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Wales’ largest coworking space, the Welsh Innovation Center for Enterprise (ICE), has appointed Linos Neill as its new Chief Executive.
Linos, 32, a former community manager at ICE, will now take the lead and work with the board to manage the business and its 700-strong community across the campus and online platform.
Linos originally joined Welsh ICE in 2017 as its receptionist and over the past five years has expanded his understanding and influence on the business by taking the lead on a number of key projects. Prior to being Community Manager at ICE, Linos worked as Operations Manager at Cardiff charity Pedal Power.
Supported by her management team, Linos will now work closely with the board of directors, including Adrian Walker, who ran the business and mentored the team as interim managing director over the past year, Stephen Burt, Annie Brown, William Record, Leslie Williams and its chairman , Anthony Record MBE.
Linos said he wanted to start:
“I am delighted to take on this new role and am excited to start working with our partners and wider stakeholders. Having started at the core of ICE, I have followed the journey of so many of its members, sharing the highs and lows as they start and grow.
“The working environment has changed in the last two to three years and there are more challenges to overcome. Demand for small office space is growing, but many workers are still adjusting to the changes and weighing the balance between returning to the office or working from home.
“However, coworking remains more than just a place to work. 77% of our member firms have a survival rate of three years or more – higher than the UK average of 61%. When you consider that three-quarters of our businesses have formal agreements with each other, that tells a story.
“In its early days, ICE was often referred to as an incubator – nurturing emerging businesses and supporting entrepreneurship. What ICE provides is the environment for people to succeed. This is the natural networking that leads to thriving collaborations. This is the support of colleagues who have already experienced and solved the problems that new members face. When people work together, they form a community and grow.
“My role now is to ensure that ICE continues to be the place where people choose to start, grow and build their businesses and careers. This work will be facilitated by the fantastic support of my team and board, and I look forward to building a strategy that can take the company and the community forward.”
The chairman of ICE, Anthony Record MBE, said:
“Having worked and experienced all aspects of the business – Llinos has a perspective that is unique and gives her a valuable understanding of our ethos that can be difficult to replicate.
“As a Board, we believe Linos has the ideas and attitude to lead the organization and that she will continue to build on our proud achievements. ICE is needed now more than ever and through our services and Llinos’ leadership we will be able to continue our significant contribution to Welsh business and the wider economy.
Llinos has built an understanding and connection with our community that is critical to what makes ICE such a special place to work. I am delighted to welcome her to this new role and look forward to working with her and the rest of the management team as we continue to make ICE the place to start and grow businesses.”
For more information on how ICE can support you, you can contact them at [email protected] or by phone 02920 140 040
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