LEP development board elects chair
Bridget Blow has been elected to chair the development board of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for Birmingham and Solihull with East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth.
Her appointment was announced today after the government gave the partnership the green light last week.
Blow’s current roles include non-executive chairman of Harvard International, non-executive deputy chairman of Coventry Building Society and non-executive director of Birmingham Hippodrome.
She said: “I look forward to working with business and local authority colleagues to design and deliver the conditions necessary to create a full-time functioning Local Enterprise Partnership Board.
“This will include designing a process to identify the business representatives and independent business chair. We have agreed that business representatives who serve on the development board will not be eligible for election to the full board.”
Representatives of business support organisations in the area will work in the short-term to identify business representation on the development board. These individuals aim to work with local authority leaders to establish the LEP.
Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “I believe we are very fortunate to have the support of someone of Bridget's calibre to chair our development board agenda.
“Her business experience combined with a strong project back-ground and knowledge of the public sector make her an ideal choice.”
Blow is also a former president of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.
