A TEAM of business leaders has been chosen to make up the board of a network which will make it easier to find business support.

The Business Support Network, established by regional development agency One NorthEast, will act as a one-stop shop brokerage service for firms looking for help.

It is expected the network will be operational within two years.

Chris Fleetwood, Mark Henderson, Trevor Hughes, John Slider, Chris Small, Pam Taylor and Lucy Winskell have been invited to join the board, which is chaired by John McDougall.

Mr McDougall 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."