The World Academy of Sport, whose education headquarters are based at Manchester Business School in the University of Manchester, has brought together international sporting dignitaries to serve on its newly launched International Advisory Board (IAB). The Chairman of the Board, ex Director General of the International Olympic Committee François Carrard, said: “Manchester, which is already an established world leader in major international sporting event delivery, will now also act as the international education hub for the IAB, due to its excellent reputation for world class sports knowledge and education delivered through the University of Manchester.”

Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council which has partnered with the Academy and the University in this initiative, commented: “British Cycling, England Squash, the International Netball Federation and the Professional Footballers Association are just a few of the many national sports bodies to be based in Manchester, and the formation of the World Academy of Sport International Advisory Board here will ensure that key educational international sport decisions are made in the city.”

Business people and tourists will be able to fly direct from Manchester to Stuttgart in Germany from Monday 12 April. Germany’s national carrier Lufthansa, which bought a stake in BMI last summer, has increased to five the number of direct routes available from Manchester to Germany with this new service. The airline’s other destinations in Germany are Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.

A sixth form college in Manchester has been named one of the best in the country after it achieved an ‘outstanding’ classification in all the 28 categories assessed in the latest Ofsted report. Loreto College, a Catholic college in Hulme, was founded in 1851 by an order of nuns dating back to the 16th century. The college currently has 1,800 students, most of whom are studying for A-levels. It also offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. In addition to recognising the College’s academic achievements, Ofsted inspectors were impressed by the students’ out-of-hours activities, praising the fact that “large numbers of students give their time freely to support charitable causes, fundraising and social activities which promote social responsibility and global awareness. Their generosity, tolerance and respect for each other are exemplary.”

The latest IBM Global Business Services report has ranked Manchester 15th in the world for investment projects, ahead of Frankfurt, Dublin and Chicago. This is the first time the city has been listed in the report’s top twenty, which is based on the number of investment projects carried out in 2008. Manchester has enjoyed great success in attracting investment over the past five years according to Colin Sinclair, chief executive of the inward investment agency MIDAS, including some well-known names like BNY Mellon, Credit Suisse, Google, Nike, Premier Foods, UK Borders Agency and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).

The first State of the Region Survey to be carried out by TheBusinessDesk.com reveals that business leaders across the North West believe that confidence in the economy is up, and that over the next 12 months bank lending will increase and companies will experience growth. Hundreds of business leaders across the region took part in the online survey, 67 per cent of them stating that they believe their business will grow in terms of revenues, profits and staff in the year to come. The technology and professional services sectors are expected to see the biggest growth, while manufacturing and financial services are believed to have good potential for growth, according to the survey.