JOHN SHEPHERD has been appointed head of marketing and customer service for Business Link York and North Yorkshire.

In his new role, he will be responsible for ensuring York and North Yorkshire businesses are aware of the "helping hand" and wide-ranging support Business Link provides, as well as consolidating and developing relationships with key partners.

He joins the organisation with 12 years' experience in the leisure industry, working with a range of businesses providing customer service and marketing support.

He said: "Like many people, I decided to set up my own business because I'd found something I was good at. What I didn't appreciate at the time was that when you're the boss there are so many other demands on your time in areas where you have little or no experience, and that's where I really felt I could do with a helping hand."

He praised the spirit of enterprise and business diversity in North Yorkshire, but said: "Because a significant proportion of these businesses are based in rural areas, there are a lot of people working in isolation, unaware of the extent of the support that is available to them and of how many other people there are in North Yorkshire in exactly the same situation."

Updated: 11:12 Friday, September 09, 2005