She described the region as an ‘inspirational place to visit’ in a tour which also took in Newcastle Airport, Greggs, Reece Group and Nissan.
At Teesside, Carolyn met with Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Paul Croney at the University’s new teaching and learning building The Curve, which forms part of the £30million Campus Heart redevelopment.
Teesside University has a fantastic track record for working with business and industry and has helped to establish more than 350 new companies.
In 2013, it was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Excellence in Higher Education for outstanding work in the field of enterprise and business engagement.
Carolyn said Britain had a strong foundation which will help business to thrive but needs to change and adapt to meet the challenges of the global economy.
She said: 'I believe the UK has a golden opportunity over the next decade to create a new era of growth and prosperity, and that to do this, we will need to focus on five main priorities:
'Access to the talent and skills needed for growth; World class infrastructure – including road, rail, broadband, aviation, housing, energy; Globally competitive tax, regulation and support for enterprise; Easy and open access to global markets and a relationship of trust between business and society.
'Individually each is key, taking time to work on each will help drive prosperity throughout the country.'
She added that the CBI will be focusing on a new ‘UK Prosperity Agenda’ and work with governments at regional, national and European level to create policies and solutions to achieve these aims.