Marketing Leeds chief resigns as candidates sought

DEBORAH Green has announced her resignation as chief executive of Marketing Leeds as Leeds City Council’s new marketing body begins a fresh search for its top job.

A second recruitment process has been launched after recent applicants for the role failed to impress.

Mrs Green said she had decided to announce her resignation “in order to end speculation and to allow a fresh recruitment process to commence”.

TheBusinessDesk.com reported in May how it was understood that headhunters had contacted several more candidates to see if they were interested in applying for the job – believed to carry a salary of around £100,000 – following the first wave of interviews under the recruitment process, which was advertised nationally.

Leeds City Council’s new marketing body will bring together Marketing Leeds, Financial Leeds, Locate in Leeds, Leeds Visitor Centre and Conference Leeds.

The new organisation will retain the Marketing Leeds brand and use its company structure.

Mrs Green said she had been in discussions with the council about the chief executive post for its new marketing body but had decided to walk away.

She said: “In recent weeks I have been in discussion with the board of Marketing Leeds and Leeds City Council regarding a role as the new chief executive of the city’s combined marketing, inward investment and tourism body.

“Whilst I am pleased to have had the opportunity to consider this, I have taken the decision  to step down as chief executive of Marketing Leeds.

“This has been a difficult decision and one not taken lightly. However, in order to end speculation and to allow a fresh recruitment process to commence, I feel it is important to announce this decision.

“I have long advocated the bringing together of a range of existing services in the city to create a coherent and compelling offer and remain committed to this brave ambition.

“I am proud that, over four years, I have led Marketing Leeds in raising the profile of the city and to a position where it is now able to deliver this wider agenda. I know that the private sector, in the form of our many Champions, are totally supportive of both the work I have done to date and this new vision for the future.

“I am equally proud of the strong team that we have built at Marketing Leeds, whose commitment and energy remains undiminished.”

Mrs Green said she had been asked to remain in post at Marketing Leeds until early October “in order to facilitate effective delivery of current initiatives”.

“I wish Marketing Leeds every success in the next exciting phase of its development and remain fully supportive of the company’s strategic vision,” she added.

A spokeswoman for Marketing Leeds said the organisation’s chairman, Nigel McClea, was expected to step down from his position in the Autumn.

Commenting on Mrs Green’s contribution to the organisation, Mr McLea said: “She has with strategic vision, courage and a great deal of hard work given to the city a marketing arm to be proud of with a lengthy catalogue of achievement and an enormously strong and effective platform for further growth.”