Chair of K&A Canal & River Trust Waterway Partnership named

Former K&A Canal Trust Administrator, Fleur de Rhe Philipe has been appointed as the chair of the Kennet & Avon Canal & River Waterway Trust Partnership. 

Fleur de Rhe Philipe: Picture by Bob Naylor©

Fleur is a former employee of the K&A Canal Trust and later a member of the board of Trustees. She has been a member of Wiltshire Council since 1997 and she is currently the cabinet member for economic development and strategic planning.

Tony Hales, chair of Canal & River Trust said: “I am delighted that such a high calibre of people have come forward to chair these important positions of governance within the Canal & River Trust. Each will prove to be well placed to champion the interests of their local waterways. The Waterways Partnerships are integral to the stewardship and development of the network, providing new perspectives and insights, opening up new resources and ideas, and giving local people a greater opportunity to support their local canals and rivers: something that is integral to the success of the Canal & River Trust.”



Other Chairs appointed

North Wales & Borders 

Jim Forrester — currently director at Imperial War Museum North in Manchester where he has delivered services to over 2,500,000 visitors over the last ten years and drawn in champions, stakeholders and potential funders, raising substantial capital and revenue funding each year.  Previously a boatbuilder on the canals, Jim has spent the last 27 years working within charities in a variety of roles; from boat conservator to director of a new branch of a national museum in the region.

South Wales & Severn  

Jack Hegarty — has been managing director of Wychavon District Council since 2004, where he leads a complex public sector organisation, builds relationships with Ministers, MPs and Councillors and deals with local communities and partner organisations at a national and local level.  He was directly involved with the Droitwich Canal restoration for 11 years.

North West 

Professor Steven Broomhead — currently professor of entrepreneurial education at Liverpool Hope University, Steven previously spent eight years as chief executive at Northwest Regional Development Agency, prior to which he was chief executive at Warrington Borough Council.  He has held the position of chair at a number of private and public organisations. 

West Midlands 

Peter Mathews CMG — is past chair of the Black Country Consortium, which works to coordinate regeneration in the Black Country area of the West Midlands, and chairman and managing director of Black Country Metals.  A prominent business leader, Peter has held the position of chair at various national and international organisations including The World Recycling Conference, UKTI Advanced Engineering and the Midlands World Trade Forum. 

Museums  

Laurence Newman — Chairman, Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. Previously, Laurence spent 20 years with KPMG where he was the partner responsible for their Leisure and Tourism Consulting Group.   He is also a non-executive director of Grove End Housing Ltd, a trustee of Creativity, Culture and Education and a member of the Advisory Board of The Foundation, a growth and innovation consultancy.

A written record of all meetings will be publicly available on the web.  All positions on the Partnerships will be un-remunerated, but agreed expenses will be reimbursed. 

Those interested in joining a newly appointed chair on their local Waterway Partnership or in applying for one of the remaining positions of chair can find role descriptions and application details at: www.waterscape.com/trust from Thursday 1 December.  Applications for membership open on Friday 9 December 2011.