This year the LDP Regional Business Awards are delighted to welcome back DLA Piper and KPMG as the awards Executive sponsors. DLA Piper is deeply rooted in the Liverpool city region and we are proud to support the Regional Business Awards for the seventeenth year.

In these challenging times it is especially important to celebrate genuine achievement in business and recognise the enormous contribution it makes to the life and vitality of the region.

Every community needs its success stories and role models. The businesses and individuals whom we recognise in the Regional Business Awards are guiding lights, reminding us of the values of vision, resourcefulness and hard work.

Last year would be a hard act for any city to follow.  The landmark cultural and business achievements that grabbed the headlines were of course led by the Capital of Culture celebrations, and the openings of the Arena and Convention Centre and Liverpool One. But the city enjoyed many other triumphs and made progress on many fronts.

It continues to do so from a position of relative strength. The message about the new Liverpool has reached far beyond these shores and has consolidated the renaissance which so many have worked so hard to achieve.

Through these awards we share and applaud our successes and look forward to further success in the future, with opportunities such as the World Expo in Shanghai on the horizon.