Cornwall Development Company, the new organisation charged with delivering economic development for the benefit of Cornwall’s businesses and communities, is pleased to announce the appointment of its new board of directors.
The new board comprises of five leading business men and women representing the private sector who, with the chairman Martin Brooks also with a private sector background, will form a majority on the board and will join the public sector appointed directors.
The new private sector appointees to the board are as follows:
Andrew Honey, who lives in Freathy near Millbrook, has a strong background in engineering, sustainable energy, IT and e-commerce. As part of the inaugural Climate Change Leadership Programme he has specialised in advising businesses on the likely impacts of climate change.
Steve McTeare, a Director of RLT Architects in Penzance, has considerable experience in residential development, industrial, commercial and retail projects both in the south east and in Cornwall including project management of Fistral Beach Newquay and feasibility schemes for the Leach Pottery St Ives.
James Staughton, Managing Director of St Austell Brewery, is a former director of Cornwall Enterprise and previous Chair of the Cornwall Tourism Forum. St Austell Brewery is one of the largest companies in Cornwall with a presence throughout Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. James is well known in the County for his advocacy of quality tourism and his efforts with the anti-litter partnership Clean Cornwall.
Tony Stuart is a chartered accountant and former Managing Director at Rothschild, the leading UK investment bank, where he worked for more than 25 years. In the course of his career Tony has been a corporate finance adviser to many leading companies in the UK and overseas. Now a consultant at Rothschild, he continues to act as the adviser to a select group of UK corporates. He has also recently been appointed an independent Governor at University College Falmouth.
Sarah Trethowan is currently a Director with her husband Jonathan of TRAC Services, a Camborne based company who provide consultancy services to leading pharmaceutical companies. Sarah has been a public advocate of entrepreneurship in Cornwall and also sits on the board of the Camborne Pool Redruth Urban Regeneration Company. Alongside her husband Jonathan Trethowan they were both recently awarded Business Leader in the 2009 Cornwall Business Awards.
They will be joined by Councillor Carolyn Rule the Cornwall Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration and Councillor Graeme Hicks the Cornwall Council Cabinet Member for Highways Transportation and Planning.
Cllr Carolyn Rule welcomed the appointments “which signal a fresh approach to economic development in Cornwall and a genuine partnership between the public and private sector, striving to transform the Cornish economy”.
Martin Brooks Chairman of Cornwall Development Company said,
“We have received over 120 applications for these five appointments and have been heartened and encouraged by the very high level of interest, experience and commitment by all applicants to the future economic well-being of Cornwall. We are now privileged to benefit from the wide ranging blend of skills and experience of those appointed, but at the same time I wanted to add a huge thank you to all applicants whether appointed or not. We could have created several “fit for purpose boards” from the shortlist.”
He added,
“We expect to shortly announce the appointment of a full-time Chief Executive as well. In the meantime the existing team at Cornwall Development Company lead by Colin Jarvis the interim Chief Executive are getting on and working with Cornwall Council, South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) and other stakeholders implementing a better sustainable economic future for Cornwall as well as helping businesses in Cornwall manage their way through these current difficult economic times.”
Theo Leijser, Area Director for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly at the South West RDA, said:
“This new board brings together the knowledge and expertise of some of Cornwall’s key business leaders and is a significant step forward in the development of Cornwall’s economy. The RDA is looking forward to working with the Cornwall Development Company on delivering a range of exciting and innovative projects that will create high value jobs, focus investment where it is most needed and unlock business potential.”
