EM3 says farewell to Chair Dave Axam
EM3 (Enterprise M3 LEP) has said farewell to its long-standing Chair Dave Axam, who stood down after reaching his maximum tenure of seven years’ service.
Speaking as he reached the end of his tenure, Axam said he had great confidence in the LEP’s future and its ability to drive growth in the regional economy.
"As I now look back over the time I have spent with EM3, I can be proud of what the LEP has achieved, its evolution, its forward thinking, the economic foundations it has secured and importantly the partnerships it has forged," said Axam.
"I can see how we intervened to change course in the past to great effect, so I know we can do it for the future. And that is why am I confident for our future. Because I can look back and see how we have been able to plant the seeds of change which benefitted our local economy."
Linda Cheung, EM3 Board Director and Co-founder, Intrapreneur Nation, said: "Not only has Dave led our vision and strategy with our Chief Executive, Kathy Slack, he has been an excellent ambassador for EM3 and the region, securing support from senior stakeholders. The Board and our partners are confident about EM3 shaping the future because of our track record of success. Many thanks go to Dave for all that he has done to help EM3 achieve this."
Michael Queen, the former Chief Executive of global investment company 3i Group plc, became EM3's new chair on 1 August 2021.
About EM3 LEP
EM3 LEP is a business-led partnership, bringing together private, public and not-for-profit sector organisations in west Surrey and Hampshire. It has five partner universities, including the University of Southampton, the University of Surrey, Royal Holloway University of London, the University of Winchester and the University of Creative Arts (UCA).
EM3 LEP invests in transport, innovation, skills and enterprise, through the Local Growth Fund programme and can access European funding through its EUSIF programme. Last year EM3 invested almost £37m in 37 projects and made £10m worth of loans.