Charlie Mayfield takes the Chair for Business Action on Economic Renewal

Business in the Community has announced that Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of John Lewis Partnership is the new Chairman for the charity’s Business Action on Economic Renewal leadership team (BAER). 

The John Lewis Partnership has a long-standing commitment to regeneration and urban renewal - investing in our high streets and city centres, working with communities and local businesses, and providing high quality, skilled retail careers. I am looking forward to working with this experienced group of business leaders to make a real difference in local communities at a time when they need it most.

Business in the Community leadership teams are formed by business leaders dedicated to the corporate responsibility agenda. They strategically steer Business in the Community’s campaigns on specific issues across the charity's areas of focus: community, marketplace, environment and workplace.
 
“We are delighted that Charlie Mayfield has accepted the position of Chairman of our Business Action on Economic Renewal leadership team,” said Stephen Howard, Chief Executive Officer of Business in the Community. “In these uncertain economic times this group of business leaders has an important role to play in defining how local economies can be sustained. Charlie’s successful leadership of John Lewis and its strong local branch network will be invaluable to this campaign at a time when it has never been more important.”
 
"I am very pleased to be leading the Business Action on Economic Renewal team" said Charlie Mayfield. "The John Lewis Partnership has a long-standing commitment to regeneration and urban renewal - investing in our high streets and city centres, working with communities and local businesses, and providing high quality, skilled retail careers. I am looking forward to working with this experienced group of business leaders to make a real difference in local communities at a time when they need it most."
 
The BAER campaign inspires, engages, supports and challenges business to play a role in building healthy, wealthy, inclusive local economies and tackling pressing social issues. The campaign aims to maximise the value of investment, enterprise and employment opportunities for local communities to increase social equity and cohesion.
 
Business in the Community’s campaign for economic renewal has been at the core of the charity’s activities since its establishment 27 years ago. The team focuses on three key themes of:

• Growing business engagement locally
• Working with property and construction to promote responsible investment
• Tackling barriers to work  

The leadership team has been effective across a wide range of issues including a best practice guide on how to maximise the social impacts of retail-led regeneration, as published in the report 'Retail-led Regeneration: Why it Matters to Our Communities', produced in collaboration with BCSC and DTZ in January 2009. The leadership team has also successfully engaged businesses to champion a local business broker pilot funded by Department of Communities and Local Government; an initiative that has seen the quadrupling of business engagement in the communities where brokers are located.
 
Pioneering work led by the BAER team has also resulted in social housing pilots – specifically those operating in Bristol and Birmingham - and toolkits to demonstrate the positive impact of multiple business partnerships in the creation of sustainable places to live.