East of England Tourism has announced the appointment of Bev Hurley to the position of Chair with effect from 1st September 2010, following the retirement of former Chair Dr Derek Langslow after four and a half years in the role.

Bev has a proven track record in business, having grown three successful companies, in healthcare packaging, creative industries, and her own management consultancy, prior to joining YTKO as CEO in 1999.

An active participant in local affairs, Bev is an Enterprise Fellow at the University of East Anglia, a member of the European Centre for Women in Technology and Industry Council, and a Women’s Enterprise ambassador. In 2010 she was honoured with the Queens Award for Enterprise Promotion.

“This is an exciting time to be joining East of England Tourism” Bev commented. “Tourism in this area has enjoyed one of the fastest growing visitor economies in England, but the competitive nature of today’s market means we have to innovate and deliver even better results to maintain our leading position. I look forward to contributing to that goal.”

Keith Brown, Chief Executive of East of England Tourism welcomes her appointment and said  “Bev’s excellent track record of innovation and business growth ideally suits our own needs as an organisation. With the new focus on localism, her experience of building successful partnerships with both the public and private sectors will be a great asset for our organisation.”

East of England Tourism was launched in 2007, for the purpose of promoting the region’s tourism industry. The Board’s members include hundreds of businesses from across the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors and many of the local authorities in the region.