WHEN people talk of making a flying visit to Robin Hood’s Bay, their meaning is usually pretty clear. But when it is Lucy Thornycroft, the “fairly new” regional director of the CBI who relocated to Yorkshire just before Christmas, clarification is required.
That’s because among the more standard outdoor pursuits of walking and sailing, Ms Thornycroft also likes to paraglide.
“Paragliding is probably the cheapest form of flying,” she said. “But it’s incredibly peaceful and you have to be very patient. You have to spend a lot of time waiting. I find it similar to sailing in that aspect.”
Beneath the cheery exterior, there lurks an impatient streak – when discussing the frustrations of mobile phone coverage across the county, for example – which is also self-evident in her 10-year working career which has seen the anthropology post-graduate work at the Cabinet Office, climb the ranks at the National Housing Federation, then continue her work in policy as the CBI’s head of construction before heading north for this role.
“I was keen to move to the commercial side of the business and I knew I would enjoy engaging with businesses,” she said.
“I am fairly new to this role but I have been at the CBI for over three years. I am very clear what we want to achieve as a business. Coming from the policy side of the business I still spend a lot of time speaking and engaging.”
It is not just the regional director which is relocating, but the organisation itself, which last week moved from its former home in Crossgates, Leeds, to an office in Sovereign Square, in the city centre.
“It will make a real difference to our working culture,” said Ms Thornycroft. “We are now in the heart of Leeds. Many of our members are close by, we will be in the heart of a vibrant city and, from a networking point of view, it’s easy for people to visit us.
“The CBI is looking to match the fantastic offices we have in Cannon Place [London] – our palace of glass and steel – good premises for members to come to.”
After six months in the role, dominated by the election and its consequences, the move to the new offices sets the platform for the organisation’s next phase.
She said: “Top of my agenda, now the dust has settled on the post-election landscape, is the discussions going on around the EU referendum and the CBI having a clear mandate from our members to support being in, but with reform.
“The other key issue is the short and long-term challenge of growth. We have seen some rebalancing of the economy, which is great, but what our members tell us is investment and infrastructure is at the heart of it.
“Also, the top issue that businesses raise is the skills agenda, whether that’s reforming the schools system to universities delivering the skills business need.”
The role of the CBI as the most influential lobby group for business is central to the organisation’s continued strength and purpose.
“The CBI is the voice of business, a key part of my role is talking to our members and our regional council so they are at the heart of the issus we take to government and Europe and beyond,” added Ms Thornycroft. “On a practical level it is meeting with members and engaging, looking after businesses within Yorkshire.
“We understand what the key drivers for growth are and what our members really want from us – it’s that role in shaping the voice of business, in terms of influencing the environment in which they operate.
“We do really represent that diversity of business. The strength of the CBI does come from our influence and because we are working on the issues that really matter – whether that’s regeneration, access to finance, infrastructure – and that engagement makes business want to be part of the CBI and our network.”
