Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has said it’s time to celebrate the North’s best leaders.
He was speaking after BusinessCloud announced more of the names submitted for consideration in the inaugural Northern Leaders list.
Northern Leaders aims to shine a light on the leaders who have made – and continue to make – the biggest positive difference to the North.
Hundreds of nominations have already been received and Burnham said it was time to shine a light on the region’s game-changing leaders.
He told BusinessCloud: “Between 2024 and 2034 I think we’re going to see a new generation of Northern leaders bossing it on a national and international stage.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham
“The timing is absolutely now. The North’s moment is now. Let’s celebrate everything that is going on right across the North. There are brilliant leaders out there.
“The sad thing is in the old kind of way of doing things, Northern leaders wouldn’t be spoken of in the same breath as London leaders.”
GM Business Growth Hub and KPMG are the first confirmed partners for Northern Leaders, which is aimed primarily at the business world but could also include figures from politics, sport and the voluntary sectors.
BusinessCloud has been inundated with names which will be considered for inclusion in the final list by a panel of esteemed judges.
The latest nominations include:
• Christine Bellamy, chief executive, Government Digital Service
• Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO, Co-op
• Stuart Clarke MBE, director, Leeds Digital Festival
• Prisons minister James Timpson OBE
• Fred Done, co-founder, Betfred/founder, Salboy
• Brothers Tom and Phil Beahon, founders, Castore
A panel of judges will decide who makes the final list but there’s still time to submit a nomination for consideration. Nominations, and potential sponsors, can email Chris Maguire here.
More details about Northern Leaders will follow soon.