Columnist

New North East LEP Chair and Board Member help to shape investment in region

Andrew Moffat CBE has been made Chair of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Investment Board, and the Board has also welcomed a new member, Managing Partner of Ryder Architecture, Mark Thompson.

Andrew has been appointed as Chair of the Investment Board having served as a member for the past four years, taking on the role following the departure of former Chair, David Land. Both Andrew and Mark also serve on the main North East LEP Board.

The role of the North East LEP’s Investment Board is to help drive growth within the North East economy by overseeing the delivery of grant and loan funding programmes including the Local Growth Fund, Enterprise Zone investments and the North East Investment Fund.

Helen Golightly, Chief Executive of the North East LEP, commented: “The Investment Board is made up of five public and private sector members, plus three non-voting specialist advisers. The appointment of Andrew as Chair and Mark as a board member further strengthens the expertise which oversees the delivery of vital investment into strategic projects across our region.”

Andrew Moffat has extensive experience in financial, commercial and strategic roles in a range of international companies. He joined the Port of Tyne as the Finance and Commercial Director in 2007 before being appointed one year later to Chief Executive, a position he held until 2018 and was named a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year’s Honours List 2016 for services to the North East economy and UK ports. Andrew was also Chair of the CBI’s Regional Council in the North East and a member of a number of other local partnership boards focused on the delivery of economic regeneration.

Mark Thompson is managing partner of Ryder Architecture, where he is responsible for the strategic development of the highly successful design company with offices across the UK and a growing international portfolio from offices in Hong Kong and Vancouver.

The funding which is overseen by the Investment Board enables the delivery of significant capital and infrastructure projects including for example the regeneration of Sunderland’s former Vaux Brewery site, which will result in high quality office space, leisure facilities, hotel and residential accommodation, the development of a new conference and exhibition centre at Gateshead Quays and the International Advanced Manufacturing park – to name a few.

Andrew Moffat said: “As our region looks to the future following the impact of COVID-19, projects like these will help shape our recovery, bringing more and better jobs to the North East.

“The region continues to be an attractive place for investors and the expertise of the Investment Board members, in ensuring that funding is allocated in a way which benefits people in the region, is vital.”

The five members of the North East LEP Investment Board are: Andrew Moffat CBE (Chair); Gillian Hall (Vice Chair); Mark Thompson; Councillor Iain Malcolm (Leader, South Tyneside Council) and Councillor Bruce Pickard (Deputy Elected Mayor, North Tyneside Council). The specialist advisers are: Jason Hobbs (CEO of the North East Fund Ltd); David Furness (Senior Director, BNP Paribas) and Ian Richards (Director, Northstar Ventures).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by North East LEP .