DQ 19 - Summer Edition by Downtown in Business

ISSUE 19 - SUMMER EDITION

THURSDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER THE BELFRY HOTEL & RESORT, SUTTON COLDFIELD

GARY NEVILLE LORD ANDREW ADONIS PAUL SCULLY MP CLIVE BETTS MP JOANNE RONEY TONY REEVES DEBORAH CADMAN GERRY BROUGH STEVEN BROOMHEAD STEPHEN YOUNG ALISON MCKENZIE-FOLAN LAURA SHOAF TOM VENNER TOM BLOXHAM JOHN JAMES TIM HEATLEY TOM RIORDAN COLIN SINCLAIR NEIL RAMI TIM JOHNSON + MORE TO ANNOUNCED BOOK YOUR TICKETS: WWW.DOWNTOWNINBUSINESS.COM

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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS PARTICIPATED IN THIS ISSUE.

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CONTENTS ISSUE 19

TIME TO GET BACK

07 TO BUSINESS FRANK MCKENNA WHAT THE RECENT ELECTIONS

08 MEAN FOR YOU SIMON DANCZUK

EDITOR: SOPHIE ROONEY DESIGNER: JACK HUNTER CONTRIBUTORS: FRANK MCKENNA SIMON DANCZUK MARTIN LIPTROT DOUGAL PAVER SEDULO BROCK CARMICHAEL ÁLVARO COSTELA SÁNCHEZ SUTCLIFFE ROB BINNS STEWART DAVIS ROLAND DRANSFIELD ALEX BEAVAN BIRMINGHAM’S WOMEN’S HOSPITAL CHARITY ROB VALENTINE BEN VAAS

DOWNTOWN AND EMBRYO TO

60 LAUNCH BUSINESS INDEX

ROLAND DRANSFIELD LAUNCHES AWARD-WINNING PODCAST DURING GLOBAL PANDEMIC ROLAND DRANSFIELD

THE FACT ABOUT FIGHTING FRAUD - UPDATE FROM OUR INVESTIGATION TEAM ALEX BEAVAN

HELPING TO CHANGE THE EXPERIENCE FOR FAMILIES EXPERIENCING PREGNANCY OR BABY LOSS IN BIRMINGHAM AND BEYOND BIRMINGHAM’S WOMEN’S HOSPITAL CHARITY

BRUNTWOOD WORKS: CREATING SPACE WHERE WORK AND LIFESTYLE THRIVE IN BIRMINGHAM ROB VALENTINE

IS THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

12 FEELING THE STRAIN MARTIN LIPTROT

ONE THING LOOKS CERTAIN TO STOP THE DEVELOPMENT JUGGERNAUT. WILL GOVERNMENT LET IT OFF THE LEASH? DOUGAL PAVER FINANCIAL ADVISORY FIRM PARTNER WITH URBANISE ON UNIQUE LIVERPOOL OFFICE SPACE SEDULO BROCK CARMICHAEL LEADING THE WAY ON BROWNFIELD DEVELOPMENT BROCK CARMICHAEL

UK AIMING FOR INNOVATION FOR

72 SUPERPOWER STATUS BEN VAAS

PROPOSED PLANNING CHANGES RISKS THE ‘15 MINUTE CITIES’ GOAL ÁLVARO COSTELA SÁNCHEZ SUTCLIFFE BOOSTS WORKFORCE AND SECURES A HOST OF NEW NATIONAL PROJECTS SUTCLIFFE THE INFLUENCER INDEX

27 MAIN FEATURE

15 MINUTES WITH...

54 ROB BINNS

THE RETURN OF THE CITY’S HOSPITALITY - MANAGING, PROTECTING, AND ENCOURAGING RETURNING EMPLOYEES IS KEY TO SUCCESS STEWART DAVIS

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“BORIS JOHNSON AND HIS TEAM OFTEN LOOK LIKE RABBITS CAUGHT IN THE HEADLIGHTS AS THEY STAND AT PRESS CONFERENCE PODIUMS, LISTENING INTENTLY TO THE LATEST SET OF DATA FROM SCIENTISTS THAT OFFER PROJECTIONS OF WORSE CASE SCENARIOS, BUT LITTLE ELSE.” 6

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TIME TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS WORDS BY FRANK MCKENNA CHIEF EXECUTIVE & GROUP CHAIRMAN, DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS Almost eighteen months on from the first lockdown in the UK, we should be confident in saying that we are on the backstraight of the devastating COVID pandemic. That ought to be doubly true, given that we are the most heavily vaccinated country in Europe, and that we have thankfully been able to get the most vulnerable within our society jabbed. However, largely due to the shambolic way in which the government handled the coronavirus outbreak back in early 2020, a one-time cavalier attitude to the disease has been replaced by an overly cautious one. Boris Johnson and his team often look like rabbits caught in the headlights as they stand at press conference podiums, listening intently to the latest set of data from scientists that offer projections of worse case scenarios, but little else. The decision to solely look at how we manage the wellbeing of the UK wholly through the lens of COVID will be seen by historians as one of the biggest mistakes a British government has ever made. Clearly, whenever a plague initially hits the world, there is a need for

an urgent and aggressive response. However, a year and a half in, and we appear to have forgotten Einstein’s golden rule that if you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same results. So, lockdowns, restrictions, social distancing, and masks have been perpetual – whilst the economy has gone to hell in a hand cart, thousands of businesses have gone bust along with thousands of jobs, critical illnesses have not been treated by the NHS, mental health problems are at an all-time high, suicide rates are up, young people have had their education massively disrupted, and domestic violence and abuse is at a record high. It is inevitable that new variants of the virus will appear. People will continue to be infected. Some, sadly, will die. However, you cannot abolish death. Sooner rather than later we need to start to learn how to live with the virus and begin to tackle the myriad of other challenges that have emerged during the past year.

industry has been hit by the doublewhammy of COVID and Brexit – both impacting heavily on their ability to recruit staff. We need to move the debate on. We need to be highlighting the problems beyond COVID. We need to be putting our business community and the economy front and centre of the debate from now on. A striking and worrying aspect of this pandemic has been the failure of both the official opposition and the mainstream media to hold the government properly to account throughout the pandemic. Its time for those of influence, inside and outside of the corridors of power, to begin to demand a genuine conversation as to where we go next. Downtown in Business – and I’m sure many of those personalities who we have identified as ‘Influencers’ in this latest issue of DQ, will be determined to be at the forefront of those discussions.

For businesses, further delays to fully opening- up, or worse another shutdown, will be the final straw. Some of the potential big-name casualties in the aviation sector are frightening, whilst the hospitality

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WHAT THE RECENT ELECTIONS MEAN FOR YOU WORDS BY SIMON DANCZUK CHAIRMAN, DOWNTOWN LONDON IN BUSINESS

As I am all too readily aware, there is a famous law, stated by Enoch Powell, that ‘all political careers end in failure.’ And so, it was for many, though not all, on Thursday 6th May when a range of elections took place across the UK. Here we take a look at what these elections might mean for you, and particularly focus on the regions and counties where Downtown is strongest.

NATIONALLY The political narrative which quickly developed on election night was that Labour lost and the Conservatives had won. It didn’t help matters that many of the council, police commissioner, regional mayor, regional assembly,

and Hartlepool by-election votes were being counted on different days, with some being done immediately after polling closed, some being done on the Friday, and some over the weekend. With the Conservative’s Jilly Mortimer gaining the Hartlepool parliamentary seat from Labour, in a by-election the opposition should have held, it was a blow for Keir Starmer. He didn’t help matters by quickly doing an illprepared TV interview where he took responsibility for the result, but more unhelpfully, appeared to be shouting at the political journalist interviewing him. Matters didn’t improve with Labour failing to make expected gains in some local council elections, or actually losing control of some local authorities. In the end, the Conservatives increased their control of English councils by 13, taking them to 63 and Labour lost control of

eight, taking them down to 44. On a personal level, 327 Labour councillors lost their seats (bringing their total to 1,345), whilst 235 Conservatives were added, totalling 2,345. Whilst Scotland wasn’t a disaster for Labour, they did lose two seats and their share of the vote decreased. The Conservatives had little change, and the Scottish National Party failed to get complete control. But Labour did go on to have some good results elsewhere, increasing its share of the vote and seats in Wales, and winning the majority of regional mayoral elections across the country. Had Starmer, and his team, held their nerve a little, it would have been possible for them to paint a more positive picture as the results unfolded. They effectively conceded defeat too early in the four-day elections counting.

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“ANDY BURNHAM TOOK A STORMING 67% OF THE VOTE IN GREATER MANCHESTER’S MAYORAL ELECTION, PRESUMABLY REAPING SOME REWARD FOR STANDING UP TO THE GOVERNMENT OVER PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN FUNDING.” Perception in politics is everything and the Labour leader was quickly seen, in the eyes of the public, as a loser. The matter was only compounded when he had a public spat with Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner (who was supposed to have been running the election’s campaign), then instigated a halfhearted shadow-cabinet re-shuffle which made him look even weaker.

Commonwealth trade, and little less on the EU, a slightly lighter easing of lockdown restrictions than you would have got under Labour, and implementation of policies which cost little, such as animal rights reform.

and Liverpool City Council, Labour managed to retain the elected mayoral position, with Joanne Anderson taking over. There was little major change across the remainder of Merseyside.

The Scottish results also mean that whilst Nicola Sturgeon has some claim to call for another referendum, it is not as strong as she had hoped.

What does all this mean for you? Well, Boris Johnson has shored up his own position as Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives. It makes him now more likely to be their candidate for the next General Election (and this wasn’t the case before these elections), should he want it.

NORTH WEST

Labour did less well in Lancashire County Council elections, where they had hoped to make gains. In the end, the Conservatives held firm control and also won the Lancashire Police Commissioner position from Labour. Labour held on to power in Blackburn with Darwen, Chorley and Preston, but lost control of Rossendale and West Lancashire. Tories won back Pendle.

Most immediately, it means Johnson, his Chancellor, and Cabinet colleagues, can continue implementing the policies which they believe are important to the country, without too much disruption from the backbenches, and certainly not Labour. So, anticipate much more tightening of public spending generally (for example, public sector pay restraint, less than anticipated education funding for children left behind), more focused spending initiatives (like the Levelling Up Fund), a greater emphasis on world and

As you might expect, Labour did better in the North West than they had elsewhere. Andy Burnham took a storming 67% of the vote in Greater Manchester’s mayoral election, presumably reaping some reward for standing up to the government over pandemic lockdown funding. The local council elections across the sub-region so little change with both the Conservatives and Labour making gains in different areas. The Liberal Democrats, who had a poor showing throughout all the elections, did become the biggest party in Stockport. Whilst Steve Rotheram, the incumbent Liverpool City Regional Mayor, lost one percent of his previous vote, he still maintained a very healthy 58% share. After the major allegations relating to Joe Anderson

These results broadly mean that it’s business as usual. Burnham will continue to bang the drum for Greater Manchester, whilst craving the Labour leadership title, most Labour local authorities will continue to blame central government for a lack of funding, whilst the Conservatives will be heartened that they’ve managed to hold on to power in ‘red wall’ areas like Lancashire and Bolton.

