The Chamber has heard from a number of its members following the sudden passing of Sir Howard Bernstein at the weekend. Sir Howard, 71, played an influential role as the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council from 1998 to 2017 during which time he oversaw a period of rapid and expansive redevelopment of the city, in the aftermath of the 1996 IRA bomb, and which continues to this day.
Clive Memmott OBE, Chamber CEO, said: 鈥淪ir Howard was right at the heart of Manchester and together with the political lead of Sir Richard Leese didn鈥檛 just set the blueprint for the rebirth of the city but delivered it and a whole lot more 鈥� activity that you can still see on the skyline in the city today, seven years after he stood down as CEO.
鈥淗is passion was the City of Manchester and before he became CEO he had already set out clearly his support for Metrolink, and a whole range of other initiatives some more successful than others that he picked up as CEO and ran with. But he had the vision to look ahead, an uncanny knack to judge what would work and not let barriers get in the way. He was also supremely adept at working with people 鈥� even those that were less enthusiastic than Sir Howard about certain schemes.
鈥淔ollowing his retirement he was still very active and involved in various initiatives across the city. He was a unique character and he left an impression on anyone who met or worked with him. He will be missed by a number of people from all walks of life. However his legacy is there for all to see and will be so for some years to come.鈥�
Emma Holt, Chamber President, said: "Sir Howard had an exceptional impact on Manchester and its business community, serving and steering the city, with great vision, to the place it is today. He will be greatly missed."
Stewart Grant, Chair of the Chamber's Property & Construction Group, said: "I know I speak on behalf of all the GM Chamber Property & Construction Group in sharing our sincere condolences and best wishes with all the Bernstein family at this sad time.
"Sir Howard鈥檚 contribution to the City of Manchester is unique and far reaching, spanning many generations. He has been an omnipresent force of nature in steering the City through those dark, challenging times in the aftermath of the 1996 bomb and masterminding its strategic direction for over 20 years. Alongside Sir Richard Leese and the core Manchester City Council team, he harnessed the energy and determination of the business and development community, constantly nurturing, challenging and championing along the way. He shone a light for the pathway ahead, driving innovation in the way we thought about development and politics, instigating ground-breaking initiatives such as the Devolution deal with Central Government, all the time raising the bar for the City鈥檚 aspiration.
"I was privileged and delighted to interview Sir Howard on a number of occasions towards the end of his tenure in my previous capacity as Chair of FBE Manchester. Those breakfast events at the start of the year were eagerly anticipated by us all and always a sell out, such was the pulling power of this charismatic, softly spoken leader. Beyond his update on the strategic development priorities and vison for the City, I was always keen to try and get under the skin of what made this great yet humble man tick, understand what kept him going over the years and the secrets of success for his succession. He was of course, never really one to talk much about himself or his achievements and invariably, his answers always came back to the soft power of people and communities. In the world of development and local politics, he 鈥榳rote the book鈥� on that, with his unerring ability to instil belief and confidence in everyone he came into contact with, through his clarity and empathy. He created the culture for the Manchester development community to collaborate and thrive.
"For me, his personal drive, belief and determination was summed up when I once posed the question 鈥淲hich Northern or UK City is second to Manchester?鈥� Without any hesitation he answered 鈥淟ondon鈥�. And he meant it!
"Sir Howard leaves a Manchester City and region in such a strong position. His legacy is all around us, but beyond that legacy, he leaves us as guardians of the City that we鈥檙e all so proud of. He leaves us with the Manchester of tomorrow. Thank you, Sir Howard, for everything you鈥檝e done for Manchester 鈥� it will feel for generations to come that you鈥檙e still very much part of it."
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