HMS Trincomalee, a Royal Navy
Leda-class sailing frigate now
shored at Hartlepool Marina,
provided the stunning backdrop
for our interview with new Tees
Valley Mayor Ben Houchen.
PEOPLE IN LIFE
I most like to spend time with…a very small group of close
friends, along with my wife. I’m very good friends with (former
Stockton South MP) James Wharton, and Cameron Brown, who
works with me, is a good friend, as is my brother, Dan.
The biggest influence on my career…were my parents. When
I was younger I thought I was going to be a rugby player. I was
with the Leeds Tykes Academy, now Yorkshire Carnegie, and
I was also in the England development squad when I was 16.
But my parents always made sure I kept my feet on the ground
and did my GCSEs, A-levels and then went to university. I had
three compress fractures in my back aged 17, which ended
my professional aims, but because of their drive to give me an
academic background I was able to get a law degree which has
stood me in good stead for the career I’ve chosen.
The person who most makes me laugh…is definitely my wife.
Sometimes I might have a bad day or I’ve been slagged off in
the media, but she will lighten the mood and put things into
perspective for me.
WORKING LIFE
My greatest achievement is…being elected Mayor of Tees
Valley. I’ve stood for elections on a number of occasions, all
within the North East, because I don’t want to be anywhere
else. If you’re interested in politics there’s nothing to make you
more proud than being elected to represent people in your
local area. There’s a lot of -weight and responsibility that comes
with the job, but it’s one I wear with pride.
My biggest disappointment was…my foray into professional
sport and the injury I sustained, which meant I missed out on
a potential long-term contract with Yorkshire Carnegie, and
pursuing a professional rugby career. It’s something that has
always niggled away at me, in the back of my mind, the ‘what
could have been’, but I guess we all have those stories.
WATCH: Our video interview
with Ben Houchen can be seen
in the online version of Tees Life
at tees-life.co.uk
The person who inspires me is…James Wharton, for what he’s
achieved at such a young age - and I know he’ll go on to achieve
in the future. I certainly look up to him in terms of how he has
conducted himself, and his outlook on life.
The people who make me angry are…those who talk down
Teesside. We can be a cynical bunch, but there are actually a lot of
great things about our area. When people thrive on the negatives,
it really angers me because we can help ourselves, and there are
lots of examples of people and businesses helping themselves.
We have beacons for the area, like this fantastic museum here in
Hartlepool, Middlesbrough FC and companies like AV Dawson
and PD Ports - fantastic examples of what we do brilliantly.
“If you’re interested
in politics there’s
nothing to make you
more proud than being
elected to represent
people in your local
area.”
My business mantra is…I don’t
have all the answers, which is
the one thing I always say to
people. It takes a very arrogant
person to say “I know what I’m
doing” and not listen. I think
being aware of your limitations
is extremely important.
The alternative career I might have had was…running my
own business, which is what I was previously doing but no
longer have any involvement in. I ran it for a few years and I’m
proud to say I created more than 20 new jobs for Teesside, and
the business continues to expand today.
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