YORKSHIRE AND HUMBER Tracy Brabin winning 60% of the vote to become West Yorkshire’s regional mayor was good news for Labour, though with her being an MP, the rules now force a by-election in her

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“STREET’S AGENDA TO IMPROVE BIRMINGHAM AND BEYOND WILL UNDOUBTEDLY CONTINUE AND HIS SUCCESS HERE PUTS HIM IN A STRONG POSITION TO PRESS THE GOVERNMENT FOR FURTHER FINANCIAL SUPPORT.” constituency of Batley and Spen, on 1st July – one that might challenge Labour once more. Councils, Leeds, Bradford, Barnsley, Wakefield, Rotherham, and Calderdale all remained Labour, whilst Sheffield and Kirklees went to no overall control. Dan Jarvis MP, the Sheffield City Region Mayor (who can remain in Parliament because a different deal was agreed) is up for election next year, and it will be interesting to see if he decides to stand again, or indeed, whether he will win. In Sheffield, Labour have created a coalition with the Greens (who did well across a number of elections nationally), which might temper the policies locally. Labour is running Kirklees with minority control.

MIDLANDS Andy Street is clearly popular and ran a good campaign to remain Conservative Mayor of the West Midlands, though Labour’s Nik Johnson gained Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral job, and Dan Norris, took the West of England Mayoral role, both from the Conservatives. Street’s agenda to improve Birmingham and beyond will undoubtedly continue and his success here puts him in a strong position

to press the government for further financial support. The newly elected Labour Mayors mentioned above, might not be so lucky.

LONDON The London mayoral elections didn’t go quite as anticipated. Although Labour’s Sadiq Khan ended up taking 55.2% of the popular vote, the Conservatives Shaun Bailey did better than many thought he would. Because nobody managed to secure a majority of votes in the first round, it went to a run-off between the two candidates and Bailey ended up receiving 44.8% of the first and second round votes, an increase of 1.6% from the Tories previous result. There was little change on the London Assembly, with Labour losing one seat, the Tories gaining one, the UK Independence Party losing two, and the Greens and Liberal Democrats gaining one each.

LESSON FOR LABOUR Returning to where we started with political laws, the one most closely associated with the US Democrat, Tip O’Neill, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, is that ‘all politics is local.’ Fighting his rival – called Frank McKenna by the way – O’Neill managed to use a televised House debate on national economics and relate it so closely to his constituency that it gave him the edge and he retained his seat. The lesson for Labour then, is that whilst they bang on about the PM’s soft furnishings, whether Ministers are corrupt, or what the latest thinking is in the transgender debate, the Conservatives are focused on the Levelling Up Fund, how many they can vaccinate in Bolton, and freeports for specific regions. There’s only one party currently playing the ‘all politics is local’ game, and it’s not Labour.

The Conservatives will be mildly heartened by their performance in the Mayoral race and will see it as an opportunity to beat Khan next time. Meanwhile, one can’t doubt that like Burnham, Sadiq also fancies his chances as Labour leader, but perhaps not as obviously as his Manchester comrade.

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WORDS BY MARTIN LIPTROT COMMENTATOR ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND POLITICS BASED IN FLORIDA 12

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“SO, WHAT WILL BIDEN’S INTERNATIONAL POLICY LOOK LIKE AND, IMPORTANTLY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE ‘SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’ WITH THE UK? BIDEN HAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO JUST TO DELIVER THIS MAMMOTH DOMESTIC AGENDA.” June 20th marks six-months since Joe Biden was sworn in to replace Donald Trump in the White House. As a US-based Brit with business interests on both sides of the pond, it has been interesting to follow Biden’s progress so far and the challenges which lie ahead. When the election results were announced most Brits were happy to see the erratic and often embarrassing Trump depart polling showed 75% of UK citizens disapproved of the property tycoon as Commander-in-Chief. But little was known about what Joe Biden’s policy focus would be, and what that might mean to UK interests. While the departing President and his supporters have continued to pour their energy and resources into contesting the outcome of the election, his Twitter ban and the rolling legal challenges he faces, the new incumbent has made some big strides in changing the political and economic landscape. When Biden finally got behind the desk in the Oval Office, tackling the COVID pandemic was always going to be his first priority. After the previous President’s disputing of the science, public wrangling with government medical advisors, and his own views on the power of household bleach, Biden was quick to align himself with the mainstream public health community and put the muscle of the administration behind a national vaccination programme.

Businesses and employers applauded this fresh clarity of message and though Trump-loyal Republican governors continue to dispute the science, the majority recognise that to achieve the goal of returning to something close to economic normalcy, the virus – and fear of the virus - need to be controlled first. With vaccinations now well underway, Team Biden turned its attention to preparing the nation for the expected economic recovery. While the stock market has performed wonderfully over the past 12 months - indices have seen 40%+ growth - employment and job creation are central to the President’s long-term plan. While Biden had trailed his intentions to invest in America during the campaign, many have been surprised by the scale of the program the new President has announced. But politics-watchers will recognise the expediency of his moves. Having served as VP under President Obama as well as a lengthy and distinguished career on Capitol Hill, he will know full-well how the U.S. political system works to frustrate the ambitions of Presidents. With the current numbers slightly in his favour ahead of any mid-term elections, Biden’s political experience will have told him now is the time to act, and to go big. And big it most definitely is. Biden has announced a record $6-trillion package which covers investment in infrastructure, support for families and the funding of government reforms and

programmes. This program will see the nation run a deficit for a decade and pay off the debt with increases in tax for corporations and the uberwealthy. Bold steps. But there are still many negotiations to be had first. Presidents don’t have control of the funds in the U.S. system so he will have to ask Congress to loosen the purse strings to deliver his ‘Building Back Better’ plan. Senators and Representatives from across the country and both parties will be looking for what it means to their constituencies and political fortunes so there will be plenty of pork barrelling and horse trading to get this plan through. So, what will Biden’s international policy look like and, importantly, what does that mean for the ‘special relationship’ with the UK? Biden has a lot of work to do just to deliver this mammoth domestic agenda. To steal from UK PM Harold MacMillan’s response to the question about what may divert his government from its set course, the answer is the same: “Events, dear boy, events.” The U.S. still plays a leading role in conflict resolution and protecting the rule of law in international affairs. The current dispute in the Middle East, the ongoing predatory stance of Russia in the Caucasus and the rising military and economic prowess of China in the East will all be circumstances President Biden will have teams

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“WHEN THE ELECTION RESULTS WERE ANNOUNCED MOST BRITS WERE HAPPY TO SEE THE ERRATIC AND OFTEN EMBARRASSING TRUMP DEPART - POLLING SHOWED 75% OF UK CITIZENS DISAPPROVED OF THE PROPERTY TYCOON AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.”

monitoring and engaging on. He will be hoping military or diplomatic events don’t distract attention away from his core project to rebuild America.

Kathryn Tai to Dept. of Trade Minister Liz Truss MP in May. So far, little progress has been made, Ms. Truss spending her time negotiating a deal with Australia first.

And in a move warmly embraced by Main Street USA, Biden has made no apology that his global trade and economic policies will be set to protect and enhance the outlook for U.S. workers and manufacturers. But worryingly for UK businesses, the stalled UK/US Trade talks don’t appear high on his agenda.

In fact, trans-Atlantic negotiations have become a little tetchy of late. Upon leaving the EU, the UK decided to keep in place many of the tariffs and restrictions on some U.S. products as a response to the Trump administration’s tariffs on some metals including British steel. In retaliation Californian wine, Maine Lobster and Pennsylvania chocolate are in the UK’s cross hairs. So all eyes will be on the G7 Conference in Cornwall when PM Johnson will have an opportunity to put a friendly word in President Biden’s ear, much as Tony Blair did with President Bush to secure a commitment to international aid. JoBi doesn’t care much for BoJo who

Biden’s only utterances on post-Brexit Britain so far have been to reassure American-Irish interests that the upholding of the Northern Ireland Protocol is central to any trade deals with UK. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken introduced his key negotiators Lawyer Maria Pagan and Ambassador

threw his support behind Trump and got widely condemned here for racist, colonial ‘name-calling’ of former President Obama. So senior diplomats will have to get Boris to do what he isn’t very good at despite all the practice – apologising - and try to repair the strained relationship and kickstart the tricky business of getting a trade deal the increasingly isolated UK needs between these two long standing partners. Biden, it appears, holds the better cards in this trade standoff but we will wait and see who blinks first.

TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE & CONSTRUCTION PARLIAMENTARY RECEPTION 18.10.21

INTERESTED IN ATTENDING? HEATHER.THORNTON@DOWNTOWNINBUSINESS.COM

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WORDS BY DOUGAL PAVER MANAGING DIRECTOR, MERRION STRATEGY LIMITED

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ONE THING LOOKS CERTAIN TO STOP THE DEVELOPMENT JUGGERNAUT. WILL GOVERNMENT LET IT OFF THE LEASH? Following a career advising property developers I’ve come to the conclusion that uncertainty is the grit that creates the pearl. Economic and regulatory changes – often at bewildering speed and with little notice (pandemic, anyone?) – provide myriad opportunities for those sufficiently fleet of foot. Having the necessary financial bandwidth helps, of course. When it comes to flux, there have been few eras to match this one. On top of planning reforms come changes to building regulations, societal changes brought on by the pandemic, tectonic shifts in institutional investment and, at a more local level, town hall upheavals. All come with their financial implications, both short- and longterm. Who’d be a landlord in London, for example, with 900,000 fewer residents than its pre-pandemic high? My niece has gone from Peckham to leafy Battersea, reducing her rent and increasing the quality of her home and lifestyle in just one lease cycle. How will flexible working and the seeming related move to the suburbs affect the value and demand for city centre homes in Liverpool and Manchester? Not to mention their design and construction costs (satisfying demand for balconies doesn’t come cheap)? Just as British cities were developing greater density and using scarce land more productively, the pandemic shifts the demand factors on their axis and low-rise suburban homes suddenly come back in vogue.

But will their value hold up? Financial institutions are already shifting away from house-builders that fail to meet the latest sustainable design standards demanded by the UN climate change conference, so what does this mean for the value of your 1930s semi in Aigburth or Withington? The political implications of expensive retro-fitting insulation and the replacement of gas central heating systems are already starting to rumble. Commentators are putting the government on notice that an electoral tsunami awaits – and that’s before efforts to compel use of expensive electric vehicles begin to bite. There’s more, but a scan of the headlines tells you that the development sector is taking it all in its stride. House prices are booming, providing the allure of rising wealth, and the country is in the throes of a house-building boom. Materials and labour shortages are feeding through to inflation, however, bringing with it a potential sting in the tail, as we see below. Adjustments to permitted development rights – meaning property owners can change the use of, say, high street retail to residential without planning permission – are fuelling the construction sector further, with far-reaching ramifications for the health of our high streets and the mix of uses that sustain their appeal. The latest proposals for planning reform include applications in designated zones assuming an automatic approval, although some expect this to be watered down.

