Member Article

Lord Mayor of London promotes IFB 2014 to the world

The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Fiona Woolf, has concluded a visit to Liverpool, during which she offered to promote the International Festival for Business 2014 as she travels the world championing the nation’s business excellence.

Lord Mayor Woolf, who is the 649th incumbent of a role that stretches back centuries, is the leading ambassador for the entire UK-based financial sector giving more than 800 speeches across the UK and scores of other countries.

During her visit to the city, which was hosted by Professional Liverpool and Liverpool in London, she heard from the IFB 2014 project team on latest plans and progress for the 50-day business festival to be hosted on behalf of the UK in Liverpool during June and July next year.

Financial and Professional Services will play an important role at IFB 2014, as one of seven festival themes, and feature a series of high profile events.

There will be a Financial and Professional (F&P) Services area in the IFB Hub at Merseytravel’s Mann Island building for the duration of the Festival with the National Law Society and the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) offering legal and financial support and advice to any UK businesses attending the festival. There will also be a number of high-profile sector events.

Max Steinberg CBE, chairman of IFB 2014 and chief executive of Liverpool Vision, said: “We are delighted that the Lord Mayor has seen the opportunity IFB presents for the whole nation.

“She is in a unique position to spread the word that IFB is a global showcase that can help businesses sell their products and services and make significant overseas relationships that will help them prosper.”

John Hall, Chief Executive of Professional Liverpool, said: “In Liverpool around 20,000 people work in the financial and professional services industry, contributing £1.3bn to our economy every year.

“It’s important therefore that Liverpool puts its professional and financial services capability firmly on the radar of each year’s new Lord Mayor and this visit was an excellent opportunity for us to demonstrate our continuing strength in this sector and our importance to UK PLC.”

Lord Mayor Woolf’s visit is also further demonstration of the growing relationship between the two cities which has flourished since the creation of the Liverpool in London office in 2011.

Liverpool in London is Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson’s initiative to promote the city in the UK’s capital to create business opportunities for Liverpool and its businesses.

Mayor Anderson, who met with Lord Mayor Woolf during her visit, said: “I’m delighted that the new Lord Mayor has taken the opportunity to visit the city so early in her tenure.

“We have developed very cordial and positive relationships with the Lord Mayor’s office since establishing a presence in London and we are grateful for her help in promoting the UK’s International Festival for Business in Liverpool next year.”

During her two day visit Lord Mayor Woolf also met over lunch with key financial and professional experts in Liverpool City Region at the offices of top 20 national law firm DWF.

Guy Wallis, founding partner at DWF and a key mover behind the Liverpool in London initiative added: ““This is a great opportunity to represent the City of Liverpool and our thriving financial and professional services sector on both a national and international scale.

“We are pleased to have been able to play our part by hosting a lunch for the Lord Mayor during which a comprehensive briefing from many of the city’s business leaders was delivered on the exciting plans for the International Festival of Business 2014.”

Lord Mayor Woolf has also visited the new £300m Superport facility and US technology sales company Service Source which has been expanding its Liverpool commercial district operation and now employs 200 people.

She said: “I am very impressed with Liverpool, it is a confident and ambitious city and the International Festival is both forward thinking and innovative and has my personal backing.

“Liverpool has a long history of excellence in financial and professional services and next year alongside some of the finest representatives of the sector from across the UK I am sure it can impress the world and make a significant contribution in showcasing what the UK has to offer.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .