Get back to where you once belonged
The port of Liverpool was the first UK landfall for many immigrants to the UK including thousands of Irish like myself who 30 years ago was on my way to University. First impressions stay with you. No hint of the English reserve I was anticipating, but real warmth and empathy for the new arrivals, and that inimitable Scouse wit that disarms every pretension. There is no ‘place’ without community and Liverpool has welcomed and integrated many generations and nationalities that now call it home. The same is true for investors.
Today the redbrick Victorian glories of the past like the Royal Liver Building sit shoulder to shoulder with tech hubs hosting new breed AI investors like US Kyndryl creating 1000 jobs in the city, world class universities including the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moore’s University and a retail and experience economy given a boost of confidence through Liverpool’s triumphant hosting of the European capital of Culture in 2008.
Almost 2 decades on from that, the city is at the forefront of a Northern economic renaissance. It’s underpinned by Liverpool’s legacy in maritime and logistics investment around the port and recently designated freeport. Its creative and cultural capability also translates to business and investment – there are 500 digital and creative businesses anchored in and around Baltic Triangle. Liverpool of course has significant industrial heritage so its unsurprising that it has developed as a major UK hub for Advanced and Next Gen manufacturing – Airbus, and JLR have significant operations in the city region.
Life Sciences and Healthcare is a significant sector, with major anchors in the ecosystem including Liverpool Science Park and Royal University Hospital. There is also a thriving tourism and hospitality industry much of it connected to the 2 Premier League football clubs, and Liverpool’s reputation as music city. This is a City Region that is leveraging it abundant raw materials of resources, talent and geography – but with renewed purpose and confidence.
My firm OCO has been working with the Liverpool City Region team, overseen by the dynamic Mayor Steve Rotheram, to dial up the investment ambitions of the city, updating the propositions in Life Sciences, Tech and AI, and identifying new targets and attraction strategies for foreign capital investment. We are also proud sponsors of the Liverpool City delegation and pavilion at MIPIM in Cannes this week – 10-14th March. I will be chairing a panel of experts on transport led regeneration examining the impact of upgrades to Lime St and Central Station, the new high speed rail link connecting the city to Manchester, and development of the port and logistics hub. It’s legacy and it’s future.
Join me if you can and get back to where you once belonged.
