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Vaughan Allen, new chief executive of Cityco

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9:56 am, November 26, 2009
New chief exec for Cityco

By Simon Binns

Vaughan Allen, chief executive of Urbis, was named as the new chief executive of Cityco this morning.

Cityco is the city centre management arm of Manchester City Council and includes private sector players such as retailers and hoteliers.

Its task is to promote Manchester as a leading European city and it recently produced the City Centre Strategic Plan for 2008-2012.

It also runs the Cityconversations series of events, which bring together public and private sector representatives of leading city centre organisations.

Allen was already a board member at Cityco and will replace interim chief executive, Kate Harrison, in the New Year. Harrison has already agreed to join Manchester property firm Bruntwood as director of marketing next year.

Harrison was brought in from her previous job as marketing director at Manchester Airports Group in June when previous Cityco chief executive Gordon Reid unexpectedly tendered his resignation.

Allen started at Urbis in September 2005 having been a member of the senior management team at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

Rowena Burns, Cityco's Chair said: “ In a competitive marketplace and within a challenging economic climate we need someone at the helm who is really delivery-focused, and can make a difference to the look and feel of the city centre, getting the basics right, and championing all that Manchester has to offer. Vaughan understands our vision, and his energy and drive will be a huge asset as we take the City to the next level.”

Allen said: “I'm really excited about the new role and I'm very committed to making a positive difference to Manchester. Cityco represents the full range of stakeholders who do business in this great city, and has a crucial role in delivering its strategy. We are a leading European city, and one of the premier retail and commercial centres in the UK. Manchester is an incredible place and I'm really looking forward to working in partnership with both public and private sector bodies to create new opportunities that will continue the momentum of change which will allow our businesses to prosper.”

"I have thoroughly enjoyed the past four years at Urbis, and am grateful for the enthusiasm and hard-work shown by my staff over that period. I am leaving at an incredibly exciting time, with the prospect of the National Football Museum coming to the building over the next two years. I leave a team ready and able to make the NFM one of the leading attractions in the city; full of energy, excitement and life. I wish them every success in their work."

The chief executive's role at CityCo was advertised with a “six figure package” in October. The organisation said it was looking for a “champion for the city centre” who would deliver the newly launched strategic plan for the next three years.

Urbis, currently a space for visiting exhibitions which also operates a restaurant, is due to close next year to be remodelled as the new home for the National Football Museum, subject to funding being provided for the museum's move from its current home in Preston.

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