Experience Oxfordshire announces new Board appointment

The Chair of Experience Oxfordshire, Joanna Davidson CBE, and her fellow Board Directors and Trustees are delighted to welcome Professor Tim Vorley OBE to the Experience Oxfordshire Board.

Professor Vorley is Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Oxford Brookes Business School and leads on Entrepreneurship and Enterprise at Oxford Brookes University. He was recognised in the 2023 New Years Honours list and awarded an OBE for services to Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Experience Oxfordshire is the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) and VisitEngland accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Oxfordshire. It is a partnership organisation focused on driving growth across the visitor economy of Oxfordshire in a productive, sustainable way.

Professor Vorley has led a wide range of research projects and initiatives in the UK and internationally, funded by bodies including UK Research & Innovation and the European Commission. His work primarily focuses on entrepreneurship, enterprise and innovation, and he has previously worked on projects about community business and social enterprise.

Through his work Professor Vorley is engaged across government departments, and has worked with LEPs, Devolved Administrations, and the OECD on innovation and enterprise. He is also Vice Chair of the Small Business Charter, created by Lord Young to recognise business schools that play an effective role in supporting small businesses and student entrepreneurship.

Commenting on his appointment, Joanna Davidson CBE said: “We are delighted to have Tim join us on the Experience Oxfordshire board. Our organisation’s ambition is to ensure Oxfordshire’s visitor economy thrives, to the benefit of all. In the current uncertain operating environment, Tim’s skill-set, with his in-depth knowledge of the small business sector and his extensive experience in research-based policy development, will be an invaluable asset. We look forward to having his input into shaping Experience Oxfordshire’s future business activities in support of our partners and the broader visitor economy of the county.”

In response to his appointment, Professor Vorley OBE said: “I am grateful to the Experience Oxfordshire board and trustees for this warm welcome. Given my role at Oxford Brookes University, I completely recognise the importance of the visitor economy and its contribution not only financially but also socially and culturally within Oxfordshire and across the UK. These are challenging times for businesses but Oxfordshire is very well placed to respond positively to current circumstances and I have remained impressed with Experience Oxfordshire’s work in supporting the sector. I’m looking forward to working with this committed group of talented people on building the value of the sector and ensuring its future resilience.”

Board Directors and Trustees of Experience Oxfordshire are drawn from all sectors of the local business community, with each one sharing their expertise and experience on a voluntary basis. This invaluable support enables the company to continue to flourish as a leading destination management organisation and the county’s official Local Visitor Economy Partnership, as it grows and develops the visitor economy.

Details of all the Experience Oxfordshire Board can be found at:

Chair of the Board and Board Members | Experience Oxfordshire

 

**ENDS**

NOTES TO THE EDITOR

Image: Professor Tim Vorley OBE

Experience Oxfordshire is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Oxfordshire. We are the trading arm of the parent charity, Experience Oxfordshire Charitable Trust, and are a not-for-profit partnership organisation that is committed to the promotion, management, and development of Oxfordshire as a great destination to live, work, visit and do business whilst improving growth and productivity across the visitor economy. The DMO provides essential business advice and support to visitor economy businesses across Oxfordshire.

In March 2023 Experience Oxfordshire was announced as one of the first English destinations to gain Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status. Developed and administered by VisitEngland, the national portfolio of strategic and high-performing LVEPs support collaborative working locally and nationally on shared priorities and targets to grow the local visitor economy. The creation of LVEPs was part of the UK Government’s response to the recommendations of ‘The de Bois Review: an independent review of DMOs in England,’ to reshape destination management across England, reducing fragmentation and bringing coherence to its DMO landscape.

For more information on Experience Oxfordshire go to www.experienceoxfordshire.org/partner or contact partnership@experienceoxfordshire.org

More information on our Ambassador Partners can be found here https://www.experienceoxfordshire.org/partner/about-us/experience-oxfordshire-ambassadors/

Contact: Lesley Wright / press@experienceoxfordshire.org / 01865 686433

You can keep up to date with Experience Oxfordshire’s activity by following:

Facebook – Experience Oxfordshire
Instagram – @experienceoxfordshire
Twitter – @ExperienceOx and @ExperienceOxBiz
LinkedIn – Experience Oxfordshire

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