Professor Susan Lea appointed as founding board member of Hull & East Yorkshire LEP

University of Hull Vice-Chancellor Professor Susan Lea has been appointed as a founding board member of the new Hull & East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Professor Lea, who formerly sat on the board of the Humber LEP, is one of eight members chosen to help steer the economic direction of the region.

Officially launching on April 1, the Hull and East Yorkshire LEP will replace the former Humber LEP on the north bank of the estuary, creating a new public/private sector partnership involving Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Professor Lea said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as a board member of the new Hull & East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

“At the heart of the University of Hull’s vision and strategy is a commitment to engage with the region’s business and public sector organisations, to promote and support economic prosperity and growth. Addressing inequalities, which we know have widened as a result of the pandemic, is key to achieving this.

“Our rich heritage as an institution rooted in our region - and our strong international reputation - will drive our work as a responsive, globally engaged civic university.

The eight new Board members, with experience in a number of key sectors, will help lead the strategic direction of the Hull & East Yorkshire LEP, shaping future priorities, developing partnerships and securing investment from both public and private sectors.

The Board will comprise of six women and six men and includes LEP Chair James Newman OBE, Deputy Chair Stephen Parnaby OBE and Leaders of Hull City and East Riding of Yorkshire Councils.

The eight newly-appointed board members are:

• Jayne Adamson – Public sector (Health) – People Director, Humber Coast and Vale Integrated Care System.
• Gill Alton – Public sector (Education) – CEO, The TEC Partnership.
• Catherine Bishop – Voluntary Sector (Charity) – CEO, Tigers Sport & Education Trust.
• David Hall – Private sector (Manufacturing/Leisure) – Owner: Halls & Oliver; Minister Leisure Homes; Oaks of Beverley; Beverley Park Homes.
• Professor Susan Lea – Vice Chancellor at the University of Hull.
• Madge Moore – Private sector (Rural and agriculture) – Chair, Grow Yorkshire/Chair Yorkshire Food Farming Rural Partnership.
• Diana Taylor – Private sector (Marketing) – MD, Marketing Humber.
• Dafydd Williams – Private sector (Ports and logistics) – Head of Policy, Communications & Economic Development at ABP.
  
  

The inaugural HEY LEP Board meeting will take place on 19 April.

James Newman OBE, Chair of the HEY LEP, said: “We are delighted that the newly formed LEP has been able to appoint so many excellent members to its new Board.

“I look forward to working with them all to establish a new strategic vision for the region and to capitalise on the enormous opportunities for economic growth and transformation that will benefit all organisations, big or small, and their employees, and ensure a sustainable recovery from the problems caused by the pandemic.”