Danny Simpson, co-founder and CEO of Mid Communications, has taken up the role of pro-manchester chair.
Jennifer Smith from Forbes Solicitors and Ngozi Wellor from Aurora Wellness group were also voted in as board members at the AGM held on Wednesday.
Simpson takes over the position from Sean Williams, head of professional sector channel within the commercial lending team at Together, who has been in post for the past 12 months.
His journey at telecoms firm Mid Communications has taken him from sales executive in retail to regional leader then sales director for six years, supporting growth from £3.5 million to £20m.
In his first address as pro-manchester chair, Simpson outlined his plans for the year ahead.
“The world is changing rapidly, and we need to adapt and innovate to stay ahead of the curve,” he said. “We need to embrace new technologies, new markets, new partnerships, and new ways of working.
“We need to expand our horizons, diversify our offerings, and strengthen our connections. We need to be bold, visionary, and ambitious, just like our wonderful city of Manchester.
“We must always keep our members at the heart of what we do and why we do it, building and maintaining emotional connections based on trust, this is what [CEO] Sam [Booth], [COO] Nicola [McCormick] and the team do superbly well – but we can still improve as an organisation.
“As we today stand with a team of nine, with adventurous and scary plans to grow even further, we must also be excited and ready for our new opportunities. As new members join this brings new events, new experts, and insights and allows us to work with you to help benefit more members new and current.”
Booth said: “We’re delighted that Danny is taking up the role of pro-manchester chair for the next year. He brings an enthusiasm that is second to none, he is a force to be reckoned with and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together over the next 12 months.”
McCormick added: “Danny is so passionate about Manchester, sustainable development and ensuring that we meet his social, economic and environmental goals – and that rubs off on everyone he meets.
“We are really excited to be working with him over the coming year and ensuring pro-manchester delivers the best service possible for its members.”