Business, political and Civic Leaders pay tribute to Sir Howard Bernstein
The great and the good from Greater Manchester and beyond came together to pack out Bridgewater Hall on Tuesday afternoon at the Memorial Service for the late, great Sir Howard Bernstein.
Sir Howard, who sadly passed away earlier this year at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer, was the chief executive of Manchester City Council for 19 years and was credited with being the key architect of the city’s renaissance over the past three decades.
DIB Directors Frank McKenna and Chris McKenna were among the hundreds of guests who heard tributes from Eamonn Boylan, former Chancellor George Osborne, and Marty Edelman – as well as heartfelt words from his eldest son Jonathan, and other family members.
Through the memorial Howard’s rich portfolio of work was celebrated, with highlights such as the regeneration of the city centre after the IRA bomb in 1996, the Commonwealth Games, the Manchester International Festival, and the transformation of East Manchester on the back of the new Etihad Stadium identified as hugely important milestones in the city’s growth journey.
However, it was George Osborne who perhaps expressed best Howard’s impact on his city, his region, and his country when he described Bernstein as “the best civil servant in the UK over the past 30 years.” Nobody in the Bridgewater Hall on Tuesday would disagree with that.
