John Lewis boss ‘in frame for Birmingham LEP chair’
ANDY STREET, the managing director of the John Lewis, has been approached to become the first chair of the Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.
A source close to the process of recruiting the chair and other business board members for the new body told TheBusinessDesk.com: “Someone like Andy with his experience of running a blue chip brand would be awesome for the role.”
Mr Street, who was brought up in Birmingham, last month announced the arrival of the first John Lewis store in the city as part of the £600m New St Gateway redevelopment. The 250,000 sq ft store will be a key feature of the refurbished station’s retail offer, with four storeys and more than 600 jobs.
John Lewis confirmed that Mr Street was involved in discussions with the Birmingham LEP. A John Lewis spokesperson said: “Andy has been approached and the process is ongoing.”
Birmingham’s LEP is the only one in the region to run a formal selection process for the role of chair and the other board positions.
A ‘credible’ business leader is seen as crucial for the LEP to gain the support of the wider business community, which has been largely sceptical of the government’s moves to create a successor to regional development agencies such as AWM.
Last month, Birmingham Chamber chief executive Jerry Blackett said the calibre of the 85 candidates who had put themselves forward for the roles would make onlookers ‘sit up and take notice.’
A spokesman for the LEP refused to confirm or deny that Mr Street was in line for the top job, but said: “The process is nearing its conclusion and we can expect an announcement in a matter of weeks.”
