North Yorkshire economy 'will grow back better' says new LEP business chair

A new business board chair is confident the York and North Yorkshire economy will grow back and better, as it recovers from the impact of Covid-19.
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Sue Jefferson was appointed as Chair of the Business Board at York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) at the LEP’s main board meeting on Friday, May 21.

Ms Jefferson has 30 years in UK Director and Global Leadership roles, including Danone Group and McCain Foods, and now uses her expertise in non-executive Director roles and developing leadership teams’ diversity of thinking so their organisations thrive through competitive outperformance.

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“The Business Board identifies current and emerging issues at the heart of all types of business, helping to shape then monitor the effective support offered through the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub," Ms Jefferson said.

New LEP business board chair, Sue Jefferson.New LEP business board chair, Sue Jefferson.
New LEP business board chair, Sue Jefferson.

"There’s a huge range of support on offer, including peer to peer networks, planning for scale ups and guidance relating to innovation, reducing carbon and opening up online or export markets.

“Alongside the increasing Growth Hub offer, the Board is overseeing new work to attract inward investment and develop internationalisation in the region’s import and export markets.

"We also continue to champion delivery of bold and ambitious initiatives, such as circular economy and carbon abatement schemes, which provide immense business advantage and new skill opportunities for the area.

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“Having been involved with the Board since 2018, I’ve valued the breadth of independent, experienced private sector members, bringing a diversity of thinking to our discussions.

"The agility and impact shown during this unprecedented time, the success stories already emerging and the important initiatives now rolling out, makes it an exciting time to chair the Business Board and see the region’s greener, fairer, stronger growth realised.”

The LEP is a business-led partnership with the public sector, set up by central Government, which uses local knowledge to secure investment in projects that will make a difference to the North Yorkshire economy.

In March, Helen Simpson was appointed as the new LEP chair, replacing David Kerfoot.

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