SEVEN business leaders and a University of York chief will join the new board of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (YNLEP).

They were selected after an open recruitment exercise by Barry Dodd, chairman of YNYLEP supported by a panel of three. The object: To put private business in the driving seat to support the region's economic expansion.

Mr Dodd said: "I was totally bowled over by the level of interest and the quality of the people who put themselves forward. As a result, we have been able to put together a very interesting team and one which reflects the diversity of our area in terms of both geography and business type."

The only gap is a tourism representative but permission will be sought to co-opt someone whose company is in the sector.

The new board will now include:

• Neil Warman, deputy chief executive of HML, a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society;

• David Bruce, business services director of Nestle UK;

• Shaun Watts, managing director of Chameleon Business Interiors and former president of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce;

• Nigel Pulling, chief executive of Yorkshire Agricultural Society;

• David Kerfoot, chief executive of The Kerfoot Group;

• Dr Ruth Smith, chief executive of PM Management Consultants Ltd;

• Robert Miller, managing director of Bluebird Vehicles Ltd;

• Professor Colin Mellors, Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of York.

The private sector members will be joined on the board by six Council Leaders:

• Chris Knowles-Fitton of Craven District Council;

• Stephen Parnaby, of East Riding of Yorkshire Council;

• John Weighell of North Yorkshire County Council;

• Keith Knaggs of Ryedale District Council;

• Tom Fox of Scarborough Borough Council,

• James Alexander of City of York Council.