The Suffolk Business Board was established in May 2024 following the integration of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership functions into Suffolk County Council. It comprises representatives from business, education, the voluntary sector and local government.
Business Board members:
Chair: Mark Pendlington
Deputy Chair: Cllr Matthew Hicks, Suffolk County Council
Doug Field, East of England Co-Op
Oliver Paul, Suffolk Food Hall
Lisa Perkins, Tech East
Peter Brady, Orbital Global
Kelly Boosey, Oxford Innovation
Leanne Gittins, LME Recruitment
John Dugmore, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
Tom Ball, Ipswich Town Football Club
Hannah Bloom, Suffolk Community Foundation
Paul Ager, Associated British Ports
Marek Hornak, University of Suffolk
Nikos Savvas, Eastern Education Group
Cllr Richard Smith MVO, Suffolk County Council
Cllr Andy Mellen, Mid Suffolk District Council
Cllr Neil MacDonald, Ipswich Borough Council
Norfolk and Suffolk Business Boards – formed last year after the functions of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership were transferred to the county councils – met for the first time on Wednesday 26 February 2025 at Norwich City Football Club to discuss how to amplify their collective influence to shape shared priorities, secure investment and drive economic growth.
They discussed key topics related to shared economic sectors and priorities (clean energy, agrifood, infrastructure, skills, business support and innovation) and the significant constraints in relation to power, water, transport, and digital connectivity, all of which are having an impact on the ability of businesses to scale, attract investment, and remain competitive.
The Business Boards plan to work together over the coming months to seek solutions for these constraints and to roll out new projects to support business growth.
Mark Pendlington, chair of the Suffolk Business Board, said: “There is a lot of mutual respect and trust and everyone agrees the potential we can achieve together. We have already started building on the success of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership to secure even more jobs and win more inward investment for both counties. And the spirit of the Suffolk Business Board – which we share with the Norfolk Business Board – is about action, not just talk. What are our priorities? What are the ten or twelve key priorities we’re going to deliver? Who is responsible, and by when? And once those are done, what comes next? Our economies and communities deserve that sharp focus with tangible outcomes.”
Nick Steven-Jones, chair of the Norfolk Business Board, said it was a “a pivotal time for our two counties” and Norfolk and Suffolk had a “unique opportunity to harness its strengths, tackle its challenges, and secure a prosperous future for its people and businesses”. He continued: “The Norfolk and Suffolk Business Boards exist to be the collective voice of the business community, ensuring that our diverse perspectives are heard at every level. Our strength lies in our diversity—representation across sectors, geographies, and industries allows us to bring a balanced and inclusive approach to addressing our needs.”
Rob Hancock, Assistant Director of Housing, Planning and Economic Growth at Suffolk County Council, stressed that supporting businesses to grow and innovate was crucial to strengthen and futureproof the region’s business base, especially SMEs. “Both the Norfolk and Suffolk economic strategies prioritise interventions to help businesses scale up, to create opportunities for innovation and to help access to finance, which both our strategies identified as significant barriers,” he said.
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