South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) have announced that Lucy Nickson will be Interim LEP Chair from January 2022. Lucy will be in post from January until the Mayoral election in May next year.
The LEP is responsible for representing private-sector businesses and setting the strategic direction for economic growth in South Yorkshire. Lucy will take over from James Muir, who has served as South Yorkshire LEP Chair since 2019.
South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis said: “Lucy is a hugely valued member of the LEP and has been an excellent vice chair during an extremely challenging period for business. She played an integral role in the development of the Strategic Economic Plan, and I know she will continue to be a great champion of South Yorkshire and do excellent work as Interim Chair.”
Lucy said: “I’m proud to be taking on the role of Interim Chair of South Yorkshire LEP. I’m looking forward to working together with the LEP Board and its many partners as we continue to make a positive difference to South Yorkshire’s communities and their prosperity. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been so impressed at how the LEP Board, the Mayor, Local Authority Leaders, the wider business community and the Executive Team have pulled together to support our businesses and people. I’m totally committed to South Yorkshire’s strong partnership approach, and I will do my best to build on our work as we pull together to transform the economy and society, drive our recovery from COVID, and start to deliver the region’s Strategic Economic Plan.”
Lucy has been Vice-Chair of South Yorkshire LEP since September 2018. She currently heads up a charity which supports NHS major trauma patients in the UK. She has extensive CEO experience within the healthcare charity sector but has also worked across public and private sector organisations in a senior capacity throughout her career. In 2017, Lucy was awarded an Honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine, MD (Hon) by the University of Sheffield, in recognition of her influence and work in Palliative and End of Life Care services across the region.
Image credit: unltdbusiness.com