With a £2bn investment programme under his stewardship, TVR's Joe Docherty is helping to transform the local skyline.

The Tees Valley is undoubtedly the tiger economy of the North East. We are bucking the national trend when it comes to investment and development.

"Tees Valley Regeneration (TVR) has put the area on the map for developers who previously had only invested in Manchester, London and Leeds and who had never even been to the North-east before.

That demonstrates a level of awareness and interest in the area that previously did not exist."

That's the forthright view of Joe Docherty, who has witnessed dramatic change across Tees Valley's rapidly evolving landscape since he stepped into the chief executive's chair at TVR in 2003.

£2bn of Investment

Since then the Glaswegian has sanctioned more than £2bn of investment on major projects which have created thousands of jobs, boosted inward investment and positioned Tees Valley as one of the UK's flagship regeneration areas.

In the last two years Joe and his development team have secured more than £1bn of investment, while his inward investment team has attracted almost 2,000 jobs.

But Joe is refusing to rest on his laurels.

He acknowledges that although real progress has been made, the area still has further to go: "We have come a long way but you only have to look at the transformation of Manchester,

Leeds and Newcastle to know there is a huge amount more still to be done," he says.

Flagship Middlehaven Scheme

"It is a challenge to maintain momentum and quality across flagship regeneration projects - but one we are determined to meet.

We will continue to push for even higher quality design and delivery."

Joe's belief in local skills and the ability of the area to attract large-scale investment is based on the success of several major TVR-led projects in the area.

The flagship Middlehaven scheme, for example, is transforming the skyline on the banks of the River Tees near Middlesbrough.

Developer BioRegional Quintain has committed £200m to fifteen futuristic buildings including two which make up the RiversideOne scheme - a luxury development of apartments, leisure and office space.

The Middlehaven site will also house the first piece in what will become the world's largest public art initiative, Tees Valley Giants, which is bringing internationally renowned artist Anish Kapoor and structural designer Cecil Balmond to the region.

The sought-after duo will create five pieces of artwork, one for each borough of the Tees Valley.

The first one, Temenos - a vast and exciting sculpture likened to New York's Statue of Liberty - is expected to be completed by next summer.

Stunning New Footbridge

In addition, TVR is driving forward the renaissance of Stockton via the project at North Shore, linking the town centre with the barrage.

Already a stunning new footbridge - destined to be a postcard image for Stockton - is being built with the help of Cleveland Bridge and Dorman Long.

In Hartlepool, the Victoria Harbour scheme will breathe new life into 80 hectares of underutilised port land at the heart of the town between the vibrant marina and historic Headland area.

A new mixeduse community will provide up to 3,000 high quality homes, community facilities including a school and new commercial and retail space.

International Business Park

Meanwhile, a 30-hectare town centre site in Darlington will provide modern office accommodation, up to 600 apartments and town houses, a hotel and conference centre and a new £33m home for Darlington College of Technology - already opened to much acclaim.

A few miles further afield, at Durham Tees Valley Airport, TVR has teamed up with airport owner Peel Holdings to create the £110m Skylink International Business Park.

Joe believes that the success of these projects are as much down to the positive attitudes of local people as well as their skills.

He says: "We like to be involved with people and investors who have the same will as we do to deliver high-value regeneration schemes.

That is especially true of our development partners. "These projects are changing perceptions of the Tees Valley, improving the quality of life for local people and turning heads on a national and international scale."

On the Up

Although he is highly optimistic about the future, Joe believes that more could be done to improve the region's transport network and build on the area's growing skills capability.

But for him, the Tees Valley is very much on the up.