A NEW chairman of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership has been appointed.

James Muir, former head of group national sales at Volkswagen and current chair of trustees at Astrea Academy Trust, has been recruited for the position vacated by Sir Nigel Knowles who stepped down when his term ended in December.

“This role is a crucial one and in James we have an outstanding candidate for the job,” said Mayor of Sheffield City Region and Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis.

“I look forward to working closely with James and fellow LEP board members to drive economic growth, create new jobs and promote our region around the world.

“This is an exciting time for the Sheffield City Region, as we start to grow our Global Innovation Corridor, transform our transport network and attract new investment from companies world-wide.

“With James’s business expertise, passion for our region and his dedication to social mobility, I’m confident he will provide strong leadership to the LEP, be the voice of our businesses and represent the Sheffield City Region on a Northern, national and international level.”

In James’s role he will be responsible for representing private-sector businesses and setting the strategic direction for the economic growth in the Sheffield City Region.

James said: “I’m very excited to have been appointed to this important role, and to build on the strong legacy that Sir Nigel has left behind.

“Using my business acumen and experience of spearheading businesses across more than 25 markets around the world, I believe I can support our local companies to develop and expand their potential across the globe.”