Our Story


Who we are

Novel is turning the page on the way we approach business. It’s a radical new approach for small and medium-sized businesses, designed to transform the capabilities and ambitions of Liverpool
City Region to grow through innovation. 

We’re proudly place-based. Our goal is to create mission-driven and growth-focused leadership. We do this by bringing our innovative SMEs together with public sector leaders and policy makers in the region. This supports growth-focused leadership by identifying, supporting and empowering leaders through collaborative knowledge, skills, a powerful network and shared vision.

Why?

SMEs will build our prosperity:  Innovation is the key to competitiveness, growth and exports. Innovation and business support policy is too often built for SMEs, not by them. Novel brings together communities of business leaders with leaders from government, universities and investors to help develop and inform better government policies and business support. 

Leadership: Novel brings together communities of business leaders and provides world class coaching, events and support to help them lead and implement innovation and showcase what real business leadership looks like. 

Innovation is about more than R&D: The UK is home to some of greatest research institutions in the world but to little of that scientific excellence is harnessed by UK businesses. Novel provides governments and universities with a new paradigm for impact that focuses on business.   

We need build ventures: We need to build more ventures, not just start-ups and spin-outs but support existing businesses to innovate and scale through a venture building model.

Our goal is to enhance the economic competitiveness of Liverpool City Region, embedding an innovation culture that drives forward and accelerates positive change, ambition and civic impact. Our work helps create regional prosperity through collective opportunities – for our people and our businesses that impact health, wellbeing and prosperity here.

It’s time to change the story.

Our four key areas:

How?

  • Our leadership innovation programme builds, scales and empowers the companies creating prosperity and fostering growth through innovation over the next decade.

  • Our metro venture builder models develops city region’s sharpest ideas into thriving businesses offering a new paradigm for business support, R&D, investment and enterprise 

  • Our AI software platform delivers a transformative tool for innovation ecosystem mapping monitoring and management making it easier for businesses to receive support and for government to design and deliver interventions.    

  • Novel’s peer-led business support community joins the dots of the region’s business community to leverage insights, articulate challenges and identify opportunities .

Novel isn’t another leadership programme. It’s an innovation programme for leaders. At the core of all successful business, new ventures, projects or products are good ideas. Ideas that only become a reality because of people with the vision, resourcefulness and tenacity to guide, influence, and inspire teams toward success.

Novel works with individual business, city regions and government. We believe that leadership is the overlooked pillar that has been missing from the UK’s growth ambitions. 

Novel is building, scaling and empowering the companies that will create prosperity and foster growth through innovation for the mid-21st century.

Leadership for the future

How does it work?

Novel’s programme focuses not on innovation, but on running your business in an innovative, future-proofed way:

  • Inspirational residentials with world class speakers, bringing innovative ideas to your business

  • Valuable time away from the businesses creates opportunities and builds peer
    networks and influence with the region’s policy makers 

  • Regional on-site, off-site or online, Novel tailors and delivers programmes for places. Bringing business in regions or sectors together with devolved government and universities. Be that on off site residential, on-site leadership prints on online
    ‘anytime’ remote training and consultancy and coaching. 

  • Novel is unique in its aim to connect business leaders with innovators and influential leaders from local and national government. It partners with public sector leaders to foster new understanding, insight and partnership, which brings a collective voice
    and vision that helps UK government make the best decisions for businesses to
    deliver growth.


Our Partners

Novel is delivered by Horizons and supported by other organisations across Liverpool City Region and beyond.



Our Community


“Novel is a programme of innovation for leaders like you. It’s your opportunity to do things differently, to take things forward, to grow and expand on what’s already happening here and to look to the future.”

- Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region


Executive Team


Emma Green

Jon Corner

Jim Mooney

Andrew Borland

  • Chief Innovation Officer at VEC

    Andrew has a strong commercial background and supports our clients in helping them realise their business potential through the exploration and adoption of digital strategies, tools and technologies to improve business productivity and access new business opportunities.

  • Head of Enterprise and Investment Programmes at VEC

    Jim leads Horizons (UKSPF), identifying opportunities for SMEs and local businesses to create value and impact through technology adoption and expertise knowledge transfer, alongside our industry partners, ultimately driving growth and positive economic impact throughout Liverpool City Region and beyond.

  • Marketing and communications manager at VEC

    Emma is responsible for managing all marketing efforts at the VEC, in addition to leading the marketing strategies for projects such as Horizons and Novel (UKSPF). Managing events and leading in content creation for effective storytelling, Emma helps to ensure that the VEC effectively supports local businesses and fosters growth in the region.

  • Senior Digital Strategy and Policy specialist, Founder,Director, Chair, NED

    Jon is a strategic leader with a wealth of experience in fostering growth andcreativity across various sectors. As a thought leader in digital transformationand innovation management, Jon has held pivotal roles in both public andprivate organisations, successfully guiding teams to leverage technology forenhanced operational efficiency and market competitiveness.His approach focuses on empowering businesses to harness their uniquestrengths, encouraging a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. Byproviding tailored advice and strategic insights, Jon helps companies identifyand capitalise on emerging opportunities, driving sustainable growth. Hisexpertise in building collaborative ecosystems between entrepreneurs, industryleaders and educational institutions further enriches his ability to supportbusinesses in navigating the complexities of innovation and leadershipdevelopment.