THE president of the North East’s biggest business lobby group is to retire from his day job after more than 30 years in the water industry.

John Mowbray, who has become one of the best known and most popular businessmen in the region, has said he is to retire next summer from his job as director of corporate affairs at Northumbrian Water.

The 54-year-old, who is currently fighting to win help for the region’s private sector as president of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said he wanted to make more time for himself and his family.

But he will clearly not be retiring from public life as he intends to continue leading the chamber and on the boards of a long list of organisations across the region and in his native Sunderland as well as with numerous good causes.

“I just wanted to reclaim a bit of time for myself and I will miss this company and the people here. I have absolutely loved working here and I certainly won’t be leaving the business community,” he said.

After leaving school at 18 to join the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company he rose up the industry to become the public face of the region’s biggest utility more than a decade ago.

He is best known for linking the Durham-based firm with other organisations, including sports clubs like Newcastle Eagles and helping to make improvements at Castle View Enterprise Academy in Sunderland.