North East LEP chairman to stand down

The chairman of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has announced he is standing down, after nine years on the board.

In a statement, the LEP said Andrew Hodgson OBE (pictured), will step down as soon as a replacement chair is recruited.

The North East LEP is one of 38 LEPs in the country and sets the economic agenda for the region to promote and develop economic growth across the North East.

Its geographic patch covers the local authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

The vice chair of the North East LEP’s board and the chief executive of Northumbrian Water, Heidi Mottram, 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,’ she added.

‘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 UK – and if that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you so please do get in touch.’

The North East LEP has also announced five new appointments to its business growth board, which supports the LEP in achieving its aim of creating 100,000 more and better jobs in the North East.

The new appointments are – 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 Turner & Townsend); and Steve Underwood (Managing Partner for Dentsu Aegis).

Photo Credit – Supplied by North East LEP