Bradford Producer City appoints chairman
PROFESSOR Lord Patel will become an ambassador for the Bradford district following his appointment as chairman of the Producer City board.
A former Bradford Council social worker, Lord Patel established the Centre for Ethnicity and Health at the University of Central Lancashire and acquired more than £20m in research grants for health projects. In 1999 he received the OBE for services to ethnic minority health issues.
Today he has extensive experience of working at the highest levels of government across a range of departments including Communities and Local Government; Business, Innovation and Skills; Education; Health; Ministry of Justice; Home Office and the Cabinet Office.
He is chairman of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and heads several other boards relating to public health, mental health, men’s health, prison health and dementia.
The team behind Producer City markets Bradford as a place which excels at creating, making and trading products.
Lord Patel was interviewed by a panel made up of representatives of Bradford Council, Bradford University and Bradford Chamber of Commerce.
Paul Mackie, president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, said: “Several critical skills were identified by the Chamber of Commerce for a top-class chair: having an enthusiastic interest in the opportunities of Bradford District, being connected to movers and shakers in Parliament and Whitehall, and having a good understanding of both business and education were all priorities in the selection process. Being vehemently committed to promoting the District, nationally and internationally, and having an understanding of and appeal to people of different ages and cultures were also major considerations. Strong leadership, obviously, plus an ability to focus on and deliver key initiatives were the other elements needed. I’m pleased to say that Lord Patel met all our criteria and will be a real asset to the Producer City project and strategy.”
Lord Patel said: “I feel honoured to be taking up the position of Chair of the Bradford Producer City Board; and I look forward to working with my fellow board members. Together I believe we can make this vital initiative a real success for the people and economy of Bradford during this time of very real challenges but also great opportunity.”