The point is that there seems no letup in either the pace of the market nor government’s efforts to have it deliver on its policy programme. In Liverpool, meanwhile, clients report concerns of stasis in the planning function, believing that officers are awaiting clarity on the role and priorities of the new Whitehallimposed commissioners. This is likely to be short-term, of course, Secretary of State Robert Jenrick having stated in Parliament that he expected the commissioners to help the council deliver economic growth “at pace.” The fly in the ointment seems likely to be inflation, not just in the development sector itself, but in the wider economy. Nothing destroys value more quickly. A little is a good thing, of course: who doesn’t like growing wages and a few more bob in their back pocket with which to treat the family? But if it takes off in the wider economy then the corrective policy measures will hurt us all: fiscal tightening and rising interest rates have the potential to crush demand in the discretionary part of the economy as money is siphoned into servicing rising debt costs such as mortgages. We must hope for a clever and responsive hand on the policy tiller if we’re to avoid all this coming to a crashing halt. It’s been bad enough having to live with the pandemic without then finding our V-shaped recovery knocked off course by the twin evils of inflation and leadenfooted policy-making. Hang on for the ride, folks – and keep your fingers crossed.

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FINANCIAL ADVISORY FIRM PARTNER WITH URBANISE ON UNIQUE LIVERPOOL OFFICE SPACE The first images inside an exclusive new office, the likes of which Liverpool has never seen, have been revealed. Financial advisory firm Sedulo have just opened premises in Exchange Flags and their lease will cost more than £1million while the company have spent a further £400,000 transforming their 7,000 sq ft space into an incredible area. Upon entering the offices, clients and guests will be greeted by an impressive 3,000 sq ft backlit bar dressed in black and green to provide a very intimate and calm working space with secluded tables and a speaker system alongside. The new offices also feature a ‘Jurgen Klopp/Howard Kendall Suite’ complete with signed shirts from Sir Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Ratcliffe plus an indoor garden, table football machine and seats in blue and red set against Goodison Park and Anfield in order to pay homage to the rivalry and history between the city’s two major football clubs Liverpool FC and Everton FC. The main boardroom has been designed like a military bunker, complete with sandbags and 1940s Wrens uniforms in order to pay respects to Walker House where the office is located - as it once housed a bombproof bunker in the basement as part of a military command headquarters.

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A McVitie’s/Crawfords suite has been installed - with Crawfords having been a major Liverpool confectioners producing biscuits from the late 1800s until being merged with McVitie’s in the 1970s. In honour of that, Sedulo will be serving afternoon tea each day in their Liverpool office with a stock of Crawfords biscuits for staff to enjoy.

chairs at every workstation is in place for staff to complete their duties during the day. Sedulo founder Paul Cheetham-Karcz said: “We’re really proud to open our offices in Liverpool to go alongside our bases in Manchester, Leeds and London.

Meanwhile, a beautiful outdoor Victorian terrace garden overlooking the Royal Liver Building and River Mersey has been installed with a cool American-style diner decked out with iconic signage and decoration also in place for staff to eat breakfast in each day and Sedulo clients to enjoy if they wish.

“Bringing in the locality, paying respects to the building we are in and tipping the hat to the history of the area is really important. “And we hope that by building spaces like this, our clients and staff will look forward to coming in and a happy environment here will create the best experience for everyone involved. “Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester are the UK’s most dynamic cities outside of London and I wanted us to be the first financial advisory firm that had a real hold in each city, so I’m very excited about this.”

Finally, a large red and white working area, complete with spotlights, a brand wall and heated massage

A spokesperson for Urbanise, the company who completed building works at the offices, said: “Having

A podcast studio, modelled on Oprah Winfrey’s set, has been put in place too.

worked with Sedulo in Manchester and Leeds, it was great to be asked to come and be part of the Liverpool project. “Paul always has a vision of the office he wants and it is up to us to interpret that and bring it to life. “Looking at the bar, suites, office and terrace that have been built here we think that we have delivered exactly what he was thinking. “We wish Paul and all the team at Sedulo all the best for the coming months and hope that these amazing spaces help them deliver the quality service they are renowned for.”

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BROCK CARMICHAEL LEADING THE WAY ON BROWNFIELD DEVELOPMENTS In March 2020, the government announced that a register of Brownfield sites across the UK would be launched to help encourage Councils to build new developments on unused land. A backing of £400 million was promised by the Chancellor. The idea behind this register was to bring unused land back into use and to try to avoid developments being built on Greenfield sites. £45m of the fund is allocated directly to Liverpool City Region, starting this financial year (2021-2022). The fund must deliver land suitable for at least 3,000 and preferably 4,000 homes to be developed and house building needs to start on each site by 31 March 2025 at the latest. According to the National Housing Federation (NHF), in 2019 there were over 25,500 hectares of Brownfield

land in England alone. It was estimated that a million homes could be built on this land, which would go a long way to solving the current housing crisis. Architecture practice, Brock Carmichael, has recently gained planning approval for a huge number of developments on Brownfield sites across the UK. These include North West sites such as a 1,100 home residential development Cowley Hill in St Helens and 161 homes in Warrington across two currently disused former school sites. The Warrington sites, Foxwood & Sycamore Lane, are two completely gas-free schemes that will be heated using ground source heat pumps (Energy Performance Certificate - A rating). These developments are the first for Incrementum and will

provide the first 27% of 600 affordable homes urgently needed across the Warrington region. Michael Cosser, Partner at Brock Carmichael states; “There are some issues to tackle when building on a Brownfield site. Redevelopment may include additional costs of demolition, remediation and the re-engineering of current services and utilities for future occupiers. But these investments could be paid back later with higher sales revenue from a more desirable, more central location on existing transport routes and lower utilities and servicing costs, even a more ready source of employment.” Chris Bolland, Managing Partner at Brock Carmichael adds; “Issues for Brownfield sites can be more complex and need a wider range of expertise but this will not deter our experienced

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“THE STATE OF GREENBELT 2021 REPORT REVEALS THERE ARE CURRENTLY 0.25 MILLION (257,944) HOMES PROPOSED TO BE BUILT ON LAND REMOVED FROM THE GREEN BELT – OVER FOUR TIMES AS MANY (475% INCREASE) AS IN 2013. WITH ONLY ONE IN TEN CONSIDERED AFFORDABLE, THESE NEW HOMES WILL DO LITTLE TO TACKLE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS.” team. Effective means of dealing with such issues exist and have already been tried and tested.” He added; “The development of Brownfield sites regenerates and repurposes derelict areas. Bringing life to these sites creates jobs, enhances local economies, fosters community and creates sustainable places to live. Derelict docklands, canal sides and waterways, old industrial or chemical sites and small parcels of land where infill developments are all perfectly possible, can all have a future contributing positively to our built environment.” Michael Cosser summed up; “Brownfield sites provide new homes and other associated infrastructures in high-demand areas making best use of existing services; local transport and proximity to established utilities. It encourages sustainability and assists in social and economic

regeneration of a region. It puts the heart back into our towns and cities.” Making use of these Brownfield sites help protect the Greenbelt is essential. In February 2021, rural charity CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) said the nation’s green belt land is facing “extreme and sustained pressure” amid a big rise in the number of homes due to be built in the protected areas in the last decade. The State of Greenbelt 2021 report reveals there are currently 0.25 million (257,944) homes proposed to be built on land removed from the Green Belt – over four times as many (475% increase) as in 2013. With only one in ten considered affordable, these new homes will do little to tackle the affordable housing crisis. Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said: “Local countryside and green spaces have been a lifeline through lockdown. Our poll shows massive

public support for protecting these places – their importance for our mental health and wellbeing is undeniable. So, to see the growing level of threat faced by the Green Belt, the countryside next door for millions of people living in our towns and cities, is extremely worrying. CPRE recommends the government introduces a clear ‘brownfield first’ or ‘renew zone first’ policy is adopted in the Planning Bill, which ensures that suitable previously developed land can be prioritised for redevelopment over any greenfield Green Belt sites, as well as taking a more proactive approach to identifying new brownfield sites.

THE BUSINESS CLUB WITH OPINIONS

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PROPOSED PLANNING CHANGES RISKS THE ‘15-MINUTE CITIES’ GOAL WORDS BY ÁLVARO COSTELA SÁNCHEZ HEAD OF MARKETING LIVERPOOL BID COMPANY

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“LOCKDOWN SHOWED LOCAL COMMUNITIES THE POWER OF THEIR LOCAL HIGH STREET, AND THE IDEA OF THE 15-MINUTE CITY EMPHASISES HAVING EVERYTHING YOU NEED WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF YOUR FRONT DOOR.” The UK Government’s proposed changes to the planning laws risk damaging the much-lauded goal of creating a 15 minute city, and could damage the character and culture of high streets if change goes through without local communities having a say. Bill Addy, CEO of Liverpool BID Company, and a Senior Fellow Institute of Place Management, says without proper scrutiny, turning empty units into housing risks communities having no control over the resilience and future of their neighbourhoods. Mixed economies mean thriving local communities, with a mixture of housing, local businesses, places to eat, shop and relax. In Liverpool, mini high streets are anchor points for local communities. The UK Government is currently in consultation over changes to Permitted Development Rights. The proposed changes to planning laws mean full planning applications will not be needed to renovate unused buildings as residential or for any other use (outside of conservation zones). This would put areas like Smithdown Road, Aigburth Road, high streets in North Liverpool and Church Street in the city centre at risk as they are not in conservation areas. The change of use would disrupt the ground level animation, damaging amenities for local communities and disproportionately affect cultural venues and activity. “There has never been a greater opportunity to create the cities we need, but the changes to Permitted

Development Rights, currently in consultation stage, will hinder the ability of high streets to evolve and adapt. The proposed changes to planning laws mean that full planning applications will not be needed to renovate unused buildings as residential or any other use for areas outside conservation zones. While there is a need to give empty units a new lease of life, without engaging with the local community - and that includes businesses as well as residents - we risk creating a two-tier high street, where people feel they have no say, no control, and where developers can completely transform the character of a high street without a single individual being able to stop them. Lockdown showed local communities the power of their local high street, and the idea of the 15-minute city emphasises having everything you need within a few minutes of your front door. Turning embattled high streets over to residential risks upsetting the balance of these communities, damaging the ability to serve what the neighbourhood needs. Cities always adapt and evolve. A century and a half ago, Church Street was residential, before it became one of the most fashionable and forwardthinking retail experiences in Europe, with department stores and fresh ideas straight from Paris and New York to wow shoppers.

into a mixed-use economy, with space for shoppers, restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and more. What works in a BID is that businesses have a say in how a street or an area evolves and changes. They are able to say how a new development might improve, or negatively impact them. They feel invested and having a say in your high street is vital if we are to bring communities together. Yet these planning rules remove a voice. There’s a lack of protection for cultural venues. What if an empty unit is next to a bar, or music venue, that manages to reopen after this pandemic but then faces a new threat of a residential block that impacts their ability to stay open. The composition of ground level animation, which affects how people feel walking around our neighbourhoods and streets, is severely impacted by this. Substandard or low-quality housing could have a detrimental impact on our city centre, which is a destination for visitors looking for retail, culture, business and more. We cannot risk a developer, who isn’t invested in a local community, to change a high street without the agreement of their neighbours. We cannot risk our city centres, that are currently at the heart of a shared conversation about how they need to meet our new needs post-pandemic, being changed irrevocably without anyone having a say.”

