Members organisation Professional Liverpool has welcomed three city region business leaders to its 13-strong board.

A trio of business leaders have joined the board at members organisation Professional Liverpool.

They are Laura Stuffins, a partner at accountancy firm BDO, Kim Cooper, principal town planner at Arup and Stephen Cowperthwaite, managing director at Avison Young in Liverpool and chair of the Liverpool Place Partnership.

Andrew Ruffler, chief executive of Professional Liverpool, who took on the role in 2020, said: “Laura, Kim and Stephen are each leaders in their respective fields who will add real value to our board.

“As an organisation we are here to help support economic growth over the coming years by acting as a focal point for the professional community and encouraging collaboration and driving positive change.

“The quality of insight on our board will help us deliver on that promise. With the recent success of the Professional Liverpool AGM and Members lunch, our new board members are joining the organisation at an exciting time.”

The AGM and Members Lunch, held at Liverpool Town Hall for the first time since 2019, sold out in record time with 190 guests attending. Andrew added: “It was a positive experience to see so many from our member community come together once more.”

Laura Stuffins became a partner at BDO in Liverpool earlier this year but has been at the irm for 16 years. She leads the business services and outsourcing team, helping businesses within the Liverpool city region with day-to-day challenges they may face.

Kim Cooper has been with Arup for six years, having joined from the public sector. As well as her extensive knowledge within planning, policy and economics, she is the former chair of the North West Royal Town Planning Institute and a former Commissioner on the Liverpool City Region Town Centre Commission.

Stephen Cowperthwaite was appointed managing director at the Liverpool office of Avison Young in 2015, following almost 30 years’ experience across the property and construction industry with GL Hearn, Mason Owen, and the Valuation Office Agency.