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June 19, 2025 46 mins

"It's all about connecting people and place to opportunity."

Tom Stannard is the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council. A proud public servant, he began his career in London, but his journey in the North West has been a tale of two cities. Tom left Salford four months ago to start his new role in Manchester.

Find out how Tom leads with a community first mindset; humility, purpose and humour, including a commitment to staying grounded, even if that means posing for a photo next to some fly-tipping!

In this episode, Lisa Morton explores what it means to lead a global city with local people at its heart. Tom shares how his experiences in Salford have shaped his approach to inclusive regeneration, why he believes that listening to community voices is key to effective policymaking, and how his family values have influenced his leadership journey. 

From site visits in Miles Platting to gigs in Co-op Live, Tom proves that civic leadership can have both steel and soul.

You’ll hear how regeneration can serve every part of a city, not just its centre and what Tom and his team have planned for Greater Manchester in the next 10 years. 

This is a conversation about building a fairer Manchester, one that’s ambitious, inclusive, and connected to the people who call it 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 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 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.

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