COMMENT
THE LAST WORD
KEVIN HARRIS, Chamber President, on the issues that are worth talking about
I am delighted to be able to pen my first piece for the Chamber’s Business Network magazine following my election as President of the Chamber at last month’s Annual General Meeting at Trent Bridge. First and foremost, it goes without saying that
I am both honoured and delighted to be your President for 2019. I’ve been involved with the Chamber for a
number of years, originally having been on the Board of Directors at the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce before rising to the position of Chair and overseeing the successful merger in 2013. I mentioned in the November edition of
Business Network in an interview that I believe that Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire have all benefited from the merger which saw the three counties unite under one Chamber of Commerce – East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) - and I look forward to playing a part in helping the Chamber go from strength to strength moving forward. As well as my role as President of the Chamber, I’m Office Managing Partner of the Leicester office at RSM and Chair of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP). At the recent AGM it gave me great pleasure
to thank my predecessor Rob Mayo for all his hard work, enthusiasm and leadership in the past year – and I would like to take this opportunity to do so again. Rob was the first President in four years not
to have to deal with the political upheaval of either a General Election or EU Referendum, although he did have the constant undercurrent of Brexit and has shown considerable passion and commitment to the role. I would also like to take the opportunity in my
first Last Word column to welcome my Vice- President for 2019, my Chamber Board colleague, Dawn Edwards. Dawn is the Managing Director of two award-
winning small businesses and, a few years ago, was voted as one of the top 100 Nottinghamshire Women of Influence. I look forward to working with her, and indeed all Chamber staff and you, its valuable members.
82 business network December 2018/January 2019
One of Kevin’s first acts as President saw him speak on behalf of the Chamber’s delegation to Westminster last month
We already know that Brexit falls on my watch
– 11pm on 29 March 2019 to be as precise as any of us can be until we know the terms of any deal or transition period. My first goal for my year as President,
therefore, is to make sure the Chamber continues to offer the help, guidance and support our members need to steer them through the changes that lie ahead. I want to make sure Government keeps the
needs of business paramount in its deliberations before Brexit and focuses on the needs of businesses in the wake of our divorce from the EU, whether that is with or without a deal, with or without a transition period. Secondly, I want to focus on the opportunities
presenting themselves to businesses in the UK, from Brexit, from the Government’s Industrial Strategy and from the Local Industrial Strategies that are being developed by Local Enterprise Partnerships. Thirdly, I want to develop improved links
between business and education and focus attention on the skills agenda as a whole.
I want to make sure those leaving academia
have the skills employers need, those working in academia have a better understanding of business and that business is more involved in delivering a fuller education that is not narrowly focused on curriculum goals. Those who know me well will know that I’m a
firm believer in the ‘power of three’, and these are my three goals for the year ahead, with three targets in each. I’ll be happy if, a year from now, I can stand before members at the 2019 AGM and say we’ve delivered on all of them. It leaves me to once again thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to engaging with as many Chamber members of all sizes, sectors and locations as possible in the year to come. Given that this is the final edition of Business
Network this year, may I also wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year, both personally and professionally.
All the best. Kevin
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
