THERE can be few better settings for an interview about pro.manchester's 25th birthday than chief executive John Ashcroft's office.

The room screams history, with its oak-panelled walls, giant dark wood table and bookshevles packed full of classic texts.
But it also screams 2011, with the latest Apple gadgets hooked up to the mains and adorning Ashcroft's desk.

pro.manchester's King Street base comfortably pre-dates1984 but the contrast between old and new perfectly illustrates how much the business world has changed even since the organisation's inception.

And it is still going strong, with a present-day membership of 4,000 professionals from the financial and professional services sector.

From April, it will be self-financing for the first time, having seen its funding from the doomed North West Development Agency (NWDA) removed.

But, far from reducing what it does, pro.manchester has launched arguably its most ambitious strategy yet.

“We were faced with a choice between cutting back or driving on,” says Ashcroft, dubbed one of Thatcher's 1980s darlings.
“And, as the largest organisation of its kind in the UK, we want to drive on.

“Manchester has a modern, service-sector economy, with business and financial services accounting for around 30% of GDP.
“As the organisation for the financial and professional sector, that means we can play a key role in influencing the direction of the economy.”

So what is it all about? Is pro.manchester little more than a luncheon club or is it a dynamo for Greater Manchester's economy?
The organisation has an annual turnover of around £400,000, with funding (post-NWDA) derived from membership fees, sponsorship and events.

Wigan-born Ashcroft, former chairman of wallpaper firm Coloroll, one of Britain's 100 biggest industrial firms before going bust in 1990, is clear on how he views the organisation he joined as chief executive in October 2009.

“It is not a social club,” he says. “The organisation has changed since it was set up 25 years ago.

“Everyone involved at the time did a great job but we need to be more commercially driven.

“Of the top 500 businesses in the north west, 80% are advised by our members. We want that to be 100%.

“We want to grab more of that market for our members. We want to ensure Manchester is the UK's number one city in the financial and professional sector outside of London.”

A key component of pro.manchester's quest to “realise the full potential of Greater Manchester's economy” is networking.
Regular events are held, ranging from business breakfasts and lunches to seminars and workshops, all of which bring together representatives from its membership organisations.

That might sound fun and fluffy but deals worth hundreds of thousands are reported to have been born at pro.manchester functions within the last year.

A key part of Ashcroft's strategy for 2011 is the establishment of a series of business development groups, aimed at getting the most out various key industries.

Examples include health care (launched in December), public sector procurement, sport and carbon reduction.
It will set up a Business Angels Network Group (BANG), SME Club, entrepreneurs group and a forum to give support and advice to people being appointed as non-executive directors.

Other key projects for this year include a CEO and CFO Leaders Group and the launch of a foundation course for entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Ashcroft is also keen to bolster pro.manchester's research work. It plans to publish quarterly reports on corporate finance activity, retail sales and employments prospects, as well as economics and property reviews and a monthly GDP tracker.
“We want to compile this information, so that we become the authority on these subjects in the Manchester area,” he says.
Ashcroft is also hoping to get an idea called pro.manchester.connects off the ground in 2011.

It would aim to provide fertile ground for entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and get access to finance, advice and facilities and is based on a model that worked to good effect in San Diego.

The concept centres around a culture of sharing and collaboration between the established financial and professional sector and those starting attempting to commercialise new ideas.

If enough backing is received to give pro.manchester.connects the go-ahead, its flagship programme would be an education and mentoring scheme.

Creating low-cost co-working facilities for budding business brains to make use of and meet like-minded individuals would be another central theme.

Ashcroft is seeking funding for the project from its members and the concept will be formally launched at its Business and Professional Services Conference, at Old Trafford Cricket Ground's the Point complex in March.

article reproduced with thanks to Adam Jupp at Business Week
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