The States of Guernsey have appointed a group of business minded individuals to its new ‘Innovate Guernsey Board’.
Justin Bellinger was appointed the Chair of the board earlier this month.
Joining Mr Bellinger on the board are Nicholas Collinson; a specialist in fields such as tokenisation and tokenomics, Daniele Harford-Fox; the Principal of The Ladies’ College, Katie Inder; the Founder and Director of Concise, Philip Le Pelley; the Co-Founder of two fintech firms, Susan Watson; a Director and Consultant at Sofsync, and Marc Winn; the Innovations Director at UnLtd at Ron Short Centre.
The Innovate Guernsey Board has been established by the Committee for Economic Development, with hopes to “develop a foundation for innovation”, with the aim to “drive economic progress across all sectors of the economy”.
ED says that the “development of an innovation plan supports Economic Development’s responsibilities to develop and implement policies on matters relating to productivity, inward investment, innovation, diversification and regulation in the economy”.
Mr Bellinger said; “Guernsey has a proud history of innovation. From maritime enterprise and privateering to leadership in global finance we’ve consistently found smart, forward-thinking ways to pioneer beyond our scale.
“This board is about building on that legacy with purpose and pace. We’re not here to admire problems or write reports that gather dust. We’re here to unlock ideas, remove barriers, and deliver outcomes that matter. With the depth of talent around the table and the energy in our wider community, I believe Guernsey can lead – not follow – when it comes to shaping a smarter, more resilient future.”
Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, a Member of Economic Development and the islands Lead for Digital, Skills and Entrepreneurship, added: “I’m delighted to confirm the appointment of all Board Members, following a highly competitive selection process. As with the appointment of the Chair, we saw outstanding candidates, and I hope the new board will find ways to harness the skills, ideas, and enthusiasm of those keen to contribute in other ways.
“The Committee sees innovation as essential to Guernsey’s economic and sustainable growth. This board will play a key role in shaping that future. Creating industry-led boards reflects our collaborative approach — working with industry and the community to deliver on our mandate.
“With such strong professional and public interest, I hope we can all get behind the board as it develops and delivers an ambitious, yet realistic, Innovation Plan over the coming months.”