Top team appointed at Plymouth’s Freeport

A new leadership team has been put in place at the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport

Jan Ward, founder of Corrotherm International, is taking over as chair from Adrian Bratt who is an executive director at Princess Yachts.

And Richard May, who has held the role of interim chief executive since last July, has now been appointed permanently and will officially take up his role from March.

The Freeport is expected to attract £250m in private investment and create 3,500 jobs in the city.

These permanent appointments will continue to help shape and steer the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport, which was given the green light by government last December following approval of its full business case.

As just one of eight Freeports in England, it will play a key role in unlocking investment opportunities, delivering infrastructure and promoting innovation both in the UK and globally.

Adrian Bratt, said “It has been a privilege to hold the role of Interim Chair of the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport.

“The Freeport has already started to accelerate opportunities and growth in its identified key sectors and I’m delighted to welcome Jan as Chair to continue to guide, advise and help shape the Freeport for the future.

“The Freeport will bring investment, growth, job creation and the introduction of new innovations into the region and Princess Yachts will remain committed to supporting this venture as Plymouth really does become open for business.”

Corrotherm International is an international business which specialises in supplying advanced materials for fabricating oil, gas and power generating equipment.

Jan Ward has been involved in international trade since the beginning of her career and has always been a  enthusiastic promoter of manufacturing and international trade as an economic driver for prosperity globally.

Alongside her new role for the Freeport, Jan is currently a director of the UAE-UK Business Council and a member of its advisory committee and holds a number of Non-Executive posts with manufacturing businesses.

She said: “The introduction of Freeports across the UK enables local authorities and private partners to work together to develop the economies of their regions.

“The Plymouth and South Devon Freeport is no exception and working alongside the three local authorities, the private sector and a wider range of stakeholders presents the opportunity to advance the regions’ internationally significant capabilities in marine, defence and space to the benefit of the local economy and its residents. It is our ambition to ensure that this beautiful and historically important region achieves its full potential, flourishes and thrives.”

Plymouth Freeport team

Richard May led the successful Freeport bid and is senior responsible officer for its delivery.

Prior to his interim role, and now permanent position Richard previously managed marine investment for Plymouth City Council bringing together marine technical businesses with affiliated research, knowledge partners and the wider ecosystem, under the collective name of Ocean Futures; a programme that the Freeport will play a key part in.

Prior to joining Plymouth City Council, Richard was innovation director at Oxford Innovation managing business support programmes for 140 small tech companies and leading incubation programmes for the UK Space Agency.

He also has over 25 years of business and senior management experience gained in the technology and consulting departments of leading global companies like Credit Suisse, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Arthur Andersen.

He said: “Having worked on the project from the initial bid stage in late 2020 through to getting the green light from government just two months ago, and being one of the first Freeports in the programme to do so, I’m excited to be part of the next stage in the journey.

“I look forward to working with Jan, the board of directors and member organisations as we begin to welcome investment, partnership opportunities, innovation and new jobs into the Freeport – it really is only the beginning for this highly ambitious and crucially important project for the region.”