Marketing Lancashire has appointed Andrea Challis, joint owner and CEO of holiday park operator The Partington Group, as Interim Chair.
Challis takes up the interim role following the departure of Tony Attard OBE, which was announced at the end of 2021.
The recruitment process for a permanent chair is currently on hold until the government announces its response to the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) review, as Marketing Lancashire said this could inform future governance arrangements.
Andrea Challis became a Director of the Board of Marketing Lancashire in 2019 and is also a member of the Blackpool Business Leaders Recovery Group, as well as a Director of Blackpool Tourism BID (Business Improvement District).
Andrea Challis, speaking about her new role said: “As a Lancastrian who has worked in tourism, travel and the hospitality industry for most of my life, I’m really proud to take on the role of Interim Chair of the Board of Marketing Lancashire. I’m also grateful to my fellow Board Directors for their support and for the confidence they have shown in me.
“I believe it is that resilience and innovation, across every sector, that will be at the forefront of our recovery and in my role at Marketing Lancashire, I’ll do all I can to help Lancashire to continue to grow and thrive.”
Rachel McQueen, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire, added: “We are so pleased that Andrea has agreed to become Interim Chair, she is a fantastic advocate for the county and for the tourism and hospitality sector and we look forward to working closely with her over these critical next few months as we work with stakeholders to set future ambitions for the promotion of Lancashire.”
Marketing Lancashire is the agency charged with promoting the county and is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Lancashire.
