Biography
With BA (Hons) Geography and Master of Civic Design degrees John began his career as a town planner but quickly broadened his interests to cover economic development, regeneration and public policy. He has been closely involved in Liverpool city region’s renaissance notably through the transformation of the old docklands when at Merseyside Development Corporation, city centre regeneration with Liverpool City Challenge and whilst at Government Office for the North West overseeing a huge €1.33 bn EU investment programme. At GONW he was also involved in strategy development, national policy networks, change management, lead responsibility for a sub-region and advice to Ministers. For six years immediately before early retirement he was a director at the University of Liverpool helping it connect to international, business and political markets and underlining its civic and thought leadership roles.
Over the years he has been active as a non-executive with a variety of bodies in the housing, arts and environmental sectors and is currently providing board level input to Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Merseyside Buildings Preservation Trust. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside, requiring continuing engagement with public, private and third sector organisations, an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University, Retired Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and was awarded his OBE for services to business and the community of Liverpool in 2015.
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