Welcome from Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive

On behalf of OxLEP, the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, I would like to welcome you along to a special digital publication, reviewing our impact during the 2019/20 financial year.

This year's annual report is entitled: 'Leading, delivering and championing'. 

It’s really been a year like no other, indeed a once in a generation moment, which has seen everyone – and not just the business community – coming to terms with a global pandemic. Coronavirus has created an unprecedented situation that has and will cause concern and disruption to businesses of all sizes for the foreseeable future.

As a Local Enterprise Partnership, it has perhaps demonstrated the importance and value of our work, playing a key role in helping the county’s businesses to run as efficiently as possible and remain productive during this difficult time.

In the months leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak, there was however much excitement and positivity that will undoubtedly return around our work. Alongside our key partners, we launched an ambitious Local Industrial Strategy for the county that aims to support Oxfordshire to become one of the top-three innovation ecosystems anywhere in the world by 2040, as well as an Energy Strategy supporting the drive towards a zero-carbon future.

We have continued to promote and attract Oxfordshire’s key sectors and transformative technologies, showcasing them to an international audience and driving inward investment into the county. More locally – we have championed the importance of an agile workforce, supporting young people across all communities to discover new opportunities – particularly through apprenticeships – whilst, introducing new business support programmes and products for our brilliant business community.

In a year that has brought much change to the way that we all work and operate, it will perhaps come as no surprise that we have decided to review our year’s work in a digital format, reflecting – not only our own achievements and how we’ve supported our business community – but also, sharing with local people just how the work we are delivering and indeed the now almost £660m we have secured for Oxfordshire, is helping to shape the county’s future.

I wish you all a prosperus future, given the many challenges we currently face as a business community.

Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive

Watch: Nigel Tipple reviews OxLEP's role during 2019/2020