Appointment of the week: Marketing Lancashire announces new chair of board

02 Dec 2015

The board of Marketing Lancashire has announced that Tony Attard OBE, founder and group chief executive of Panaz Limited, is the new chair of Lancashire’s place marketing organisation, Marketing Lancashire.

Ruth Connor, chief executive of Marketing Lancashire, said: “Tony has an exceptional track-record as a successful business entrepreneur with global connections. His Burnley-based company Panaz exports to 46 countries, demonstrating one of Lancashire’s core strengths in creating and making products that are in demand the world-over.

“Marketing Lancashire’s role is to promote Lancashire on a national and international scale, Tony brings extensive business experience and credibility, helping Marketing Lancashire to continue to raise the profile of Lancashire as a place for business and investment, as well as for leisure, education and culture.”

Speaking on his appointment, Tony said: “I’m looking forward to working with Ruth and the Marketing Lancashire Board to share Lancashire’s success stories widely, confidently and coherently to attract new business and investment into the county.

“Marketing Lancashire is working closely with the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership on a new ‘Lancashire Story’ that will enable us to market Lancashire in a better way and have a strong identity that promotes our key assets. A new Visitor Economy Strategy is due to be launched which aims to increase visitor numbers to 70 million, spend to £4.3bn and employment to 61,000 jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector over the next five years.

“I share Marketing Lancashire’s drive and passion for county-wide success and aim to lead and support the organisation in celebrating what I hope will be many more triumphs along the way.”Tony Attard replaces Lancashire restaurateur Paul Heathcote MBE the organisation’s first Chair, who stood down over the summer, following three very successful years of growth for Marketing Lancashire.