COMMENT
THE
LAST WORD
GEOFF POYZER, Chamber President, writes his final piece for Business Network
At the time of writing, the Chamber’s AGM is yet to take place however, on 2 November, and by the time this publication hits desks, I will have handed over the Presidential chains of office to Rob Mayo and as such this will be my final entry in Business Network as the Chamber’s President. It doesn’t seem like five minutes since I was penning my
first set of notes in the December/January edition, having taken over as President from Jean Mountain. I was delighted to accept the position back in November 2016 from Jean, whose passion, commitment and vigour shone through during her time as President. The year has absolutely flown by and it has been one of significant change, challenges and opportunities. I have taken great satisfaction from being an ambassador
for the East Midlands region and have found it an absolute privilege to be President of a Chamber that undoubtedly continues to go from strength to strength. It’s been an action-packed and momentous 12 months,
largely defined by the fallout from the EU Referendum, the ramifications of which are clearly ongoing. I said back then and I say so now, there are opportunities to be had by British businesses as the UK negotiates its way out of EU membership and I know that, as tenacious, innovative and forward-thinking organisations, the East Midlands’ business community will be at the forefront of this. There have been other significant events during my time
in office, including yet another General Election – this time a hung parliament that in itself causes more uncertainty for business. Once again, I fully expect our members to rise to the challenge, as they have countless other times during periods of political and economic uncertainty. From a Chamber perspective, it was pleasing to see the Chamber reach the milestone of 4,000 members earlier in the year and I know that Scott Knowles and his dedicated and talented staff will continue to work tirelessly to increase that number still further – indeed we have already passed 4,100 members – to ensure the Chamber can further enhance its great and growing reputation as the region’s leading business support organisation. When I stood in front of members last November at the Chamber’s AGM upon taking office I said there were four main areas I wanted to focus on in the 12 months to come: • Brexit, and making sure business influenced key decisions • Helping business understand the difference between management and leadership
• Making sure our regional businesses keep pace with, and where possible drive, technology
• Promoting the East Midlands as a great place to live and work 70 business network November 2017 Although there is still plenty to be done and a lot of hard
work ahead, I think we, as a Chamber, have achieved all of that and more. So, while I have thoroughly enjoyed my year in office, it
gives me great pleasure to pass over the reins and leave them in the very capable hands of my successor, Rob Mayo, whose goals for his tenure include continuing to make sure that business drives Brexit, supporting export growth and international trade, promoting our diverse rural economy and supporting the ground-breaking North Notts BID. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Rob the very
best and I know that if he enjoys his tenure half as much as I have enjoyed the past 12 months, he is sure to have an enjoyable and rewarding time in the role. Any finally, a huge vote of thanks to all of the many members I have had the fortune and pleasure of meeting and working with over the course of the year. The role you play in championing and enhancing the East Midlands as a fantastic place to live and work is truly inspiring and I wish you all the very best fortune for the year ahead and moving forward.
All the best, Geoff.
Join the conversation by following @EMCBizNetwork and Tweet using the hashtag #LastWord
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