SEVEN new board members of the new regional business support network have been announced.

An independent body, the board's role will be to oversee the new North-East support network, which is expected to be fully operational within two years.

John McDougall, chairman, said he was delighted that such an influential group of people had been assembled. "They bring a wealth of skills and experience gained in the private and public sectors, in service and manufacturing industries, and in businesses of every size and type," he said.

"Their unrivalled knowledge of business needs will benefit everyone in the region and, as a group, I am confident they will have real clout in the North- East, Whitehall and Brussels, and wherever else it is required.

"We are now much closer to achieving a regional business support network that is easy to find, easy to use and focuses totally on the needs of the customer."

The new board members are Chris Fleetwood, former chief executive of Whessoe, who is managing partner of e-business strategy company IO Solutions. He holds non-executive roles with Onyx Internet, Northern 3 VCT, Tolwood and Darlington Building Society, and is also non-executive chairman of the North-East Regional Portal.

Mark Henderson is chief executive of Northumberland County Council and was previously operations director of One North-East, responsible for business development and regeneration, skills development and inward investment.

Trevor Hughes is a consultant working with small and medium sized businesses in the region. Most of his career was spent with Associated Co-operative Creameries, where he became chief executive in 1982. He developed ACC into one of the largest businesses based in the North-East region, with a £2.5bn turnover and 6,000 employees UK-wide.

John Slider has been vice-president and deputy managing director of Samsung since 1997 and is a board member of Teesside Manufacturing Challenge.

Chris Small is chief executive of two linked businesses: Wallsend-based Northern Precision Engineering and Stevens Rowsell, which is based in Sussex following a management buy-in in 2001. The companies provide high precision engineering and fabrication to the aerospace, medical and oil and gas industries. Mr Small is a former regional director (commercial) of Lloyds TSB and is also a CBI regional board member.

Pam Taylor retired last year after 30 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, since 1984 as a partner specialising in taxation. She is chairman of the audit committee of the Family Health Service Appeals Authority and a trustee of Cleveland Community Foundation.

Lucy Winskell is litigation partner at Eversheds in Newcastle and is actively involved with many Law Society activities. She is lead consultant in the compliance division of professional development in the College of Law. She is a member of the North-East Industrial Development Board, chairman of North East charity The Children's Foundation and chairman of governors at Westfield School.

John McDougall was appointed chairman of the Business Support Network board in October last year. A chartered engineer, he worked for nearly 30 years with engineering consultants WS Atkins, becoming regional managing director in 1991. He is deputy chairman of Teesside University, a director of Darlington Building Society and immediate past president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. In 2002 he was appointed Professor of Sustainable Development at Sheffield Hallam University and works with the United Nations on sustainability projects.

Prof Russel Griggs, who has been project director of the business support review, will continue to lead the implmentation team and will be a board member.