Senior figures from industry, education and local government, including Natasha Swinscoe, Chief Executive Officer, West of England AHSN, are joining the West of England economic recovery taskforce led by Regional Mayor, Tim Bowles.
The taskforce will meet, virtually, for the first time today Friday 15 May, to agree how members will work together to put together a recovery plan for the region. The economic recovery task force will be chaired by the West of England Mayor, with Prof Steve West, Chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of the West of England AHSN, as Vice Chair.
“Coronavirus is having an unprecedented impact on our residents’ jobs, businesses and livelihoods,” said Tim. “It is only by working together as a region that we can build a recovery that works for the West of England, that builds on our strengths and lets us seize the opportunities to renew our economy while avoiding the dangers of a second peak of the virus.
“The Prime Minister has asked me to take a lead on that work, and this task force will help safely get our region moving again, from supporting our businesses, workers and their families, to getting our digital and transport networks right.”
Natasha Swinscoe, who was named as industry representative for Health and Life Sciences, commented “The current crisis has had a huge impact on the health and life science sector, who have shown enormous commitment and creativity in meeting the new demands. Our region has a thriving healthcare innovation community. Their work will help us not only meet these new demands but can drive business growth that will be central to our region’s recovery.”
The economic recovery task force will be chaired by the West of England Mayor, with Prof Steve West, Chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, as vice chair. It also includes: Cllr Dine Romero, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council; Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol; Cllr Don Davies, Leader of North Somerset Council, and Cllr Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council.
The taskforce represents key sectors that contribute to the region’s economy. Members include:
David Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Bristol Port
Nigel Costley, Regional Secretary, TUC South West
Andy Forbes, Principal, City of Bristol College
Dave Lees, Chief Executive Officer, Bristol Airport
Poku Osei, Chief Executive Officer, Babbasa
Dick Penny, Chair of West of England Cultural Strategy Group
Joanne Rumley, Partner, Foot Anstey and Member of West of England Skills Advisory Panel
Phil Smith, Managing Director, Business West
Ian White, Vice Chancellor and President, University of Bath
Rick Sturge, South West Chair, Business in the Community
Industry sector representatives include:
Aerospace/Advanced Engineering: Paul Craig, Rolls Royce
Creative and Digital Tech: Sammy Payne, Co-founder, Open Bionics
Professional Services: Katharine Finn, Partner, PwC West & Wales
Tourism: Kathryn Davis, Destination Bristol & Visit Bath
Food and Rural Enterprise: Peter Alvis, Managing Director, Lye Cross Farm
Transport & Logistics: David Coombes, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport
Health and Life Sciences: Natasha Swinscoe, West of England Academic Health Science Network
Low Carbon: Margot Day, Buro Happold
Incubators, Accelerators and Hubs: Neil Douglas, Viper Innovations
Housing, Construction & Development: Richard Bonner, Arcadis
Digital Connectivity: Jon Reynolds, GDS
Members have been invited to join by the Mayor based on their credibility within their sectors; they will contribute their time and insight without financial remuneration.
The taskforce will report to the West of England Combined Authority and the Local Enterprise Partnership.
Posted on May 15, 2020
