Organisation Membership: GM Business Growth Hub

GM Business Growth Hub is Greater Manchester’s business support organisation. Established in 2011, it was first of its kind which provided the blueprint for a roll-out of 37 other hubs across the country.

As part of the The Growth Company, GM Business Growth Hub’s mission is to help businesses across Greater Manchester to start, grow and innovate. But while business support is a core part of its work, the organisation sees its wider purpose as contributing to the economic development and prosperity of the city region.

That broader mission is one of the reasons why GM Business Growth Hub became an Organisation Member of the Institute of Economic Development (iED), providing access to professional development, insight and networking opportunities for its team. Today, more than 150 colleagues are registered through the membership, reflecting the organisation’s commitment to developing economic development knowledge across its workforce.

For GM Business Growth Hub Director Janine Smith, membership of the iED helps reinforce an important principle: understanding how individual programmes and services contribute to wider economic development outcomes.

“We’re probably a little different to your typical membership organisation,” she said. “We work with councils, consultancies and others operating within the economic development arena. First and foremost, we’re here to support Greater Manchester’s economic growth. We do that through business support, but the underlying purpose of the Hub is to improve Greater Manchester as a place.”

Many colleagues join the organisation from private sector backgrounds, bringing valuable commercial experience and business expertise. However, Janine believes it is equally important they understand the wider economic development landscape. “People often join us from backgrounds such as running their own businesses or holding senior leadership positions in large corporates,” she explained. “They arrive with the mindset of helping businesses, which is important, but it’s also about understanding the bigger picture. Ultimately, we’re here to shape places and drive economic development.

“It’s always been my view that people need to understand the full economic development journey. Business support is just one part of it. We’re working alongside councils, combined authorities, universities and a wide range of stakeholders. Everyone needs to understand the ecosystem and the role we play within it to make a meaningful difference.”

The relationship between GM Business Growth Hub, The Growth Company and the iED has deep roots in the organisations’ longstanding commitment to placemaking and economic development, as well as regional connectivity.

“If you look at The Growth Company overall, our Chief Executive Mark Hughes previously led the North West Regional Development Agency,” Janine shared. “Several people in senior roles have strong economic development backgrounds and have always seen placemaking as central to what we’re trying to achieve. We’ve always talked about economic development in its broadest sense and how everything interconnects. That thinking naturally led us towards the iED, and the involvement of Tom Stannard (iED Chair and Chief Executive of Manchester City Council) reinforced the importance of being part of it.”

GM Business Growth Hub Head of Partnerships Colin Brew added: “If you asked colleagues what they do, many would simply say they work in economic development,” he said. “As Janine commented, we take a very place-based approach. We work closely with local authority economic development teams, so we’re very much operating in that world. Greater Manchester’s ecosystem is vast, and it’s important that we’re all interconnected so we can demonstrate impact back to the business community.”

One of the key benefits Janine sees in iED membership is helping colleagues connect their day-to-day work with wider policy objectives:

“Everything we do is driven by policy and Greater Manchester’s strategic priorities. Every programme we design is aligned with those objectives. Sometimes people become focused on a particular programme or project without fully understanding the wider context and why they’re doing what they’re doing. This is where the iED can play an important role, helping practitioners better understand the purpose and impact of economic development alongside the excellent training and development resources offered.”

While Janine’s primary engagement with the membership has been through attending the iED Annual Conference, Colin highlights the value of the Institute’s thought leadership and shared resources. “I tend to use it more for research and insights than anything else,” he said. “It’s useful for staying up-to-date with developments and understanding emerging trends. Different people have different needs. Some may simply want access to reports and other resources, while others may want to engage more deeply.”

The iED’s work around Good Growth particularly resonates with GM Business Growth Hub’s own priorities. “Good Growth has been at the heart of what we’ve been doing for the last 15 years,” Janine commented. “If you look back 20 years, Greater Manchester was focused largely on high growth initiatives. More recently, the emphasis has shifted towards Good Growth – looking at inclusion, communities and ensuring benefits are shared across the wider city region, not just concentrated in the city centre.”

The organisation has embedded these principles throughout its work, from procurement and social value initiatives to helping businesses access opportunities.

“We’ve done a huge amount of work in this area, including around procurement and social value,” Janine revealed. “Internally, we’ve worked hard to ensure our own procurement activity reflects those principles. Externally, we support businesses to identify and bid for opportunities, and we’ve worked alongside organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses and local councils to make procurement processes more inclusive.”

Looking to the future, both Janine and Colin see opportunities to deepen engagement with the iED and maximise the benefits available through Organisation Membership. For Colin, the key is the ongoing relationship. He said: “The iED provides a valuable platform for professional development, collaboration and strengthening economic development expertise across the organisation. The benefit really comes from consistent engagement. Where membership works best is when there’s regular interaction and collaboration.”

Case study developed: June 2026