A company backed by the Cumberland Council has appointed a new managing director in the region.

Gary McKeating has been appointed on a two-year secondment to lead the Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH).

He said: "I am delighted to have been appointed as managing director of iSH to build on what has been achieved so far and to ensure the organisation achieves maximum economic and social impact through its activities across West Cumbria and beyond."

The iSH is also backed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Sellafield Ltd.

Mr McKeating was previously head of Development and Community at Sellafield Ltd where he led the organisation’s social impact programme.

He succeeds former managing director John Maddison, whose two-year term concluded in December.

Mr McKeating’s tenure will officially begin at the end of next month.

The iSH's aim includes supporting job creation and opportunities through collaboration between industry, business, academia and community across the West Cumbria region and beyond.

An iSH Enterprise Campus (iEC) at Leconfield, Cleator Moor, is being developed in two phases and involves funding support from the Government’s Towns Fund (£22.5m) and Levelling Up Fund (£20m), alongside support from Sellafield, the NDA and Cumberland Council.

Cllr Mark Fryer, council leader, said: "We welcome Gary and look forward to developing the iSH programme with partners.

"We are building for the future and alongside other schemes in Cumberland, iSH will support our area’s growth and economic future."

Eirini Etoimou, head of Corporate Sustainability and Supply Chain Development and Sourcing at Sellafield Ltd, described the new managing director as "dedicated and very well-experienced".

She said: “The Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH) is a high-profile programme which aims to support the regeneration of the local community at Leconfield and beyond.

"Gary is a dedicated and very well experienced professional in the social impact and economic development field, with a great reputation within the region for his commitment and for caring for the local community.

"We are proud of him and we wish him great success in his new role."