A NEW chair of the city centre’s business improvement district (BID) has been appointed.

Katrina Kerr (previously Katrina Michel) has been appointed to take on role at CH1ChesterBID.

She will take on the position from Eryl Edwards.

Carl Critchlow, Chester BID manager, said: "Katrina is an ideal chair for our organisation. She has been championing the region to great success both outwardly and inwardly for most of the past decade.

"She is renowned for her passion for all things Cheshire and she already has strong relationships with many of our important stakeholders and our city business owners."

He added: "We need to extend a huge thank you to Eryl our outgoing chair, whose patience and determination has proved invaluable, especially over the past few months where he has guided our city centre through the coronavirus crisis with incredible grace."

The new chair sits on several other boards, including Storyhouse, the Halle Orchestra, The Tourism Society and LTE Group; CH1ChesterBID will be her only chair role.

Previous to Marketing Cheshire, Katrina held a notable career in advertising where she sat as Executive Chair at J Walter Thompson Manchester, as well as other senior strategic roles with both Ogilvy and Publicis.

She said: ‘I’m delighted to be able to offer my service to CH1ChesterBID as chair of the board. We’re facing a challenging time helping to steer the city’s business district in the right direction and as a reflection of the times, I will be concentrating on understanding and supporting our levy payers, marketing that adds real value and collaborating with CWAC and others across the city to reflect what is different and special about Chester.

"Coronavirus will leave a lasting impact on our city centre businesses and we need to support the path to change and innovation on their behalf.

"Having said that, Chester is in the fortunate position of holding a unique place in people’s hearts. We have already seen the fondness in the city be reflected in visitor numbers after lockdown - and witnessed the innovation and heart in the businesses who have been determined to move past this crisis from the outset. We have every faith the city will weather this particular storm and I’m honoured to help play a part in that resurgence."