J'AIME SEPTEMBER 2021

But after a decade
of running the high
street giant, he saw an
opportunity to return to his
roots – and swap the high
street for high office.
“I had really enjoyed
running John Lewis,” he
says “then the idea of a
West Midlands Mayor
began to be talked about. It
really interested me.
“The more I thought about
it, the more it seemed like
the perfect opportunity to
swap the job I loved for the
chance to serve the region
where I grew up. In the
end, it was simply too good a chance to miss.”
After being elected in 2017, Andy applied the lessons
of his years in business to his role as Mayor, focussing
on attracting investment and delivering tangible
results that would revive the region.
As he approached the end of his first term that
approach was delivering record house-building
figures, high employment levels and the highest
growth rate of any UK region outside London.
But then COVID hit, bringing tragic consequences
for thousands of local families and economic turmoil.
Elections were postponed for 12 months, while Andy
led the West Midlands through the pandemic.
That meant uniting the region to ensure a joined-up
approach, while providing a valuable direct link to
government.
As well as this huge professional test, Andy faced a
ANDY STREET WAS ELECTED
FOR A SECOND TERM IN MAY
personal challenge. In early 2021, he lost his mother
to COVID. She died just days before she was due to
be vaccinated.
He says: “It has been a very difficult time, and the
most difficult of it all, of course, was when mum died
as a result of COVID. It was an incredible shock.
“I really didn’t anticipate it at all – I was out walking
with her just a week before she went into hospital.”
Andy says he dealt with this personal tragedy by
‘doing one thing at a time’ while accepting his
responsibility to lead the region while so many others
were going through similar experiences.
He says: “I kept thinking ‘people expect me to lead
here, that is my job as mayor. I’ve got to step forward
and demonstrate that I can do that’.
“So, I tried to concentrate on what our citizens
expected of me as the region’s leader at such
a difficult time – things like providing clear
communication, telling them
things straight and always
being positive about where
the opportunities are.
“Because in times of
adversity, people want some
positivity to believe in.”
That positive outlook played
a huge role in his re-election
in May this year – and it is
now a driving factor in his
determination to help revive
the region as we look ahead
to life post-pandemic.
That means pressing on
with his plans for the future,
whether that’s building
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