Thames Freeport Governing Board - Independent Chair

Independent Chair - Thames Freeport Governing Board

Recruiter: Thames Freeport Governing Board
Location: England
Salary: Competitive
Posted: 05 Jul 2021
Closes: 05 Aug 2021
Ref: 83370
Job Function: Board Member
Industry: Engineering / Manufacturing, Leadership / Management
Position Type: Permanent

Thames Freeport – Britain’s Trading Future is a national and international hub for global trade and investment across the UK which will promote regeneration and job creation in communities in urgent need of ‘levelling-up’. The Freeport has the vision to connect the global ports at London Gateway and Tilbury with Ford’s world-class Dagenham facility, creating an economic zone which accelerates investment and jobs in the region. The Thames Estuary has in recent years regained its status as one of the UK’s largest maritime clusters and it is estimated that the Freeport could generate investment in excess of £4billion and create over 25,000 jobs

The Thames Freeport partnership is a private sector led consortium comprising DP World, Forth Ports and Ford that will bring new investment into the Thames Corridor. The private sector consortium is working very closely with HM Treasury, HMRC, MHCLG, as well as local and regional bodies including Thurrock Borough Council, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council, London Borough of Havering, the South East LEP, as well as the Thames Estuary Growth Board.

The Freeports will have a governance board that has responsibility for the oversight of the Freeport to ensure consistency and compliance with the business case submitted to government and to ensure that the parties collaboratively work towards the stated Freeports strategic objectives. While the individual parties will retain their own budgets for funding and capital allocation decisions, the governance board will have oversight of specific freeports activities and accountability for ensuring public funds are used in accordance with those objectives and business case. The projects will range from multi-million pound infrastructure improvements to a range of programmes covering innovation, skills development, digital connectivity, low carbon solutions and the hydrogen economy.

This is a high profile position and a transformational role, offering a rare opportunity to provide strategic direction and alignment with other major economic interventions across the region and crucially integrates with wider commercial, strategic social and environmental aspirations. The delivery of the Thames Freeport will have a transformative impact regionally and contribute significantly to national economic growth.

The key responsibilities of the role are to:

• Act as a champion and Ambassador for the Freeport in attracting new investment and thereby supporting local, regional and national economic growth.
• Be a highly credible interface between the Board and Government
• Be the strong strategic voice that represents the vision of the Board.

The successful candidate for this role will hold a well-developed and established leadership profile and be able to articulate and implement a strategic vision operating within complex multi-organisational governance structures. They will be a clear, visible and inspirational leader with the personal authority and influencing skills to champion and to represent the ambitions of the Board with the credibility to work across the public and private sectors and wider stakeholders.

For the full information pack, including details of how to apply, please visit: www.odgers.com/83370.

The closing date for applications is 12noon on Friday 30 July 2021.