Venturing into valley with vision and hopes

BRENT Godfrey has an ambition to raise the profile of a particular part of the North-East.

The 57-year-old from Nottingham, now calls the Tees Valley home, having lived here since 1986.

A married father of two, he started his career working for the Freight Transport Association, where he was promoted to executive officer, before leaving to join Cable and Wireless, responsible for setting up telex routes around the world.

He joined Tees Valley Tomorrow from United Biscuits, although he spent the past four years in a dual role - as community affairs manager at United and as Tees Valley Tomorrow's deputy chief executive.

Mr Godfrey has now assumed responsibility for evaluating the Tees Valley's position in the North-East, looking at its relationship with a number of regional bodies.

He said: "I want to put the Tees Valley in a strong position as a sub-region of the North-East, ensuring that we get our message across.

"Tees Valley Tomorrow is a local business leadership organisation, providing a focus for the business community to actively assist in the economic, social and physical regeneration of the Tees Valley through partnership initiatives with the private, public and voluntary sectors."

As its chief executive, Mr Godfrey heads a board of 27 people, representing the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Mr Godfrey believes the Tees Valley has the potential to become a major mover and shaker, making things happen in the area.

He said the Tees Valley was gradually getting its act together in terms of planning its own future.

"The key issue for the area remains job creation. If we can attract jobs through inward investment, then it will help to support the existing industries and create a better and more diverse business environment."

Mr Godfrey said one good example of local businesses working together could be seen in the chemical industry, which has undergone well-documented changes of late.

He said: "The chemical industry on Teesside is already working together to survive all the changes the industry is undergoing.

"It is currently faced with a misconception that the industry is a sunset one, when the fact remains that it is actually a growth industry.

"With the right kind of investment and the right players, it will continue to sustain hundreds of jobs, both direct and indirect. It will become a lean and mean machine.

"If we can get our act together in the chemical industry, I believe it can continue to be a major player for many years to come."

Despite the importance of large employers in the chemicals sector, Mr Godfrey believes small business has to be maintained, and budding entrepreneurs encouraged to start up in business.

He said: "We have to encourage the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. We have to create an environment in which they can flourish.

"We need to encourage young people to start businesses, convince them that there is a future for them in the Tees Valley.

"Many small companies in this part of the world are involved with many major global corporations as partners in national and international projects.

"There is no reason why the Tees Valley can't create the next Richard Branson. You only have to look at the success of Steve Gibson at Middlesbrough to see what can be achieved."

But Mr Godfrey admits that such a change in the environment of the Tees Valley will take time, and will be dependent on the building up of the area's skills base.

He said: "We need more apprentices. Many firms need help to train apprentices, so we need to put the funding in place.

"We need to up the skills of the area to compete for jobs from abroad. Why is it that some companies have to bring in skilled staff from places like Australia, when we should be creating those positions ourselves?"

Mr Godfrey also believes the development of Teesside Airport as a freight hub is vital to the future success of the area.

He said: "The development of the freight terminal would be a great help, but we also need a longer runway so we can attract bigger aircraft. That will lead to more direct routes to Europe, rather than having to go via London or Amsterdam.

"If we get the investment we need in the Tees Valley, then we are probably still ten years away from making the Tees Valley what it should be.

"If we can attract the right kind of investment, we can build better housing, and develop the culture of the Tees Valley and attract the kind of people we need for future success.

"I've been here for 16 years now, and I certainly wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"We aren't London and we aren't Tyneside, but we are something else, something unique and that's what we need to build on."