With its ambitious, multi-faceted plan, team Healthport was declared the winner of the annual program, driven by peak manufacturing cooperative HunterNet and involving the region's brightest emerging professionals.

Healthport was mentored by Ian Winn and comprised Chanel Egan (Forsythes IT), Dr Bin Chen, Nicholas Oliveri (BISimulations), Brodie White (NAB), Andrew Fisher (Ampcontrol) and Sam Noakes (PWCS).

The challenge set for for teams was two-fold: firstly, to develop an identity and positioning concept for the greater Newcastle region promoting it as a global city; and secondly, to identify an ASX-200 listed company which the team believed should establish a new headquarters in Newcastle with the aim of improving the economic diversity of the region.

In its 47-page submission, Healthport said Newcastle had grown from its industrial roots to boast a top-ranking university, world class health precinct and competitive advantages in advanced manufacturing and medical technologies.

"By leveraging these strengths, its anchor institutions and the city's compelling lifestyle, Newcastle has an opportunity to reshape its identity to that of a global health-tech hub," it said.

Team spokesperson Chanel Egan said the health sector was a strong industry in Newcastle and her cohort had recommended ASX-listed Australian Pharmaceutical Industries (API) to bolster the Hunter's clout.

"It would strengthen that and bring together the end-to-end health experience for residents and researchers and also open the region up to a lot of clinical trials," she said.

The team's proposal nominated three precincts - CBD, John Hunter Hospital and the University of Newcastle's Callaghan campus - as interconnected hubs.

"Globally we'd be branding Healthport as the United States did with Silicon Valley - it's leveraging our focus on health but also including the necessity and reliance on the port for international supply," Ms Egan said.

Healthport members worked on their submission for 12 weeks and met with key business organisations and Newcastle executives.

"Part of the reason we picked this model was because it does leverage Newcastle's existing blue collar industrial manufacturing roots but it also taps into growth and innovation to take that further," Ms Egan said.

"The project has felt so real. The more people we spoke to we felt it could really really happen and the whole team was fired by passion for Newcastle."

Full details of the Healthport submission can be found at https://hunternet.com.au/portfolio/future-leaders-program-2019/