How do you make people feel at home in a city that still feels new?

There are so many people making big contributions to Greater Manchester who don’t quite fit the ‘born, bred or adopted Manc’ label. We Built This City is celebrating some of those people with ‘Drawn Here Not Born Here’.

Matt Townley is Group Operations Director at Dakota Hotels and Chair of the Manchester Hoteliers Association. He came to Manchester from Liverpool and is now at the heart of the city’s amazing hospitality scene. In this conversation with Lisa, Matt shares the work that drew him here; why he wanted to settle and how his friends and family still react to him being a Scouser in Manchester.

Matt talks about how he’s shaping Dakota’s newest hotel at Manchester Airport, and the legacy he’s building through his work with the Manchester Hoteliers Association. You’ll also hear about his passion for spotting emerging talent, and why investing in others is such a big part of his leadership.

Matt’s work is all about making people feel welcome and creating real moments of luxury. Hear how he’s doing that across Greater Manchester, building a base for people to explore the city from, and why he’s still not quite ready yet to call himself an adopted Manc.

Your host, Lisa Morton, started PR company Roland Dransfield in 1996, one month after the fateful IRA bomb that tore apart the city centre. From that point, the business and its team members have been involved in helping to support the creation of Modern Manchester – across regeneration, business, charity, leisure and hospitality, sport and culture.

To celebrate the 28 years that Roland Dransfield has spent creating these bonds, Lisa is gathering together some of her Greater Mancunian ‘family’ and will be exploring how they have created their own purposeful relationships with the best place in the world.

Connect with Lisa and Roland Dransfield:

Via our website

On Instagram

On X FKA Twitter

On this episode, We Built This City has partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University. Wherever your business wants to be, Manchester Met is there to help you go further.

Visit mmu.ac.uk/business or follow Business at Manchester Met on LinkedIn, to find out more.

How do you sell a groundbreaking new venue in a city you’ve only just moved to?

We Built This City celebrates people who contribute to Greater Manchester in a meaningful way, and Mancs can be “born, bred or adopted”. But what about the people who don’t quite fit those labels? Like in Tony Walsh's poem, they’ve been drawn here, not born here. In this series, you’ll hear from some of those people.

People like Becci Thomson, the Chief Commercial Officer for Co-op Live. She joined the project right at the beginning and took a leap of faith when she moved to Manchester in late 2020. Since then, she’s seen the venue grow from the ground up, and you’ll hear what it’s really been like helping to shape a world-class arena while settling into a new city at the same time.

Becci tells Lisa about the moments when everything finally came together, and when all the hard work paid off, from welcoming Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish to hosting the MTV EMAs.

She also reflects on how the city’s energy and people have shaped her both professionally and personally, what she’s learned about herself along the way, and the parts of the city region that now feel like home.

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Your host, Lisa Morton, started PR company Roland Dransfield in 1996, one month after the fateful IRA bomb that tore apart the city centre. From that point, the business, and its team members, have been involved in helping to support the creation of Modern Manchester; across regeneration, business, charity, leisure and hospitality, sport and culture.

To celebrate the 29 years that Roland Dransfield has spent creating these bonds, Lisa is gathering together some of her Greater Mancunian ‘family’ and will be exploring how they have created their own purposeful relationships with the best place in the world.

Connect with Tom

Via LinkedIn

Connect with Lisa and Roland Dransfield:

Via our website

On Instagram

On X FKA Twitter

On this episode, We Built This City has partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University. Wherever your business wants to be, Manchester Met is there to help you go further.

Visit mmu.ac.uk/business or follow Business at Manchester Met on LinkedIn, to find out more.

How do you make your way in business in Manchester as a Scouser?

There are many people making big contributions to Greater Manchester who don’t quite fit the born, bred or adopted Manc label. And We Built This City is celebrating some of those people with ‘Drawn Here Not Born Here’.

Peter Jackson is the former CEO and Managing Partner of the Law firm Hill Dickinson. Back in the late 90s, he came from Liverpool to head up the firm’s Manchester Office. In this conversation with Lisa, he reflects on the welcome he got from the city administration at the time and the things he learned by paying attention to how the city sees itself. You’ll hear what anyone coming to do business in Manchester or Liverpool should understand to get it right.

After a 40-year career, Peter learnt many lessons about setting up in a new city, connecting with people, and becoming part of the local community. And after stepping down as CEO in 2024, Peter now uses his experience to support the firm’s ongoing growth and stability.

Together, they explore the little quirks of city identity, the differences that have made the fabric of Manchester and how they shape the way people work, lead, and build relationships across the North West.

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Your host, Lisa Morton, started PR company Roland Dransfield in 1996, one month after the fateful IRA bomb that tore apart the city centre. From that point, the business, and its team members, have been involved in helping to support the creation of Modern Manchester – across regeneration, business, charity, leisure and hospitality, sport and culture.

To celebrate the 28 years that Roland Dransfield has spent creating these bonds, Lisa is gathering together some of her Greater Mancunian ‘family’ and will be exploring how they have created their own purposeful relationships with the best place in the world.

Connect with Erinma

Via her website

Via LinkedIn

Connect with Lisa and Roland Dransfield:

Via our website

On Instagram

On X FKA Twitter

On this episode, We Built This City has partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University. Wherever your business wants to be, Manchester Met is there to help you go further.

Visit mmu.ac.uk/business or follow Business at Manchester Met on LinkedIn, to find out more.