Coventry and Warwickshire LEP chair revealed
Warwickshire businessman Denys Shortt is set to be the chair of the new Coventry and Warwickshire LEP. Shortt, founder and chief executive of distribution company DCS Europe, is one of five private sector representatives on the LEP and is expected to be chosen as chair next month.
Shortt founded DCS in 1994 and has built it into a business with annual sales of £125m. It recently passed the £1bn sales mark.
The board of the LEP – which will help create the conditions for economic growth – will also be made up of five representatives from the public sector and one each from Coventry University and the University of Warwick.
His appointment is expected to be endorsed by a nominations group in January immediately before the LEP officially starts operating.
Shortt’s nomination was discussed at a meeting of business and council leaders.
He said: “This is a very exciting development and there was a very tangible feeling at the meeting that the formation of the LEP is a real opportunity for Coventry and Warwickshire to directly shape our future.
“I am very keen to be involved for that very reason. This area has some very strong selling points but we also have challenges and the formation of the LEP gives us a real chance to determine our own destiny.
“I think it is fair to say that in the early stages of forming the LEP, the public and private sector has to come together more than ever before.
“At the meeting we identified several key objectives – including planning, skills and transportation – and these will be included in a more specific full strategy document which we will create early in the new year.
“There are still some areas which need clarification at a national level, but we believe we are in a good position.
Shortt has recently invested £2m in a new health and beauty manufacturing plant in Stratford-upon-Avon and now employs more than 200 staff.