It has continued to adapt, and while it has been a BID area, we have seen the retail heart of Liverpool develop

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SUTCLIFFE BOOSTS WORKFORCE AND SECURES A HOST OF NEW NATIONAL PROJECTS Civil and structural engineering firm, Sutcliffe, has boosted its workforce with three new recruits, with the company still actively looking to fill two more positions in the coming weeks. New to the team are senior BIM technician Benjamin Downey, geotechnical scientist Daniel Evans, and structural engineer Adam Leek. It represents a 16% increase to the workforce since the start of 2021. Previously working for five years at Lancashire County Council as an environmental services officer, Daniel has a wealth of experience in the geo-technical field, while his new colleague Adam has worked most recently as a graduate structural engineer at Warrington-based Atkins. A BIM expert having worked as a BIM manager in a host of roles before joining Sutcliffe, Benjamin brings over a decade’s worth of experience to the company. It comes as the multi-disciplinary, BIM-accredited, chartered consultant

engineers, which has offices in Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales and London, has won a host of new national projects since April. New contracts include building reinstatement valuation survey work for Truro College in Cornwall, plus work to develop Home Bargains stores across the country, ensuring that Sutcliffe now has work scheduled up until February 2022, with further scope to take on more projects in the weeks and months to come. In the Liverpool City Region, the company is also working at the new CCC Waste Management treatment facility in Kirkby, as well as collaborating with Onward Living and H21 to construct 62 homes and 91 apartments for a new extra care unit on Hawthorne Road in Bootle. Sean Keyes, managing director, Sutcliffe, said: “We are constantly on the search for new talent and to grow our team. After overcoming the most challenging 12 months the industry

has ever seen, I am immensely proud to be in a position to boost employment in the Liverpool City Region. “We have had a solid April and May, with new work coming through the door. These projects not only put us in a very strong position for the second half of 2021, but enable us to raise our profile nationally and take Sutcliffe’s high standards across the country.” Elsewhere in the North West, Sutcliffe has also begun PV installation works for Oldham Council and development works at the Chorlton Irish Club. Earlier this year Sutcliffe appointed three new directors to its board - promoting Jacqui Johnson to communications director, Anoop Jayakkar to technical director and Ian Robinson promoted to finance director. It also welcomed seasoned structural engineer, Graham Swanson, as its new associate designate in the structures team, Mike Armes as senior technician and Michael Wiggins as graduate environmentalist.

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MANCHESTER

SIR RICHARD LEESE Sir Richard was elected to Manchester City Council in 1984 and became leader in 1996. Sir Richard Leese has been appointed Deputy Mayor and will lead on Health. After working consecutively as a teacher and then a youth worker, Cllr Leese was first elected to Manchester City Council in 1984. He was elected Leader of the Council in 1996 having previously served as Deputy Leader between 1990 and 1996, Chair of the Education Committee from 1986 until 1990, and subsequently Chair of the Finance Committee until 1995. Early in his leadership, Cllr Leese oversaw the major 10-year programme of regeneration of Manchester City Centre following the IRA bomb in 1996 – being awarded a CBE in 2001 and then a knighthood for “services to local government” in the 2006 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his role in the project.

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JOANNE RONEY

Joanne has been the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council since April 2017. During the last 18 months she has dealt with a number of unprecedented events including the Manchester Arena Bomb. Joanne is driving the Council through the fundamental changes to Health and Social Care. She is lead Chief Executive for skills across Greater Manchester. Before moving to Manchester, Joanne was previously Chief Executive of

Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council, where she held the top post from 2008. Joanne has a strong track record in transforming public services and delivering major regeneration initiatives such as the Hepworth Gallery Wakefield and Parkhill Housing in Sheffield. She has extensive experience in housing and local government, having previously worked as Director of Housing at Kirklees Council and Executive Director, with responsibility for housing, communities and adult care services at Sheffield City

Council. Joanne is a Fellow of CIH and a regular contributor to Inside Housing. Joanne is a Trustee of the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, established in the wake of the Manchester Arena attack, to provide financial support to victims and families affected. Joanne was awarded the OBE for services to local government in 2009.

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CHRIS OGLESBY

SIR HOWARD BERNSTEIN Sir Howard Bernstein is the former Chief Executive of Manchester City Council (1998-2017) and former Head of Paid Service for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (2011-2017). A strong believer in the transformative power of cities and one of the chief architects of Manchester’s urban, social and economic resurgence over the last four decades, Sir Howard now serves as a strategic advisor to several public, private and academic institutions in the UK and internationally. Over a distinguished career in public service, Sir Howard was instrumental in a range of projects and initiatives benefitting Manchester, Greater Manchester and the United Kingdom. He is widely recognised for his pioneering use of innovative financial instruments, planning mechanisms, governance arrangements and public-private partnerships to attract investment, accelerate development and deliver marked improvements in social and economic outcomes for people and businesses in Greater Manchester and the UK. He was knighted for his services to Manchester in 2003. Following his retirement from the Council in 2017, Sir Howard was appointed as an Honorary Professor of Politics and a strategic advisor to the University of Manchester. He is also a strategic advisor to Deloitte, an Honorary President of Manchester City FC and President of Lancashire County Cricket Club.

Chris grew up in Manchester, studied at LSE and City University, London and worked briefly in the City before returning north in 1991 to work for the company his father founded in 1976. He was appointed CEO in 1999 and has overseen the growth of the business to one that owns £1bn of commercial properties across the city regions of Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds with a further £1bn development pipeline across all four cities.

Chris is the majority shareholder of Bruntwood, which remains a familyowned and run company founded on a belief that its success comes from the success of its colleagues, customers and the communities in which it operates. This commitment to cities has led to Chris playing a leading role in many public and private sector partnerships, currently including Corridor Manchester, MIF and the Business Leadership Council, which he chairs.

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LISA MORTON

GARY NEVILLE

Lisa Morton established Roland Dransfield PR in 1996, an agency dedicated to creating Purposeful Relationships and value-driven success for businesses, brands and individuals. Over the past 25 years, Lisa has expanded Roland Dransfield into London, winning multiple industry accolades along the way. In 2018, Lisa led Roland Dransfield through a transformational change, putting purpose at the heart of everything the agency does. Integral to this was the creation of the agency’s values, “The Roland Dransfield Way” that sets out how Roland Dransfield does business.

Since then, Lisa has helped countless purpose driven causes, movements and organisations develop authentic relationships that help them reach their goals. These include, creating the Pay it Forward campaign to help the hospitality industry through lockdown, being a member of the business sounding board, a founding member of UnitedCity and launching the British Podcast Awards nominated, “We Built This City Podcast”.

As a professional footballer, Gary Neville was best known for being a prolific defender, holding the title of England’s most capped right-back having achieved 85 senior caps before retiring from International duty in 2007. Gary made 400 appearances for Manchester United and became one of the most decorated English players of all time, winning 20 major trophies including two Champions League titles and eight Premier League titles. Gary was part of the famous Manchester United Class of 92, cited as one of the best groups of young players in recent history including the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and brother, Phil Neville.

Since retiring from football, Gary took up coaching and media roles as well as multiple business projects. In the media, he has become one of the most popular commentators on international broadcasters, including ITV and Sky Sports. Gary co-owns a hospitality company, GG Hospitality, which has a portfolio of hotels and restaurants including Hotel Football and The Stock Exchange Hotel. Gary is currently working on St Michael’s, a £200m development project in Manchester city centre. Alongside former teammates Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Butt and brother Phil, Gary is the co-owner of Salford City FC and University Academy 92 which opened its doors to students in September 2019.

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ANDY BURNHAM Andy Burnham was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in May 2017, and was re-elected for a second term in May 2021. Prior to being Mayor, Andy was MP for Leigh from 2001. In Government, Andy has held Ministerial positions at the Home Office, Department of Health and the Treasury. In 2008 he became Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, before returning to Health as Secretary of State in 2009. In opposition, Andy has served as Shadow Education Secretary, Shadow Health Secretary and Shadow Home Secretary.

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LIVERPOOL

TONY REEVES

BILL ADDY Bill Addy, Senior Fellow Institute of Place Management, Chartered Construction Manager, Business Director, Owner and Self Supporting Church of England Priest has been CEO of Liverpool BID Company since March 2013, managing the 2 BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) in Liverpool: Retail & Leisure BID and Culture & Commerce BID. He is also chair of The BID Foundation and Cochair of the Northern BIDs Group, as well as chairing the Liverpool Visitor Economy Board. Bill’s career spans 4 decades with a background in development and construction, including 15 years working at David Mclean where he was involved in the regeneration of Liverpool city centre. Bill is also a minister at the Parish Church of Liverpool, Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, in Liverpool’s Commercial District.

Tony Reeves is Chief Executive of Liverpool City Council. He was Chief Executive of Bradford Council from September 2006 to November 2014 and prior to that Deputy Chief Executive of Wakefield City Council from March 2003 to September 2006. In 2014 Tony joined Deloitte as Local Government Advisory Partner supporting local Government in areas of strategy and policy, transformation, reorganisation, health and social care integration, regeneration, economic development and housing.

which has included supporting the implementation of the Mayor’s Inclusive Growth Plan, development and implementation of a transformation programme for the Council, performance and programme management systems and the development and implementation of directorate delivery/ business plans. In March 2018, Tony left Deloitte and focused on providing direct hands on strategic advice to the local government sector. His main client was Liverpool City Council.

In October 2017, Tony, via Deliotte, was engaged to work with Liverpool City Council providing strategic support and advice to the Mayor and Management Team

In July 2018, Liverpool City Council appointed Tony as Chief Executive.

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STEVE ROTHERHAM

Steve Rotheram is the Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region. He began his political career when he was elected to serve as a councillor in 2002, representing Fazakerley on Liverpool City Council and held the ceremonial title of Lord Mayor of Liverpool during the city’s European Capital of Culture year. In 2010, Steve was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Liverpool Walton constituency. During his time in Westminster he led campaigns for justice for the Hillsborough families; in support of blacklisted workers; for compensation for those suffering from mesothelioma and asbestosis; and to change

the law on the use of old tyres on buses and coaches. From 2015, Steve served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, before successfully seeking the nomination to be Labour’s candidate for Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region. In May 2017, Steve was elected with 59% of the vote and has overseen almost a billion pounds of investment, as well as delivering half-price bus travel for apprentices and implementing the pioneering Households into Work programme.

