Oliver Coppard says new business advisory board can help 'turbo-charge' South Yorkshire's economic growth

The new board will be co-chaired by Louisa Harrison-Walker, representing the three South Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce, and Tariq Shah OBE, Director of property enterprise Vigo Group.

Other board members include Rachel Abbott representing the Cutlers, South Yorkshire International Trade Forum, Manufacturers Forum and Made In Sheffield, as well as Dawn Huntrod representing MakeUK.

It also features Paula Gouldthorpe representing the Federation of Small Businesses, Angela Foulkes representing the South Yorkshire Skills Advisory Board and Liz Blackshaw representing the Northern Trade Union Congress.

Sherry Kothari, chief executive of Plasma 4, Roz Davies, chief executive of Green Estate and David Cross, chief executive and architect of Sky-House are also on the board, as is Richard Gould, sales director for Metlase and Ken Perritt, senior director for GXO Logistics.

One of the key focuses for the board will be helping to build economic momentum for South Yorkshire, which in July was named as the UK’s first Investment Zone. The zone will have a focus on advanced manufacturing and is forecast to help create 8,000 new jobs and secure £1.2 billion of private funding by 2030.

Mr Coppard said: "I'm hugely excited to launch our new Business Advisory Board. South Yorkshire’s economy has been too small for too long, and fixing that problem is central to my ambitions as Mayor.

“I couldn’t be more pleased to have such a brilliant group of people to work with in addressing that challenge. It’s a brilliant group of people that showcases the immense, diverse talent we have across the region.

"The Business Advisory Board will play a vital role in our plans to turbo-charge economic growth, offering both advice and insight, helping me to restore the pride, purpose and prosperity of South Yorkshire.”

Tariq Shah said: "As someone proudly from Doncaster, I am delighted to have been appointed to SYMCA’s Business Advisory Board.

“The recent designation of South Yorkshire as the UK's first Investment Zone positions the region on a global stage. I believe the Business Advisory Board will play a pivotal role in capitalising on this momentum, driving business success nationally and internationally.”

Louisa Harrison-Walker added: "This collaborative initiative, featuring a broad and diverse section of the region's successful business leaders, will be an excellent means of leveraging our recent designation as the UK’s first Investment Zone.

“Mayor Oliver Coppard's plan to use the Board as a collaborative forum with other local authority leaders aligns with our regional ethos of partnership and will act as a facilitator – bringing together the best ideas in the region, using economies of scale to ensure that they level-up the area.”