Urban Growth Company appoints new Finance Director
A long-serving finance director at a Birmingham law firm has been appointed to an equivalent position at the UK Central Solihull Urban Growth Company.
Fran Gibbons, whose career at Shakespeare Martineau spanned more than 22 years, is the UGC’s first Finance Director.
Nick Brown, UGC chairman, said: “The Urban Growth Company has achieved a huge amount since its inception a year ago and we are now moving towards a new phase of delivery which will require complex financial support and management.
“With Fran taking a financial lead, the wider UGC team will continue working alongside private and public sector partners and landowners, building support and driving £1.6bn of infrastructure investment to maximise the full potential of the site.
“Her appointment also stands us in good stead as we work more closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority on other projects, such as implementing the Value Capture Framework we’ve recently published.
“Fran’s financial expertise, practical and strategic insight, and her in-depth knowledge of the region, will make her an invaluable member of the UGC team.”
The UK Central Hub in Solihull is seen as one of the country’s most strategically important development sites and one of the major drivers of economic growth in the Midlands.
As well as being the location of the new HS2 Interchange station at the Arden Cross site, The Hub is already home to Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Jaguar Land Rover and Birmingham Business Park.
The ambition is to create one of the best-connected commercial, industrial and residential zones in the UK with unrivalled rail, road and air links, facilitated by the UGC with wider support from local, regional and central Government.
The Hub Growth & Infrastructure Plan, first published in March, and updated last month, highlights the potential of the area to create up to 77,500 jobs, 775,000 sqm of commercial floor space, 4,000 new homes and £4.1bn in GVA per annum.
