Ben Houchen
Tees Valley Mayor
Ben qualified as a solicitor in 2009 and practised corporate law, commercial law and commercial litigation for six years before running his own business. He was UK & European CEO of an international sportswear company. He was also leader of the Conservative Group on Stockton Borough Council from 2014 to 2017.
He was elected as the first Mayor of the Tees Valley in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021 with 73% of the vote. He was then elected for a third term in 2024 and currently continues to serve as the elected Mayor.
In his first term, Ben successfully delivered his manifesto pledge to save Teesside Airport from closure and is continuing to deliver the 10-year Rescue Plan for the airport.
He is responsible for establishing the first Mayoral Development Corporation (South Tees Development Corporation - Teesworks) outside of London, second only to the Olympic Park – which was set up for the 2012 Olympics. The Development Corporation is responsible for the regeneration of the largest brownfield site in western Europe, which has attracted billions of pounds in foreign direct investment and is creating thousands of manufacturing jobs in industries like offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon, capture and storage. He has also created two more Mayoral Development Corporations to help regenerate Middlesbrough and Hartlepool town centres.
Councillor Alec Brown
Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
Cllr Brown, who serves in the Kirkleatham ward in Redcar, was first elected to the Council in 2015. He served as the Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods in the Council’s administration between 2015 and 2019.
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Allan Armstrong
Commercial Director, Sir Robert McAlpine
Allan began working in the construction industry in 1987 as a trainee quantity surveyor with Balfour Beatty Construction Ltd and has subsequently worked at Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd, Wates Construction Ltd, freelance for Turner Townsend and now at Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.
Although his current role is in healthcare, he has gained a broad experience in most sectors including commercial, accommodation, education, industrial, nuclear.
As a member of the Commercial Directorate team he is also responsible for the commercial function which involves commercial processes and guidance; commercial reporting; staff recruitment and placement; staff learning, training and coaching; contract negotiation and dispute resolution.
John Baker
Independent Member
He joined Teesside Cast Products (Tata Steel) as HR Director in 2006, remaining in that role until 2011. He became the Director of Public Relations & Media with SSI UK until the site closure in 2015.
John is also a Board member of the South Tees Site Company Ltd, and Chair of the Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation, having also previous experience as a school governor and Chair of a Multi Academy Trust.
David Smith
Vice-President, GEODE
David is Vice President of GEODE, the European association for the electricity and gas distribution networks. He sits on the Government Industry Contact Group on Distributed Energy.
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Cllr Carolyn Curr
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Councillor
Carolyn has also worked in tourism and hospitality and the financial services industry and lived in France for a number of years running a holiday lettings business.
In May 2023 she was elected to Redcar and Cleveland Council and to Guisborough Town Council. She sits on the Corporate Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee, the Adult Social Care and Public Health Scrutiny Committee, and is currently chairing a cross-party working group looking at the significant challenges the council is facing.
In March 2024 she was elected as the Deputy Chair for Membership and Fundraising for the South Tees Conservative Association. Carolyn is also a volunteer with a local environmental charity – Guisborough Town Pride – and was secretary of Whitby Civic Society.
Jason Faulkner
Executive Principal, Redcar and Cleveland College
Born in Teesside, Jason has over 20 years' experience in further education, following a career in the Army spanning 14 years in which he served around the world.
Jason started his career in education as a Prince’s Trust Team Leader working with some of the most vulnerable young people in society. Jason spent 15 years of his career at Stockton Riverside College leading the College curriculum development.
In August 2018 Jason was appointed as the Principal of Redcar and Cleveland College following the merger with Stockton Riverside College. Using his leadership skills, and with a fantastic team, Jason has transformed Redcar and Cleveland College. It is now the leading college in Tees Valley for all things energy.
Lyndsay Hogg
Managing Director, Hogg Global Logistics
Hogg Global is five years young but going strong through various start-up challenges, including Covid and Brexit. Lyndsay upskilled ahead of Brexit, completing 30 training certificates and three qualifications through lockdown in a bid to offer free advice to all traders.
Cllr Carole Morgan
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Councillor
Carole trained as a secondary school teacher in Liverpool and then held a teaching career spanning 35 years, mainly in Modern Foreign Languages but also including Sport, Maths and working with SEND children. She retired in 2011 to run a small animal business and take care of young grandchildren.
Carole has campaigned to preserve local green spaces and is involved in community groups in the area, including Friends of Morton Carr Wood, knitting/craft groups and Friends of Nunthorpe Railway Station. As a Board Member of Esk Valley Railway Development Company, she is keen to see more frequent and reliable rail services across the area.
Kevin Shakesheff MBE
Global President, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
Kevin is also Chairman of the North Tees and Hartlepool Mission to Sea Farers and is co-founder of the High Tide Foundation Teesside (an organisation providing opportunities to children aged 12 to 18 to seek careers in the Port and Shipping sectors).
He is a former Managing Director and owner of Casper Shipping Limited, a leading UK Maritime services provider and he orchestrated a management buyout in 2002. Other senior positions Kevin has held during his career include 18 years with Powell Duffryn as Regional Shipping Manager, six years’ overseas experience and partner in an international chemical tankers broker company based in Barcelona.
Kevin was awarded an MBE in January 2024 for Services to Young People in Business and to the Maritime Industry.
Associate Member: John Sampson
John is one of four directors supporting the Council in delivering the strategic direction of the organisation, and leads on the delivery of the Council’s transformational change programme. This has to date, achieved a combination of savings and income Growth of £90.5 million and he has orchestrated the programme to deliver a further £43.2 million of reductions through to 2023. He is the Chair of the North East Regional Director of Resources group, and is involved and engaged in the ongoing development of the Tees Valley Combined Authority.
John is a board member of a local Career Academy that supports a local sixth form college to allow students to gain early experience of work, and of ARCC, a Community Interest Company for the Durham & Tees Valley Probation Trust, where he is also the Chair of the Companies Audit Committee.
Associate Member: Julie Gilhespie (Group CEO)
Prior to this, she was interim Managing Director of the Combined Authority, a position which she held from May 2018. Julie joined the organisation in August 2017 as the Finance Director for the Tees Valley Combined Authority and South Tees Development Corporation, overseeing the complex financial arrangements necessary to make a success of devolution and the economic transformation of the Tees Valley.
An experienced commercial chartered accountant, Julie undertakes important statutory responsibilities to ensure the efficient and transparent use of new funding available to the area.
Before joining the Combined Authority, Julie worked for Learning Curve Group Limited where she was Group Finance Director and also held a director’s role in Deloitte’s national public sector infrastructure team for more than 10 years. She brings many years’ experience in the public and private sector.
Associate Member: Tom Smyth
He is the Cities and Local Growth Unit’s deputy area director for Yorkshire Humber and the North East, leading the team based in the North East of England in our efforts to support economic growth and rebalance the economy.
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