The boss of Welcome To Yorkshire is moving on after just 22 months in the job.
James Mason took up the post of chief executive at the regional tourism body in January 2020. He is only the second person in the role.
He succeeded Sir Gary Verity, who resigned on health grounds the previous March, later facing allegations surrounding inappropriate expenses claims and behaviour towards staff.
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Mr Mason will leave on 22 October, and take a new job in January. In the intervening weeks, he plans to expand a dementia cafe he helped launch in 2018.
He started at Welcome To Yorkshire with a brief to bring stability and to cut costs. However, much of his time in the role has been dominated by the impact of the pandemic on tourism in the region.
“It has been a privilege to work with you all, to promote Yorkshire to the world and stand shoulder to shoulder with you through a pandemic,” Mr Mason said.
“I only wish the organisation well going forward and most importantly the thousands of businesses that make Yorkshire so unique.
“Whilst working under difficult conditions at times, there is lots we can be proud of, such as the much-loved ‘Walkshire’ campaign, the launch of a personal membership and tree planting scheme, as well as the implementation of a Tourism Recovery Plan.
“The brief when I joined was to guide Welcome to Yorkshire towards steadier waters and drastically reduce costs.
“We achieved this despite all the restrictions we faced and never stopped innovating or striving for excellence.”
His resignation comes just weeks after it was announced that next year’s Tour de Yorkshire had been axed.
“I’d like to thank everyone for their involvement in trying to bring the Tour de Yorkshire back especially our local authority partners with their continued commitment,” he said.
“These high-profile events will return to the region when the time is right.”
Turbulent time
Chair of Welcome to Yorkshire Peter Box said: “We would like to thank James for the commitment and energy he has demonstrated during a particularly turbulent time for tourism and for the organisation.
“When James joined as chief executive almost two years ago there were many challenges to deal with.
“A positive plan was put in place to continue showcasing Yorkshire to the world and despite the COVID-19 pandemic adding a new and unexpected level of challenges for the tourism industry, James tackled all issues head-on and worked tirelessly.”
Mr Mason added: “The decision to leave wasn’t an easy one as I have really enjoyed the role it but I’m excited about putting my energy into my new role.
“I will of course be committed to Welcome to Yorkshire and the staff until I leave before investing some time expanding ‘Bradford Memories’, a dementia group supporting individuals and their families living with the disease, as my mother does. Who knows, perhaps we can launch ‘Yorkshire Memories’.
“Watch this space…”