Marketing Leeds, which includes the Conference Leeds brand, is to be rebranded as Leeds and Partners.
Chief Executive Lurene Joseph, after three months in post, is rolling out her strategy to take the organisation forward with ‘one voice’ across the city and focus on key sectors including biomedical sciences and digital.
Joseph says the name reflects her vision for the organisation to work more closely in partnership with both the public and private sectors.
It also mirrors the label chosen by the capital’s marketing body, London & Partners. Joseph is former head of the London Development Agency and says she is looking to attract more national and international names to Leeds, with a particular focus on advanced healthcare, informatics, the digital sector and professional and financial services as key growth sectors.
Joseph claims to have met around 200 chief executives and senior business figures since taking the reins at the council-run marketing bureau.
Feedback from meetings has led her to focus on “delivery and value” so that the majority to see any benefit from its activities, she says.
“The organisation has to be strategically policy led in terms of the type of conversations we have to drive inward investment,” she said.
“Previously Marketing Leeds had a narrow remit and we now have a broad remit.”
“The focus is not to try to do everything but to take a more focused approach to sector work. It’s now a ‘city play’ rather than a fragmented play.”
Challenges for the city identified by Joseph include improving public realm, driving the skills agenda, transport and attracting investment.
Joseph has overseen a staff review and there have been cuts to numbers where roles were “duplicated”.
Yorkshire Post journalist Tom Palmer is one new members of staff joinging, as Media Manager and Joseph is in discussions with Leeds City Council to finalise funding until 2014.
The name change will take effect in the next few weeks.
Asked if leaders in Leeds had historically concentrated too closely on comparing the city with other centres such as Manchester and Liverpool, Joseph said: “It’s good to learn from other cities. But you can’t be consumed by other cities or be stymied by them. We have to look at the national and global play instead.”
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