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12
Nov 2024
Mayor appoints Ripon company founder to chair business board
Business owners from Ripon and Harrogate have been selected to join the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire’s business board.
David Skaith has chosen 13 industry leaders to sit on the board, which will be tasked with helping to shape economic growth in the region.
It will advise the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority on economic strategy and policy decisions. It will also help to bid for investment and engage with businesses, opinion formers and policymakers.
Jennifer Wood, co-founder of Ripon-based natural oils company O&3 Limited has been appointed to chair the board.
Following her appointment, she said:
David (Skaith) has a terrific vision for York and North Yorkshire, and a very credible plan. I am really looking forward to helping him deliver this, alongside our board of highly skilled, fellow Yorkshire business leaders.
We are in a period of change, and I have no doubt – given the experience and passion at the helm – our region will further thrive and prosper for the benefit of us all.
Rebecca Layton, owner of Layton Hill Hotels which owns the Old Deanery in Ripon, and Andy Makin, managing director of Harrogate-based EnviroVent Limited, will also sit on the board.
Other members include owners and directors of businesses in York, Northallerton, Scarborough and Skipton.
Mr Skaith said the board will play a key role in the development of the York and North Yorkshire growth plan.
He said:
The business board will provide scrutiny role and insight into the local growth plan and how it will support emerging opportunities for growth that we are yet to fully realise. With new and emerging growth, it is important that we have the right plans in place to attract private sector investment in York and North Yorkshire and create more and better opportunities for people who live and do business here.
My mission is to ensure that devolution delivers healthy and thriving communities across York and North Yorkshire and small businesses are at the heart of that. The Business Board will have a role in ensuring that we are supporting small businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities to be resilient and to thrive.
The first meeting of the business board will be held on November 22. The board will meet in-person on a quarterly basis.
You can find the full list of business board members below.
- Jennifer Wood – Chair, Co-Founder of O&3 Limited
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Caroline Bell, Joint Managing Director at Shepherds Purse Artisan Cheeses
- Jane Colthup, Chief Executive at Community First Yorkshire
- David Dickson, Chair at St Leonards Hospice
- Cherie Federico, Director at Aesthetica
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David Hall, VP of Power Systems at Schneider Electric
- Andy Hughes, AGH Engineering Limited
- David Kerfoot, Chair at Fix Our Food
- Nicola Kingswell, Scientific Director at Labskin Limited
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Rebecca Layton, Owner of Layton Hill Hotels
- Sam Leach, Co-Founder at Spark
- Andy Makin, Director at EnviroVent Limited
- Jessica Wright, Managing Director at Peel X
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