Chairman of The Peel Group, Mr. John Whittaker, has visited Liverpool pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. He was accompanied by Peel Development Director Lindsey Ashworth and Corporate Development Associate John Peter Whittaker. Visiting the pavilion at the same time was Consul General for Manchester, Mr Ni Jian, who during his visit took time to hear Peel’s plans on the River Mersey and at MediaCityUK in Salford.

The Peel Group are Lead Sponsors of Liverpool pavilion and initially visited Shanghai in May, using both the boardroom and pavilion facilities for meetings and a well-attended media event.

Peel, who were recently granted planning permission for their revolutionary regeneration scheme Wirral Waters, are spending time in China meeting companies and financial organisations to secure investment for Group wide projects, including Wirral and Liverpool Waters which propose to regenerate the waterfronts in Birkenhead and Liverpool. Peel see the 2010 World Expo as a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase what the company is about and to provide details of their many exciting and pioneering projects in the Northwest, including MediaCityUK.

During Mr Whittaker’s visit to Shanghai, he also accepted an Honorary Degree from the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) along with Professor Zhou Hanmin, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of Expo 2010. The institution, which is celebrating its fourth anniversary, is a joint venture between the University of Liverpool and Xi’an Jiaotong University and gives Chinese students the opportunity to experience a blend of Chinese and Western styles of learning.

The formal ceremony which took place on the 9th August was followed by a reception hosted by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Howard Newby and his wife Lady Newby. The ceremony marked the graduation of the very first group of students from the University, in fact it was the first time students anywhere in China graduated from a Sino-UK university with both Chinese and British degrees.