High-profile panel launch State of the Region report in North West

A panel of high-profile business leaders and politicians spoke at an event to mark the launch of TheBusinessDesk.com’s second State of the Region campaign.

TheBusinessDesk.com has joined forces with advisory firm KPMG and law firm Squire Patton Boggs to work on the six month project.

Sir Richard Leese, the man who has run Manchester City Council for two decades, Matthew Riley the founder of The Daisy Group and Manchester Airport Group’s chief of staff Brad Miller spoke at the event which was held in the offices of KPMG.

Alison Treliving, a partner from Squire Patton Boggs, brought the proceedings to a close.

The event was attended by around 100 business leaders and professionals.

Sir Richard, who recently represented Manchester at the MIPIM conference in the South of France, spoke about the strength of the region’s economy.

He also spoke about the challenges facing the economy in the Greater Manchester area against the backdrop of political uncertainty and devolution.

Matthew Riley spoke about how he launched the Daisy Group and has grown it into one of the largest employers in the region.

And Brad Miller outlined the progress being made at Manchester Airport and the delivery of the £1bn expansion project.

The State of the Region runs for the next six months and will look at a series of areas including training, skills, devolution and the property market.

BusinessDesk subscribers will get articles, comment and analysis delivered to their inboxes over the next six months.

Michael Ribbeck, North West editor of TheBusinessDesk.com, said: “This is one of the biggest projects that we undertake over the course of the year.

“The aim is to gather together the latest in-depth analysis and information about the state and health of the region’s economy.

“Last year’s campaign proved to be a great success and we are delighted to be working on the project for a second time with our partners.”