New board directors at Birmingham BID

A business improvement district in central Birmingham has added three new faces to its board of directors.

Joanna-Lee Mills, Alison Kilby and Hannah Voogd bring experience from the legal, built environment and development sectors to Colmore BID as it begins its latest five-year tenure, following last year's successful 'yes' vote.

Joanna Lee-Mills is a partner and head of social housing development with law firm Shakespeare Martineau in Birmingham where she is also deputy head of office.

Her expertise encompasses all aspects of affordable housing development including large-scale acquisitions and sales.

She has a passion for mentoring emerging leaders and young professionals and has been on Colmore BID's community building working group for two years.

Alison Kilby is an associate director and Midlands workplace advisory lead at global engineering and design consultancy Arup.

She spearheaded the relocation of the firm's third largest global office from Solihull to the Paradise estate in Birmingham last year which included the delivery of social value activity to support local communities during the move.

She brings more than 20 years of experience in the built environment, guiding the delivery of construction projects and sustainable building design to benefit the ongoing work of the BID.

Finally, Hannah Voogd is a development manager at HBD where she leads on various high-profile schemes to support regeneration and development in the Midlands.

With the BID, she has been involved in its community building and new professionals working groups.

Nicola Fleet-Milne, chairwoman of Colmore BID and owner of property agency FleetMilne, said: "We are so excited to welcome Joanna, Alison and Hannah and expand our fantastic board of directors.

"Their diverse experience and insights will be invaluable as we continue to drive forward our mission to enhance the economic vitality and quality of working and visiting our district.

"The appointments reflect the BID's ongoing efforts to ensure that its leadership is representative of the diverse community it serves.

"The inclusion of these accomplished women aligns with our strategic goals of fostering inclusive growth and innovation as we enter our fourth BID term."

Colmore BID's fourth term started on April 1. Among its projects are the annual food festival, public realm works and providing extra security across the Colmore Row and business district area.