West London Corporate Leaders’ Action Group (CLAG), has announced that Kim Challis, Regional Managing Director of APCOA UK & Ireland, will imminently take over the role of Chair of the business-led solutions group.
Kim Challis is currently Chair designate of CLAG, and will be taking the helm from former Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kay from 1 June 2024.
CLAG was created in June 2021 to formulate business-led actions to respond to the significant economic contraction West London faced as a result of the pandemic, aligning with and complementing the work driven by local authorities and other partners across the sub-region.
The initiative, which formally launched on 2 March 2022 at the Capital West London Growth Summit, has since been coordinated by West London Business (WLB) and supported by the West London Alliance. The group focuses on four workstreams: Recruitment and skills; Place and identity; Net Zero and infrastructure; and Innovation and growth.
Speaking about her appointment, Kim Challis, Regional Managing Director for APCOA’s UK & Ireland and Chair designate of CLAG, said: “I am hugely excited about taking on the prestigious role of Chair of West London Corporate Leaders’ Action Group. I look forward to meeting with other corporate WLB members engaged in the work of the West London Corporate Leaders’ Action Group to tackle the challenges we face within the area, and devise the actions we can take together to drive improvement for those in our local communities.”
Shanker Patel, Chair, West London Business, added: “I am delighted that Kim will step up to Chair CLAG from 1 June, succeeding John Holland-Kaye. Kim has taken an active approach to Social value in APCOA UK, leading their work to increase opportunities to develop women and young talent by thinking differently about how the company recruits and markets itself.
“With the right support of Government, West London is exceptionally well placed to drive economic growth in the years ahead with leading corporates collaborating to share best practice. There is a lot of good collaborative work going on locally in West London, but some real risks too: the March 2025 funding cliff edge for key skills and economic development programmes (notably UKSPF), and the labour market squeeze caused by overly restrictive immigration rules that came into effect on 1 April.
“Infrastructure investment is desperately needed. CLAG members will work together to ensure that Government, National Grid and SSEN urgently address energy capacity constraints. We will also continue to champion the West London Orbital (WLO) rail scheme which is incredibly good value for money bringing passenger services to a barely used freight line linking Brentford FC to Brent Cross via Old Oak Common.”
ENDS
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Notes to editors:
Photo 1: Kim Challis, Regional Managing Director of APCOA UK & Ireland, will imminently take over the role of Chair of CLAG.
For a high resolution version of the image, please click here.
About Kim Challis
Kim Challis is the Regional Managing Director for APCOA’s UK & Ireland business, which is based in Uxbridge, West London.
She is an experienced senior executive with a proven-track record in delivering positive outcomes across a range of commercial and public sector portfolios.
Kim has a strong pedigree in business development and stakeholder management and demonstrates an entrepreneurial and proactive-leadership approach.
She is passionate about improving sustainability, demonstrated by her appointment as Group ESG Director for the APCOA group across 13 European countries. As a mum of five, Kim has taken an active approach to Social value, leading APCOA’s UK team to increase opportunities to develop women and young talent by thinking differently about how the company recruits and markets itself.
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About West London Alliance:
The West London Alliance (WLA) is a public sector partnership between seven West London local authorities of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. The team delivers initiatives in the sub-region, working across borough boundaries and focussing on the priority areas of economy and skills, employment support, mobility and transport, housing, health and care, and digital.
As WLA boroughs, we work together and form partnerships to develop, drive and deliver improvements for everyone that lives, works, learns, visits and invests in West London.
To find out more, visit www.wla.london.
About West London Business:
West London Corporate Leaders’ Action Group (CLAG) operates under the umbrella of West London Business, chaired by Shanker Patel.
West London Business (WLB) ensures West London is a successful, inclusive, environment for responsible business. West London is the UK’s global gateway; a £73billion+ GVA economy underpinned by 120,000+ businesses. We are a business-led leadership forum, with members including Heathrow and Amazon Web Services (AWS), as well as key regional firms such as Fuller, Smith & Turner and Bigham’s. WLB has 15,000+ supporters and convenes 30+ events per annum, including the West London Business Awards.
Our members work together through WLB to raise West London’s global economic competitiveness and catalyse action for people and planet. Through our work we inform and influence the work of local, regional, and national government policymakers and promote inward investment.
To find out more, visit www.westlondon.com.
Media contact:
Fiona Anderson, GEC PR, 07931 382773
[email protected]