The Secretary of State for Transport has appointed Valerie Owen OBE to the board of Dover Harbour Board.

It is the latest in a number of ministerial appointments for Mrs Owen, who lives in the Dover district and has a career specialising in sustainable development, regeneration, housing and health.

Mrs Owen is a member of the boards of Covent Garden Market Authority, the National Forest Company and the Environment Agency’s Environmental Protection Advisory Committee which she chairs. Amongst her non-executive director appointments are the main boards of the Places for People Group, a leading regeneration company; Generator LLP, a development company specialising in mixed use urban regeneration projects; and Barts & The London NHS Trust.

A graduate of the University of Wales in Cardiff in architecture and architectural studies, Mrs Owen is managing director of Le Vaillant Owen Consultancy, a specialist organisation that delivers senior level strategic advice to companies, governments and voluntary organisations addressing complex community regeneration and sustainable development issues. She is a chartered architect, chartered town planner, chartered valuation surveyor and chartered environmentalist and was previously a Director of international real estate consultants, Jones Lang LaSalle.

Married with three young daughters, Mrs Owen (51) was awarded the OBE in 2001 for services to architecture and the community in east London. Amongst her interests is voluntary youth work with Girl Guiding UK where she specialises in national outreach programmes amongst diverse communities.

Robert Dibble, Chairman of Dover Harbour Board, said: “Valerie Owen will bring invaluable experience and expertise as the port embarks on the planning permission phase for its ferry Terminal 2 development later this year following the completion of the Environmental Impact Assessment this summer.”

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