Things you should know about Sheffield: investors can benefit from the highest level of funding assistance in Europe, residents live in England’s safest city and visitors can enjoy the UK’s largest theatre complex outside London.

That’s just for starters. There’s a lot more to the Yorkshire city than you might think. “People say that Sheffield is the UK’s best kept secret and that summarises it perfectly,” says Phil Roberts, chief executive of Sheffield First for Investment.

Formed in 2000 to attract companies to Sheffield, and aid the growth of those already in the city, the investment agency has been promoting the city’s economic profile with aplomb. Although synonymous with, and still a leading producer of, steel, the economy of 21st Century Sheffield is impressively diverse. For example, more than seven per cent of the working population is employed in the creative industries, while the equivalent national figure is just over four per cent.

This is an extract from an article in issue one of Rise magazine. To read the article in full click on the image to download, or subscribe now to Rise. Free of charge to a selected business audience. Click here.