City must continue to diversify says pro.manchester chair

MANCHESTER must strive to create a more diverse economy if its is to emerge stronger from the challenges ahead, the chair of professional services organisation pro.manchester said last night.

Speaking to more than 500 people at the annual dinner at the Hilton Hotel, Ms Webster – who is set to stand down after 12 months in office – said she had had a busy and rewarding year.

“I have really enjoyed it, but it has been tough, When I joined we had no chief executive, the economy was in decline and we were fearing a meltdown in membership numbers..

“My determination was to rebuild trust in our sector, innovate, enter new markets and meet the challenges head-on.”

She said the appointment of veteran John Ashcroft as chief executive last year had  brought “new energy” to the organisation, and had reached out to more sectors and industries such as digital and creative.

Ms Webster, who is a programme director for BT in Manchester, said pro.manchester must continue to innovate if it is to build on the momentum of the last year, which had seen relationships with the City of London, Brussels and Mumbai strenghtened.

Looking ahead she said “Times are not going to be easy if the country is going to tackle the huge deficit, and Manchester is not going to be immune from this. We must continue to build a more diverse economy.”

The annual dinner, which was sponsored by luxury car brand Jaguar as part of its marketing drive in Manchester this month, was entertained by the actor and comedian Hugh Dennis.

The event concluded with a presentation to long-serving pro.manchester employee Val Jones, who is retiring next week.