SUCCESSFUL investment organisation york-england.com dies at the end of the month – but long live Denise Stuart, its chief executive.

Mrs Stuart will be joining City of York Council’s city strategy team, which is taking over the function of her organisation, only specifically targeted on York rather than the whole of North Yorkshire.

The fact her detailed knowledge of how to lure and keep businesses in the city will not be lost was announced at a dinner at The Mansion House, hosted by the Lord Mayor, Coun John Galvin, as one of his last acts in office.

It was a celebration of the 13 years of inward investment success in the city which has seen more than 200 companies set up bases in York, generating more than 4,600 jobs.

The organisation began as York Inward Investment Board (IIB) then morphed into york-england.com with an expanded remit to include North Yorkshire.

But its demise and incorporation into the city strategy team, under the leadership of Bill Woolley, was triggered by North Yorkshire County Council pulling the plug on funding, so that it could continue attracting business in the wider county.

Fears were expressed Mrs Stuart’s valuable knowledge would vanish along with her role, but now these have been allayed, and outgoing chairman, John Yeomans told the dinner she would help the new organisation to be “outward facing”.

When Mrs Stuart joined the IIB she became chief executive of york-england.com, scoring numerous successes.

Even in the economic slowdown last year, Nestlé had shown its commitment to York, she said, by making room for IPSD, creating 100 jobs, while Nespresso, a Nestlé subsidiary, would come to York in the next few months, creating 73 jobs. Then there was the £28 million investment to create the five star Cedar Court Hotel.

Of the future, she looked forward to playing her part in promoting York as “a cosmopolitan, innovative, enterprising and thriving city”.

“York is in business for business,” she said.