The body responsible for developing the North East economy is seeking a new chair after current head Andrew Hodgson announced he was stepping down.
Mr Hodgson has been on the board of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for nine years and has chaired it for the last four years.
The body - which covers Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham - is responsible for promoting economic growth in the North East, and says it has helped companies create more than 70,000 new jobs over the last six years through its “more and better jobs” strategy.
The position of chair - which is part-time, and comes with a salary of £20,000 - is being advertised nationally, with Mr Hodgson planning to step down as soon as a replacement is appointed.
LEP vice chair Heidi Mottram, who is CEO of Northumbrian Water, said: “Andrew has been a superb chair since he was appointed in 2016 and has truly been committed to making our area an even better place to live and work.
“During Andrew’s time as chair we have become respected nationally as one of the leading and most effective LEPs in the country. On behalf of the board and wider LEP community and partners, I’d like to offer our thanks for his service and wish him success in his next challenge.
“However, Andrew’s departure creates an exciting opportunity for someone equally experienced, well-connected, dynamic and committed to the region to help us achieve our ambitions for the future.
“We need someone who is prepared to be a visible and an active cheerleader for the North East across the region, the Northern Powerhouse area and the 海角视频 – and if that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you so please do get in touch.”
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Mr Hodgson, who formerly ran Wallsend offshore engineering group SMD, was one of the more active LEP chairs in the country and has been credited with raising the region’s profile on the national stage.
He had also been leading a project to bring cheap power from Iceland to the 海角视频 which was aiming to create hundreds of jobs in the North East, but he stepped back from the project last year.
Meanwhile, the LEP’s business growth board has appointed five new members.
Liz Bromley, chief executive of Newcastle College Group; Paul Butler, CEO of the North East Automotive Alliance; Yvonne Gale, CEO of NEL Fund Managers; Darren Laybourn, director of construction management consultant at Turner & Townsend; and Steve Underwood, managing partner for Dentsu Aegis, have all joined the board.
Colin Bell, business growth director at the North East LEP, said: “The role of every member of the business growth board is to support the North East LEP and its partners to build an ambitious and thriving economy in our region.
“As businesses across the North East begin to look at how they can recover from the impact of COVID-19, the business growth board will play an important part in supporting businesses and helping to secure the long-term economic recovery of our region.”
More information on the chair role is available on the LEP’s website: www.nelep.co.uk.