Manchester United executive Collette Roche has been unveiled as chair of the new Greater Manchester Business Alliance, which aims to strengthen ties between the city region’s leaders and the business community.
Roche, who is chief executive officer of New Stadium Development at Manchester United, will be supported by new vice-chair Jo Ahmed MBE.
Ahmed leads Deloitte in the North West, and both women were included in BusinessCloud’s 2026 Northern Leaders list.
The Business Alliance will meet regularly with Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig, council leaders and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) representatives to share ideas, insights and expertise.
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Roche said: “I’m proud and honoured to be asked to chair the Greater Manchester Business Alliance, a newly established convening hub for Greater Manchester’s business voice.
“Our city region has been built on and flourished as a result of strong public and private sector partnerships and this alliance will continue to enable this.
“Our shared ambition is for Greater Manchester to be a great place to do business, with clear routes to high-quality jobs.
“I look forward to working with our Mayor and our businesses to build business insight into policy and decisions and drive the economic growth befitting of our globally connected city region.”
Ahmed added: “I am delighted to be appointed vice-chair of the Greater Manchester Business Alliance at such an important time for our city region.
“Greater Manchester has a significant opportunity to build on its strengths, unlock new opportunities for businesses and deliver the next phase of sustainable, inclusive growth.
“I look forward to working with our chair, Collette Roche, Mayor Bev Craig and the wider business community to ensure that business voices help shape policy, inform the delivery of the Greater Manchester Strategy’s sector plans and translate ambition into meaningful action.
“Together, we can strengthen collaboration between business and the public sector and deliver good growth for Greater Manchester.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig said: “Greater Manchester has become the UK’s fastest growing city region and the best place in the country to do business – success which has been built on strong partnerships between the public and private sectors.
“The new Business Alliance is intended to build on this legacy, creating a forum that puts the voice of business at the heart of local decision-making.
“I look forward to working with Collette and Jo to ensure we have a meaningful and productive dialogue, with a membership that reflects Greater Manchester’s business community.
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“We’ll only deliver on our ambition of good growth if we create the right environment for all businesses to thrive, so they can create new jobs and opportunities for everyone in our city region.
“The Greater Manchester Business Alliance will play a key role in making that happen.”
The Business Alliance is now inviting expressions of interest from people who can bring a range of perspectives, experience and sector expertise.
Find out more about the Greater Manchester Business Alliance here.