
A diaspora lens helps Sussex look beyond administrative boundaries — asking not only what assets sit inside Sussex, but which Sussex-connected people, firms and institutions outside it can help the region grow, be heard and deliver.
The connections
Sussex already sits inside global networks of government, diplomacy, enterprise, science and culture. Scroll to trace the connections running out of Sussex — and the investment, advocacy and ideas that could flow back in.
Start with Sussex. Around it sit hundreds of high-trust, high-influence connections — most of them undocumented. A diaspora agenda begins by mapping them.
William Penn's principal family home was at Warminghurst before he founded Pennsylvania. Thomas Paine lived in Lewes from 1768–1774 before becoming a voice of the American Revolution. Joe Biden's paternal line has been traced to Westbourne.
The University of Sussex sits inside global networks of government and development: heads of state, a UN Secretary-General and a Grammy-winning artist among them.
Sussex-connected founders sit at the frontier of global tech: from Anthropic in San Francisco to Corel in Canada and Supreme in New York. A ready-made advisory circle for a regional innovation hub.
Lit together, the network is striking. The agenda turns these scattered ties into practical channels for investment, skills, advocacy, tourism and civic pride.
Penn, Paine and Biden give Sussex a serious civic-history narrative for heritage tourism, public diplomacy and transatlantic engagement. Sussex didn't just send people to America — it helped shape it.
Sussex-linked figures include former presidents of South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Costa Rica, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and Burna Boy. The university already sits inside global networks of government, diplomacy, development and culture.
Jack Clark, co-founder at Anthropic, was educated at Varndean College in Brighton; astronaut Tim Peake was born in Chichester; Bexhill-born Michael Cowpland emigrated to Canada to found Corel and Mitel; Simon Segars, former CEO of ARM Holdings, has Sussex links; Worthing's Steve Phillips founded Zappi (which raised $170m in 2022); and Crawley-raised James Jebbia founded Supreme in New York. A practical circle for responsible tech, entrepreneurship and inward investment.
"Every place — country, region, county or city — has a diaspora. Even a small regional agency can start by mapping its diaspora changemakers and designing outreach."— The Diaspora Institute, Diaspora Direct Investment Report, 2025, p.8 & p.46
High-recognition figures make the proposition instantly legible: Eddie Izzard (Eastbourne, Bexhill), Romesh Ranganathan (Crawley), Gwendoline Christie (Worthing), Fatboy Slim (Brighton) and Theresa May (born in Eastbourne). Credible ambassadors who could raise Sussex's visibility without the tone of a place-marketing campaign.
Tried and tested
Around 50 high-profile Danish business leaders and diaspora Danes promote Copenhagen and advise government — contributing to wins like Cisco's R&D centre.
A global leader — its Irish-American diaspora was pivotal to Celtic Tiger growth. Counties including Donegal, Kerry, Mayo, Offaly and Limerick have built diaspora initiatives linking engagement with enterprise support. Ireland shows the scale of the broader diaspora visitor-economy prize.
Scotland's Connections Framework and GlobalWelsh treat the diaspora as a living bridge. Cornwall launched a 2025–2028 diaspora strategy inside its Good Growth Plan.
What this could unlock
Warm routes to founders, investors, sector specialists and board-level advocates with a reason to care about Sussex.
Practical support for entrepreneurs, students and emerging sectors — AI, creative industries, life sciences, tourism, clean growth.
Credible ambassadors who raise Sussex's visibility in London, nationally and internationally — without a marketing-campaign tone.
Ancestry, alumni and cultural routes that turn connection into visits, stays and repeat engagement.
A way to include people who have left Sussex but not lost their connection — linking local identity with future-facing opportunity.
What could happen next
Define the Sussex Diaspora, benchmark comparators, and identify where the agenda most directly supports regional priorities.
Sussex-born and raised figures; ancestry links; university and school alumni; founders and investors; culture, media and sport; civic leaders; and affinity diaspora.
Speak with 20–30 Sussex-connected figures and institutions to understand what would make them engage — and what they could contribute.
A Sussex Global Ambassadors group; an AI and innovation advisory circle; a heritage tourism route; an investor–founder mentoring network; or an alumni-to-region partnership.
Bring councils, universities, business groups, cultural institutions and selected diaspora voices into one room to decide whether this becomes a fundable workstream.
About the author
Executive Director of Homelands Advisory and a leading global diaspora engagement expert. British and Chinese, born and raised in Hastings before spending a decade abroad studying, working and running businesses — completing his own "diaspora return" by living in China for three years before coming back to Sussex.
He has developed diaspora policies and studies for governments, United Nations agencies, and private and non-profit clients in 30+ countries. His recent work spans diaspora strategies, diaspora investment attraction, and diaspora cultural engagement.