Member Article

Four new faces boost North East LEP’s business growth board

Four of the region’s leading businesspeople have joined the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) business growth board.

Gillian Marshall, Jacqui Miller-Charlton MBE, Sandra Thompson and Ryan Maughan will help to lead the board’s strategic direction and delivery.

The new members will replace the outgoing Julian Leighton, Allison Thompson, Rob Earnshaw and James Hall in supporting more people in the region to start and scale up their businesses.

Andrew Hodgson, North East LEP Chair, said: “We are delighted to welcome four exceptional business people onto our board whose skills, expertise and business insight will be crucial at a time of great challenge for the North East economy.

“Their experience of business at the highest level will bring clarity of thought and oversight which will help us in developing our clear programme of activity to support growing and scaling business.

“I’d like to thank the outgoing board members for their dedication and hard work which has proved invaluable to our organisation and to welcome Mark Thompson into his new leadership role with our business growth board.”

Meet the Board

Gillian Marshall (pictured above), Chief Executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, is a successful executive working within business support and finance across the UK. She has extensive knowledge of public and private sectors, including international trade and finance.

Jacqui Miller-Charlton MBE is the main board director and shareholder of Miller International Limited, with a track record of leadership in sales, marketing, brand creation, commercial negotiation, business development and international growth strategy.

Sandra Thompson, Newcastle Partner at accountancy group EY, is currently UK Audit leader for entrepreneurial and fast growth businesses at EY and will be taking on the role of Office Managing Partner for the Newcastle office in July 2017.

Ryan Maughan, Managing Director of Cramlington-based AVID Technology Group Limited, has led acquisitions and disposals of business units to major corporates and also successfully raised business funding across a range of industries including oil and gas, chemical process, defence and electronics manufacturing.

In addition to the latest changes, Mark Thompson, managing partner of Ryder Architecture, will take over as chair of business growth board from Paul Varley.

Of his new role as chair, Mark said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to build on the foundations established under Paul Varley’s leadership.

“With the calibre and passion of the new board members, I look forward to making great progress in the pursuit of more and better jobs for the North East economy.”

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