Two leading business figures have joined the board which runs Hereford’s enterprise zone at Skylon Park to help drive further growth at the site.
Scott Kean, the co-founder of specialist defence and security resource Electi, and financial and HR specialist Kerry Diamond have been appointed to the executive board of Hereford Enterprise Zone Ltd which steers the direction of the public/private initiative that is developing the Rotherwas site.
They are joined on the board by Herefordshire Council’s new leader, Councillor David Hitchiner.
Chairman of the Hereford Enterprise Zone, Andrew Manning Cox, said he was delighted with the new appointments, which followed an exhaustive recruitment process.
“Both Scott and Kerry will bring the passion, knowledge and drive to help ensure Skylon Park continues to thrive and grow, creating new jobs and opportunities for Hereford and the wider community.
“They have decades of successful experience in business between them and an excellent understanding of our ambition to create a world-leading centre of cyber and defence expertise at Skylon Park.
“We are also delighted to welcome Councillor Hitchiner onto the board in his new role leading Herefordshire Council and look forward to working with him and the new authority in further strengthening the role that Skylon Park is playing in improving the economic wellbeing of this wonderful county.”
Scott is the co-founder of Hereford-based Electi, providing specialist defence and security resource and project fulfilment. He also owns and runs local firm Think Rethink, delivering technical business services and support.
With 24 years at Board level, Scott brings a wealth of experience across management, operations, business integration and development. He previously set up and ran a number of national technology companies.
Kerry, a freelance business improvement coach who lives in the county, has worked for major UK and European owned companies at Board level and specialises in finance, HR and strategic planning and business process improvement activities.
She is currently Chair of the Birmingham Growth Programme which covers both The Marches and Birmingham LEP areas. In addition she is a non-executive director of a digital media company in Liverpool and the Centre for Automotive and Power Systems Engineering in Wales as well as a governor of the RNC in Hereford.
Councillor Hitchiner is a qualified solicitor and chartered secretary who worked for some years for a heavy engineering business. He has also worked for a satellite communications company in Herefordshire and spent some time working in Texas in the USA.
The appointments come as two high-profile projects get under way on Skylon Park. The £9million Cyber Quarter – Midlands Centre for Cyber Security will create 190 high-value jobs when it opens in 2020 and a £7.3million redevelopment of the historic Shell Store site will transform the building into a flagship business incubation and innovation centre.
Skylon Park – the UK’s only Enterprise Zone with a defence and security focus – is nearly 50 per cent occupied. It is home to 38 businesses and 660 workers with another 1,000 jobs identified.
