CHAMBER NEWS


Chamber delivers Brexit message


As part of its campaign to make sure the needs of business drive the UK’s Brexit negotiations, the Chamber has led a deputation to deliver the message to the heart of Parliament. Regional businesses, particularly


those importing from or exporting to the EU, joined the Chamber at Westminster for a round-table discussion with MPs to talk about their fears for trading post-Brexit. Philip Rycroft, Permanent


Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union, took part in the discussion, hosted by Alex Norris, Labour MP for Nottingham North.


Chris Leslie, Labour MP for


Nottingham East, was the sponsor for the Westminster visit. The export of goods from the


East Midlands to the EU was worth £17.7bn in 2016 and the companies that joined the deputation included some of the most prolific exporters from the East Midlands, providing strong cross-sector input. Others taking part in the


Westminster visit included members of the Chamber’s International Trade Steering Group and national business award nominees in the international trade category. Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at the Chamber, said: “We’re 17


‘Regional businesses, particularly those importing from or exporting to the EU, joined the Chamber at Westminster’


months on from the Brexit vote, eight months on from Mrs May invoking Article 50 to trigger the UK’s exit from the EU and with just


16 months left before we hit the two-year deadline to secure a deal absolutely nothing has been agreed. “Business wants guidance on


what trading conditions will be like after 29 March 2019, whether they will still be able to supply EU countries without being hit by tariffs and whether they’ll still be able to


buy raw materials from EU sources tariff-free. “They need to know whether the


EU’s negative stance is going to lead to them being chucked out of EU-based firms’ supply chains or whether they will need to establish new supply chains. “It’s essential that our MPs get


behind business and help deliver this message to the Ministers trying to secure future trade agreements with the EU.”


Survey delves into CSR commitment


Over the past ten years, pressure has grown on firms to give something back to the community. Called Corporate Social


Responsibility, it started as a nice-to-have add-on to corporate activities, sometimes with the incentive of being tax deductible, but it is now viewed by many as fundamental to strategic policy. How many firms are actively


L-R: Scott Knowles, Melissa Burnside, Adam Fidler, Lesley Dexter and Eileen Richards


A need for managerial PAs


The days of the ‘gatekeeper’ secretary ‘protecting’ their boss are long gone - today’s executive and personal assistants have to have a managerial mindset. That was the message delivered


to an audience of 75 East Midlands executive assistants by Adam Fidler recently, training consultant and founder of Adept Executive Consulting, who’s EA Manifesto has become the benchmark for the 21st Century EA/PA. Adam’s expertise is unrivalled in


the field of executive and business support. His manifesto – What I Am – went viral on social media.


It asserts that a good EA/PA is


“a neutral and independent adviser to my Executive, who enables the day-to-day management routines that enhance the effectiveness of my boss and the organisation as a whole”. It places the EA/PA as


“mandatory” to the success of the executive and concludes: “I work in the space of management, allowing my boss to focus on the bigger aspects of leadership.” Adam had been invited to


address the meeting of the East Midlands PA Network, which is supported by the Chamber and led by Lesley Dexter, Executive


Assistant to the Chamber’s Chief Executive and Board of Directors. He told his audience that the opportunity for today’s EAs and PAs was to “move away from traditional forms of business support into more value-adding and fulfilling roles”. Lesley said: “Adam is renowned


for his passion about the value of first-rate executive support, his inspirational teaching style and his perspectives on the true role of the Executive Assistant. What he said resonated with all of us in the audience and the feedback at the event and on social media afterwards has been brilliant.”


involved in CSR activities and in what form isn’t fully known, so the Chamber has used its Quarterly Economic Survey for the fourth quarter of 2017 to start compiling data about this growing phenomenon. Firms taking part in the


survey were asked whether they are currently actively involved in CSR projects or plan to be, what they might involve and whether the CSR activities form part of their strategic plans. Next February, the Chamber


will be hosting a regional CSR conference, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, which will look at ways of developing sustainable relationships between the private and charitable sectors and offer delegates help getting started with CSR.


To view the latest QES findings, visit www.emc- dnl.co.uk/information


business network December 2017/January 2018 27


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