Liverpool Future Ambition: 2023 & Beyond

OVERVIEW

The international spotlight shone brightly on Liverpool in 2023 as the city played host to the Eurovision Song Contest, with more than 160 million pairs of eyes fixed on the city from around the world.

Now, almost six months on from the euphoria, and in the wake of the cancellation of HS2, what partnerships are required to realise Liverpool’s growth ambitions and how does the city region capitalise on gains already made?

Insider’s event gathers civic and business leaders to debate how Liverpool can use this international attention as a platform to send a loud and positive signal to other potential investors in the city region.

Speakers will share an update on:

The city region’s economic prospects and strategic plans
The latest on the Investment Zone proposals
Update on the Freeport, infrastructure and strategic development sites
The growth opportunities for the city region’s high-growth sectors like gaming, professional services, advanced manufacturing and low carbon.

SPEAKERS

Steve Rotheram – Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region will provide an update on the ambitions and future strategic direction for the Liverpool City Region and share some of the insights from the Strategic Futures Report, and how they relate to the region’s business community.

Professor Andrew Levers – Executive Director of the Institute for Digital Engineering and Autonomous Systems (IDEAS) at the University of Liverpool

Lizzie Crawford – senior business manager at iiCON – the infection innovation consortium. She has spent her career prior to iiCON working with early-stage companies and academic researchers across the life sciences in the North West. This experience is helping achieve iiCON’s objective is to become the number 1 choice for anti-infective translational research by offering unique access to scientific expertise and commercial support.

Dr Aileen Jones – executive director for investment and delivery, Liverpool City Region Freeport

Andrew Dickman – managing director of Tritax Symmetry, will provide an update for the audience on Parkside East, a 221-acre site in the Liverpool City Region Freeport zone, which Tritax will transform into a logistics scheme alongside a strategic rail freight interchange project.

Robert White – chief executive of Brabners, a purpose-led law firm with a national reach, that is anchored in the North. White will provide the audience with insights from Brabners’ True North report, which explores the barriers and solutions to growing the Northern economy in four key areas: skills, sustainability, society and innovation.

Sophie Bevan – as director of development, Sophie Bevan is focusing on driving Liverpool’s economic growth and bringing forward sustainable development across the city, including overseeing significant schemes such as Anfield Square, Kings Dock, Paddington Village, Festival Gardens and the Littlewoods site.

Ruth Hartnoll – B Corp-certified Matchstick Creative is a creative agency that partners with purpose-driven organisations and is the marketing partner for Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, the University of Liverpool and the Growth Platform. Co-founder Ruth Hartnoll is also deputy chair for Liverpool City Region Business and Enterprise Board, helping to influence what support looks like for local businesses and ensure more equitable working practices across the city region.

Clemens Wangerin – founder, Digital Advisors

Agenda

7:45am Registration
8:30am Panel Starts
10:00am Panel Ends