Four new members have been appointed to the advisory board of Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID), along with a new chair.
The new members will represent the night-time economy, hospitality, retail and leisure sectors and are drawn from city centre businesses, including The Bristol Hotel, No 1 Harbourside, Spoke & Stringer and Restore, and Mother’s Ruin. 
The advisory board’s role is to act as a voice for businesses, to advocate and represent levy payers within the BID.
It is also critical to overseeing the BID’s strategic direction and financial management, as well as advising on projects and new initiatives.
The new chair is David Foley, managing director of DJ Foley Property Consultants, who has been a board member since 2021.
The new members are Marc Griffith, managing director of World Famous Dive Bars, Mehmet Kandemir, general manager of The Bristol Hotel, No1 Harbourside (The Assemblies Ltd) managing director Jeremy Kynaston, and Emma Linzel, brand and retail director at Spoke & Stringer and Restore.
The BID said David, pictured below with director Vicky Lee, was adept at working with its team to be innovative and to develop ideas aimed at attracting business investment and building on the existing successes.
As chair of the board, he will seek to support the BID team and to encourage board members to play an active role in steering the BID’ direction. 
Marc Griffith brings 25 years’ experience in the night-time economy to the board, combined with 17 years entrepreneurial experience.
He is an advocate for safety and wellbeing in the city’s late-night hospitality environment and will use his expertise to contribute to projects aimed at making the city centre a more attractive destination for residents, employees and visitors.
Mehmet is committed to developing projects that contribute to a cleaner and greener city centre, and is keen to use his 32 years’ worth of knowledge living in Bristol to bring visitors to the city.
He has utilised the work of the BID previously when he petitioned to secure the installation of additional lighting outside the hotel, enhancing the attractiveness and security of the area for visitors.
Jeremy Kynaston is keen to represent the hospitality industry with creativity and a solution-based approach to ensure the city is regarded as freeing and wholesome and maintaining its position as a groundbreaking, cultural and inspirational destination. 
Emma’s extensive retail experience will be used as a representative voice for levy-paying retail businesses in the city centre.
Emma, who has a decade of living and working in Bristol along with expertise in retail and marketing, said: “I’m so excited to join the BID advisory board and represent Bristol’s vibrant retail community.
“I’m eager to advocate for our interests and support the BID team’s success. I am really looking forward to collaborating with the whole team and fellow board members.”
The new members join Bristol City councillor Ani Stafford-Townsend, Keith Smith from Avon and Somerset Police and Frances Macadam from the University Hospital Bristol NHS Foundation Trust on the board.
Other businesses represented on the board include Bristol Folkhouse, The Bristol Hippodrome, Business West, KPMG, Lambert Smith Hampton, Marriott Hotels, O2 Academy, St George’s and the University of Bristol.
David Foley said: “I’m really proud to be continuing my involvement with the BID in this new role as chair of the board.
“Collectively, we want to see Bristol thriving as a cultural destination and as a safe and prosperous place for businesses to operate.
Bristol City Centre BID director Vicky Lee added: “It’s so important to us that our business community is adequately and fairly represented on our advisory board, so our four new members are very welcome additions to an already exceptional team.
“We’re grateful to David for continuing his work with us in his new role, taking his experience with us to the next level.”
Bristol City Centre BID’s advisory board meets quarterly to oversee and monitor the strategic direction and financial management of the BID.
The board is responsible for ensuring that the BID operates as part of a wider community and in the public interest.
Bristol City Centre BID and the city’s two other BIDs – Redcliffe & Temple and Broadmead – recently appointed Carmen Ceesay as the new partnership manager of the Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP), reaffirming their joint dedication to addressing crime impacting local businesses and improving safety throughout Bristol.