PAUL CHEETHAM Paul works with high profile names from the worlds of music, sport, media and business on all financial aspects. His experience in building, buying and selling companies means he looks at businesses through the eyes of an entrepreneur, seeing the potential growth of a business, spotting opportunities for lifetime growth. Paul was on the management team of Just Search Limited, before advising on its disposal

in a £14m deal and was a board member of Online Group AB, a company listed on the NASDAQ OMX First North in Stockholm, with a market cap of circa £70m at the point of Paul’s exit. He’s also proud Chair of children’s respite charity, Once Upon A Smile. Paul is the author of Taking Care of Business, a raw, real-life journey on how to build a successful business whilst coping with the dayto-day trauma that comes with it and also produces his own podcast.

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DENISE BARRETT BAXENDALE One of the most prominent and respected women in sport, Prof Denise Barrett-Baxendale, MBE, is a Director at Everton Football Club, Chief Executive Officer of Everton Football Club and Executive Chair of the Club’s official charity, Everton in the Community. Since September 2016, Denise has served as a Board member to Sport England; the only representative from the world of football appointed to the Board of the national body for grassroots sports. Before venturing into the third sector and world of sport, Denise spent 16 years working in education and fulfilled a variety of academic and leadership roles within Higher Education.

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BIRMINGHAM

DEBORAH CADMAN Deborah became Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority in September 2017, following a long and distinguished career in public service. After gaining a degree in politics, she began her career in 1984 with the London Borough of Newham, before moving to Birmingham City Council where she worked on major regeneration projects and gained a master’s degree in economics. Moving to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in 1996 as Head of Policy, Deborah gained a second master’s in management, before taking up a two-year secondment with the Department of Environment Transport and the Regions as Local Government Advisor to the Ministerial Team. In 2003, after being appointed the Audit Commission’s Best Value Service Lead Inspector for the London region, she became Chief Executive at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, before becoming Chief Executive of the East of England Development Agency. Deborah was Chief Executive of Suffolk County Council from 2011 to 2017 and has also been interim Chief Executive of Waveney District Council, Babergh District Council and Mid-Suffolk District Council.

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NEIL RAMI Neil is Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company. Supported by local authorities, universities and a wide range of regional businesses, the Growth Company was established in 2017 to create new jobs, expand existing businesses and attract new inward investment and visitors to the region. Its plans are aligned to the ambitions set out in the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Strategic Economic Plan.

Previously, Neil held similar economic development roles in Liverpool and Newcastle upon Tyne. He is currently Chairman of the Midlands Trade and Investment Group, a member of the British Tourism Industry Group and sits on the LandAid Midlands Board. He is also a nonexecutive director of Creative England.

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KIM LEARY

Kim is a fantastically dynamic businesswoman and entrepreneur who has combined her dream of establishing and nurturing her own company whilst also delivering, communicating and sharing such skills to her clients. Kim is a multi-award winning business woman having been crowned ‘Young Entrepreneur of the year 2016’, a finalist as ‘Business Woman of the Year 2018’ (for the Birmingham Awards) and Squibble her design agency won ‘Digital & Creative Business of the Year 2017’. Kim and her team have lead many top‐level campaigns for leading brands in the UK and because of this holds a strong position within the industry. She also has a vast and knowledgeable understanding of how to convert online visitors to customers combined with the ability to manage both aspects of website design and brand development.

When she isn’t glued to a computer screen, Kim spends her time helping entrepreneurs as a mentor through the Natwest Accelerator Programme. Due to her start-up success she is well placed for the focus on the growth and development of its entrepreneurial members. In July 2019 Kim joined a new initiative called Birmingham Tech Week. Birmingham Tech celebrates the diverse, innovative and growing tech ecosystem. Kim now chairs the board and will continue to deliver the vision of a united tech sector. In 2021, Kim then agreed to become Downtown Birmingham’s chairperson.

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CHRISSIE WOLFE

TIM ANDREWS In 1991, Tim and father John established Hollywood Signs a classic signage company based in Birmingham. Eleven years later after much success and enthusiasm to expand further, Tim then created Monster Digital, fulfilling a niche in the market by providing digitally printed graphics. In July 2009 Tim decided to merge Hollywood Signs and Monster Digital bringing together a complete signage solution for the West Midlands and in fact the whole of the UK, making it one of the largest of its kind. The company has since grown from strength to strength being awarded Investors in People in 2003 as well as picking up several other awards including The Birmingham Post Business Awards in 2001 and The Commerce and Industry Award for Birmingham City Football Club in 2009/2010. The Managing Director of the business now turns over £6m. Tim continues to seek new business opportunities and is enthusiastic about maintaining a profitable business, having survived the recession and employing more staff, making the total now in excess of 50 people. In his own time Tim enjoys spending it with family and friends, has a passion for sailing and thrives on football, supporting local team Birmingham City Football Club.

Former Irwin Mitchell Personal Injury lawyer and DIB Woman of the Year winner, Chrissie Wolfe founded Law and Broader in 2017, with the intention to improve accessibility to the profession by providing support and guidance to aspiring lawyers who were struggling to break through the training contract barrier, as she did, and share some of the things that she had learnt from her own challenges and setbacks in the process. It started life as a YouTube channel and quickly spread across Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok, as well as regular networking and educational events. 4 years later, the platform has won multiple awards, grown to over

50,000 followers and has helped hundreds of students to secure training contracts and legal work experience across the globe. The platform now extends beyond aspiring lawyers, providing social media and personal brand building consultancy services to individuals and businesses within the legal sector. Alongside the above, Chrissie regularly guest lectures and speaks at national and global events on topics including legal education, diversity and inclusion, mental health and well-being, innovation and technology and social media marketing.

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ANDY STREET

KEVIN JOHNSON Prior to founding Urban, Kevin spent 10 years at ITV where he led several high-profile initiatives, from launching a new broadcast centre to developing its first diversity strategy. Kevin is a specialist in strategic, crisis and stakeholder communications as well as public affairs. He frequently acts as a workshop facilitator and conference chair.

Before becoming Mayor, Andy combined a career at John Lewis, Britain’s most successful workers’ cooperative, with a host of high-profile economic development roles, working with local and national government. Starting on the John Lewis graduate scheme, Andy rose through the ranks to become managing director, overseeing one of the most successful periods in the company’s history. He was also chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP)

between 2011 and 2016, helping to build the relationships that have underpinned the economic growth of the region. Additionally, he has been lead nonexecutive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group.

He project-managed the re-brand of Birmingham Hippodrome and has led several projects for The University of Warwick, recently producing a film telling the Warwick Story. Last year, Kevin helped to launch the RACE Code and is currently leading a research study on The Future Business District. Current clients include Colmore Business District, The Governance Forum, Genting, Spectra and The University of Warwick. Kevin is former chair the Birmingham Publicity Association and nonexecutive Director of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He was chair of Lordswood Girls’ School. Kevin is a volunteer head coach of a youth football team.

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LANCASHIRE & CHESHIRE RACHEL MCQUEEN

Rachel was appointed to the role of Chief Executive for Marketing Lancashire in April 2018, having previously held the roles of Director of Tourism at Marketing Cheshire and Director of Marketing and Deputy CEO at Marketing Manchester. During her career at Marketing Manchester, she led a team of 26 responsible for the promotion of Manchester as a leading business, leisure and learning destination; focused on attracting visitors and investors, growing a highly skilled workforce and driving sustainable economic growth. Since joining Marketing Lancashire, Rachel has significantly built on the momentum the county has been

generating to raise its profile nationally and internationally. This has seen the launch of the Lancashire Business Ambassadors programme, the engagement of high profile Taste Lancashire ambassadors, a successful bid for the county’s first Discover England Fund project and scaled up activity in London on Lancashire Day. Working in partnership with the LEP, Rachel has also secured greater profile for Lancashire’s investment opportunities at key international events, such as EXPO REAL in Munich and MIPIM in Cannes, and announced Lancashire’s intention to bid for City of Culture status in 2025 at a county-wide scale.

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STEPHEN YOUNG Stephen joined Lancashire County Council in early 2018 as the Executive Director of Growth, Environment, Transport and Community Services with 24 years’ experience in the public sector. Prior to joining Lancashire, Stephen was the Director of Place at Bolton Council having worked in various Greater Manchester councils for the last 18 years. Stephen has a wealth of experience, having developed and begun the delivery of the £1 billion Town Centre Master Plan during his time in Bolton. Stephen also has extensive experience of developing policy formulation having led two different Chief Executive Departments during his career. Since joining Lancashire Stephen has led on the development of a £2.25 billion regeneration pipeline including the Lancashire Central Development, several Enterprise Zones, City Deal, a second home for Lancashire County Cricket Club as well as more recently on the Preston Station HS2 Masterplan. In addition to regeneration Stephen leads a large department covering a range of services including, highways and transport, customer contact and waste disposal. Stephen is also the chair of the Lancashire Youth Justice and Domestic Violence Boards and advises Government on the future of Flight in the UK.

DAVID MORRIS MP David Morris was elected in May 2010. He was re-elected in May 2015 with an increased majority and again in 2017 with an increased number of votes. Since being elected in 2010, David has secured the building of the £124.5 Million Heysham M6 Link Road, secured Heysham as the site for a new nuclear build, delivered a GP lead NHS Same Day Service in Morecambe, campaigned for more trains to stop at Carnforth, campaigned to improve NHS services locally and has enabled the residents of Sunderland Point to build sea defences to protect the point from coastal erosion and storm to name a few things David has worked on. David has served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to several Secretaries of State. He was a PPS from 2014-16 to the Secretary of State for Wales, from 2016-2017 to the Secretary of State to Scotland, from 2017 to 2018 to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. In 2018 David was the PPS to the Minister for Immigration until September 2018 and PPS to the Secretary of State for Education and until June 2019. David was PPS to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government until July 2019.

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JULIE MOGAN Excello corporate lawyer, Julie Mogan is a specialist in business & corporate, commercial contracts and intellectual property, advising high growth company’s and SME’s, following establishing and growing a successful commercial group in a large regional law firm and then leading the start-up and growth of a boutique commercial law firm in Cheshire and Liverpool. Julie qualified as a solicitor in 1990 and established a reputation in advising PLC’s, SME’s, investors and entrepreneurs on corporate, commercial and strategic issues. She is also Excello Law’s business development ambassador for the North West and won Downtown in Business’ ‘Legal Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ in 2016. Julie was appointed as the first female president of Chester Business Club in 2019, having served as the club’s first female Chairman between 2011-2013.

