A new organisation aiming to provide a voice for businesses in the Liverpool City Region has appointed a new Chair and Deputy Chair.
The Business and Enterprise Board will be chaired by David Meyerowitz, Haier Europe CEO, with the Deputy Chair, Ruth Hartnoll, CEO and co-founder of Matchstick Creative.
“Thriving local businesses are the backbone of our economy and, for our area to flourish, we need to help them to succeed,” stated Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.
“I want the Liverpool City Region to be the home of ‘good’ business and I’m really looking forward to working with David and Ruth, who both bring a wealth of experience with them, to see where the Board takes us on our journey to make our area the best place in the country to live, work and run a business in.”
The board was approved by the Combined Authority in April as a way to engage with the local business community.
It came following a national review of the work of Local Enterprise Partnerships, meaning the Combined Authority was required by government to integrate the functions of the LEP into its own governance structure.
“After serving for three years on the Digital and Creative Board for the Liverpool City Region, I’m excited to bring what I’ve learnt in that role to my Deputy Chair position,” said Hartnoll, whose company works with Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, the University of Liverpool and Growth Platform.
“My focus is always on creating a fairer, more equitable business landscape. With gender parity now present across our boards and the desire to build a fairer, stronger, cleaner city region, our collaborative team has the chance to shake things up in the best way. We’re here to question what has come before and create a more hopeful future.”
Wirral-based Meyerowitz added:
“I am both delighted and proud to be appointed as the Chair of the new Business and Enterprise Board for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. This is an exciting opportunity to combine my 40 years of private sector business experience with my passion for the Liverpool City Region.
“The new Board will be a high-level leadership group, with excellent representation from a wide variety of businesses and sectors. Our objective will be to capture and interpret the “voice of business” from the region to help formulate relevant and effective strategic plans for the Combined Authority to consider. Our priority is to identify opportunities to stimulate economic growth, productivity and competitiveness in the Liverpool City Region, whilst supporting clear ambitions for inclusive growth and sustainability.”
