Business leaders across the West Country are being invited to put themselves forward to join a new board aimed at driving regional growth.
The Business Board was first announced in the summer and will be headed up by West of England Combined Authority (Weca) mayor Helen Godwin. It is understood it will become the primary platform for local businesses to engage with the regional authority’s strategic priorities.
The search for board members follows the publication of a 10-year growth strategy for the Bristol and Bath region unveiled this week. Under the plans, local leaders - along with the help of board members - will target 28 per cent economic growth over the next decade.
The board will include the heads of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset (Banes), South Gloucestershire and North Somerset councils. Nick Sturge, co-founder of Bristol's Engine Shed, and Jo Dally, chief business officer of South West innovation centre NCC, also joined as interim chairs in July.
A number of other new figures have now been appointed, including:
- Helen Argo, executiveprroducer for Third Party and Commercials at Aardman – who will also chair the creative industries sector/cluster group;
- Professor Sarah Hainsworth, pro-vice-chancellor for research and enterprise at the University of Bath;
- Nigel Toon, co-founder and former chief of Graphcore and senior non-executive director at Ƶ Research and Innovation (ƵRI) – who will also chair the digital and technologies sector/cluster group;
- David Withey, chief executive and principal of South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS) College and inaugural chair of the new Colleges West partnership.
Ms Godwin said the board needed to represent the "full diversity" of the region’s economy.
"I want to encourage business leaders from across the West to nominate themselves to join us," she said. "Together, we can secure the investment and create the opportunities which will make a real difference that we can all see and feel in our communities.”
Mr Sturge said the West Country had "many challenges and opportunities" but that it was a "once in a lifetime opportunity to innovate and connect" the economy.
“Enabling and facilitating the voice, interests and collective capability of the business, voluntary and education communities to support Helen’s mission will be exciting and I look forward to working with Jo and fellow board members to achieve this," he added.
Applications are open until October 31, with interested members invited to share a one-page statement about their experience and motivation to join the Business Board and/or one of its sector/cluster groups, which include higher education, further education, and the everyday economy.
Interviews will take place in November, before the Business Board’s first meeting in the new year.
