Marches LEP chairman to stand down
DR Geoffrey Davies is to stand down as chairman of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in February.
He has advised the LEP board that while he is happy to remain a member of the board he will not be seeking an extension to his term as chairman.
Dr Davies OBE is the founding chairman of the Marches LEP, the business-led private and public sector partnership for Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
He said: “Having spent some six years now being chairman of economic regeneration forums, including the Shropshire Business Board and the LEP, I now feel it is time to take a step back at the end of my term.
“I’m delighted with the progress that the LEP has made over my term of office, which will continue until February next year. The Marches LEP was in the first tranche of 24 LEPs to be approved by the Government, joining some of the country’s urban powerhouses in early work to help rebalance the economy in favour of the private sector.
“It has been my pleasure to have been at the forefront of this work, supported by an excellent business-led board working in partnership with the local authorities of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
“I will remain on the board for a further year to ensure continuity during the search for and appointment of a new chair and to devote more time to pushing ahead with my vision to create a National Aeronautical Academy at RAF Cosford, a joint project with the LEPs of the Black Country and Staffordshire.”
As part of the preparation to change leadership, the board has appointed LEP co-opted business champion, Sir Ben Gill CBE, as vice-chairman. Gill is a former NFU president and chairman of tourism organisation, Visit Herefordshire.
He said: “The LEP is moving rapidly into a period of consolidation enabling us to exploit the various and diverse sources of available funds to support local initiatives to grow, secure real job growth, improve our skill and education base and work to increase the general standard of living for the area.”
