The North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) is gearing for another successful year, with the appointment of Joe Routledge as membership manager.
Joe, will be responsible for managing a number of the NEAA membership accounts, as well as developing new member relationships and supporting the delivery of various funded programmes.
Having spent the past nine years working within the North East automotive and wider manufacturing sector, including with NEAA research and development tax credits partner, Lumo, Joe has built a wealth of contacts and strong relationships. He will continue to build his network, utilising it to grow the membership and create opportunities to share best practice and collaborate.
Launched in March 2015, to support the economic, sustainable growth and competitiveness of the sector in the North East of England, the NEAA has over 300 cluster participants, is the largest automotive cluster in the UK and one of the fastest growing clusters across Europe.
In conjunction with Supply Chain North East (SCNE), it has recently partnered with members Komatsu UK, Kasai UK, Great Annual Savings Group (GAS) and TDJ Services, to offer proactive guidance for companies soon to be affected by the rising energy prices and inflation, as it is set to reach a 30-year high of 5.7%.
Paul Butler, CEO, North East Automotive Alliance, said: “Joe has built an excellent reputation within the North East business community helping companies to grow and develop.
“I am confident he will hit the ground running, given he already has a number of established relationships with our members. The NEAA team is invigored by his appointment and has the utmost conviction he will add great value to the work we do on behalf of members.
“With Joe’s help, we will firmly establish our account management process to ensure companies in the network are maximising their membership and seeing the true value from our regional automotive cluster.”
Joe, said: “Having worked with the NEAA over the last three years as part of my role at Lumo, it was obvious there is a shared passion amongst the team for the North East automotive sector and a drive to promote and develop the businesses within it.
“The recent news that Britishvolt has selected the North East as its primary site and with Envision AESC expanding, is evidence that the North East automotive sector has a bright future.
“My priority is to meet with members and discuss how I can help them to get the most from their membership and what we can do to support them further.”