‘It’s a great city but it can and needs to be even better’

May 9 2008 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

Acorporate heavyweight will aim to get Chester in trim, ensuring it packs a punch and contends on the international stage by 2015.

Former chief executive of MBNA Europe Shane Flynn was revealed exclusively to The Chronicle yesterday as the chairman of Chester Renaissance.

At a time when £10m of hospitality investment at Cruise, Oddfellows and Chester Racecourse is up and running and with £80m HQ scheduled for June 2009, his appointment is considered another coup for Chester.

With growing confidence that the £460m Northgate Scheme will happen and that a Performing Arts Centre will be built, Shane Flynn will be tasked with overseeing £1.5billion of private/public sector investment in Chester under the Renaissance Programme.

He will work closely with the new West Cheshire and Chester council which, dominated by Tory councillors, has unanimous public backing to bring in a shopping list of investments and ensure the city competes with European boutique cities like Prague, Verona and Brussels.

Chester is still lagging behind other UK Heritage cities and has to undergo a colossal turnaround to compete with Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire Oaks as well as heritage cities like York and Oxford.

But city leaders believe they have backed a winner in the former MBNA boss.

Mr Flynn is from Leitrim, Ireland, and studied at Trinity College, Dublin. He joined MBNA America in 1989 and became a senior vice-chairman in 2002.

He is the founder of international private equity company Cordjia and played a part in orchestrating MBNA Europe’s flagship move to Chester Business Park.

A principal architect of MBNA’s success in Europe and also instrumental in the Bank of America takeover in 2005, the appointment of Mr Flynn is designed to create a buzz in the private sector. His expertise will come into its own in attracting investment and “talking up” Chester to a global corporate audience.

Chester and West Cheshire Council leader elect Mike Jones, who will take the reins of power in April 2009, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured Shane Flynn as chairman.

“This is a huge vote of confidence in Chester and we should really make the most of that.”

He added: “For Chester to achieve its vision it needs to be able to attract international investment. In Shane we have someone who has a commitment to Chester and whose international experience will make this happen.

“He is highly respected throughout the financial world and he has lived and worked in Chester and knows the city well – it’s good points and the areas we need to improve.

“He is a fantastically successful man and he loves Chester.

“He brings with him a wealth of international experience, perspectives and ideas about this city. We need someone who is really prepared to challenge and progress. Shane will keep Chester Renaissance and the new council on its toes.”

Standing yards from the £80m HQ, complete with a crane and construction workers piecing together Chester’s latest prestige building, Mr Flynn believes happier time is on the way.

He said: “It’s a ‘eureka’ moment for Chester, a defining moment for the city in the broader context. It’s a very exciting and optimistic time for Chester Renaissance and for the new authority.

“Success breeds success – the added value of new investment has increased dramatically over the last few weeks. The amount and quality offered in Chester is wonderful. It’s casual and sophisticated and shows great confidence in where this city is heading.

“I thought very deliberately about this appointment. I am a businessman, I am not, with respect to them, a bureaucrat or a committee member.

“I am hands on. A role like this in such a city as Chester deserves someone who will get involved and is not afraid to meet the challenges.

“There is a lot of positive energy in Chester that is bringing positive change. People have to have a degree of patience – it won’t happen overnight.

“People in this city who have been critical of progress also have to ask have they contributed and need to look on how they can make a difference.”

Mr Flynn, like former MBNA chief executive General Charles Krulak, has enjoyed a love affair with Chester and wants to make it better.

He said: “I was impressed by Chester as soon as I moved here. Things have changed since I started coming here but there is a great sense of spirit. I love its history and beauty and most particularly the warmth and quality of its welcome to people from all over the world.

“It’s a great city, but it can and needs to be even better if it is to compete with places overseas and in the UK that have raised their standards.”

He will chair five meetings in 2008 and will attend special networks, be involved in video conferencing and instigate ongoing relationships between international private investors and the public sector.

A specially-appointed team dedicated to Chester Renaissance is being set up with £650,000 earmarked to fund its infrastructure. A post for director of Chester Renaissance will soon be advertised.

Mr Flynn now lives in America but wants to commit to Chester and is searching for a property.