Former UN secretary Kofi Annan will be among the business minds at the Liverpool Summit this year.

Seven of the world's best business leaders have been invited to attend the BT Convention Centre on October 1st and 2nd to host presentations and workshops.

Others guests include Harvard Business School's Clayton Christensen and Michael Porter, editor-in-chief of the Observer Will Hutton, Tesco chief Terry Leahy, world business strategist Renee Mauborgne and politician Chris Patten.

They will be joined by 800 UK business leaders who will benefit from what has been described as an "unrivalled executive learning opportunity".

The Northwest Regional Development Agency has supported the event in association with Benchmark for Business, the North West Business Leadership Team, the Financial Times, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool 08.

NWDA executive director of enterprise and skills Mark Hughes said: "It is a real opportunity for Liverpool and the whole of England's northwest to showcase its ability to do business and create success stories within a tough economic climate."