Devon Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the launch of the North Devon Place Board – a dedicated, business-led board that will champion the priorities and ambitions of businesses across North Devon and Torridge at county and regional level.
North Devon is a remarkable place to do business. With more than 8,200 businesses, an estimated GVA of £3.34 billion, and genuine national significance in sectors including clean maritime, advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, agri-food and clean energy, the area has considerable economic strength.
It also faces real challenges – average wages running 16% below the UK average, a rural productivity gap, and skills shortages that the North Devon & Torridge Economic Strategy (2024-2029) identifies as a core barrier to growth.
What North Devon has lacked, until now, is a formal structure that places the business voice at the heart of strategic decision-making. That changes with the establishment of the Place Board.
The North Devon Place Board was established at Devon Chamber’s North Devon Conversations event on 24 March 2026, where 40 business leaders gathered at The Mole Resort in Umberleigh to vote unanimously in favour.
It will operate as a non-statutory advisory board under Devon Chamber’s governance framework – consistent with the Place Boards already established in Exeter and Plymouth – and will be led by between six and 12 business leaders representing the full breadth of the local economy, from micro businesses to major employers, across sectors, geographies and communities.
Its purpose is to provide a collective and coordinated business voice for North Devon, to ensure that local employer insight directly informs economic priorities, planning and investment decisions; and to strengthen North Devon’s identity and reputation as a place with serious economic ambition.
This is not about creating new bureaucracy. It is about giving North Devon’s existing business community a formal home – one with clear governance, accountability and genuine influence.
The Board will shape local events and sector engagement priorities, lead the creation of a North Devon Place-Based Business Plan, contribute to advocacy and consultation responses, and ensure that the experience of businesses in the area actively informs decision-making at county and regional level.
The timing is significant: North Devon’s clean maritime cluster, its strategic position within the Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind opportunity, and its established strengths in pharmaceuticals, food production and marine technology all align directly with the Government’s national priorities around energy security, defence and food security.
But realising these opportunities requires a coordinated, credible business voice to unlock investment, influence policy and tell North Devon’s economic story with confidence.
The meeting at The Mole Resort was led by Devon Chamber CEO, Helen Wylde-Archibald, whose commitment to ensuring that every part of Devon has a strong and represented business voice has been central to the development of the Place Board model.
Helen said: “North Devon has an extraordinary range of businesses, significant natural assets and real strategic importance at a national level. For too long, the area’s economic ambitions have lacked the formal platform they deserve.
“The North Devon Place Board changes that. It gives businesses here a coordinated, credible voice – one that will be heard at county and regional level, and that will ensure North Devon’s priorities are at the heart of the decisions that shape its future.
“I am proud that Devon Chamber is leading this, and I look forward to seeing the Board make a real and lasting difference for businesses and communities across the area.”
Robert Zarywacz, editor of Business Action magazine, organiser of the North Devon Business Awards and BBxpo exhibitions, and partner at Zarywacz, will be leading the North Devon Place Board going forward.
The next steps are already underway. Board recruitment and formation is now open, with the inaugural meeting scheduled for early April. The North Devon Place Board will then join fellow Place Boards from across Devon on 23 April, ahead of a wider launch to the North Devon business community on 11 June.
If your business is based in North Devon or Torridge – whatever your size or sector – this Board exists to represent you. Nominations are open for business leaders who wish to be part of it. And if you would like to find out more, or discuss how your organisation might engage with the Place Board once formed, Devon Chamber would be pleased to hear from you.
To find out more or register your interest, visit https://devonchamber.co.uk/news/north-devon-place-board/
