Profile
Max Steinberg talks to Jonathan Kearney about some of the major events he hopes will prove an economic catalyst for Liverpool
M
ax Steinberg has been involved in the regeneration of Liverpool, in one form or another, since the 1970s.
He worked under Michael Heseltine in the aftermath of the Toxteth riots and went on to gain a wealth of experience in the housing sector. T ree years ago he was appointed Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision, the city’s economic development company. Now in his 60s and having recently been awarded a CBE for his services to business and to the community in Liverpool, Max is striving to promote the city as one of the world’s leading business destinations. In June the city hosted Accelerate 2013, which brought together 250 of the UK’s fastest growing companies and speakers such as Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Lord Young, the Prime Minister’s Enterprise Adviser. Accelerate will return next year as part of the highly ambitious International Festival for Business 2014, a two-month festival of over 100 events, which is expected to attract more than 250,000 visitors to Liverpool and deliver £100m worth of investment to the UK. Spearheaded by Liverpool Vision, Accelerate 2013 built on the city’s hosting of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in March 2012, which provided a platform for high-profi le speakers such as Sir Richard Branson. Max, who displays an unmistakably scouse, self- deprecating humour, says he’s already been inundated with positive responses from local business since the close of the June event. He said: “I think some of the speakers like
Jimmy Wales went down extremely well and caused quite a stir. What they said resonated with the audience. T ere was clearly optimism and a buzz in the Arena and Convention Centre. We’ve been inundated with positive responses since. I think people are keen to learn from those fast growing businesses about what it is they’re doing and then develop themselves. A number of relationships have now developed between local businesses and businesses that came up to the event. Now it’s about how those relationships are maintained.” T e ‘Accelerate 250’ were selected by Sir
Terry Leahy and Lord Young and chosen to represent the six per cent of UK fi rms who are currently responsible for half of all new jobs created in the UK. It is this success that Max is seeking to capitalise on in Liverpool. He said: “Quite a few of the speakers have said they would love to come back next year. T at’s
always a good sign because it shows they enjoy the buzz and the interaction. I think Accelerate will go down as another staging post on the journey this city is making to develop its reputation as a world business city.” Since the onset of the global fi nancial
downturn, Liverpool’s reliance on public sector jobs has been placed into sharp focus. T e promotion of events such as Accelerate is part of an ongoing initiative to encourage more SMEs in the city. Max, who was also awarded an OBE in 1997 to recognise his
“We need to market the city to a worldwide audience”
services to housing and regeneration, said: “Accelerate was very much about how we develop SMEs. T is city has got a wonderful name for culture. We need to make sure it’s also recognised as one that wants to do business. Compared to other cities we are short of several thousand businesses. Public sector jobs are going to be under increasing pressure as public resources shrink. We have to create a stronger private sector. It was part of the reason we went to Shanghai and it’s why we’ve done Accelerate. It’s about creating that mindset, that opportunity, that inspiration that allows businesses to develop, be successful and grow.”
In 2010 Liverpool exhibited at the World Expo in Shanghai, with the goal of extending its global business reach, particularly with the burgeoning BRIC economies. Other Liverpool Vision-led initiatives have included the establishment of a ‘London Embassy’ for Liverpool, which Max says has brought in “£30m worth of business” to the city. He added: “I would say it’s only in the last three or four years that we’ve shown to a world that’s sometimes sceptical about Liverpool that we’re open for business. T at’s why we set up the embassy in London. It’s important everyone sits up and takes notice of this city.” Next year’s International Festival for Business is likely to attract all the right kind of attention from around the globe. An outline of events for the 61 day festival was recently announced, with a glowing endorsement from Prime Minister David Cameron. T e encouragement was hardly surprising, given the festival’s signifi cant potential to benefi t the Liverpool City Region and the UK as a whole. Max said: “We are talking about the biggest business festival in Britain since 1951 and the Festival of Britain. Too many visitors from abroad gravitate to the South East. T is is a chance to bring them to the North West. T e key thing for this festival is beginning the process of rebalancing the economy of this country. T e target we’ve been set is £100m of additional investment for the UK. I think it’s a great capture for the city and city region.” Provided with the inspiration of a stunning vista overlooking Liverpool’s T ree Graces and the steady fl ow of river traffi c on the Mersey from his 10th storey offi ce, it is little wonder that Max views the city’s future economic prospects in such a positive light. He said: “I’ve been in this job for three years. In all that time the interest in bringing businesses here is at the highest level I’ve seen it, despite a very diffi cult economy. I think the city is regarded as a much more positive proposition than it was say fi ve or 10 years ago. We are one of the leading science cities in the UK and we are, increasingly, becoming an important centre for creative. We need to shout loud about what we do and what our USPs are. We need to market the city to a worldwide audience. We’re in a race, not just with Leeds and Manchester, but with Mumbai, Boston, Paris and other major cities, for investment. T ere’s only so much that will go around. We need to make sure that when people think investment, the thing that comes to mind is Liverpool.”
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