Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced the appointment of Rachael Hennigan, Principal and Chief Executive of Hugh Baird College, to the newly formed Business and Enterprise Board for the Liverpool City Region. The announcement comes as part of a broader initiative to strengthen the voice of business in the region and foster economic growth and development.
The Business and Enterprise Board, succeeding the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), is comprised of esteemed business leaders from across the city region and its key growth sectors. The Board aims to be a representative body, ensuring gender balance, ethnic diversity, and geographic representation across all six areas of the Liverpool City Region.
Mayor Rotheram expressed his enthusiasm about the new Board, stating,
“Thriving local businesses are the backbone of our economy, and for our area to flourish, we need them to succeed. I’m looking forward to seeing where the Board will take us on our journey to making our area the best place in the country to live, work and run a business in.”
Rachael Hennigan joins a distinguished group of board members, including David Meyerowitz, Chief Executive of Haier Europe, as Chair, and Ruth Hartnoll, Co-Founder and CEO of Matchstick Creative, as Deputy Chair. The board members bring decades of hands-on experience at leading organisations and are poised to contribute fresh ideas to stimulate economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness across the city region.
Rachael Hennigan added:
“I am truly honoured to join the Business and Enterprise Board for the Liverpool City Region. At Hugh Baird College, we are dedicated to working closely with employers to align education with industry needs and contributing to the prosperity of the Liverpool City Region.”
“This is a pivotal time for our community, and together with my colleagues on the Board, I look forward to contributing to our region’s growth and development.”
The Board is scheduled to hold its first formal meeting in October, where they will begin their collaborative efforts to identify opportunities and create conditions for local businesses of all sizes and sectors to thrive.
The establishment of the Business and Enterprise Board marks a significant step in integrating the business voice directly into the Combined Authority’s policy-making processes. This integration is expected to enhance engagement with the local business community and contribute to the future success of the city region’s economy.