24th July 2025 · Growth
Regional business leaders bolster North East BIC board
One of the North East’s leading providers of business support and flexible workspace has bolstered its board with four high-profile business leaders.
North East BIC has bolstered its board with four high-profile business leaders
The North East BIC, that boasts almost 250,000sq ft of workspace across its four business centres in Sunderland, Washington and Darlington, has appointed four high profile business leaders to supplement its board.
Andrew Marsh, Kevin Howell, Laura Middleton and Sophie Milliken MBE have joined its board of directors, complementing existing directors John Anderson CBE, David Howell, (previously Operations Director), Paul McEldon OBE, Chief Executive Officer and Kevan Carrick, a director of the BIC for the past eight years. Kevan Carrick has also taken on the role as chair, replacing John Anderson, who upon stepping down, will be given the title of ‘Life President’ in honour of his services to the BIC.
Paul McEldon OBE said: “We are thrilled that Andrew, Kevin, Laura and Sophie have agreed to join the BIC board. They will bring a fresh new perspective to our thinking and ensure that, as new opportunities and challenges are presented, we are best placed as an organisation toen sure the region’s businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs have the support and tools required to succeed. We would also like to thank John for all of his work over recent years in his role as chair. The Life President award is testament to the incredible role he has played in our growth in recent years, and I have every confidence that Kevan will continue to pick up where he left off.”
Kevan Carrick said: “Over the past three decades, the BIC’s workspace and business support has generated over £2.5 billion for the North East economy, providing a home for over 1,000 businesses while helping over 6,000 more to set up and grow. Looking ahead, our aim is to continue building on this success and we see the four new directors, who bring a wealth of experience in marketing, recruitment, business development and digital/AI transformation, as being key to achieving this.”
The BIC has delivered over a dozen business support initiatives across the North East over recent years, from social enterprise start-ups and growth programmes to business start-ups, veterans in business and innovation programmes. A new business centre in Darlington also opened its doors and with more new programmes and events on the horizon, Kevan is excited to be taking on the role of chair at what is ‘a pivotal time’ for the organisation.
Kevan added: “Working more collaboratively with likeminded organisations is something we’ve done a lot more of over recent years, and it is this new approach to partnership working which I think has really underpinned our recent growth. By bringing together government, combined authorities, local authorities, businesses and community groups, we’ve been able to reach more people than ever before with our support, be it those looking to set up a business for the first time or those seeking to grow established businesses.”
“We have also worked with partners such as Darlington Borough Council to open a fourth business centre and Sunderland City Council to launch a series of new events, all of which have proven a huge hit and have had a real positive impact on the region. Our job now is to help grow the number of successful SMEs in the North East, encourage more people to set up and help meet the challenges facing local and combined authorities and I have every confidence that our new board members will play a huge role in helping us do just that.”
For more information on the North East BIC, visit: www.ne-bic.co.uk