The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 19
Durham brief – Brian Archer succeeded Simon Goon as boss of Durham County Council ’ s economic development organisation .
“ There are some fantastic knowledge-intensive , high-tech companies doing some great things , particularly here on Aycliffe Business Park where we have the largest employment area for the county and some of our biggest employers ”
– Brian Archer time of austerity , we still have a council that ’ s innovating , looking at a number of different transformation projects to invest in better processes , training and development and better technology to become a more commercial council , and I really think they ’ re ahead of the game in that .”
Although the region isn ’ t new to him – he studied a business counselling course at Durham University before studying an MSC in enterprise studies at Stirling University and an MBA at Leeds University Business School – Archer is still finding his feet here .
But he already knows a lot about the county and , particularly , the important role Aycliffe Business Park has to play for the area .
“ The first six months for me are really about orientation , understanding what we ’ re good at and perhaps where we ’ re not as strong ,” he says .
“ Once I have a good grasp of that we can shape the growth strategy for our next three years . But it ’ s important that we don ’ t throw the baby out with the bath water . A lot of great work has already been done . Business Durham is in good shape and it already has a very strong and capable leadership team .
“ I also know we have high quality businesses here . There are some fantastic knowledge-intensive , high-tech companies doing some great things , particularly here on Aycliffe Business Park where we have the largest employment area for the county and some of our biggest employers .
“ Of course , there are challenges . I think the new firm formation rate for the county is lower than other areas of the country and the survival rate isn ’ t great , either , so I think there ’ s a big piece of work to be done around the number and quality of start-ups for the county , whether that ’ s socially motivated enterprises or high-growth fast-track businesses .”
Archer set up and run his own small business in the 1980s and after selling it travelled around Canada and the USA before returning to the UK as a small business advisor for the Training and Enterprise Council in Barnsley and Doncaster .
He then enrolled on a course at Durham University Business School , studying business counselling , before further education in Scotland and back in Leeds .
Archer bid to run the Business Link contract for the South West area of Somerset and Cornwall , forming a joint venture partnership with FTSE-250 company which later offered him a business development director role in London .
He spent seven years in the capital working on bids , winning £ 160m-worth of contracts . “ I learned a huge amount and worked with some really gifted and talented people ,” says Archer . “ But corporate life is a tough gig , living in hotels , working away a lot , and I got to a stage in my life where I wanted something different , more geared towards changing lives and making a difference .”
He spent three-and-a-half years at Leeds City College Group before taking up his Business Durham job just before Christmas . “ I ’ ve learned so much in all the different roles over the years , and hopefully I can bring some fresh ideas from those experiences ,” he says .
“ I have over 20 years ’ economic development experience delivering growth , creating jobs , and improving lives as a successful business development director in a FTSE250 company with £ 3bn turnover and 100,000 staff and chief executive of a small business with £ 7m turnover and 70 staff . “ I have also set up and run my own
business which gives me unique insight into some of the issues and challenges that businesses face .
“ This experience enabled me to build an expansive knowledge base and wide repertoire of skills in strategy , marketing , bidding and stakeholder engagement .
“ I view economic development as a means of taking people often from some of the most challenging backgrounds to give them a brighter future through education and training and enabling businesses to start grow and prosper .”
Having lived and worked in London and other areas of the country – but with his roots in the North – Archer is also keen to address the economic regional divide .
But he added : “ Although I think there ’ s so much inequality between the North and the South , I think there ’ s so much opportunity here and I ’ m really passionate about that , in trying to level the playing field for businesses .
“ I ’ m also very passionate about seeing small businesses grow and thrive , often against long odds . Passion drives people forward , gives them courage and creates opportunities . Self- belief is important . So is the Law of Attraction which uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and can materialise them into reality .
“ I believe there ’ s a wider role for business to not only generate prosperity but to change lives by creating new opportunities and raising aspirations .
“ Business Durham is already making that happen and I look forward to supporting and leading the team as they continue to find innovative ways to help businesses in County Durham thrive and grow . I see this role as an exciting opportunity to make a difference .”
Business Durham works with more than 1,000 businesses across County Durham every year . The organisation has helped many companies invest in the county , including Hitachi Rail and ResQ , and has invested more than £ 16m in its business accommodation . Recent investments include the multi-million pound expansion of the North East Technology Park ( NETPark ) in Sedgefield , which is managed by Business Durham .