North East LEP welcomes new members to the Board

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (North East LEP) has announced the appointment of two new Board members.

Colin Hewitt and Phil Redman will join the Board as non-executive directors as the North East LEP moves forward with a refreshed role and a continued commitment to create more and better jobs.

Colin Hewitt is a Senior Partner of Ward Hadaway LLP. He is a lawyer of some 40 years standing and his expertise covers both commercial and public sector work.

Phil Redman is Area Director of Mott MacDonald. He brings with him a wealth of business experience and a deep passion for the North East.

Colin Hewitt, Senior Partner of Ward Hadaway LLP, said: “I am delighted to join the LEP Board. This is an incredibly important time in the economic development of the North East as businesses face both challenges and opportunities. I look forward to supporting the LEP in its role as a proud ambassador for the North East business community as it continues its mission to create more and better jobs for the region.”

Phil Redman, Area Director of Mott MacDonald, said: “The North East is a region of endless possibilities. As a North East LEP Board member, I am eager to put my knowledge, experience, and skills to work in supporting the continued development of our region. These are exciting times and I look forward to offering my support to realise the opportunities in front of us.”

Lucy Winskell OBE, Chair of the North East LEP, said: “Both Colin and Phil are highly-respected business leaders with a strong connection to the North East and a deep understanding of our economy. They are incredibly motivated and driven to make our area an even better place to live, work and stay. We are confident our new board members will play a significant role in our mission to create more and better jobs, so everyone has the chance to thrive. We are delighted to welcome Colin and Phil to the team.”

The Board will support the North East LEP’s revised role, which is to represent the business voice; collaborating and engaging with, listening to and feeding business views into national and regional policy and investment decision making.

The North East LEP will lead strategic economic planning by taking the regional lead to develop and coordinate research and economic evidence around the North East economy to inform regional strategy and decision making.

The North East LEP will also:

Improve skills – working to ensuring North East residents of all ages have the opportunity to develop skills that match the opportunities in the labour market
Grow businesses – supporting businesses to start, grow and thrive and to create an environment where they can learn from each other to create more and better jobs
Manage funds – continuing to manage the region’s Enterprise Zone funding and other funding streams already secured by us to invest in strategic projects which will grow the regional economy
Lucy Winskell continued: “It is an exciting time to join the North East LEP Board as regional governance is set to change and we are committed to ensuring the voice of business is central to that.”

For more information about the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, visit www.northeastlep.co.uk.