Setting Its Own Agenda for Growth
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manchesTer City Region TheBusinessDesk.com supplemenT | norTh WesT | ocToBer 2013 FEATURING Top 25 high growth companies. 9 A city united by sport. 13 US graphene firm sets up European HQ. 19 Setting its own agenda for growth in association with manchesTer City Region 2 Confidence north West Supplement editoR FoReWoRd october 2013 is key HeRe is a real belief among contents businesses in the Manchester City sponsor forewords: T Tim newns of MidAS; mike rose of Region that better times are around the Santander Corporate & Commercial; corner. After five years of uncertainty Gary houghton of Baker tilly and confidence is returning, be it through stephen chalcraft of Pannone. 3 & 4 ➔ increased M&A activity, investment, job Giving wings to creation or physical development. manchester’s business growth. global connectivity The city region has a number of major strengths: its strong leadership; its is vital to the continued rise business support ecosystem, with the biggest regional legal and financial of the country’s fatest services community outside London; its entrepreneurial culture; diverse growing city. 5 ➔ business sectors and of course the airport. Business appetite for finance returning. Manchester Airports group continues to drive economic growth and is this a sign that broader business out-perform other regional airports. The multi-milllion pound Airport City confidence is on the up? 8 ➔ enterprise Zone development has the potential to be a real game-changer for the city and wider region in terms of wooing international investment. Top 25 high growth companies in Greater manchester. our data table, produced with in property, the Co-operative group’s new flagship headquarters at one experial Corpfin, details the high growth Angel Square completed this year, while number one St Peters Square companies across the ten local authorities of and the Central Library and town Hall redevelopments are to follow the city region. 9 ➔ closely behind with completion next year. marketing the manchester in terms of sectors, knowledge-based industries are thriving as city region to the world. Manchester continues to build on its heritage of scientific innovation Promoting the city for by becoming one of the most important city regions for research, business is very different development, innovation and academic excellence. to promoting it as a leisure destination - but the income Where confidence leads, deals follow and although some lag is to be from both have a significant impact expected, i’m hopeful we’ll start to see deals, that had perhaps stalled or on our local economy. 11 ➔ been delayed in the downturn, start to flow much more readily from early A city united by sport. Professor Chris next year. Brady of the University of Salford on the But if the big headline grabbing deals are to keep coming, there must be value of having two of the world’s a pipeline of businesses pushing up behind them. Those businesses need sporting brands in one city. 13 ➔ support and advice to help them grow and reach their potential - that’s Knowledge transfer for growth. what our supplement sponsors are here to do. There is a continued need to better The Manchester City Region supplement has been a fascinating and connect this region’s world-beating rewarding project for TheBusinessdesk.com and thanks are due to our universities with business. 17 ➔ sponsors Santander, Baker tilly, Pannone and MidAS, who all share our The creative and digital passion for business in Manchester and the wider region. opportunity. MediaCity and The Sharp Project have together had a catalytic effect on the growth of creative chris Barry industries across the editor, TheBusinessDesk.com city region. 22 ➔ Top secret ‘Tomorrow project’ moves closer. A collaboration of global Publication editor: Joanne Birtwistle companies is to base its european [email protected] headquarters in Manchester, bringing Editor: Chris Barry ground-breaking technology to the city. 25 ➔ [email protected] Portland tower, 53 Portland Street, Commercial manager: round table discussion. Manchester M1 3LF. Lee-J Walker Power to the people. 29 ➔ Tel: 0161 238 4922 [email protected] « Previous | Back to Contents | next » 3 Invest in SPonSoR FoReWoRd Manchester AS the inward at the forefront of pioneering business into specific sectors you find excellent investment ideas – leading the way with that oft- examples of innovative companies agency for greater quoted mantra about ‘what Manchester like Qiagen growing its research and Manchester, MidAS does today…’. development presence in the area of is charged with molecular diagnostics, or Bluestone As the world emerges from the shadow promoting the global tech, the new york-based of the past five years businesses are city region as a graphene manufacturer which last Tim newns increasingly choosing Manchester, leading location for month announced exciting plans to chief executive, and with good reason. our city region business relocation open a european base at the University MIDAS is at the heart of the north of england, and expansion. Job of Manchester. with a workforce of 7.2 million people creation and economic growth is at the within one hour’s commute from We hope to welcome many more heart of everything we do and we’re the city centre and one of the largest international investors over the proud to say that during the 2012-13 student populations in europe capable coming years and we are committed financial year 4,143 jobs in total were of delivering an experienced and to providing support and advice to created, safeguarded and relocated with sustainable labour pool. companies looking to establish a support from MidAS. presence in the region. MidAS offers organisations as varied and diverse services including a free soft-landing inward investment is about much more as Aegis, eon Reality, Bny Mellon scheme for overseas investors, research than job creation however; it’s about and the BBC have already voted with and business case support, property improving the knowledge economy, their feet in choosing Manchester, and solutions and recruitment support. encouraging innovative and inspiring those are just a few of the recognisable companies to lay their roots here, and names that have made headlines in To find out more log on to making sure that Manchester is always recent years. When you drill down www.investinmanchester.com SPonSoR Fuelling local FoReWoRd business ambitions At Santander operations or making acquisitions. of understanding how we can give Corporate & customers a solution that is tailored to Commercial, we in short, our customers have ambitions. their specific needs. have a simple vision. We want to act as a catalyst and fuel We want to see these ambitions. in addition, we have opened new centres across the region because we banking through We do this, for instance, by continuing understand that easy access to our our customers’ eyes. to actively lend, even in a tough mike rose services is important to our customers. And it starts with the economic environment. in 2012, we regional question: what do increased funding to SMes by 18%, We know that every business person director, our customers want? supporting more than 5,000 SMes with out there has their own ambition. it’s North West, £3.4bn of new lending. what drives you – and us. Let us fuel Santander our customers have your business ambition, and together Corporate & told us they want And to underpin this commitment we can achieve your goals. Commercial a relationship with to north West businesses, we have a people who take growing team of relationship directors time to fully understand their business and product specialists. They are all – and then propose bespoke solutions. based locally, so they understand They want a bank that can really help local business dynamics. When them make a positive step change – they meet our customers, our credit whether this means expanding existing partners come along too. it is all part « Previous | Back to Contents | next » 4 A can-do and SPonSoR FoReWoRd cohesive approach oUR region is The proactive governance adopted and knows the importance of first class emerging as a centre by the combined authority has been infrastructure - we successfully lobbied of excellence on very attractive to central government for and won High Speed 2. the international when funding infrastructure and We are also very aware of the need for economic stage. development projects in the region. it good housing stock on the city fringe in And at the heart has also been a big draw to companies order to attract an educated, skilled and of that success is looking to inward invest because mobile workforce to the city. While at stephen the governance they know that development activity chalcraft the same time, the city has been good at arrangement in the happens here and infrastructure fostering connections with universities partner, form of the combined continually improves. Pannone and created the knowledge corridor for authority. start-ups and SMes. The combined authorities recognise The combined authority is viewed by the importance of the international The region is held up as a beacon of central government as ‘class leading’ environment and in order to compete proactivity and excellence in central for its ability to provide a joined-up on the world stage developments such government and, increasingly, around approach to promoting growth. as Airport City and Medipark are vitally the world and this is testament to important in attracting international the can-do and cohesive approach to We only have to look at how the 10 companies to the region and in fostering investing in and promoting growth. local authorities pool knowledge and international opportunities for local resources to promote the transport companies. agenda, particularly the Metrolink, which doesn’t necessarily benefit every The city and wider region has been single one of them.