Destination Chesterfield has announced the recruitment of eight new board members to strengthen the promotion of Derbyshire’s largest town.
The Destination Chesterfield Board is made up of local businesspeople who volunteer their time to influence the strategic direction of place-making and place marketing for Chesterfield.
Since being founded by Chesterfield Borough Council and local businesses in 2010, Destination Chesterfield has showcased the town as a contemporary destination to work, live, visit and invest.
The partnership works alongside a community of more than 230 businesses, known as Chesterfield Champions, to achieve this. Board members are representatives from their Chesterfield Champion Companies.
Joining the Destination Chesterfield board are:
- Ann Fomukong-Boden, Owner, Kakou CIC
- Andrew Dabbs, Director, Whittam Cox Architects
- Nick Hogan, Owner, Chesterfield Escape Rooms
- Dominic Staniforth, Partner, BHP LLP
- Ryan Wilkes, Director of Owner Managed Business, Shorts Chartered Accountants
- James Borkoles, Head of Business Development, University of Derby
- Andrew Byrne, Property Development Director, Devonshire Group
- Nick Catt, Managing Director, Weightron Bilanciai
As the new board members begin their voluntary roles, the Chair of Destination Chesterfield, Peter Swallow has announced that he is stepping down from his position after 14 years of service.
Cllr Tricia Gilby, Vice Chair and Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, will lead the board while a new chair is elected.
Peter commented: “It is fantastic to be signing off my chairmanship by welcoming eight new board members, who will all be helping to guide the future marketing and economic growth of Chesterfield.
“One of Chesterfield’s great strengths is the collaborative nature of its business community, and this is reflected in the broad range of sectors represented on the board. The new members all have a vast amount of knowledge and expertise when it comes to the needs of our businesses and communities.”
“As I come to the end of my service as Chair of this successful partnership, I would like to wish Destination Chesterfield and all organisations across our town success in bringing further growth and regeneration, fulfilling Chesterfield’s ambition to be a fantastic location to live, work, visit and invest.”
Cllr Tricia Gilby said: “On behalf of the Destination Chesterfield Board, I would like to thank Peter Swallow for his years of dedicated service to the town. I am looking forward to working with all new and existing members of the Destination Chesterfield board to continue building on the progress made by the partnership over recent years. Not only does Destination Chesterfield raise the profile of our town, it also acts as a vital private sector voice for the area, ensuring that our businesses are heard.”
Meet the new board members
Andrew Dabbs, Director, Whittam Cox Architects
“I’ve lived locally my entire life, and being part of a thriving business in Chesterfield is something I’m very proud of. I’m excited to be part of the Destination Chesterfield board, with my role going hand-in-hand with my existing involvement in the town’s Property and Construction Group. Being part of the board gives me a great opportunity to represent our sector and the communities we ultimately serve through our work. There is so much talent and quality in our region and I’m delighted to be working with colleagues to showcase it.”
Nick Hogan, Owner, Chesterfield Escape Rooms
“I genuinely feel honoured and privileged to be able to join such an experienced team, all with the intention of making our hometown a better to live, work, invest and visit. Everyone on the board has got something a little different to offer and specialise in. During the selection process, I focussed on my expertise of recently opening a business in the town centre. I firmly believe Chesterfield can buck the national trend and would love to engage with anyone thinking about opening a business in town. It only takes a few great businesses to open to create a snowball effect.”
Ann Fomukong-Boden, Owner, Kakou CIC
“I am deeply honoured to join the Destination Chesterfield board and play a greater part in supporting Chesterfield’s vibrant community. This role presents an incredible opportunity to contribute to the growth and well-being of our Town.
“My main aims and aspirations for this role are centred around fostering strong collaborative connections and partnerships within the Town’s diverse corporate, third sector and community organisations; in addition to shining a light on the creativity, innovation and heritage that define our unique Town.”
Dominic Staniforth, Partner, BHP LLP
“Chesterfield is a town full of driven and passionate people who share a common purpose to make it an excellent place to live, work, invest and study. I am honoured to be joining the Destination Chesterfield board, which brings together leaders from our business community and the public sector to guide the strategic promotion of the town.
“This position will sit alongside my other exciting new role as Chair of the new Chesterfield Town Board, which will oversee the spending of almost £20m from the government to bring more positive change to our town.”
Ryan Wilkes, Director of Owner Managed Business, Shorts Chartered Accountants
“I am very grateful and honoured to be selected to represent Chesterfield, where I have called home all my life. I am keen to build on my knowledge of the area, to help provide support and showcase both emerging and established businesses in Chesterfield, as well as the town as a whole.
“I have a unique insight into the thriving businesses around the area through my role at Shorts, which I would like to share and shout about to attract new business to Chesterfield and show what a great town it is. Talent attraction and retention are also big areas I would like to focus on. We have a great business community here, and we need to continue building talent to help grow our organisations. I want to help show the rest of the UK what Chesterfield has to offer, and to show the people and businesses of Chesterfield why they should stay!”
James Borkoles, Head of Business Development, University of Derby
“I’m very excited to be joining the Destination Chesterfield board at this critical time – the pace of change is relentless and there are significant opportunities to set our sights high in terms of developing Chesterfield as a first choice place for businesses to start, develop and thrive.
“My involvement, and that of the University of Derby, is to ensure that businesses are given the best support possible to establish themselves, grow and evolve to meet the challenges in the short and long term. This might be through skills provision, apprenticeships and securing talent to grow your business, or it might come through innovative, applied research and consultancy.”
Andrew Byrne, Property Development Director, Devonshire Group
“I’m delighted to be joining the Destination Chesterfield Board. The Devonshire Group has a long-standing relationship with Chesterfield and through our property development activity we are actively investing into the area.
“Working with the Council and Chesterfield College we have partnered in the delivery of the Construction Skills Hub on our housing scheme at Mastin Moor. Having a skilled workforce is key to the area’s success and I hope to continue to help shape and deliver those skills, to ensure Chesterfield remains a great place in which to invest.”
Nick Catt, Managing Director, Weightron Bilanciai
“I’m enthused and excited to become part of the Destination Chesterfield board. I love working in the town because of our central location with great access to the motorway network, businesses can find good employees who benefit from a great work/life balance.
“I’m particularly looking forward to the redevelopment of the town centre and market square. I would like to see our town further develop its nighttime culture, with more places for people to go and enjoy, encouraging more visitors to our area.”
