A leader in industry has been appointed to chair the East Midlands Freeport.
Nora Senior CBE has been appointed non-executive chairwoman of the UK’s only inland freeport on an initial three-year term.
She will replace Penny Coates, who has been acting interim chair during the freeport’s founding phase, and who led the board as it successfully completed its outline business case submission.
The Government has said the three East Midlands tax sites – around East Midlands Airport, the Ratcliffe on Soar power station redevelopment site and the East Midlands Intermodal Park near the Derbyshire Toyota plant – will support 61,000 jobs and bring an extra £8.9 billion into the local economy over 30 years.
Eligible companies investing there can already access certain benefits and a new blueprint makes the case for £25 million of seed capital funding that will deliver new roads, cycle routes, land preparation works and a Hydrogen Skills Academy.
In a career stretching more than 30 years Ms Senior has held senior leadership positions including group executive chair of global communications and government relations consultancy Weber Shandwick, and previously with Saatchi and Saatchi.
She has advised clients across a wide range of sectors, including ports, property and construction, energy, finance, healthcare, technology and FMCG, delivering programmes in China, Europe, the USA and Africa.
She has extensive experience at non-exec board level in public and private sector organisations, having been president of the British Chambers of Commerce and is currently a board member of the International Chambers of Commerce, which has UN observer status.
She is also an external member of the House of Lords Commission and is a past regional adviser to the London Stock Exchange.
She remains an international trade emissary for Chambers of Commerce and is vice chair of council at the University of Nottingham.
She said: “I am delighted to take on this important role and look forward to building on the significant work which has already been undertaken on East Midlands Freeport.
“I believe the freeport will be a catalyst for showcasing the strengths of the region in terms of technology, manufacturing and innovation, attracting new investment in these areas and driving economic growth and social benefit in the East Midlands.
“I look forward to working with the board and wider team to deliver the ambitions of this unique freeport and increase momentum and visibility around the programmes to attract global trade and investment.”
Penny Coates said: “We have developed a successful business case and reached the point of the tax sites achieving designation and beginning to trade.
“This milestone allows us to appoint a permanent board and I am delighted to welcome Nora Senior as the chair of that board.
“Nora has superb international development expertise and the time to steer East Midlands Freeport towards the considerable potential that it offers for our region.
“I would like to thank everybody involved for the support and cooperation that they have shown me as interim chairperson during the development phase and wish Nora every success going forwards.”
