Marc Eatough
Principal Consultant
Marc is an experienced economic and spatial policy analyst and GENECON’s lead consultant on issues relating to business enterprise and innovation. He has a Masters degree in Management from Durham Business School and joined GENECON in 2006 from the Institute for Entrepreneurship (IfE), at the University of Southampton. Marc is responsible for developing the firm’s services in relation to innovation, enterprise and sector development.
Marc has in depth understanding of the knowledge economy and the key issues facing small business growth and innovation, coupled with extensive experience in strategy development focusing on enterprise, competitiveness and innovation agendas. Recently he has worked on a number of commissions including economic and sector studies to support ONE NorthEast, Yorkshire Forward, the NWDA and SEEDA investment in physical business incubation facilities, innovation advisory services, collaborative R&D technology support initiatives and venture capital loan funds, all of which were designed to stimulate improved competitiveness and innovation through higher-levels technology and knowledge transfer and university spin-out activity. Over the last 18 months Marc has also facilitated the development of a number of key economic and spatial strategies across the Yorkshire and Humber, South East and North East regions, including, the Leeds City Region Housing & Regeneration Strategy & Investment Framework, the York Economic Masterplan, the HCA’s (Yorkshire & Humber) Regional Investment Strategy and the development of the ‘University City Strategic Aim’ component of the economic renaissance masterplan for the City of Sunderland.
Marc has worked in the economic development and regeneration arena since 1999, previously working within the economic development divisions of Durham County Council and Southampton City Council. In these posts he managed a wide range of ERDF, ESF and SRB programmes and projects and worked closely with the HE sector, RDAs, sector consortia and business support agencies developing projects and strategies aimed at encouraging business start-up and growth, including the preparation of the Southampton Enterprise Action Plan. His specialist understanding of enterprise and innovation support systems recently culminated in a collaborative research project with the University of Southampton which assessed the strategic interventions being delivered by RDAs to support the development of the knowledge economy, such as those to harness the role of universities in regional innovation systems. He has also produced policy research, focused on 'Increasing Graduate Entrepreneurship' on behalf of National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship.