Meet the new Banbury BID manager

Joanne Holland steps into the role after the BID’s first manager, Kate Nesbitt, left her post last November after just eight months in the role.

Joanne, who lives in Leicestershire, brings to the role an interesting career background, she said: “I’ve spent 20 years in the civil service at senior level, I was the court mediator and dealt with over 1000 civil and commercial disputes, so I have a good understanding of business and what is important to them.

She added: “I was then project manager for Ashby de la Zouch, a market town in Leicestershire, which has loads going for it just like Banbury. They wanted it to be brought together so I re-branded the town.”

It is this experience that Joanne will call on as she takes control of Banbury’s promotion and events BID. She will make the hour long commute into Banbury daily and, like her predecessor, Joanne sees her unfamiliarity with the town as an advantage.

Joanne said: “I hadn’t been to Banbury before but I hadn’t been to Ashby either. Banbury has real similarities to Ashby in that you have all the core ingredients that just need bringing together.

“One of the things I am going to focus on is there’s the core of the BID and then there lots going on outside of it in other places, so what I want to do is engage with those places and bring that footfall into town.

She added: “I am going to look at what Banbury has already got and shout about it louder.”