People: The West Bromwich Building Society; Shropshire Chamber of Commerce; Shakespeare’s England

Martin Boyle has joined the West Brom as COO.
He will join the board and executive committee, reporting to chief executive Jonathan Westhoff.
The former chief transformation officer at Metro Bank brings a wealth of transformation and operations experience following senior leadership positions at Nationwide Building Society, Portman Building Society, Visa Europe and Accenture.
Westhoff said: “I’m delighted to welcome Martin Boyle to the Board and Executive Team. He joins us at exciting time and brings extensive transformation and operations experience, which will further strengthen our leadership team and support the delivery of our Purpose-led strategy.”
Boyle added: “It’s great to be join the West Brom at this time of exciting digital transformation. I’m looking forward to working with the team to drive forward the Purpose-led agenda, developing and delivering products and services that continue to meet our members’ needs.”
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Shropshire Chamber of Commerce has welcomed its new chief executive.
Ruth Ross officially took over the top position this week following the retirement of Richard Sheehan, who has been with the organisation for nearly 16 years.
She said: “I am excited and proud to have been given the opportunity to lead this fantastic team, and fully recognise the importance of the Chamber’s place within the business community.
“The foundations of the organisation are solid and its commitment to supporting economic and employment opportunities remains unwavering.
“This is a challenging climate for our business community, but it is at times of economic struggle that the support and backing of a member organisation like Shropshire Chamber really comes into its own.”
Ross, who joined the Chamber in 2015, was appointed deputy chief executive last year having previously fulfilled a variety of roles including membership recruitment, skills and compliance, and director of business.
Sheehan will retain his links with the Chamber for the coming months in his role as project director for a Local Skills Improvement Plan for the Marches area.
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A new leader has been appointed to the tourism body for south Warwickshire.
Darren Tosh will take on the new role of operations and marketing director at Shakespeare’s England from June 1t as the organisation’s longstanding chief executive Helen Peters steps into a new part-time consultancy role.
Tosh – who joined Shakespeare’s England in March 2022 as digital marketing manager – will take over the day-to-day leadership of the organisation.
He said: “I am really excited about the opportunity to lead Shakespeare’s England at a time when the UK tourism sector is continuing to bounce back strongly from the pandemic.
“Pre-pandemic, South Warwickshire attracted more than 10 million people every year, with an economic impact in excess of £805 million – underlining the fantastic variety of attractions we have in this region.
“One of my key priorities will be to continue the brilliant work that has been done under Helen’s stewardship, surpassing the previous successes and not only helping to promote the area to the wider world, but also to ensure that our members’ voices are heard by decision makers too.”
Peters is stepping down from her role as chief executive after more than seven years at the helm, and a career in travel and tourism spanning 40 years.
She added: “The last seven years has seen Shakespeare’s England double its membership numbers – despite the challenges of Covid where we adapted overnight so we could continue supporting our members with tourism forums, webinars and Q&As with local MPs.
“The way our team reacted to the unpredictability of Covid is what I am most proud of, and is a key reason why our membership stayed true, and is continuing to expand.
“I’m also proud to have overseen the expansion of our Board to welcome Board members from the transportation and education sectors, whilst introducing two new marketing products, Stay, Play, Explore – Warwickshire and The Explorer Pass to highlight great value days out in our region.
“I would also like to thank the Shakespeare’s England Board for all of their support during my time as Chief Executive – it has allowed me to develop many skills, build fantastic relationships and gain a greater understanding of the working relationships between the public and private sectors.
“The organisation is in fantastic hands with Darren as it continues its journey to becoming an accredited Local Visitor Economic Partnership, which will see more collaborative working to attract even more visitors to the region.”