Message from CEO

A message from our

Chief Executive, Paul Cherpeau

Welcome to the first edition of our Well Connected magazine in 2022, a year which we enter with a sense of optimism, tinged with some uncertainty in the wake of the Omicron variant and the ongoing challenges around economic recovery.

The results of the latest Quarterly Economic Survey highlight that UK businesses have an incredible ability to bounce back through innovation and resilience, with the hospitality and retail sectors showing the greatest signs of improvement. Whilst it is encouraging to see that the hardest hit industries were able to make significant steps towards recovery in Q4 of last year, the latest restrictions have hit those sectors hard once again and the Government needs to continue to provide support to ensure they have the space to not only recover but also to thrive. You can view the full results of the QES on pages 4&5.

In November, our Innovation in Business Awards really captured the level of resilience and excellence of our City Region’s business community, highlighting so many great examples from both businesses and individuals. It has been a great honour for the Chamber to be a part of those efforts to endure, prosper, rebuild and grow.

In this edition we take a closer look at how our members have used innovation to face challenges head on. We celebrate the ingenuity of businesses who have turned around negative situations in a way that has allowed them to re-emerge in a much stronger position, utilising opportunities created by Covid to re-evaluate their own processes and implement positive changes such as flexible working, improved health related benefits and more.

Innovation will continue to be a crucial element of business survival and growth in the midst of a climate of high vacancy rates, a mismatch of skills, the shifting sands of the global trading environment and the ambitions for net zero and climate change, all of which will have a real and consequential impact on businesses.

To help businesses to navigate their way around these challenges, we want to provide a more creative, dynamic and interactive relationship with our members in 2022 with the introduction of our Expert Panels and Specialist Networks, with the focus firmly on creating the best environment for our businesses to succeed. Each month we will focus on a specific policy theme which in February will be Skills and Employability and we will be launching our School-Business Network, bringing together education and business to create connections and, collaboratively, to positively influence the career opportunities for our young people.

Our flagship events will also be making a return as we host our Silver Birch Garden Party at the Randox Grand National on Thursday the 7th of April. It is the largest business gathering over the 3 days of racing and after a two year break, we hope to see many of you there. You can view our full events calendar on page 46&47.

Taking inspiration from our Award winners, we will continue to innovate and adapt in 2022 to provide the best possible support and services for our members. We have an exciting journey ahead and we look forward to working with you.

Paul Cherpeau, Chief Executive Liverpool Chamber