Member of Cheshire & Warrington Business Advisory Board

Sherrington Associates is the retained search partner for Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington (ECW), managing the recruitment of a new Chair and Board Members for the Cheshire & Warrington Business Advisory Board.

The Cheshire & Warrington Business Advisory Board

2024 sees a new approach for Cheshire and Warrington, with the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership becoming Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington and transferring into the ownership of the three Cheshire and Warrington local authorities. Alongside this, the local authorities are creating a new Business Advisory Board with a remit to provide local authority leaders with support and advice to help them realise the sub-region’s vision of becoming the healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and growing place in the country. 

The Business Advisory Board will be involved from the earliest stage in supporting elected members and officers from the local authorities and Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington to develop and review the economic strategies that will help deliver the sub-region’s vision, ensuring that the ‘voice of business’ is clearly heard in economic policy making. More than anything, the role calls for a clear insight into what it’s like to do business in Cheshire and Warrington in both the with and without profit sectors, what drives their success, but also what holds them back. 

BAB Member - Role Profile

The role of the members of the Business Advisory Board will be to:          

• Make an active contribution to the Board’s role in advising leaders and officers on how to make Cheshire and Warrington the healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive, and growing place in the country.
• Provide their own expertise, knowledge, and experience to enable the Board to address the economic needs of Cheshire and Warrington.
• Take the lead and provide strategic direction within the Business Advisory Board on issues and areas in which they have particular skills, expertise and experience.
• Build, maintain and utilise strong networks in order to offer well evidenced business input, advice and guidance on the future economic development of Cheshire and Warrington.
• Be prepared to actively participate in and collaborate with other boards, groups, and networks, both within Cheshire and Warrington and those that connect us to neighbouring geographies across the North, in both the public and private sector.
• Attend Board meetings and other events as appropriate.
• Be an ambassador and champion for the sub-region and advocate priorities in terms which resonate with the private and public sectors.
• Actively uphold the Nolan Principles of standards in public life and be an exemplar in acting with integrity and selflessness for the wider benefit of the Cheshire and Warrington region.

Essential Requirements

Local authority leaders are looking to establish a Board drawn from across Cheshire and Warrington which is representative, inclusive and has a wide range of knowledge, experience, and networks across its membership. As such, the board will be made up of members who have a variety of backgrounds, including individuals from all age ranges, organisational sizes and from newly formed businesses to the well-established. 

It will also be fully representative of the business community of Cheshire and Warrington, including urban, rural and all geographical areas. Sectors important to the local economy will be represented (including charities, the voluntary sector, not-for-profit and other social enterprises) and the board will be inclusive of all regardless of gender, ethnicity, or ability. There are a small set of characteristics which it is important that all members of the Board share:

• A significant connection to Cheshire and Warrington.
• Genuine interest and good understanding of Cheshire and Warrington, in particular, the opportunities and challenges faced by businesses operating in the Cheshire and Warrington economy and a strong commitment to the success of the region’s economy.
• Be independently minded – able to be detached from personal issues and provide clarity in the development of strategy and the identification of opportunities.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, articulate, passionate and have an ability to influence and network.
• Willing to provide the time commitment to the Business Advisory Board and see the personal development opportunity provided by the appointment.

In addition, local authority leaders would like several other attributes and characteristics to be represented on the Board, although it is not expected that individual members of the Board will be able to exhibit all of them:         

• Experience of starting a business as an entrepreneur.
• Leaders or people with senior roles in a business, community, voluntary or similar organisation operating in Cheshire and Warrington. 
• Experience of serving on groups or boards of other businesses or organisations.
• A perspective and understanding of the opportunities and difficulties faced by those who are under-represented in business, for example, due to age, gender or ethnicity, or those who face challenges due to disability, background or other factors.
• An ability to quickly understand and analyse and distil issues and to contribute to discussions about strategy.
• Experience of working in a partnership environment and a strong commitment to collaborative and partnership working, including with the public sector and neighbouring regions.
• An interest in and/or experience of topics which present particular challenges or opportunities for businesses growth, for example employment, training & skills, research & development, net zero, investment, social value, environment, etc.
• Other knowledge, skills, interests and/or experience relevant to the purpose of the Business Advisory Board.

Terms & Conditions

Position:                           Cheshire & Warrington Business Advisory Board Member

Recompense:                   The role of BAB Member is voluntary and not remunerated.

Term Length:                    3 Years

Expected commitment:  1 – 2 days per month on average

Selection Process

Closing Date: Friday 19th July at midday.

Any questions regarding the position or the selection process should be directed to the retained executive search partners, Sherrington Associates, quoting Job Reference: RM376.

Rob McKay – Lead Consultant 

Sherrington Associates Limited

T:   01244 310145

E:  info@sherringtonassociates.co.uk