SIXTY people applied for the soon-to-be-vacant post of chief executive of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and the winner announced today is...the husband of the Chamber's president.

Len Cruddas, whose wife, Gillian, is chief executive of the York Tourism Bureau and the Chamber's president, will succeed Roland Harris when he retires from the 638-member organisation on Friday.

Mr Harris, who delayed his retirement for a smooth handover, said: "Inevitably people will suspect nepotism, but Gillian did not take part in the selection process and Len came through it fair and square.

"With her husband as chief executive, Gillian will cut short her presidency after one year rather than two and step down in June."

Mr Cruddas, 49, of Dunnington, has had extensive senior level experience in business development and support in both the public and private sectors. He has also run his own successful business.

He said today: "My wife was not involved in the decision. My background is logical to the job. I have gone through the proper recruitment process and, thankfully, the recruitment panel was enthusiastic.

"It is not necessarily common for chamber presidents to serve their full two years, but, in the circumstances, Gillian's stepping down in June after one year may be the sensible thing to do.

"Meanwhile, there are a lot of positives. Few chief executives could have closer access to their presidents, although I suspect I will be working closely with Mark Vines, the vice-president."

His recent record as managing director of Business Link Barnsley and simultaneously enterprise director of Barnsley and Doncaster Training and Enterprise Council clearly impressed Mr Vines, the area manager of HSBC Bank, York, who chaired the selection panel.

Also included on Mr Cruddas' CV were his earlier roles as chief officer for Hull City Services, responsible for 2,000 staff, and later as director of operations for SITA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the French multi-national Lyonaise des Eaux Dumez, tendering and managing four local authority contracts with a total turnover of £20 million.

He was also able to demonstrate his credentials as a self-employed management consultant who landed a full-time fixed term business development contract with Serco Services, the £1 billion-plus turnover multi-national task management organisation, to win new leisure management business in Manchester.

Having qualified as a PE teacher in 1974, he launched a career in leisure management, working for various councils, eventually heading up the leisure contractor department of Hyndburn Borough Council, in Lancashire, and going on to direct Hull City Services, the direct services organisation run as a separate business.

His first thoughts on the future of the Chamber? "We need to work in our own right as a successful business and to offer real value for money - services and benefits that no prospective member can resist."

Updated: 11:13 Monday, April 08, 2002