Victoria BID AGM pays tribute to outgoing Chairman Tom Foulkes

Headline Date 19-06-2015

At the Victoria BID Annual General Meeting 2015 held on Wednesday June 17th at the St James’ Court Hotel, London SW1 the announcement was made that after four years as Chairman, Tom Foulkes is stepping down to concentrate on his academic commitments.

He said:

I strongly believe in the power of the private sector to drive social progress and economic growth through sustainable development. It has been an enormous privilege to work with the Victoria BID as an organisation that is driven by business working with Westminster City Council. It is one of the best BIDs in London - if not the entire UK. Over the past four years I have seen the Victoria BID leading the way so that in February 2015 the levy-paying business partners voted for the renewal with a resounding 85% yes vote.

The Victoria BID is creating a strong, vibrant Victoria. We have seen continued investment in Victoria. Expansion is good news for Victoria as the acknowledged gateway to London. The Victoria BID is an effective model of a city microcosm and I will take this to my work with the University of Cambridge and the University of Surrey. I would like to thank Ruth Duston, Chief Executive of the Victoria BID and her excellent executive team and to thank the members of the board, local landowners and levy payers for their support over the past four years.

Nigel Hughes, Vice Chairman of VBID since its inception, is to stand in as Chairman until a successor has been identified.  He paid tribute to Tom and said:

I am very grateful to Tom for the way in which he has guided VBID through a period of intense change in Victoria. He has laid the foundations for VBID’s success and as we enter our second term as a BID, I look forward to working with the team on building on Tom’s work to deliver the huge potential that Victoria has for residents, businesses, workers and visitors

Ruth Duston, Chief Executive of the Victoria BID said:

It has been a great pleasure working with Professor Tom Foulkes who has brought a rigorous knowledge of infrastructure to the Victoria BID. Victoria is unique in undergoing an unprecedented level of construction that has a major impact on the accessibility and visibility of the public realm. Tom has championed the public realm and we will build on his commitment working with our partners.

At the Victoria BID Annual General Meeting the following board directors were elected:

Interim Chairman Nigel Hughes, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland
Vice Chairman Claudia Binkert, EDF Trading
Interim Vice Chairman Gary Merrick, John Lewis Partnership

Board directors

Justine Brown, DP World (Corporate)

Lorrie Dannecker, Telegraph Media Group (Corporate)

Kathy Joyce, RBS (Finance)

Ruth Hart- Leverton, DONG Energy (Energy)

Claudia Binkert, EDF Trading (Energy)

Gary Merrick, John Lewis Partnership (Retail)

Amanda Cheston, House of Fraser (Retail)

Ian Fletcher, Guoman Hotels (Hospitality)

Robert Flinter, Park Plaza Victoria (Hospitality)

David Morgan-Hewitt, The Goring (Hospitality)

Caroline Hanson, Victoria Palace Theatre (Leisure)

Lady Lucy French, St. James Theatre (Leisure)

Ben Ridgwell, Land Securities (Property owner)

Nigel Hughes, Grosvenor (Property owner)

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