Steve Hill has been appointed vice chair of the Institute of Directors (IoD) South West region.

Founded in 1903, the IoD is said to provide an effective voice to represent the interests of its members to key opinion-formers at the highest levels. These include Government ministers and their shadows, parliamentary committee members, senior civil servants and think-tanks.

IoD membership includes directors from across the business spectrum - from media to manufacturing, professional services to the public and voluntary sectors. Members include CEOs of large corporations as well as entrepreneurial directors of start-up companies.

Mr Hill is a qualified chartered director and volunteer ambassador representing the SME community in the region. He will support the transition to a new chair later in the year when Muir Macdonald steps down after his three year term.

He started his career working for GEC Marconi in the 1980s. Having worked in a variety of roles he moved into project management and business leadership and also attained a post graduate degree in Project Management.

In 2000, Mr Hill took up his first executive role, working for a division of Thales (then Racal) leading and improving their project management activities. During this time he completed the IoD Diploma in Company Direction and went on gain the accreditation of chartered director.

He took up his first MD role in 2002 and lead a number of Thales businesses in the UK. In 2011, he joined the Cohort group as MD of one of its subsidiaries SEA.

In late 2020, Mr Hill decided to step down from his role leading SEA to build a portfolio career supporting other businesses, aiming to share the knowledge he has built up to help others succeed.

He said: "The Institute has been such a big part of my professional development and therefore I am delighted to be stepping into a position in which I can support members in the region even further beyond my ambassador role. It's a key time for the economy as we continue to get back on our feet and good governance and leadership will be critical."

Departing chair, Muir Macdonald added: "I have had the pleasure of working alongside Steve since early in the year when he came on board as ambassador. He has all the qualities we could wish for as we continue strengthen the region's leadership to get close and stay close to our members.

"With a fabulous group of ambassadors, the IoD's team building gradually, and the COVID restrictions lifting, the future is looking even brighter here in the South West."