Eddie Smith appointed acting chief executive

Eddie Smith, who joined New East Manchester 12 months ago as Deputy Chief Executive, has been appointed Acting Chief Executive.

This follows the departure of Tom Russell who has taken up a new post at the London Development Agency as Director of Legacy.

Formerly Head of Regeneration for Manchester City Council, Eddie headed up teams working on a range of projects including setting up the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder programme, the redevelopment of the Maine Road site (the former Manchester City Football Club ground) and the redevelopment of Wythenshawe Forum.

Prior to Manchester City Council, Eddie worked for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. During his time at Oldham he was seconded for two years to develop the European Objective 2 programme for North West England. Eddie is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Robert Hough, Chairman of New East Manchester said: "Eddie Smith has already made a significant contribution to the work undertaken by New East Manchester over the past year and has recently played a major role in the process to define the strategy of NEM over its next phase. He brings will him a wealth of experience from regeneration projects across Manchester which has already proved invaluable in driving forward our ambitious plans for the urban renewal of this important part of the city. He is a huge asset to the team.

"Tom has done an incredible job over the last seven years in spearheading the regeneration of east Manchester. His drive, tenacity and long term strategic vision for physical, social and economic change has enabled us to come a long way in a relatively short period of time. We wish Tom every success in this high profile new role, which is hugely deserved, but we will be especially sorry to see him go."

Commenting on his new position, Eddie Smith, Deputy Chief Executive for New East Manchester said: "Over the past eight years New East Manchester has done an exceptional job in building the foundations for the transformation of this vast area of the city. There are now huge opportunities to continue this momentum and accelerate the regeneration of east Manchester. The future is very exciting for this part of the city with developments, such as the construction of Metrolink, which will give the area a significant boost. We can make a real difference to the quality of lives for local people and that is extremely satisfying."

On his departure from New East Manchester, Tom Russell said: "It's been a privilege to have been involved over the past seven years in the renaissance of east Manchester, which is a truly remarkable place in so many ways. It will be an enormous wrench to leave. There is tremendous pride in this part of the city and a real sense of community spirit and working with local people has taught me a great deal about how best to regenerate deprived areas. Urban renewal is never straightforward but the signs of improvement are now visible for all to see across the area and it is very satisfying to know that they are already making a real difference to people's lives. The Olympics gives me a new and exciting challenge and allows me the opportunity to apply the lessons learnt in east Manchester to another inner city area that desperately needs to benefit from a comprehensive regeneration programme."

For more information visit http://www.neweastmanchester.com/

Media contact:

Roz Hughes, tel 0161 223 1155