The ACC Liverpool Group has appointed Max Steinberg CBE as its new chair of the board.
The organisation confirmed that he will take over from the previous chair, former Liverpool Football Club chief executive Ian Ayre, who left in June 2018.
Steinberg recently stood down as chief executive of regeneration agency Liverpool Vision after eight years, following a restructure at Liverpool City Council. During his time at Vision, he oversaw Liverpool’s award winning six-month participation in the World EXPO Shanghai 2010. Liverpool Vision was responsible for hosting the Global Entrepreneurship Congress at ACC Liverpool in 2012 and he is chairman of the International Business Festival, the largest global business festival of its kind, also held at ACC Liverpool in 2016 and 2018.
He began his career at Liverpool City Council in 1975 before moving to the Housing Corporation where he spent 25 years working in all aspects of housing, eventually becoming director of Investment and Regeneration North before becoming chief executive of Elevate East Lancashire in 2003. He is also chair of the board of Riverside Housing Association.
He said: “The ACC Liverpool Group is one of the city’s success stories, hosting thousands of fantastic events, attracting millions of visitors to the region and generating significant economic impact.
“I have worked closely with the team since ACC Liverpool opened due to my business roles within the region and have always been impressed at the professionalism of the organisation and its importance to the regeneration of the city.
“I am proud to have been appointed chair of The ACC Liverpool Group board and am very much looking forward to assisting the development of the business.”
Steinberg was awarded the OBE in 1997 for services to Housing and Regeneration on Merseyside and in June 2013 was awarded the CBE for services to Business and the Community. Earlier this year he was named Business Person of the Year at the Liverpool Echo’s Regional Business Awards.
Bob Prattey, chief executive of The ACC Liverpool Group, added: “We would like to thank Ian for the contribution he made during his 18 months as our chair of the board.
“We are pleased that Max has been appointed to this position. He has played an integral role in bringing a range successful events to our venue including the Global Entrepreneurship Congress and the International Festival Business, helping to cement the region’s business reputation.
“He is well respected in the city and we are confident that he will be a valuable addition to our board.”
ACC Liverpool first opened its doors in 2008. Since then, it has hosted more than 2,000 events, welcomed 7 million visitors and generated £1.6bn in economic impact for the city region. Conference highlights have included BBC Worldwide Showcase, the Labour Party conference and UNI Global Union. Sir Paul McCartney has performed at the arena three times and BBC Sports Personality of the Year has been held at the venue twice. Large exhibitions include the Gin to my Tonic Show and Bliss Wedding Shows.
