Member Article

IoD boosts support for North West directors with four branch chair appointments

The Institute of Directors (IoD) has appointed four leading business figures to be the voice of directors across the North West.

The new chairs for Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire join as the Institute ramps up its support for regional directors to recover from the pandemic and prosper.

IoD Cumbria welcomes Jen Cormack, sales and marketing director at Windermere Lake Cruises, as its new chair. Jen has considerable experience in the leisure, travel and tourism industry and sits on the board of Cumbria Tourism. She previously spent 14 years with UK and overseas leisure park operator Pure Leisure Group, based in Carnforth.

Martyn Jones, management partner with Ampios Management Partners, joins the IoD as chair of its Lancashire branch. Martyn is a highly experienced and qualified chair, director, independent board adviser, mentor and speaker specialising in leadership, strategic direction, governance and change management. The IoD Part 1 Chartered Director has experience with companies ranging from FTSE 100 to SMEs across a wide range of industry sectors.

Debbie Francis OBE joins as chair for IoD Greater Manchester. Debbie is best known in Manchester and across the North of England for her vocal support for transport infrastructure investment in the North and the need for levelling up, alongside her efforts and strong advocacy for equality, diversity and inclusion.

She is the Chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and her business career has also included senior executive roles with Arcadis UK, Direct Rail Services, London North Western Route Finance and Network Rail.

Richard Huxley, managing director of Nantwich-based NWF Fuels, has been appointed as chair of IoD Cheshire. Richard has held senior executive and commercial leadership roles in complex businesses including Brammer and RS Components and is an active mentor within The Prince’s Trust and Virgin StartUp.

He brings considerable international experience to the IoD, having achieved business success in countries around the world for global companies including Hitachi, Samsung and Arrow Electronics Inc. and has lived both in Europe and Asia where he developed and managed multi-country, diverse teams to serve both local and global customer bases.

Steve Bennett, chair of IoD North West, said: “We are delighted to secure four fantastic individuals to lead these dynamic branches. Their diverse and complementary range of skills and experience will be a huge asset for the IoD North West region but most importantly for IoD members we seek to serve and support. They will be the standard bearers for local directors, providing support where it is needed most, along with inspiration through a programme of business events as we recover and rebuild the IoD across the North West region.”

The new chairs will work alongside a team of branch ambassadors to provide local directors with connections, professional development, and an influential lobbying voice

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Abbott .