New appointment: James Cokeham joins SDG Economic Development

SDG Economic Development is pleased to announce the appointment of James Cokeham, who joins the firm’s Leeds office as a Principal Consultant.

James is a versatile economic development professional, with ten years’ experience in consultancy and Local Government. He has led the production of economic assessments and strategies, worked closely with developers to bring forward complex residential and employment sites and submitted detailed business cases/funding applications to a range of public agencies.

Prior to joining SDG Economic Development, James was Head of Economic Development & Regeneration at Selby District Council, where he established a multi-disciplinary service covering inward investment, business support, policy/strategy and housing development, to deliver an ambitious growth agenda. His work at the Council included the management of a £10m capital investment programme and was praised in a Local Government Association Peer Review as a ‘sea change’ in November 2017.