Enterprise Oxfordshire has announced that its long-standing chief executive will later this year leave the organisation after over 12 years at its helm.
Nigel Tipple will depart Enterprise Oxfordshire – formerly the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) – on 30 September, following over a decade leading the organisation, who have been highly-influential supporting the county’s economy across several key areas.
Mr Tipple has been in post since June 2013. During that time, Enterprise Oxfordshire has supported the county’s economy to be a standout economy, securing major investment for the area, whilst also being instrumental in creating opportunities for communities across Oxfordshire too.
Working with both private and public sector partners, Enterprise Oxfordshire have secured around £3billion-worth of investment across a whole range of infrastructure projects, whilst – between April 2023 and March 2024 alone – the organisation supported over 1,970 businesses in the county, providing over 2,800 hours of expert business support.
Also in recent times, Enterprise Oxfordshire have successfully secured over £6million of apprenticeship levy funding from the county’s larger businesses, supporting SMEs to create dozens of new apprenticeship openings – funding that would have otherwise been lost to Oxfordshire.
Meanwhile – working with central government – between 2017 and 2023, Enterprise Oxfordshire helped to ensure 6,000 jobs were created or safeguarded, via a total of 295 foreign direct investment projects, impacting various sectors from retail through to life sciences and engineering.
Mr Tipple has recently relocated back to the south west of England and – following a 45-year career across a number of industries – believes now is the right time to step down and take on new professional and personal opportunities.
He said: “It’s never an easy decision to leave a role such as this with Enterprise Oxfordshire, especially when you have invested so much time and personal commitment – however, for me, the time is right to consider my next professional journey, and to get some balance back into my personal life.
“I leave a strong, professional and outstanding team of friends and colleagues who I have absolute confidence will continue the next chapter in Oxfordshire’s economic journey.”
In his role as Chief Executive, Mr Tipple is supported by senior colleagues Helen Brind – the organisation’s Head of Business and Skills – and Helen Ryan-Wallis, Enterprise Oxfordshire’s Head of Strategic Development and Programmes.
Both are providing leadership assistance to Mr Tipple in the lead up to and beyond his departure, with further senior leadership team representatives overseeing the areas of finance and corporate governance.
More broadly, Enterprise Oxfordshire boasts an experienced workforce of over 35 people, supporting the delivery of a comprehensive set of business, skills, investment and trade support services, as well as a variety of strategies backing Oxfordshire’s economic potential to be delivered in a sustainable and inclusive manner.
Commenting on his tenure at Enterprise Oxfordshire, Mr Tipple added: “I arrived in this role 12 years ago with the aim of building a team able to support Oxfordshire’s ambition to grow an economy for the benefit of its communities, businesses and future generations. In so doing, being able to also reinforce our local and global reputation as a world-leading innovation ecosystem.
“As we embarked on that journey, we had no roadmap to follow, though we did have ambition and a clear strategic direction.
“During this time, we have built trusted relationships with many stakeholders and partners, both across the county and nationally – with a strong reputation for delivery – securing several billion pounds-worth of investment for the benefit of many thousands of businesses and individuals.”
Further details regarding future leadership appointments at Enterprise Oxfordshire will be announced later in 2025.
And away from Mr Tipple’s departure, the organisation will – also later this year – appoint a new independent Chair from the county’s business community, set to lead its Board of Non-executive Directors.
Councillor Liz Leffman – Leader of Oxfordshire County Council – added: “On behalf of Oxfordshire County Council, we are grateful to Nigel for over a decade's service to Oxfordshire's economy.
“He leaves behind not only an enviable track record of delivery but, crucially, a robust organisation that can continue to serve the county for years to come. We wish him all the best for the future.
“In the coming weeks and months, the County Council looks forward to working closely with Enterprise Oxfordshire to appoint both a Chair of the Board and Nigel's replacement to deliver Oxfordshire's future economy.”
Enterprise Oxfordshire became the new trading name of OxLEP on 1 April this year, with the change marking the completion of a two-year process that saw the economic development functions – previously led by Local Enterprise Partnerships – altered so that they were to be overseen via a mechanism agreed by respective upper-tier local authorities, in this instance, Oxfordshire County Council.
Since becoming Enterprise Oxfordshire in April, Oxfordshire County Council now act as the organisation’s 100% shareholder, known as a Teckal company arrangement.
For more information, head to: www.enterpriseoxfordshire.com.