Finance Director at Southport headquartered Alcedo Care shortlisted for 2 awards

JO Boardman, Finance Director at fast growing Southport headquartered Alcedo Care Group, has been shortlisted in 2 categories in this year's Northern Finance Directors Awards. In addition, Jo and her Finance Team have been shortlisted for Northern Finance Team of The Year,

Held annually, the prestigious awards recognise the outstanding contribution and successes of finance leaders and their teams from across the North of England, highlighting the diverse talent across the northern Regions.

Overseeing all financial activity at independently-owned and family-run Alcedo Care Group, Jo Boardman has been instrumental in aligning the top-rated homecare provider's financial position with its strategic priorities, providing important financial support and context to help the Group achieve its recruitment and expansion plans.

The initial nominations were made by Alcedo Care Group's banking partner Barclays, with Jo shortlisted in 2 relevant categories: Best Northern Finance Director of a Company up to £25M and Best Northern Finance Director of a Family-Owned Company.

The whole company is delighted with Jo and the Finance Team's achievement and will be supporting them as they head to the awards evening which takes place in Manchester in October.

Managing director at Alcedo Care Group and Jo's husband, Andy Boardman, said:- "We are all so very proud of Jo and the Finance Team to have received these nominations and to have been shortlisted in not one, but 3 categories overall in the Northern Finance Directors Awards. We are a true family business committed to top quality care and Jo's robust support on the financials enables us to drive business growth and success without losing sight of our culture and values."

Jo added:- "I'm surprised and absolutely delighted to be shortlisted. Our strength and reputation at Alcedo Care Group is built on our team of care providers, working daily to deliver personalised care with dignity and respect. It is wonderful for myself and the team to be recognised and being shortlisted is something for the whole team to celebrate."

Recently rated 1 of the Top 20 large home care groups for all ages for the fourth year running, Alcedo Care Group now has 17 offices in the North of England and Wales:- Blackburn and Darwen, Blackpool and Fylde, Bury, Chester, Crewe, Holywell, Lancaster and Wyre, Liverpool (Kirkdale), Liverpool (Speke), Preston, Southport, South Lakes, St Helens, Trafford, Ulverston and Barrow, Wigan and Wirral.

The family owned and operated Group is on track to meet its target of owning and operating 30 branches across the North of England and Wales by the end of 2025. Alongside its geographical expansion plans, the innovative Group is also on track with its mission to continually expand its portfolio of quality home care services, with a particular emphasis on developing its Complex Care and Live in Care provision. For more information, please visit:- AlcedoCare.Co.UK.

Mayor Steve Rotheram announces members of the City Region's new Business and Enterprise Board

MAYOR Steve Rotheram has announced appointments to a new Business and Enterprise Board for the Liverpool City Region. The new board has taken over the role of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in providing a voice for business in the area.

Business leaders from across the City Region and its key growth sectors have been named on the new board. There are also reserved places for representatives from further and higher education and the Region's visitor economy.

The board has been appointed after an extensive recruitment process, carried out over recent months, which attracted applications from 65 high-calibre candidates. In appointing the Board, the Combined Authority has worked hard to ensure gender balance, ethnic diversity, and geographic representation across all 6 areas of the Liverpool City Region.

Speaking about the new Board, Mayor Rotheram said:- "Thriving local businesses are the backbone of our economy and, for our area to flourish, we need them to succeed. Through our new Business and Enterprise Board, we have pulled together a team that boasts decades of hand-on experience at leading organisations and, it's my hope, that their knowledge and insight will help us to join-up our thinking with fresh ideas to grow our economy. I want the Liverpool City Region to be the home of 'good' business and 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."

The new board is made up of:-

Name Current role:-

• David Meyerowitz, Chair Chief Executive, Haier Europe.
   

• Ruth Hartnoll, Deputy Chair Matchstick Creative, Co Founder and CEO.
   

• Rachael Hennigan Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Hugh Baird College.
   

• Health and Life Sciences - Cluster Board Chair (to be filled)
   

• Trevor Leeks Operations Director, JLR Halewood.
   

• Utubakwu Michael Ushie CEO Prime Atlantic.
   

• Melanie Lewis CEO Shakespeare North.
   

• Lynn Haime CEO Baltic Creative.
   

• Jennifer Van Der Merwe Director of Kindred LCR.
   

• Mohammed Tawhidul Islam Managing Director Islam and Co Chartered Accountants.
   

• Prof. Mark Power Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of Liverpool John Moores University.
   

• Prof. Tim Jones Vice Chancellor, University of Liverpool.
   

• Ruth Wood Interim CEO, Mersey Maritime.
   

• Rachael Baker Managing Director, JJ Smith and Co.
   

• LVEP Chair (to be filled)

Co-opted Members:-

• Co-option Purpose - Name - Business Location - Current role.
   

• Expertise on Net Zero agenda - Dom Potter - Sefton - MD Low Carbon Business School.
   

• HLS expertise and St Helens business representation - Elliot Street - St Helens - CEO and Co-Founder Inovus Medical.
   

• Digital expertise and Halton business representation - Prof. Katherine Royse - Halton - Director, Hartree Centre.

Councillor Mike Wharton, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Business, said:- "We've made a huge effort to find a diverse range of business leaders from across the City Region who can make sure that the business voice is at the heart of our decision-making process. We've been able to appoint a group of very impressive individuals who I'm sure will come together as a cohesive and effective board."

David Meyerowitz, Chair of the Business and Enterprise Board, said:- "I'm hugely excited to get to work with my fellow board members to help shape the strategic direction of the Liverpool City Region's economy. This is a genuinely representative, high-level leadership group, and I look forward to working with them to identify opportunities to stimulate economic growth, productivity and competitiveness across our City Region."

Ruth Hartnoll, Deputy Chair of the Business and Enterprise Board, said:- "This is a really exciting time for businesses in the Liverpool City Region. We've brought together a diverse, talented group of business leaders who I'm sure share my enthusiasm to help the Combined Authority create the conditions for local businesses of all sizes, and from all sectors, to thrive. I can't wait to get started."

2 Board slots are yet to be filled: 1 of these is reserved for the health and life science Cluster Board Chair (yet to be confirmed); the other is the LVEP Chair; yet to be appointed. The HE role will alternate between the Vice Chancellors of the University of Liverpool and LJMU.

Board Members will be appointed to serve for varying periods of time and will not be permitted to serve for more than 2 consecutive terms. This will enable the Board to be refreshed periodically.

While the Board is restricted to 14 people, there is provision to co-opt subject matter experts for up to a year at a time, to enable the Board to benefit from expert input. At this time, 3 such experts have been co-opted: from the low carbon Business School on Net Zero, from SciTech Daresbury on digital innovation/ AI, and from Inovus Medical on health and life sciences.

The Board's 1st formal meeting will be in October 2023.

Under plans approved by the Combined Authority in April this year, the new Business and Enterprise Board has been set up within the Combined Authority as a key means of engaging with the local business community.

Bringing the business voice directly into the Combined Authority's policy-making processes will enable it to work more closely and directly with businesses, especially those in industry clusters that will be of critical importance to the future success of the City Region economy.

Following a national review of the work of Local Enterprise Partnerships, the Combined Authority was required by Government to integrate the functions of the LEP into its own governance structure.

Since the creation of the Combined Authority, several LEP-related functions, such as setting local economic priorities and leading on economic growth and job creation, have already moved across to the Authority.