THREE of the city’s top directors are fighting it out for a prestigious award.

The Institute of Directors has named Dougal Paver of PR and marketing firm Paver Smith, Peter Cooke of waste and recycling management firm Environmental Waste Controls, and transport group Davy Liver’s Christopher Jordan as the finalists for the Liverpool category of the 2009 Director of the Year Awards.

The Liverpool Young Director of the Year category pits Lisa Horne of pet food supplier Healthy Paws against Neil Norman of biometric security specialists Human Recognition Systems.

Darrell Matthews, North West regional director for the IoD, said: “The past 12 months have undoubtedly been seriously challenging for many businesses, regardless of size, as directors focus on managing costs while continuing to provide excellent service to customers and clients.

“We were pleased to see so many great submissions this year, from fantastic businesses across the region. We have selected a number of very high calibre finalists from the entries and look forward to celebrating the talent that continues to exist in the North West at our dinner in October.”