Leading an organisation whose members have a combined turnover of more than £560 million, contribute £150 million to Cornwall’s economy (10% of the county’s GVA) and employ over 3,500 people is no small task, and Jon Hurrell is looking to raise the profile of manufacturing even higher as the new chief executive of the Cornwall Manufacturers Group (CMG) (www.cmgroup.org.uk).

He said: “Manufacturing is my passion, and I have always been interested in how products are made.

“The diversity of production represented by CMG members — 98% of it exported out of county — showcases the enormous impact and contribution that Cornwall’s manufacturers have on the UK economy.”

Mr Hurrell has a degree in mechanical engineering and 17 years of manufacturing experience in various industry sectors, including design and production management at Princess Yachts and supply-chain management at a 4,000-employee Swedish packaging firm.

He then worked for the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service before recently establishing his own business, Enterprise Coaching.

He said: “Employee skills growth is a crucial factor in any company’s success.

“To be joining the CMG now, at a time when it has secured funding from the European Social Fund to specifically assess skills requirements across Cornish manufacturers, is enormously exciting.

“Growing a skills base ultimately grows success; for the CMG to offer this new service through the Developing Skills for Business project, at a time when manufacturing employment has grown nationally from 2.6 million to 2.7 million, is a real growth opportunity for Cornish industry.”