Dr Andy Wood – Norse Group
Norse Group and Norfolk County Council announced this week that Dr Andy Wood OBE has been appointed as the new chair of the board at Norse Group.
Wood, chief executive of Southwold-based Adnams plc and a deputy lieutenant of Norfolk, replaces Fiona McDiarmid, whose tenure as chair ends after two years at Norse, the UK’s largest commercial local authority trading company.
The Norse Group, owned by Norfolk County Council, draws together building consultancy services Norse Consulting, care provider NorseCare and FM specialist Norse Commercial Services.
The group works with private and public sector clients through more than 30 local authority partnerships across the UK, including the NHS, running a diverse range of services from running mobile lateral flow testing teams and supporting the Covid vaccine roll-out, to household waste collection, cleaning and catering in schools and businesses, as well as offering residential care, property design and estate management services.
Wood said: “I am extremely taken with Norse’s stated purpose – to ‘improve people’s lives’. This demonstrates the importance of the company and what it does, whether providing commercial services, contributing to the construction of new public buildings, or caring for some of the most vulnerable in society. What Norse does undoubtedly matters.”
Wood, who has held several previous chairs and non-executive positions, said his aim is to help further develop Norse’s positive culture and build on its commercial success.
McDiarmid said he would find the group “in a robust position”.
“Andy will have a firm foundation of a strong board, a clear strategy and an amazing team of almost 10,000 people across the country committed to delivering to their best to their communities,” she said.
Justin Galliford, the interim CEO of Norse, said: “We are delighted to welcome Andy and knowing his vast experience, he will be invaluable as we continue to grow our operations and strengthen our business.”
Councillor Andrew Proctor, county council leader, said: “Andy… has the experience and most importantly the commercial nous to take the Norse Group from strength to strength.”