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RUTH CONNOR Ruth Connor is Executive Director of Strategic Marketing at the University of Central Lancashire. In 2012, Ruth was appointed the first Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire and led the organisation in its role to raise the profile of ‘brand Lancashire’, driving interest and enquiries for business growth and achieving the recognition and endorsement that the county so richly deserves. During this time, a strong working relationship with both Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) enabled Ruth and the team to market Lancashire more ambitiously and confidently than ever before. This was done through a range of high profile events, PR and communications activity and media coverage showcasing Lancashire’s strengths across key sectors, whilst at the same time highlighting opportunities for future development and regeneration. These activities have included Lancashire’s first ever attendance at the world’s leading property market MIPIM UK and MIPIM Cannes, the development and launch of the Lancashire Economic Narrative and #WeAreLancashire campaign, before moving to her current role at UCLAN.

STEVEN BROOMHEAD Steven is the Chief Executive at Warrington Borough Council, a role he has performed on a part-time basis since 2012. He was also the Council Chief Executive from 1997 to 2003. Professor Broomhead holds the Chair of Entrepreneurial Education at Liverpool Hope University. In May 2011 he gave his inaugural professorial lecture “Making Britain enterprising, entrepreneurial, forward wealth-creating again – restoring faith to the centre stage”. In 2007 the University of Chester named their new library the ‘Broomhead Library’. From 2003 to 2011 he was Chief Executive of the North West

Development Agency with a budget of £1 billion per year and was responsible for the economic development and regeneration of the North West. The major projects included Media City UK, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Capital of Culture 2008 and the regeneration of Barrow in Furness. He is Chairman of Warrington & Co – economic investment organisation for Warrington and Chairman of Wire Regeneration – developing a specific part of the town.

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ROB BINNS

DAVID TAYLOR David is the Chairman of Preston based David Taylor Partnerships (DTP) Limited, one of the leading exponents of Urban Regeneration with extensive experience in Public, Private and Voluntary Sectors. David was the founding Chief Executive of English Partnerships (now Homes England) and Amec Developments and has been involved in the development and delivery of wide variety of strategies, programmes and projects, both in the UK and internationally. David was a director of the Manchester Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Development Authority which delivered the London 2012 Games. Over the last twenty-five years David has been Deputy Chairman of Preston North End Football Club. David has built a portfolio of companies focused on projects in the built environment and green technologies. He was the Chairman of Hull Citybuild and Elevate the East Lancashire housing market renewal pathfinder and was involved at the outset in terms of helping to establish the Thames Gateway concept. He has worked extensively to promote projects in the Northern Powerhouse area. David has been Pro Chancellor and Chairman of UCLan since 2014 and he is currently Deputy Chairman of the Lancashire Economic Partnership.

Rob is a highly driven entrepreneur who operates with a visionary leadership philosophy, fusing corporate experience with entrepreneurial passion, with a proven track record, successfully creating and operating a number of companies within the technology, leisure and property sectors. Rob started his career in the aerospace industry at the very beginning of what some would call the modern technology

revolution, working in the infancy of computerised manufacturing. In 2010, Rob converted a Victorian Mill building, built in 1851, into multifunctional business centre, Cotton Court. He is also now a member of the Preston Town Fund Board, Co-founder of FYC (For Your Curls), the hair product range is specially designed for mixed race and curly hair and most recently, Downtown Lancashire in Business Chairman.

PHILLIPPA WILLIAMSON County Councillor Phillippa Williamson, leader of the Conservative group and county councillor for the Lancaster Rural North electoral division, has been formally appointed as leader of Lancashire County Council.

As council leader, Councillor Williamson appoints her cabinet, which is responsible for day-to-day decision making across the full range of county council services and makes recommendations on policy, strategy and budget issues to the full council.

Prior to this month’s election, Councillor Williamson served as the cabinet member for children, young people and schools.

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RICHARD SLATER Richard has worked in the media for more than 30 years and leads the Northpoint Media Group of businesses which includes Lancashire Business View magazine and Limitless Public Relations. A journalist and public relations practitioner by training and experience, he is also a regular event chair, host, panellist, and media commentator. An experienced non-executive director, he has served East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Health Trust, East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and Industry and children’s charity Curious Minds.

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LONDON

RYAN WAIN Ryan Wain is Political Director at the Institute, where he heads up the Political Team. With a mission to revive progressive politics, the team’s work includes establishing a new progressive agenda with technology at its heart while navigating today’s political challenges – including the so-called culture wars. Ryan has developed political strategies and authored papers on a range of different issues, including the Institute’s work on Covid-19. He also sits on the board of the Prisoner Radio Association.

DOWNTOWN QUARTERLY Jules Pipe is working on key priorities for the Mayor, including: revision of the London Plan, major regeneration projects across the capital, ensuring London’s infrastructure needs are delivered to benefit all Londoners, and building a skills system that properly addresses the needs of young people and the economy. Jules has unrivalled knowledge of London government, becoming the first directly elected mayor of Hackney in 2002 and serving as Chair of London Councils from 2010 until he joined the Mayor’s team in 2016.

SIR PETER HENDY Sir Peter was commissioner of Transport for London (TfL) from 2006 to 2015. He led the successful operation of London’s transport for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Sir Peter’s experience in leading urban transport in a world city is critical to chairing Network Rail and managing its complex relationships with stakeholders. Sir Peter is a past international and UK president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport, and of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He was knighted in the 2013 New Year’s Honours List, having been made CBE in 2006 for services to public transport and the community in London.

JULES PIPE

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HEIDI ALEXANDER Before joining the Mayor’s team Heidi was the Member of Parliament for Lewisham East. Elected in 2010, she served in the Whips’ Office before being appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Health. Between 2006 and 2010 Heidi worked as Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Lewisham and Cabinet Member for Regeneration. She is a graduate of Durham University from where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and a Masters degree in European Urban and Regional Change. As Deputy Mayor for Transport and Deputy Chair of Transport for London, Heidi will be focused on delivering the Mayor’s transport strategy: ensuring that London has a reliable, comfortable and affordable public transport system accessible to all; creating safe, healthy streets where people want to walk and cycle; and ensuring that new homes and new jobs are part of a sustainable, integrated transport system which delivers good economic growth across London.

WES STREETING MP Wes Streeting is the Labour MP for Ilford North and Shadow Minister for Schools. Wes bucked the trend to win the seat from the Conservatives at the 2015 general election. He was a member of the influential House of Commons Treasury Committee from 2015 until the 2019 general election. Following Keir Starmer’s election as Leader of the Labour Party, Wes was appointed as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and in October 2020 was promoted to Shadow Schools Minister.

Leader of the London Borough of Redbridge, serving as Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing. In his professional life, he has worked outside politics as a senior manager and chief executive for a number of voluntary and private sector organisations working to tackle educational disadvantage. Wes is a Vice President of the Local Government Association and a Patron of LGBT Labour.

Prior to his election to Parliament, Wes was Deputy

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CLLR RACHAEL ROBATHAN In 2010, Cllr Robathan was elected to Westminster City Council to represent the Knightsbridge and Belgravia Ward. Before becoming Leader she previously held the Cabinet Member portfolios for Finance, Property and Regeneration; Housing and Adults and Public Health and was Deputy Cabinet Member for both the Adult Services and Customer Services portfolios. Cllr Robathan has also sat on the Finance and Children’s Policy and Scrutiny Committees and Planning Committees. Cllr Robathan spent 20 years working in Investment Management, specialising in emerging markets. Cllr Robathan is also a Trustee of The Westminster Almhouses Foundation, a charity which provides sheltered housing to over 60s in the city and a board member for The National Lottery Community Fund.

CLLR GEORGIA GOULD Georgia was appointed Leader of Camden Council in May 2017 and has served as a Councillor for Kentish Town Ward since 2010. Georgia studied at Camden School for Girls and has lived in the Borough for most of her adult life. Georgia studied History and Politics at Oxford, and graduated with a master's degree in global politics from the London School of Economics. At the age of 24 she was elected a Labour councillor for the Kentish Town ward of Camden in 2010 and prior to becoming leader she held cabinet roles responsible for young people, economic growth and adult social care. Georgia has a particular interest in youth politics and published a book called Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future. It draws on two years spent travelling around the UK interviewing young people. Georgia is also a member of the London Councils Executive (Skills & Employment), Member of London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) Board, Chair of Central London Forward Employment and Skills Board, Chair of Euston Strategic Board, Co-chair of Skills for London Taskforce and a Governor of William Ellis School.

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LORD ANDREW ADONIS

Lord Andrew Adonis was appointed as chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission on 5 October 2015. He was a member of the independent Armitt Commission, which recommended an independent National Infrastructure Commission in 2013.

Andrew Adonis was formerly the Transport Secretary from 2009 to 2010, Minister of State for Transport from 2008 to 2009 and Minister for Schools from 2005 to 2008. He was Head of the No10 Policy Unit from 2001 to 2005.

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15 MINUTES WITH OUR MAN IN LANCASHIRE, ROB BINNS Here our very own Simon Danczuk talks with new Downtown Lancashire chairman, Robert Binns, serial entrepreneur, start-up mentor and investor. Q. ROB, WELCOME TO DOWNTOWN IN BUSINESS AND THANKS FOR TAKING ON THE ROLE OF LANCASHIRE CHAIRMAN. COULD YOU START BY TELLING US, AND OUR READERS, A BIT ABOUT THE BUSINESSES YOU’RE INVOLVED WITH AND HOW THINGS ARE GOING FOR YOU AT THE MOMENT? RB: Well, there are quite a few so I will try and keep brief! I will start with the newest. ‘FYC,’ For Your Curls, is a haircare range designed predominantly for people with mixed textured curls. Now with

my lack of flowing locks it is a product I use every day but on my daughter’s hair not my bald head before you say anything Simon. The business evolved from my desperate search for a product not filled with horrible chemicals and that actually worked so when I didn’t find any, we created one. So now with FYC performing well in the UK we are looking to Europe and the US for further expansion. Cotton Court Business Centre in Preston is a hub for my own and many other companies, some physically having office, or desk space, whilst others utilise our training and

conference facilities. It also offers a variety of virtual services with a range of local, national, and international telecoms and mail handling solutions, with customers ranging from startups to international companies needing a UK hub. I also have interests in property, residential and commercial, operating in the private and the not-for-profit social sector. The not-for-profit element is something the whole team is very passionate about and I am also a board member of an exciting, again not-for-profit, energy company that not only puts resources back into

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“NOW WITH MY LACK OF FLOWING LOCKS IT IS A PRODUCT I USE EVERY DAY BUT ON MY DAUGHTER’S HAIR NOT MY BALD HEAD BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING SIMON.”

