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Cumbria LEP appoints new board members

Cumbria LEP has appointed three leading local business women to its board.

Emma Porter and Sarah Swindley join the LEP as private sector board members, whilst Professor Patricia Livsey, the Chief Executive of Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw Children’s Hospice, joins as CLEP’s first representative from the Voluntary and Community Sector.

With a background in psychology and an MBA from Insead, one of the world’s leading business schools, Emma has worked in the construction industry for 11 years and has recently returned to Story Contracting in the role of Construction Director after a successful spell working in Advisory Services at Arup.

The focus on her work in Cumbria is within the firm’s construction division, delivering a forecasted £30m turnover in 2019/20. She will also continue to be closely involved in socio-economic aspects, stakeholder engagement and business development.

Sarah is currently the CEO of the Lake District Foundation, a new charity established in 2017. Prior to this she was the CEO of Cumbria and Lancashire Women’s Centres, which provided one-stop shop health and social care services to women with a range of needs including mental health, social exclusion and complex vulnerabilities.

Sarah is also a Leadership Consultant for the Cascading Leadership Programme which provides leadership support to third sector leaders.

Patricia’s appointment has been made in line with the LEP’s Voluntary and Community Sector Nomination, an open recruitment exercise conducted by the Third Sector Network. Patricia brings a wide range of experience to the role, including extensive experience within the health sector. Her work includes national roles within the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Department of Health.

She has also worked at a senior level within the Higher Education sector for over 27 years of her career. That has included operating at Board level for a number of third sector organisations within the university sector.

Patricia Livsey says: “I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to represent the third sector within the CLEP. The role provides an opportunity to utilise the experience I have gained to date and work as part of the LEP Board to further develop and enhance services within Cumbria.

“I want to ensure that the third sector can provide a significant strategic contribution to the ongoing development of services and provision within Cumbria.”

Emma Porter adds: “My reason for joining the LEP is a strong desire to make a difference. I’m passionate about enabling Cumbria to achieve its potential and I strongly believe that the county needs to work in an open, collaborative and ambitious way to raise aspirations and realise our potential together.”

Sarah Swindley says: “I’m so pleased to have been appointed to the body that has a vital role in securing the economic future of Cumbria. As a county, we are already leaders in some sectors, but there is much more that we can unlock. I have a particular interest in social enterprise, civil society and the opportunities to further develop world class careers for young people. I look forward to helping position Cumbria as a place that harnesses innovation, embraces our digital future and focuses on inclusive growth for our communities.”

Cumbria LEP Chair Lord Inglewood says: “The LEP has been looking to recruit excellent female leaders from Cumbria’s business community to strengthen representation on our Board, and in Emma, Patricia and Sarah, we have settled on three outstanding candidates.

“Our aim is to improve gender equality on our Board, and under our strengthened governance arrangements, to ensure that we reflect the communities that we serve. These three new appointments help move us towards achieving gender balance. Emma, Patricia and Sarah all bring vital experience and business acumen to their new roles. We welcome them and wish them every success.”

Board appointments are for a three-year term, with the option for re-appointment for a further three-year period. All Board members sign up to a Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy to demonstrate their commitment to the highest standard of governance and propriety.

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