Joining as the new Advisory Board Chair is David Foley, Managing Director of DJ Foley Property Consultants. Having been a board member since 2021, Foley is adept at working with the BID team to be innovative and to develop new ideas that will attract business investment and build on the existing successes of the BID to date. As Chair of the Board, Foley will seek to support the BID team and to encourage board members to play an active role in steering the BID direction.
BID Updates
Representing Bristol’s businesses; Bristol City Centre BID appoints new Advisory Board members, including new Chair
Bristol City Centre BID appoints four new Advisory Board members.
18/06/2024
Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) has appointed four new members to its Advisory Board. The new appointees will represent night-time economy, hospitality, retail and leisure, with new representation from the city centre, including The Bristol Hotel, No 1 Harbourside, Spoke & Stringer and Restore, and Mother’s Ruin.
The board’s role is to act as a voice for businesses, to advocate and represent levy payers within the City Centre BID. The board is critical to overseeing the BIDs strategic direction and financial management, as well as advising on BID projects and new initiatives.
David Foley and Vicky Lee, Director of Bristol City Centre BID.
Marc Griffith Managing Director of World Famous Dive Bars Ltd, will be bringing his 25 years’ experience in the night time economy, combined with 17 years entrepreneurial experience, to advocate for safety and wellbeing in the city’s late-night hospitality environment. His goal on the board is to leverage his expertise to contribute to the implementation of projects that will make the city centre a more attractive destination for residents, employees and visitors alike.
Mehmet Kandemir, General Manager at The Bristol Hotel, is committed to developing projects that contribute to a cleaner and greener city centre, and is keen to use his 32 years worth of knowledge living in Bristol to bring visitors to the city. Kandemir has utilised the work of the BID previously when he petitioned to secure the installation of additional lighting outside the hotel, both enhancing the attractiveness and security of the area for visitors at night.
Another newly appointed board member is Jeremy Kynaston, Managing Director of No1 Harbourside (The Assemblies Ltd). He is keen to represent the hospitality industry with creativity and a solution-based approach to ensure the city is regarded as freeing and wholesome. Keeping Bristol as a groundbreaking, cultural and inspirational destination is at the fore of Kynaston’s goals as a member of the board.
Concluding the list of new hires is Emma Linzel, Brand and Retail Director at Spoke & Stringer and Restore. Linzel’s extensive retail experience will be used as a representative voice for levy paying retail businesses in the city centre area.
Emma Linzel, Brand and Retail Director at Spoke & Stringer and Restore, said:
“I'm so excited to join the BID Advisory Board and represent Bristol's vibrant retail community. With over a decade of living and working in Bristol, and expertise in retail and marketing, I'm eager to advocate for our interests and support the BID team's success. I am really looking forward to collaborating with the whole team and fellow Board members!”The new members of the Board join the likes of Counsellor Ani Stafford-Townsend from Bristol City Council, Keith Smith from Avon and Somerset Police and Frances Macadam from University Hospital Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. Also on the board sit representatives from diverse businesses across the City Centre BID area such as Bristol Folkhouse, The Bristol Hippodrome, Business West, KPMG, Lambert Smith Hampton, Marriott Hotels, O2 Academy, St George’s, and University of Bristol.
David Foley, Managing Director of DJ Foley and newly appointed Advisory Board Chair for Bristol City Centre BID, said
“I’m really proud to be continuing my involvement with the BID in this new role as Chair of the Board. Collectively, we want to see Bristol thriving as a cultural destination, and as a safe and prosperous place for businesses to operate. I’m eager to see where the coming years take us towards making Bristol an even better place to live, work and visit.”Vicky Lee, Director of Bristol City Centre BID, said:
“It’s so important to us that our business community is adequately and fairly represented on our Advisory Board, so our four new members are very welcome additions to an already exceptional team. We’re grateful to David Foley for continuing his work with us in his new role, taking his experience with us to the next level.”Bristol City Centre BID’s Advisory Board meets quarterly to oversee and monitor the strategic direction and financial management of the BID. The Board is responsible for ensuring that the BID operates as part of a wider community and in the public interest. For more information, click here.