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the community but has strong carbon reduction ambitions. Q. THAT’S VERY IMPRESSIVE. YOU HAVE SOME CIVIC, COMMUNITY ROLES TOO? RB: I really do believe in giving back, if you have skills and resources that can improve your community why wouldn’t you put them to good use? I am involved in various initiatives, for example, I’m on the Preston Towns Fund Board which recently won a £20.9 million bid, I am a Leader in Residence at the University of Central Lancashire, and work with a number of local charities and community organisations. Q. EXCELLENT, YOU OBVIOUSLY LIKE TO KEEP BUSY. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT BEING ENTREPRENEURIAL? HOW DO YOU RELAX? RB: I think you are always entrepreneurial even if it’s just being efficient with your time wouldn’t, you say? I do believe exercise is key for both body and mind when you’re busy, so cycling and the gym, with my go-to equipment being the rowing machine because I can kill two birds with one stone and listen to a book at the same time. I do enjoy golf even though it is most definitely not representative of my general sporting ability and I don’t get out as much as I did. Having a very entertaining little 4-year-old daughter doesn’t leave much spare time for anything else. Q. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE? HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN RUNNING BUSINESSES? RB: I spent a long time in the corporate world – around 17 years – working my way around rather than up the organisation which made me really understand that doing my own thing was what would work best for me. Don’t get me wrong, the training, exposure to new technology, and business governance, working for an organisation like BAe Systems is second to none, and I had to be

entrepreneurial, but in a different way. My first real business was inspired from a friend’s trip to the US – I was 23, I think – where of all things he saw a vertical tanning machine and so we decided to open a salon in Preston. I still remember after weeks of telephone calls and hard negotiations with a manufacture the look on his face when I finally turned up, because his final sales pitch on the phone was “when you see my machines you won’t be able to stop yourself from wanting to try them, and when you see how brown you go you will have to buy one.” Needless to say, I let someone else give them a test drive and to be fair he wasn’t wrong about that bit anyway. I managed to successfully sell the business a couple of years later, but it wasn’t time to give up the day job just yet. Q. SO, YOU STARTED AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR SOMEONE THINKING ABOUT SETTING OUT IN BUSINESS, OR MAKING A CAREER CHANGE AND SETTING UP THEIR OWN BUSINESS?

Q. EXCELLENT, REALLY HELPFUL. LET’S TURN TO LANCASHIRE. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE COUNTY? WHAT MAKES YOU PROUD TO SAY THAT YOU COME FROM LANCASHIRE? RB: The people, the place, and the potential – there I go with my trio of reasons again! But the people you find in Lancashire are straight talking, big hearted and the sense of community in the county is something I am extremely proud of. Lancashire as a place to live has it all, from beautiful countryside to coastal beaches, and with everything from historic villages to city living, what’s not to love? However, all that said I do believe the county, even though it is a manufacturing powerhouse, is still a sleeping giant and the potential the county has is extremely exciting and something I am intrigued to see how it will develop.

RB: Okay, I like to do things in threes, no idea why but here you go:

Q. YOU ALWAYS STRIKE US AS A VERY POSITIVE PERSON. HOW DO YOU REMAIN SO POSITIVE AND WHAT HAS HELPED YOU GET THROUGH THIS AWFUL PANDEMIC OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS?

1. You have to enjoy what you do because especially in the early stages of a business the number of hours you have to put in is colossal. 2. You need to intimately understand every aspect from start to finish of your business. Apple’s Steve Jobs used to take this approach to another level, and it doesn’t seem to have done one of the most valuable companies in the world any harm. 3. Get “professional.” Professional services are the best money you will ever spend. If you feel that you have paid too much for services such as HR, legal, financial, insurance etc, because you never need them, that’s because you got the right advice in the first place.

RB: Well, this is something I was talking to a pal about the other day. Coming from a background that some may describe as modest – though stark may be a better description – where we grew up gives one major life advantage, especially when the sky is falling in. No matter how bad things get financially you have seen it before, beaten it before and, to be honest, it is mathematically impossible to be worse off than where you started. Life experience like this has given me resilience and the ability to adapt. These skills combined with a great family, friends, and a good business network of people, who you can pick the phone up to, and talk about how things are going, even if its heading in the wrong direction, are certainly at the top of the list of things I value most.

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Q. LET’S FINISH BY ASKING YOU WHAT YOU’RE MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN YOUR NEW ROLE AS CHAIR OF DOWNTOWN LANCASHIRE? RB: Getting back in the room faceto-face is a really exciting prospect, something many of us have always just taken for granted. There are so many business topics, from the political to the environmental, and beyond that I am really looking forward to being involved in and seeing how those discussions feature

in the future of the county. Sharing opinions and ideas with a broad spectrum of business leaders is what Downtown is all about and that peerto-peer networking at a senior level is something I have always got a great deal from. DIB: ROB, IT’S BEEN A REAL PLEASURE LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE UP TO AND WHAT DRIVES YOU, LOOK FORWARD TO CATCHING UP AGAIN SOON.

“I SPENT A LONG TIME IN THE CORPORATE WORLD – AROUND 17 YEARS – WORKING MY WAY AROUND RATHER THAN UP THE ORGANISATION WHICH MADE ME REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT DOING MY OWN THING WAS WHAT WOULD WORK BEST FOR ME.”

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THE RETURN OF THE CITY’S HOSPITALITY – MANAGING, PROTECTING, AND ENCOURAGING RETURNING EMPLOYEES IS KEY TO SUCCESS WORDS BY STEWART DAVIS GROUP OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, GG HOSPITALITY

Manchester’s hospitality is back! However it may be in a slightly different way, just for the time being. By now no doubt many of you will have been back into your favourite haunts in the city for lunch, dinner and drinks – or all three and more! We’re very happy to welcome you back. As an industry we’re all about people, everyone that chooses to work in hospitality wants to work with people and hopefully put a smile on the faces of customers with great service, food and drink. Manchester is in a great position, we have an established and thriving hospitality scene that is excited to be back, but we need to be mindful about the people who work within it. The sector accounts for around 33% of all employment in Greater Manchester. We need to ensure that their return to work is a positive and safe experience. A significant number of these people have not been working in the industry for over 12 months, with many of them on furlough.

Our two venues in Manchester; The Stock Exchange and Hotel Football offered rooms free of charge for Manchester University NHS foundation Trust’s healthcare workers and medical professionals during the lockdowns, but this did not require a full team of staff. Our priorities lie in the wellbeing of our staff, guests and suppliers. There have been increasing reports of people leaving the hospitality industry post-lockdown due to hours and workload. This is something here at GG Hospitality that we are very mindful of and we are focusing our efforts on ensuring our teams at both venues receive the support they need to thrive and to feel safe in their workplace. The #NOMORENOSHOWS campaign established right here in Manchester by hospitality consultancy Sixty Eight People rightly highlighted the effect that no shows have on the industry and ultimately jobs. Chef Tom Kerridge who runs the Bull & Bear restaurant within The Stock Exchange is also very vocal on the

issue and highlights how no shows can result in catastrophic issues for restaurants and bars. It does not just effect businesses, it is individuals’ livelihoods too. The world has changed in the last year and it’s been tough. Hospitality businesses and guests alike should all want to show their appreciation of those people that have chosen to work in hospitality. We believe that Manchester will increasingly be a top city of choice when it comes to both staycations and city breaks, so we need to be ready. Now is the time for us all to show our support to the amazing array of hospitality options right here in our city – then we can get back to showcasing it to the rest of the world.

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DOWNTOWN AND EMBRYO TO LAUNCH BUSINESS INDEX The Downtown Embryo Index enables businesses to compare themselves with their competitors, to see who the key industry leaders are. By scoring each business on a series of metrics including CSR, keyword reach and content we are able to show how visible and engaging a business is to their online audience. The individual metric scores are then combined to give an overall index score which allows us to rank the top 100 based on search performance, social media presence and engagement. Downtown in Business Director, Chris McKenna commented ‘‘The product Embryo have produced is phenomenal and we are delighted to launch it in partnership with Ross and his team. They have created a Stock Exchange as such for businesses which measures performance on a wide range of matters including brand awareness, CSR, networking, thought leadership and marketing; so it felt like the perfect fit. Over the course of the remainder of the year and beyond we will be engaging with the DiB network and wider business community across the regions we operate and incorporating the platform into the Downtown events programme’’ Ross Green, Managing Director of Embryo added ‘’We believe this is a unique product and we are excited to collaborate with Downtown in Business. Their reach into core cities across the North, West Midlands and London will give us the perfect platform to get visibility to the index, which we have spent some time developing’’.

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ROLAND DRANSFIELD LAUNCHES AWARD-WINNING PODCAST DURING GLOBAL PANDEMIC

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‘WE BUILT THIS CITY’ IS IN ITS SECOND SERIES AND HAS RECENTLY BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS. In March 2020, Roland Dransfield was preparing to launch its new podcast “We Built This City” - a series of conversations with the Mancunians born, bred and adopted - who put the heart into Modern Manchester. The team had planned to kick off a first episode with Gary Neville filmed and recorded with an audience live at the recently opened Stock Exchange Hotel and follow with a series of live podcast episodes with guests from across diverse Greater Manchester sectors including business, culture, hospitality, sport, charity, music and TV. But with the sudden onslaught of a pandemic and the closure of our hotels and the cancellation of events, plans had to change. Wondering whether we should go ahead or not given the circumstances we were all facing, we decided to launch three days after the first official lockdown with three episodes that had previously been recorded in the studio. These episodes included Cold Feet actor John Thomson, Olympic athlete, Diane Modahl MBE and Ged King,

Skullfades Foundation, a barber on a crusade to end homelessness in Manchester. And “We Built This City'' was born. Roland Dransfield founder and CEO, Lisa Morton says: “To say it was a challenge to continue is an understatement, but we had committed and weren’t going to halt the project. Going from recording in a fully-kitted studio to online at the end of a bed with a duvet wrapped round you to get the best sound, was a leveller.” “The conversations of community, resilience and purpose that we know Greater Manchester stands for became ironically more relevant than ever. And we were bowled over by the messages we received from people across Greater Manchester - and all over the world - as people needed to connect with the stories and the values of the place they love but couldn’t be in during those months.” In its first season, “We Built This City” reached #2 on Apple Podcasts Entrepreneurship list in Great Britain, Hit #8 on Apple Podcasts Top 10 Business list in Great Britain and was awarded the Manchester Publicity Association’s Inspiration Award in

memory of Martyn Hett, who tragically lost his life in the Manchester Arena bomb. Now closing its second season, the podcast has been downloaded around the world and was recently shortlisted for Best Business Podcast by the British Podcast Awards. “We Built This City” is about the connection each guest has with Greater Manchester – whether they were born, bred or have been “adopted” and it also draws on their values, relationships and legacy. The podcast has heard from over 50 guests who call Manchester their home, including Sir Richard Leese, Joanne Roney, Andy Burnham, Gary Neville, Lemn Sissay, Gemma Atkinson, Carl Austen-Behan, John Thomson, Sacha Lord, Simon Wood, Diane Modahl and Downtown In Business’ own Frank McKenna. Whilst the podcast has featured everyone from MasterChef winners to business moguls, the common thread that unites all of the guests is a desire to forge purposeful relationships and to live a value-led life.

