COMMENT
THE LAST WORD
ROB MAYO, Chamber President, on the issues that are worth talking about
agreement that will lead to the "orderly withdrawal" of the UK from the Union will, I am sure, be welcomed by businesses across the region. The transitional period is set to last from 29
March 2019, to December 2020, and at least offers businesses a degree of certainty that they can plan for in terms of an agreed time period and while uncertainty remains as far as the bigger picture is concerned, this deal should evoke a sense of confidence in the short-term. This announcement, however, doesn’t change
L-R: Chamber President Rob Mayo, guest speaker the Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP, Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles and keynote speaker Justin Webb
CHAMBER ANNUAL DINNER It was both an honour and a privilege to attend the recent Chamber Annual Dinner at a packed Roundhouse, Derby, which proved once again to be a perfect setting for such a prestigious and significant business event. The evening ranks up there as one of my most
memorable since taking the presidential reins back in November. It was fantastic to address the great and good of business on the night and equally great to meet and speak with so many Chamber members of varying sizes and from a multitude of sectors – all under one roof to celebrate the strength of business here in the East Midlands. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the
fascinating anecdotes of Justin Webb, who was an excellent keynote speaker and, equally, Nicky Morgan MP who brought with her her own very interesting insights. The Chamber’s Annual Dinner is the flagship
event in its calendar and this year it most certainly lived up to its billing. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Events team at the Chamber and all the staff that have worked so hard in ensuring 2018’s Annual Dinner was a roaring success.
BREXIT DEVELOPMENTS The news that broke recently that confirmed that the UK and EU have agreed a "large part" of the
66 business network April 2018
what for me is the key element of Brexit – and that’s ensuring that businesses here in the East Midlands position themselves in a way that allows them to be ready to take advantage of opportunities that will undoubtedly arise moving forward. A great starting point for members is the Chamber’s excellent Shaping a Great Future for the East Midlands paper, which can be viewed, along with many other Brexit-related documents, at
bit.ly/EMCChamberBrexit The Chamber’s activity around Brexit is
comprehensive and I would urge members to utilise the services available when necessary.
ENTERPRISING WOMEN Congratulations to Marion Plant, recipient of this year’s Business Woman of the Year award, and all other winners and finalists of the 2018 Enterprising Women Awards, which were announced recently at a glittering event at a gala dinner at Winstanley House, in Leicester. The standard of entries this year was extremely high so just being named as a finalist in any of the seven categories was, in itself, a significant achievement. The awards have gone from strength to
strength in recent years and - with Enterprising Women now celebrating 21 years since its formation – continues to be a very important element of Chamber activity. Congratulations to Jean Mountain and Eileen Richards, Co-Chairs of Enterprising Women, and all those involved for what was another highly successful evening of celebration and acknowledgement.
SPRING STATEMENT The Chancellor’s recent Spring Statement was a bit of an as-you-were affair, with no real headlines as such but, equally, there were no left-field initiatives that could be disruptive or potentially damaging for businesses. As pointed out in a reactionary piece by the Chamber, Philip Hammond did, I believe, miss a trick in failing to adequately address issues that require solutions that would undoubtedly offer tangible benefits to businesses here in the East Midlands and up and down the country. While political discourse is important, what
businesses really want to know is how issues such as potholes and broadband – issues that have direct, tangible effects on day-to-day business life - will be addressed and, for me, that was a missed opportunity.
MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING CONFERENCE The theme of this month’s Business Network – Manufacturing and Engineering – comes on the back of last month’s annual Manufacturing and Engineering Conference, kindly sponsored by Chamber Strategic Partner Geldards, which took place at the University of Nottingham’s Advanced Manufacturing Building and included a packed, relevant and engaging agenda. The conference examined the latest thinking,
policy and projections for the manufacturing sector in the East Midlands and highlighted just how good we are in the East Midlands in this area. We should be proud of our heritage and activity in regards to manufacturing and engineering but equally we need to make absolutely sure we harness and take full advantage of this in the years to come. If we do this, and the Chamber is passionate
about its role in enabling this to happen, the East Midlands can continue to lead the manufacturing and engineering sector in the UK and beyond.
Join the conversation by following @EMCBizNetwork and Tweet using the hashtag #LastWord
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