The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has appointed four new directors to its board.
The new directors are being co-opted for a fixed-term of one year and have expertise in research and innovation, project development and funding, the visitor economy and sustainability, and small business.
The LEP approved the appointments at its November board meeting. The new directors are:
Professor Lisa Roberts, vice chancellor and chief executive, Exeter University. In her former role as deputy vice chancellor: research and innovation at the University of Leeds, Professor Roberts worked closely with the Leeds City Region LEP to drive a step change in boosting innovation and entrepreneurship. She also led a team of senior city leaders on the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme.
Dan James, development director, Eden Project. James has been instrumental in bringing some of Eden’s biggest projects to life including The Core building, The Big Lunch programme and more recently Eden Geothermal. With a background in economic development he has extensive experience of project development and funding.
Emma Stratton, CEO, Red Hotels Limited, which includes the Scarlet and Bedruthan Hotel & Spa. Stratton has been a director of hotel companies since 1988, with special responsibility for concept design, brand and sustainability. She has been involved with a wide range of projects and campaigns about how businesses can improve their sustainability and act for the public good.
Ann Vandermeulen, development manager, FSB Cornwall. Vandermeulen has been a small business champion in Cornwall for the past 22 years, lobbying on their behalf and helping to inform national small business policy working with the FSB’s Westminster policy team and other key stakeholders, most recently around net zero and sustainable business practices.
Commenting on the new appointments, LEP chair Mark Duddridge said: “We are at a critical time for regional policymaking with the imminent publication of the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper, launch of the Shared Prosperity Fund to replace our EU programmes, and the commitment to build back greener through the UK’s Net Zero Strategy and the COP26 Glasgow Climate Pact.
“These are all tremendous opportunities for Cornwall and Scilly to lead the green industrial revolution and attract investment to grow our economy and the skills of tomorrow. These appointments bring considerable new private sector strengths to the LEP and I’m delighted to welcome our four new directors at this important time for our area.”