London’s South Bank beefs up leadership team
South Bank Employers’ Group (SBEG) has welcomed five new appointments to its board amid a modernisation drive.
The not-for-profit membership organisation, which was founded in 1991, said it marked the end of a major governance review and the start of a “smaller, more agile board”.
Chief executive Nic Durston said SBEG has “transformed the way we operate… Our new governance and membership model is bold.”
The organisation has created a new Members’ Council, a platform for SBEG members to “work strategically and collaboratively” with the area’s two MPs, Lambeth Council, Southwark Councils, and the Greater London Authority (GLA).
SBEG covers the South Bank and Waterloo area, extending from Lambeth Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge, a major hub for commercial offices, transport and retail.
In 2022, the organisation launched its ‘Vision for 2030’, which includes plans to make the area net zero through a combination of retrofitting houses, implementing zero-emission zones and achieving zero waste.
Who is on the board?
Winchester BID’s chief executive, Dr Paul Spencer, will provide expertise in place management and creative economies, while Victoria Soormally, vice president of people and culture at Gallagher, will focus on organisational culture and workforce transformation.
The legal director of National Highways, Sally Keith, will cover infrastructure, governance and planning; the chief executive of UKHospitality, Allen Simpson, will lead economic development; and the London director of the Environment Agency, Charlie Wood, will direct environmental resilience.
“We’ve brought together a board with serious experience and credibility, a powerful combination of talented directors who understand how South Bank and complex urban environments work, and how culture, commerce and community combine to power effect,” Durston said.
“We have transformed the way we operate – redefining what it means to be a member of SBEG. Our new governance and membership model is bold and supports our new Vision,” he added.