A familiar face has returned to the Cumbrian business scene – although in truth, Jack Stopforth never really left.

Between 1998 and 2010 Stopforth was managing director of the Cumbria Inward Investment Agency Limited (CIIA), as well as deputy chairman and then chairman of the Learning and Skills Council for Cumbria and the county’s representative on the board of the University of Central Lancashire.

He left CIIA to become chief executive of Liverpool Chamber of Commerce in 2005, but has always maintained a home in the county and has kept up his network of friends in business and public life across Cumbria.

Mr Stopforth stood down from Liverpool Chamber of Commerce in 2012 after seven years culminating in the award of an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours List.

He spent just under three years as a main board director of Glasgow-based PR and digital marketing group The BIG Partnership and in 2014, formed his company Taylor Stopforth Consulting Limited.

This provides support to businesses, universities and public agencies in the areas of new business development, political advice and stakeholder engagement.

Based at his home near Penrith and with offices in Liverpool and London, in 2014 global cab-hailing firm Uber retained him to advise on how to approach licensing committees in key cities and how to deal with the anticipated backlash from established taxi firms and trade unions.

That contract was quickly followed by an extensive stakeholder engagement exercise for the University of Cumbria and significant retainers from US-based engineering conglomerate Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) and Direct City Networks PLC, based in London’s Gherkin building.

Now Taylor Stopforth is bidding for new work across Cumbria and internationally – and Mr Stopforth says he’d like nothing better than to build a successful consulting business locally.

He said: “When I was running the inward investment business for Cumbria it was difficult to identify experienced consulting support within the county, especially with international credentials.

“Management consultants, PR firms and advertising agencies often service Cumbria remotely from Manchester, Edinburgh or Newcastle – or even London – because the spatially-dispersed nature of Cumbria’s business base and the prevalence of foreign firms or big national players means that buying decisions are often made outside Cumbria.

“That makes it tough to build critical mass to justify setting up offices in the county if you already have a cost base elsewhere.

“Our approach is different. We have an incredibly impressive stable of experienced freelancers and will customise teams for every assignment. This means minimal fixed costs and an ability to accommodate the demands of Cumbria’s geography and other challenges.

“I can get to London in three hours from Penrith and to international clients from Manchester or the region’s other airports.

“I love living and working in Cumbria and would like nothing better than to grow a meaningful business here, operating internationally but rooted in the most beautiful corner of England”.