Business Board begins to move forward

Business leaders across the region are invited to put themselves forward to join the West’s new Business Board, following yesterday’s publication of a new, ten-year Growth Strategy that aims to create 72,000 new jobs and deliver 28% economic growth.

Applications are open until 31 October, with interested members able to share a one-page statement about their experience and motivation to join the Business Board and/or one of its sector/cluster groups (which include Higher Education, Further Education, and the Everyday Economy), with more details available on the Business Board’s new website. Interviews will take place in November, before the first Business Board meeting in the new year.

The Mayor announced plans for a new Business Board in the summer, with two Business Advisors appointed then to serve as interim chairs for its first year: Jo Dally, Chief Business Officer at NCC, and Nick Sturge, co-founder of Engine Shed. Today, four new Business Board members have been confirmed by Jo and Nick:

• Helen Argo, Executive Producer for Third Party and Commercials at Aardman – who will also chair the Creative Industries sector/cluster group
• Professor Sarah Hainsworth, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at the University of Bath
• Nigel Toon, Co-founder and former CEO of Graphcore and Senior Non-Executive Director at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – who will also chair the Digital and Technologies sector/cluster group
• David Withey, CEO and Principal of South Gloucestershire & Stroud (SGS) College and inaugural Chair of the new Colleges West partnership

The Business Board will represent the full breadth of the West’s diverse economy and will become the primary platform for businesses to engage with the regional authority’s strategic priorities. All council leaders, including from North Somerset, will also be members of the Business Board. The chairs of the Business Board will also work closely with other business representative organisations in the region.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Our new Growth Strategy sets out an ambitious plan for 72,000 new jobs to continue to drive economic growth across the West. It’s bold for business, just like our part of the world.

“The new Business Board, chaired by Jo and Nick, and joined by Helen, Sarah, Nigel, and David, as well as local council leaders – needs to represent the full diversity of our region’s economy. I want to encourage business leaders from across the West to nominate themselves to join us.

“Together, we can secure the investment and create the opportunities which will make a real difference that we can all see and feel in our communities.”

Jo Dally, Mayor’s Business Advisor and Interim Co-chair of the Business Board, said:

“The West of England is home to nationally leading sectors of strength and a vibrant everyday economy. I passionately believe that it is through partnership working that we will unlock their full potential. I am excited to play my part, and to work alongside Nick and the members of the Business Board to champion our businesses and create the conditions to see them thrive. 

“I would encourage business leaders from across the region to join us as we work collectively to deliver on the opportunities set out in the West of England Growth Strategy, drive inclusive growth, and ensure the West of England is recognised for the role it plays in anchoring jobs, growth, and industrial leadership across the nation.”

Nick Sturge, Mayor’s Business Advisor and Interim Co-chair of the Business Board, said:

“I am truly honoured to have been asked to help Helen and the team at WECA deliver significant, fast and positive change. The West of England, with its richness of diversity in sectors and population, has many challenges and opportunities but by working together I believe we can make this region thrive and fulfil its potential with renewed vigour. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to innovate and connect across our economy.

“Enabling and facilitating the voice, interests and collective capability of the business, voluntary and education communities to support Helen’s mission will be exciting and I look forward to working with Jo and fellow Board members to achieve this.”

Helen Argo joined Aardman in 1998 and has worked in all its main production departments. She initially started work in long form features before moving into series work on Creature Comforts, and over the past 16 years within commercials and short form creating animated and digital content for advertising agencies and third party brands as well as internally with Aardman characters such as Morph and Wallace & Gromit. As the Executive Producer for Third Party and Commercials, Helen is responsible for the day to day running of the production team to ensure productions are managed efficiently and to the high creative standards expected by the company.

Professor Sarah Hainsworth OBE FREng is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at the University of Bath. She leads the development and implementation of the University’s research strategy, collaborating closely with faculties, schools, and colleagues across the institution. Her research expertise lies in materials and forensic engineering, as well as surface engineering, microstructural evolution in power plant materials, and residual stress measurement in engineering components. Sarah has served as a Professor of Materials and Forensic Engineering, was part of the team that helped analyse how Richard III died using tool-marks and micro-computed X-ray tomography, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2019 for her services to engineering and forensic science.

David Withey is the CEO & Principal of South Gloucestershire & Stroud College. He is also the inaugural Chair of Colleges West, a collaborative partnership which brings together five colleges across the West. Between them those colleges deliver high-quality education and training to more than 50,000 learners every year and employ 3,500 people. David is a former senior civil servant who has worked across Education and Treasury departments in the UK and Australia, most recently as Chief Executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Nigel Toon is a technology business leader, entrepreneur, investor, and engineer, having been CEO at three successful venture capital-backed companies, including Graphcore, that he co-founded, which developed a new type of microprocessor specifically for artificial intelligence. He was previously a senior executive at Altera, a major Silicon Valley publicly listed semiconductor company. He has served as a board member and chairman for several technology businesses and currently sits as the senior non-executive director on the board of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which is a non-departmental UK public body that directs over £8 billion per year into research and innovation funding in this country. He has also been a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Council.

Jo Dally is the Chief Business Officer at NCC. In that role she leads strategy development and implementation alongside the business’s corporate affairs functions and its portfolio of strategic industrial partnerships. Before joining NCC, Jo held senior leadership roles across the public and private sector, all with innovation and partnership working at their core. This included as Director of the Western Gateway (a pan-regional economic partnership), at the Royal Society (the UK’s National Science Academy), and as a senior civil servant with responsibility for Horizon Scanning and Emerging Technologies.

Nick Sturge MBE has a portfolio of non-exec, advisory, and voluntary roles in the tech sector, public sector and education, including at techSPARK, CFMS, Bristol Women in Business Charter, Boomsatsuma, Bath Spa University and Cardiff University, and previously developed the innovation brief for Cheltenham’s Golden Valley Development. Prior to that he co-founded and floated Motion Media plc, grew the Bristol SETsquared Centre to become part of the top global university-backed business incubator, and co-founded Engine Shed to house SETsquared and drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the West of England. Nick achieved Chartered Director status with the Institute of Directors and has a track record of working at the intersect of academia, business, and government.

Note: The Mayor’s Business Advisors roles are unpaid, as are Board Members.