Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID), the not for profit organisation that delivers a range of initiatives to support its membership of businesses and organisations in Nottingham city.
The BID supports the retail, leisure, office and education sectors within a defined BID Zone in Nottingham city centre has announced the appointment of Alexander Flint (pictured) as their new chief executive, with effect from 1 November 2021.
Alex takes up the new role following the BID’s successful renewal ballot, which saw an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote from businesses in the city in support of a third five-year term. Mr Flint will be responsible for leading the work of the BID which will see a further £1m invested in the city centre over the next five years.
Alex brings a wealth of experience to Nottingham BID having had a career path that has been focused within executive level leadership across leisure, major events, hospitality, retail and live venues.
A proportion of Alex’s leadership career has been based internationally within Australia.
Key roles have been focused within the strategic leadership of government owned assets and land.
Alex was recruited from Australia to return to his home in the UK as the CEO of a major sporting charity trust in Kent.
The charity trust went through significant growth during Alex’s tenure and developed very strong relationships with government and commercial stakeholders.
In addition, Alex has a legacy of significant infrastructure developments and most recently worked with local authority partners on the successful project delivery of a £20m leisure centre and a £7m Venue based cultural arts centre.
Alex is extremely excited about returning to his family roots in Nottinghamshire and he has very fond childhood memories of visiting the lions in Old Market Square on a regular basis as a small child.
If asked for a vision for Nottingham city – Alex has some serious ambition: he sees the need to bounce back from some challenging times and to achieve this he feels there is a need for a clear united message of reigniting Nottingham as a living city that organically influences the community to use their time within the excellent retail, leisure, hospitality, arts and heritage offerings within the city centre.
Stephen Jackson, acting chair of Nottingham BID, said: “I am delighted that Alex has agreed to head up Nottingham BID, it’s a huge coup for us to have him as our CEO.
“It’s taken some time to find the right person after a really challenging year but following a successful reballot, I know the BID will deliver for its levy payers over the next five years with Alex at the helm. Myself, the board and the Nottingham BID team are very excited for the future.”
Alex Flint said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Nottingham BID as its new chief executive at what is a really exciting time for the city.
“I know what a special place Nottingham is and just how important a thriving city centre is to our economy and the community. I’m looking forward to working with businesses and colleagues to really make a difference and build on the tremendous work that Nottingham BID has delivered in the last ten years.”
Nottingham BID also announced five new appointments to the board of non-executive directors, who will bring with them a wealth of professional experience.
The new members are Ben Dorks – Chief Executive of Ideagen PLC, Samantha Gordon – Chief Financial Officer Bistro Pierre, Kelly Marshall-Hill – Director and Co-founder of The Tonic Communications, Megan Powell-Vreeswijk – Head of Enterprise at Nottingham Trent University, and Aaron Wilson – consultant within the hospitality and retail sectors.
In 2020, Nottingham BID secured its third term with 92% of eligible businesses voting in favour by number, 89% voting in favour by rateable value, representing a 46% turnout.
During its term, Nottingham BID has established several annual events including Nottingham Light Night, Halloween and The Nottingham Ale Trail, ensuring Nottingham is a city of experiences and excitement for the local community and beyond.
As well as events Nottingham BID has been a vital support for businesses, facilitating partnerships, providing guidance, representing and championing city centre businesses and delivering cost-saving initiatives.