Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership

Chair, Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (C&WLEP)

Circa two days per week with additional flexibility required

Candidates must have a strong connection, such as living and/or working, within Cheshire/Warrington

These are dynamic times for local areas and with the continued drive towards greater devolution from Whitehall, comes the opportunity to play a highly influential role in shaping the future of the Cheshire and Warrington (C&W) economy. 

Cheshire and Warrington’s (C&W) economy is the highest performing in the North of England and one of the most successful and fastest growing economies in the country, comprising Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester and Warrington.  The sub-region has a strong value proposition across sectors, skills, connectivity, market opportunity and growth.

Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (C&WLEP) is a private sector led organisation, established in 2011.  One of 38 LEP’s across England – and rated within the top 3 for performance (across the areas of Delivery, Strategy and Governance), the LEP has a leadership role in bringing together the public, private, third and academic sectors to help create the right conditions for driving forward sustainable growth and job creation. 

C&WLEP is a strategic organisation that sets the sub-region’s economic priorities, securing funding and investment, and working to unlock barriers to growth.  They speak on behalf of businesses and champion important issues with government.

Through the delivery of the C&W Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) and the emerging Local Industrial Strategy (LIS), the aim is to make C&W and even better place to live, work, invest and visit with an ambition to grow the economy to at least £50bn by 2040.

C&WLEP has grown rapidly in the past 12 months.  Building on the core LEP activities for economic strategy and influencing, CW&LEP has recently brought in house delivery activities for Skills and Business Growth and assumed control of Marketing Cheshire as a subsidiary. 

Following a highly successful full term as Chair, Christine Gaskell is stepping off the Board and C&WLEP therefore seeks a successor.  There has never been a more important time for Christine’s successor to continue to champion the C&WLEP cause regionally and nationally (Whitehall), whilst providing highly visible leadership to the Board and Executive, and wider stakeholder landscape to ensure the LEP finds its role in whatever environment it finds itself.  For the right candidate, this challenge will be hugely attractive.

For the position of Chair, we are looking for someone who is prepared to bring their business leadership experience, expertise and networks to shape the strategic agenda of this exciting sub-region.  You will be a passionate champion of C&W drawn from the business community with a clear vision for how the economy in C&W should continue to develop.  You will also be well networked at senior levels locally and nationally and able to work effectively, championing local business on the national stage. You will have a strategic mindset and an appreciation of the issues in the area, including the local economic, business, infrastructure, and political landscape. You will demonstrate high level influencing, relationship and stakeholder engagement skills, enabling you to access, build and maintain strong and effective networks and working relationships across sectors and at all levels, within the sub-region, Westminster and Whitehall. You should have experience of chairing meetings comprising senior people with strongly held views with your openness to difference and leadership skills, generating confidence and trust.

The closing date for applications is 12:00 on Friday 22^nd November.  

Please reply by clicking on the "Apply" button below, submitting a CV and short covering letter demonstrating how you meet the requirements of this role, quoting reference number JSWP6125EA.  Alternatively, for an informal and confidential discussion please call our advising consultants – Joëlle Warren or Rupert Gibb on 0845 261 0600.

All third party and direct applications will be forwarded to Warren Partners.