CHIEF executive of the Heart of England Training and Enterprise Council, Barrie Giles, is to quit after four years in the job.

He is to take up an executive post as Director for Enterprise Development in the new South East England Development Agency (Seeda) based in Guildford.

During his term as boss at the TEC, Mr Giles, 51, has championed the Investors in People programme.

He said: "At Seeda I shall have an outward facing role but shall still live in Oxford, working from home. Its important to maintain touch with this area which is seen as an exciting, high-growth region."

Mr Giles was previously managing director at Oxford Lasers - one of only 17 companies chosen for a Department of Employment Investors in People pilot scheme. He took on the TEC job in 1995 vowing to help Oxfordshire people fulfil themselves through training and enterprise.

He singled out companies employing between ten and 100 employees for special attention in an "export-led" recovery.

Mr Giles will leave the TEC on June 18, the evening of the Oxfordshire Business Awards.

Carol Brand, 47, director of strategy and planning, will become acting chief executive on June 21.

Story date: Tuesday 11 May

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.