COMMENT
THE
LAST WORD
GEOFF POYZER, Chamber President, on the issues that are worth talking about Free to members, the conference and expo will bring
GENERAL ELECTION RESULT Due to print deadlines, the result of the 8 June General Election is unknown at the time of writing. However, the single biggest priority for the new
Government will undoubtedly be ensuring successful Brexit negotiations, irrespective of which party has ultimately been successful in winning the election. The Government, while faced with a complex task, must
do all in its power to secure a deal that enables Britain to prosper outside of membership of the European Union and fully realise the opportunities that present themselves in the months and years to come. This can only be achieved by working closely with
business to help make a success of Brexit. It is the UK’s businesses that will arguably be most affected by the results of the Brexit negotiations and they must be consulted to ensure they can continue to be creators of wealth and jobs long after the dust of the Brexit negotiations has settled. The Chamber will continue to play a leading role in
canvassing the opinions and concerns of businesses to ensure this is met and all of the Chamber’s current activity on Brexit can be found at
bit.ly/ChamberBrexit. My heartfelt thoughts go out to everyone affected by the
recent terrorist attack in Manchester. As a business community it is important that we come together to ensure that we work in harmony to maintain a safe democratic nation.
CYBER CRIME I was deeply concerned to learn of the wide-scale cyber attack that took place across many countries, including the UK, last month. While I, and I think the business community in general,
am under no illusions as to the dangers and threats cyber crime poses globally, it was nevertheless very worrying to see the significant disruption that the ransomware caused; notably on the NHS here in the UK. Through its Digital Growth programmes and
BusinessWatch department, the Chamber is very active in raising awareness to members as to this growing and evolving threat. It has teamed up with Chamber patron Economit to offer a cyber health check to all members, including a free consultation to examine the extent of their risk to cyber crime and offer guidance on steps to reduce those risks. To register your interest please email
cyberhealth@emc-dnl.co.uk. Chamber members can also benefit from the upcoming
East Midlands Cyber Security Conference and Expo 2017, which takes place on 6 July at MediCity, Nottingham.
58 business network June 2017
together over 150 businesses, information security providers and key influencers to discuss the threats posed by online criminals and the practical ways in which business make themselves more resilient to cyber crime. For more information and to book, visit
www.emc-dnl.co.uk/events.
JOBS FIGURES The figures released recently from the Office for National Statistics that show employment continuing to rise in the East Midlands is excellent news, especially given that we have been, and continue to be, operating at a time of uncertainty for business. Unemployment in the region is at an average of 3.9% with recruitment and skills continuing to be difficult in some sectors. That businesses here in the East Midlands continue to
invest in staff is testament to the strength and dedication of Chamber members across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. It also reaffirms my belief that, in the uncertain road ahead, businesses must be widely consulted and given the operating conditions that continues to allow them to employ staff and ultimately grow and prosper.
BUSINESS AWARDS With the deadline for Business Awards nominations having now passed, the difficult task of narrowing down the entries into a shortlist has begun, with finalists set to be announced at my President’s Summer Celebration at Thrumpton Hall on 29 June. As ever, I know that we have received a high volume of
excellent entries across all categories, demonstrating once again the high calibre of businesses we have in our patch. I would like to thank every business that has submitted
an entry to the 2017 Business Awards and wish all applicants the best of luck. I look forward to announcing the successful finalists later in the month.
AND FINALLY... Finally, I am now half way through my term of office and I have enjoyed meeting and discussing a variety of national and local issues and concerns, which members feel strongly about. These include Devolution and Mayoral elections, skills availability, HS2, infrastructure and connectivity concerns, schools education, rising business costs such as inflation, input costs, business rates, apprenticeship levy and the growing level of household debt. I want to reassure you that while Brexit is high on the Chamber’s list of priorities, the Chamber also continues to work hard to address the long list of national and local problems.
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