Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 11
Business Park company is officially
formed with strong board of 11 directors
Business Durham in Aycliffe
Progress of the Aycliffe
Business Park Community
(ABPC) has taken an exciting
new development with the
formation of a strong board
of directors.
A trusted guide for businesses
across Aycliffe
Helping to accelerate growth and
develop long term sustainability
A partner in supporting the Aycliffe
Business Park Community
Talk to us: call John Parnell
+44 (0) 3000 261 253
www.businessdurham.co.uk
John.Parnell@durham.gov.uk
@_BusinessDurham
Business Durham is supported by:
The new limited company for ABPC has
appointed an initial board made up of 11
people from the local business community.
The previous steering group had been an
informal set-up since it was launched more
than three years ago.
But plans were put in place last year to
create an official entity for the organisation,
in order to unlock new doors and possibilities
for Aycliffe Business Park.
Xcel Centre managing director Kerina
Clark, Thrive Marketing director Rachel
Townsend Green, former Ebac managing
director Pamela Petty, Lee Harris from
Mitchell Gordon accountants, Steve Robson
from the South Durham Enterprise Agency
and Sarah Slaven from Business Durham
were first appointed to the board, and they
interviewed a number of people who had
applied for other non-executive positions
from a strong field of expressions of interest
put forward by businesses on the park.
The aim has been to appoint a bo ard that is
a manageable size whilst ensuring that it can
represent the range of sectors based upon
the park.
Based on this, five other members have
been appointed including Chris Hyde from
JDP Contracting, James Goodliffe from
Formula Plastics, Emma Little from Gregg
Little Testing Centre, Andrew McDonald from
Crafter’s Companion and Martin Walker from
Mantis Media.
Kerina Clark said: “Now that we’ve got the
initial board, we know who’s round the table
and I think we have a great starting point.
“The first time the board meets for its full
meeting together, we’ll be looking at the
priorities for the next 12-24 months.
“We’ve got some real strength around the
table. It’s great that we’ve managed to get
Business Durham involved as well as Steve
from the South Durham Enterprise Agency,
who brings a huge amount of experience and
contacts.
“It’s a really solid board to get this going.”
Kerina admits there had been limitations
for the previous steering group, due to there
only being four members, and the fact it was
an informal organisation.
She added: “The most noticeable thing
about the initial board will be the size and
Business Durham’s business development director Sarah Slaven (right) is one of 11 new board members of
Aycliffe Business Park Community (ABPC) Ltd, along with Xcel Centre managing director Kerina Clark.
scope of issues it will be able to cover.
“The original steering group was made up
of just five people, which was then reduced
to four, but now we have almost three times
as many people.
“The possibilities are all open now, and
everything is up for discussion. The start
point will be looking at the objectives for the
next 24 months, and what resources do they
need, rather than employing someone and
seeing what they can do, matching resources
to the objectives rather than the other way
round.
“There’s been a lot of feedback over
the last three years, about issues and
opportunities on the park, and as a group
there were things we would have liked to
do that we couldn’t, because of not being
a formal entity, or having the resource
available.
“We want to make sure that the issues
we look to tackle can be covered by the
strengths of the new board, which is why
we felt it important to get a good breadth of
knowledge and expertise around the table.”
Business Durham – the economic
development company for County Durham
– played a big part in setting up the original
group and also helped to fund news and
networking meetings as well as the annual
Make Your Mark awards events.
“They’ve supported this from the very
start,” added Kerina.
“The steering group have really
appreciated their support, as has the wider
community.
“They’ve got us on our feet, and we’ve
recognised the important role they’ve played
to date by including them on the board going
forward, so they can continue to play a part.”
Sarah Slaven, Business Development
Director at Business Durham, added: “The
formation of the board represents a great
step forward and I am really excited about
working with the new directors to help take
the Aycliffe Business Park Community on to
the next level in its development.
“If you’re a business on the park that
hasn’t yet had the opportunity to engage with
ABPC, there couldn’t be a better time to get
involved.”
Businesses can meet the new board of
directors at the next news and networking
meeting, at the Xcel Centre, from 8.15am
on Friday 20th May. You can register to
attend at www.aycliffebusinesspark.co.uk
OTHER NEWS &
NETWORKING EVENTS
IN 2016
15th July:
ROF 59 (Open Meeting)
16th September:
Planet Leisure
24th November:
Xcel Centre (Open Meeting)
16th December:
Christmas gathering at The County