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“HAVING SET UP ROLAND DRANSFIELD JUST ONE MONTH AFTER THE 1996 IRA BOMB, WE’VE WATCHED MANCHESTER REBUILD A FEW TIMES OVER 25 YEARS. EVERY TIME THERE’S A CRISIS HERE WE BUILD BACK WITH GRIT, HUMOUR, INNOVATION AND DETERMINATION– AND WE WANTED TO SHARE THESE STORIES.” The Roland Dransfield team’s set of values - “The Roland Dransfield Way”, which are at the heart of how the business operates (including everything from “Champions do extra” to “No D*******s” to “‘Plant trees you’ll never see”), have had a deep impact on the business, its clients and its team, according to Lisa Morton. “It’s pulled us through COVID and has helped us to retain and build upon our client base, but more importantly it helps us remember the bigger picture – the world doesn’t stop and start with the job we all have on our desk in front of us.” “As we live and breathe our values, it’s important for us to understand what our guests’ values are – what motivates them to get out of bed every day. This season, we’ve also been running a bonus episode called “Know Your Value” in which we look closer at the core principles which spur us to keep on going every day, despite the challenges – and particularly those of the past year.”

At the heart of “We Built This City” are the extraordinary Mancunians who have built something that impacts lives, the stories and values that have driven them to do it, and how they have built purpose and provided a legacy to Greater Manchester in their own unique way. Says Lisa: “Having set up Roland Dransfield just one month after the 1996 IRA bomb, we’ve watched Manchester rebuild a few times over 25 years. Every time there’s a crisis here we build back with grit, humour, innovation and determination– and we wanted to share these stories. “We hope that by celebrating all of this that we can honour all that our great city has already achieved and look forward to all that is ahead. “We Built This City and we’ll build it again.”

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HELPING TO CHANGE THE EXPERIENCE FOR FAMILIES EXPERIENCING PREGNANCY OR BABY LOSS IN BIRMINGHAM AND BEYOND Birmingham Women’s Hospital is one of only two dedicated women’s hospitals in UK. It is a centre of excellence providing specialist services to more than 50,000 women, men and families every year, and boasts the busiest, singlesite maternity unit in the country, delivering more than 8,200 babies a year. However, not every family receives their happy ending. Approximately 2,000 women experience pregnancy or baby loss at Birmingham Women’s Hospital every year. Currently, space within the hospital is limited and as such heart-breaking conversations have to take place in rooms and locations that don’t reflect the significance of a family’s loss. Patients often speak of feeling rushed and of having ‘nowhere to go’ after receiving devastating news. To change this, the hospital will be creating a brand-new, purpose-built centre, named Woodland House, which is away from the hustle and bustle of the main hospital, where families can spend time together in safe, secure and serene surroundings

before they feel ready to face the world again. The hospital’s charity, Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, is currently on a mission to raise the next £1m needed for its Woodland House Appeal, which will allow it to break ground on its standalone bereavement centre. Helen Miles, Corporate Fundraising Manager for Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, said: “We have been blown away by the support of the public, organisations and the business community so far, who have all rallied to help make Woodland House a reality. “As a centre for excellence in women’s health, we believe bereavement aftercare must be better for our devastated families. Woodland House will be the first of its kind in a hospital setting and act as a blueprint for other hospitals up and down the country – setting the standard nationally. That’s why, together with our families, we are urging the Birmingham business community to join us and help us get to our next milestone, so we can

create a space that truly recognises and honours pregnancy and baby loss.” When built, Woodland House will feature separate and private access and will boast bespoke counselling rooms, a private garden, a large communal lounge area for support groups, and a family room with its own private access and garden. It will also have a private and sensitive mortuary, offering families the opportunity to spend time with their loved ones in comfort and serenity. To find out more about Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, the Woodland House Appeal or to donate, please visit bwh.org.uk/ woodland-house. If you’d like to consider becoming a charity partner, please get in touch with Corporate Fundraising Manager, Helen Miles at h.miles3@nhs.net.

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“BRUNTWOOD WORKS, PART OF THE BRUNTWOOD GROUP HAS OVER 40 YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE IN CREATING SPACES FOR BUSINESS IN BIRMINGHAM, WITH FOUR PROPERTIES LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE CITY CENTRE, PERFECT FOR COMMUTERS AND CITY DWELLERS ALIKE.”

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BRUNTWOOD WORKS: CREATING SPACE WHERE WORK AND LIFESTYLE THRIVE IN BIRMINGHAM WORDS BY ROB VALENTINE DIRECTOR - BIRMINGHAM, BRUNTWOOD WORKS Bruntwood Works balances work and life, blending spaces that encourage interaction and create community. Our focus is around two key areas, creating unique workspaces and providing thriving retail and leisure spaces. Both are design led, people driven and socially responsible. We continue to be firmly embedded in our towns and cities, with a strong presence in the Midlands, North West and Yorkshire. As well as a unique opportunity to broaden the influence of Bruntwood Works, we know the more diverse, culturally rich, healthy, educated, connected, sustainable and fulfilled our communities are, the greater our towns and cities will become. Bruntwood Works, part of the Bruntwood Group has over 40 years of successful experience in creating spaces for business in Birmingham, with four properties located in the heart of the city centre, perfect for commuters and city dwellers alike.

SPOTLIGHT: CORNWALL BUILDINGS Bruntwood Works create space where work and lifestyle thrive and their latest project in Birmingham is no exception. Cornwall Buildings provides Covid-secure serviced office space for 2-12 people, as well as meeting rooms in the centre of Birmingham’s high-profile Colmore Business District. This Grade II-listed building has been fully refurbished to

extraordinary standards and includes air conditioning, a stylish communal lounge, as well as coworking spaces that allow for connections to be made and enable businesses to grow. The works include chic serviced offices with hand-chosen artwork and stylish décor that provide a home away from home for businesses and their employees, as well as new flexible workspaces such as break-out areas, hot desks and a business lounge, creating ideal workspaces for everyone, whatever their working style. The building’s interior is bright and stylish and alongside its modern, comfortable facilities the historic building has retained many period features, celebrating the building’s Victorian heritage but with a striking layer of contemporary features, modern art and cutting edge design making it a unique and inspiring workspace. Cornwall Buildings are located a short stroll from the retail heart of the city and from New Street and Snow Hill stations making it the perfect location to connect with customers and other businesses. Visit bruntwood.co.uk to find out how Bruntwood Works can support you and your business, whether you want to talk about your business goals or book a tour of one of their spaces the quickest way to get in touch is to call 0121 213 4701

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THE FACT ABOUT FIGHTING FRAUD – UPDATE FROM OUR INVESTIGATION TEAM WORDS BY ALEX BEAVAN HEAD OF FRAUD INVESTIGATION, WESTERN UNION BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

COVID forced the world to digitise even faster than anticipated and with that came the burden of keeping businesses and individuals safe online. For us at WUBS, this means ever increasing our vigilance to keep customers’ payments as protected as possible. To help us better understand the current challenges on that front, we asked Alex Beavan, our Head of Fraud Investigation to answer the questions below:

IS THERE A NEW TYPE OF FRAUD ON THE RISE? Fraudsters seem to have introduced new methods in their business email compromise attempts. We’ve seen recent cases globally where they tried, at the beneficiary change stage, to ask for update to contact details such as telephone numbers. This shows that they are seeking to go around our measures, where we have asked clients to verify with us verbally anytime they are prompted by email

to make any modifications. Also we have seen instances of fraudsters contacting WUBS directly to make such changes. Information about this new development will be included in future outreach events and employee training later this year.

WHAT IS COMING NEXT IN TERMS OF OUR FRAUD PREVENTION MEASURES? Apart from the latest process changes bought in with the help of Accreditation to help mitigate the risk of investment scams, we are hard at work enhancing our outreach programme. We have run NGO workshops, a number of Education vertical webinars and are preparing for the UK Education Customer Advisory Board where we will provide fraud scenarios for customers to work through. We are also assisting with the creation of some literature around WUBS security controls. Perhaps the most significant step has been that the team is pushing through an external fraud document for financial

“FRAUDSTERS SEEM TO HAVE INTRODUCED NEW METHODS IN THEIR BUSINESS EMAIL COMPROMISE ATTEMPTS. “

institutions to advise them on cybercrime trends and how they can assist their customers to mitigate the risk of induced frauds and business email compromise.

PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW YOU WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND OTHER ORGANISATIONS Following on from the increase in investment scams in 2020 and into 2021 predominantly in the UK our fraud team has joined an intelligence cell with Legal Enforcement and other financial institutions in an attempt to mitigate the threat. A number of arrests took place in 2020 in relation to investment scams but the challenge remains. To that end the team has been very vocal in plans to share real time intelligence titled ‘industry sharing’ under the available legislation. Further meetings and proposals are currently underway.

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UK AIMING FOR INNOVATION SUPERPOWER STATUS WORDS BY BEN VAAS COMMERCIAL LEAD, AYMING UK Ayming recently hosted a virtual roundtable bringing together senior innovation experts at £multimillion turnover businesses with representatives from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The topic for discussion was the innovation landscape across the UK and how the Government can best support it. The Government's vision is for the UK to be the most innovative country in the world by 2035. BEIS is consulting with industry through its Innovation Expert Group (IEG) to develop the government's Innovation Strategy, due for release later this year. As a member of the IEG and Director of Innovation Incentives at Ayming, my colleague Njy Rios facilitated the discussion.

HOW CAN WE REACH OUR INNOVATION POTENTIAL? The roundtable attendees raised many interesting points, including the need

for the UK's innovation ecosystem to prioritise entrepreneurial thinking, be fast-paced to ensure success, and build on existing programmes and initiatives rather than another total overhaul. In my experience, bureaucracy is a significant reason why innovation, in any sector, is often slow and cumbersome. If the UK is to become a global innovation superpower (and hit our target of 2.7% of GDP investment in innovation), we must see concrete action and reduced paperwork.

COLLABORATION & POSITIVE STEPS FORWARD Just over 12 months after the pandemic started, over 50% of UK adults have received a partial vaccine. The scientific community's incredible work developing a vaccine in record time proves that we can achieve great things through collaboration and cooperation.

HMRC is currently seeking industry input into its R&D tax reliefs consultation, announced in March as part of Budget 2021. It's great to see some positive movement towards an update of R&D tax legislation, as it's a key driver of the economy, job growth, and scientific advance. We've recently launched our own UK innovation survey to understand the broader innovation discourse better. If you'd like to take part, then do so here. We've had a great response so far and, as a Downtown in Business member, your feedback will be more than welcome.

“BEIS IS CONSULTING WITH INDUSTRY THROUGH ITS INNOVATION EXPERT GROUP (IEG) TO DEVELOP THE GOVERNMENT'S INNOVATION STRATEGY, DUE FOR RELEASE LATER THIS YEAR.”

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