Mayor of West Yorkshire and region's Leaders welcome Knighthood for Roger Marsh

11 June 2021

Roger Marsh OBE DL, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and NP11 Group of Northern LEPs, has been Knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The honour has been given for his services to business, economy and the community across North and in West Yorkshire.  

Since joining the LEP as Chair in 2013, Roger has led a significant period of transformation for the region. He has been instrumental in securing the country’s largest ever Local Growth Deal with Government, bringing Channel 4’s new National HQ and news centre to Leeds, and most recently, the West Yorkshire devolution deal.

In a joint statement, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire’s Leaders, said: “Roger Marsh has made a huge contribution to businesses and communities across West Yorkshire, the wider Leeds City Region and the North over many years and the award of his knighthood is a well-deserved recognition for his work. We are so delighted for him to receive this honour.

“Roger has not just been a prolific advocate for our region, both nationally and internationally, but many civic and business leaders will recognise him as a trusted mentor, advisor and colleague, driving investment and encouraging talent into our Northern towns and cities.  This award is a testament to the progress that West Yorkshire and its people have made over the last decade with his unwavering support.”

As Chair of the LEP, Roger played a leading role in securing the £1 billion Growth Deal with Government in 2014, the largest agreement of its kind.  

The funding has supported a range of projects and programmes designed to contribute to an overall ambition of unlocking the City Region’s potential to be the growth engine for the North and rebalancing the nation’s economy.

It is estimated that Growth Deal has generated at least £4 of private investment and £10 in added value in the economy for every £1 of public money spent through it.

Roger has been widely acknowledged by the North’s business community as an invaluable bridge between the public and private sectors and an ambassador for the region.  

He has been central in West Yorkshire’s continuing development as an attractive location for investment, which has seen the region become one of the top 10 in the country for national and international direct inward investment.  

Roger has taken a frontline role in many of the key dealings with investors and stakeholders alike. These have led to the successful campaign to attract organisations such as Channel 4, Burberry, Link Asset Management, Reed Smith and most recently the UK Infrastructure Bank and Bank of England's northern hub.  

These will create a long-lasting legacy for the region, providing opportunities and optimism for our communities and their residents.

Roger was a member of the Leeds City Region team in the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme (MIT REAP), learning from international peers how innovation and entrepreneurship can support economic growth, job creation and social change.  

This experience has led directly to initiatives being launched by the LEP to drive the region’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to his role as chair of the LEP and NP11, Roger is a member of the Department for International Trade's investment Trade Advisory Groups providing strategic and technical expertise, alongside business leaders, economists and other experts, on maintaining the UK's attractiveness for overseas inward investment.  

He is also chair of the Chair of The Piece Hall Trust in Halifax, leading its successful re-opening following the £22 million regeneration.