Christopher BarrettBob Prattey (pictured above left), chief executive of The ACC Liverpool Group, is stepping aside after 16 years at the helm of the organisation.
Executive director Faye Dyer (pictured below) will take up the role of interim managing director from 1 April at the organisation, which operates the Liverpool event campus, home to the 11,000-capacity M&S Bank Arena, ACC Liverpool and Exhibition Centre Liverpool. It also operates in-house ticketing service Ticket Quarter.
Dyer will be responsible for leading the business through the covid-19 recovery phase, alongside events and operations director Kerry Mulloy, and commercial director Ben Williams.
In October, ACC Liverpool Group was the recipient of a Cultural Recovery Fund grant of £2,972,659.
Previously known as the Echo Arena Liverpool, the M&S Bank Arena was rebranded n 2019 following a naming rights deals with the HBSC-owned bank.
The campus is owned by Liverpool City Council, with The ACC Liverpool Group set up as a management company to run it on the council’s behalf.
Prattey was appointed chief executive in 2005 and launched the arena and convention centre in 2008.
He said: “It has been a great honour and privilege to lead The ACC Liverpool Group for the past 16 years. I believe that this venue campus is amongst the premier league of European venues and has further enhanced the city’s reputation as a leading visitor destination. Since opening in 2008, we have attracted major international artists and global organisations and have reinforced Liverpool’s position as one of the most exciting cities in Europe.
“I have had time to reflect over the past 12 months and this feels like the right moment for both me personally and for the company to step aside and pass on the baton of leadership.”
Max Steinberg CBE (pictured above right), chair of The ACC Liverpool Group, said: “I have known Bob for over 15 years and have had the privilege of working with him during my time as chief executive of Liverpool Vision, as chair of the International Business Festivals and finally in my current role as chair of The ACC Liverpool Group.
“I have always admired him for his passion, tenacity and shrewd decision-making, something which I have experienced first-hand over the last two years since joining The ACC Liverpool Group. My admiration for him has only grown as I have witnessed just how much he cares for his staff, his clients and for this city.”