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As we approach the end of the year it’s time to look back at some of BusinessLive’s biggest stories from the North West in 2023.

Here at BusinessLive North West we’re proud that we regularly interview the key leaders - in business and beyond.

This month we met Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to talk about inflation, HS2, and Britain's ambitions to be a world leader in science and technology. He insisted that the Government was committed to improving transport in the North - and hailed Manchester's tech community.

In February, we visited Booking.com’s new £80m Manchester base to speak to Glenn Fogel, global CEO of Booking Holdings. He talked about everything from hybrid working to the cost of living crisis and how the travel industry has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic.

THG is one of our biggest and most high-profile companies - and in September one of its key bosses told us the company was doubling down and focusing on growth. Vivek Ganotra, chief executive of THG Ingenuity, said the company would not be "distracted" by outside opinion and movements in the stock market and said managers were clear about its direction of travel.

In August we spoke to former Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand about his investment in Manchester tech platform DeliveryApp. He also talked about his approach to investing, what attracts him to potential investments, and how active he likes to be at the companies he’s backed.

We also catch up regularly with small business leaders who are making waves nationally. In November we met Natalie Haywood, co-founder of the Leaf cafe group - and she warned that the region could see more restaurants and hospitality venues close unless the Government steps up to support the sector.

Meanwhile in July we spoke to Gary Neville about his journey to get his £400m St Michael's scheme off the ground. The fellow footballer-turned-businessman detailed in depth why it means so much to him to create the landmark development in Manchester city centre.