A FORMER shipyard boss has been appointed as chair of a health initiative in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The former managing director of BAE Systems Corporate Services, Steve Fogg, has been appointed as chair of the SEED alliance - a multi-sector collaborative set up to contribute to ‘health and wealth’ in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

SEED was set up to address the social, economic and environmental determinants of health, supporting the health and care system; creating better research and innovation; attracting more inward investment and the best people; and improving productivity, skills, jobs and the economy.

Mr Fogg has a strong interest in supporting mental health in the workplace and spearheaded a unique awareness programme at BAE that started with a small number of local staff and expanded across all BAE’s UK businesses.

He said: “I can see huge potential for collaborating across sectors to improve the health and wellbeing of our population.

"We have seen fantastic collaborations during the pandemic, which have accelerated new ways of working and I am looking forward to playing my part in this critical time for our population in terms of physical and mental health and financial wellbeing.”