BRADFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
President’s Message
Since being elected as president in July 2011, I’ve seen even more directly how engaged the Chamber is in advocating the needs of business. It also gathers evidence through speaking to members and others in order to back up its claims. The meetings, conversations and research are essential in helping to make sure that we continue to meet local business needs.
he changing nature of those needs combined with the ubiquitous pressures arising out of the struggling economy means that Chamber staff are always looking out for more services and activities to support members.
T
Although my priorities, which I declared upon my election, are to support manufacturers, influence the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and increase Chamber membership, I recognise the importance of delivering on a range of fronts. This, I can assure you, is happening.
Last year the government said it wanted to get more businesses involved in international trade. The Chamber worked with the LEP, asking members about the merits and problems associated with exporting. As well as meeting the minister for trade and investment, Lord Green, and UKTI director Mark Robson, a new service was launched. The ‘Link to China’ programme is now connecting local businesses with counterparts in one of the most rapidly developing markets in the world. Ensuring your business gets noticed on the internet continues to increase in importance and so providing members with help to secure a strong on-line strategic presence has become a fundamental service – perhaps via Linked In and Facebook as well as the more conventional website tradition.
Being wound up by red tape is still the major frustration for many though, and so it was good to be able to sit two government policy advisers in front of a room-full of members. The senior civil servants from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills were made very aware of how so much regulation hinders all economic growth objectives – also spelled out by businesses in a ‘face-to-face’ with some of Bradford’s MPs last summer.
More details on our services are covered in the coming pages – but if you think of something else you need that’s not yet available, let us know.
ABOUT STEPHEN WRIGHT
Stephen Wright is the head of Bradford based Thorite Group – one of the UK’s largest distributers of pneumatic equipment. The firm also manufactures, and employs nearly 100 staff across nine sites in the North. Stephen has headed up the family firm for 13 years and been active with Bradford Chamber since 2004.
6 WEST & NORTH YORKSHIRE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE 2011
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