OEP welcomes its new Chief Executive David Doughty

3 Sep 2008

Abingdon business man David Doughty has been appointed as the first Chief Executive of Oxfordshire Economic Partnership, the organisation that brings together Oxfordshire businesses and public sector organisations with a view to further developing a growing economy for the county.

A chartered physicist and chartered engineer, David has started and developed a number of businesses latterly in the IT sector and was one of the first people in the country to become a chartered company director. Outside his own business interests, David is a past chairman of the Oxfordshire branch of the IOD, is a governor of Abingdon and Witney College and is a non-executive director of the Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust.

OEP Chairman Frank Nigriello said the appointment marked an important milestone for Oxfordshire’s Economic Partnership. “Within the partnership we are bringing together the skills and talents of groups of people who might not otherwise have a forum to work together. David’s role will be critically important in getting these different organisations to work together effectively to remove the inhibitors to economic growth within the county and to focus on a regional and national level to ensure that Oxfordshire is actively engaged as a key player in the UK’s economic strategy.”

The OEP team and partners would like to extend their thanks to Dave Waller for his contribution to OEP’s work over the last few months. After his spell as interim manager of the OEP, Dave Waller has now completed the handover to its new Chief Executive, David Doughty, and has returned to his substantive post within Oxfordshire County Council. In that role he brings together the council’s work on economic development, planning and climate change and will therefore remain actively involved in supporting the OEP in its future development.