COMMENT
THE LAST WORD
KEVIN HARRIS, Chamber President, on the issues that are worth talking about
I was honoured to deliver the opening address at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner recently, which allowed me to take stock of my first four months in the role of President, as well as a focus on the hard work still to come. When I accepted the position as President, I
was fully aware Brexit would fall on my watch. It still might - who knows how and when this saga will finally end. Helping businesses make the transition
towards a post-Brexit economy was number one of my three goals for my Presidency term. The first part of that goal was to make sure
we, your Chamber, provide you, our members, with all the help, guidance and support possible. I believe we have achieved this via a number of routes. Our successful Brexit Advisory Group,
supported by my own firm RSM and under the excellent Chairmanship of Dr Nik Kotecha of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, has gained recognition nationally, attracting high profile visitors from Government. It has also had a major impact locally and I am
thankful for the active involvement of many major local businesses and SMEs which have helped shape the Chamber’s actions and messaging, so developing a portfolio of services to assist businesses. We have also supported local businesses
heavily through our website, and direct interaction with businesses at various well attended, Brexit-focused events. Hopefully, some of you have been able to attend and have benefited from these. Secondly in relation to the Brexit goal, I
wanted to ensure Government both heard and heeded the voice of business as it worked its way through the complicated process of our exit from the EU. We have done this through continued interaction with members, both at a regional level and directly through our colleagues at the BCC, by taking the business message to the heart of Westminster. Indeed, one of the highlights of my time to
date as President, and Chair of the LLEP, has been the opportunity to engage in debate, face to face with senior politicians, including meeting the Prime Minister at No 10 in January.
82 business network April 2019 My second main goal on becoming President
was to focus attention on the opportunities that lay ahead. As a consequence of the pressure applied by
the various Chambers of Commerce up and down the country, the Government set out its plans to develop an Industrial Strategy to boost productivity, focusing on the UK’s strong foundations and setting out some Grand Challenges. As I am sure you will be aware, our local LEPs
are now developing their own Regional Industrial Strategies, and as Chair of the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP I am excited at the prospects for the future of our region outside the EU. The key to optimising our position is summed
up in one word: Collaboration. Collaboration between the public and private
sectors, collaboration between the various LEPs, collaboration between the Chambers, and also collaboration with the Midlands Engine and the newly-established East Midlands Development Corporation. For too long the East Midlands has lost out
when compared to other regions in terms of inward investment and infrastructure spending. Indeed, we have for some time sat at the bottom of the table in terms of per capita direct infrastructure spend, and your Chamber has been campaigning hard, on your behalf, on this subject.
One of the reasons we found ourselves in this
lowly position has been our failure to speak with a single, compelling voice on behalf of the whole East Midlands geography. This has worsened our position and potentially lost us inward investment opportunities in the past. It is vital for our future success that we rectify
this by ensuring all parties are on the same page and that we collectively establish our key “asks” of central Government and just as importantly our key messages. We must ensure all groups lobby hard, especially in the lead up to the creation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will soon replace EU funding. I cannot over-stress how important a
successful outcome in this area is for the future of our region and I urge you all to lend your support. My third and final goal on becoming your
President concerned improving the links between business and education and focusing attention on the skills agenda as a whole. I am passionate that as business people we
need to reach out to students at schools and colleges to explain the fantastic careers that business can provide. As part of my goal to link business and
education, I said I wanted to make sure those leaving academia have the skills employers need, that those working in academia have a better understanding of the needs of business, and that business is more involved in delivering a fuller education, not one which is narrowly focused on curriculum goals. This is a challenge that has been ongoing for
some time and with much debate, and while I would love to say “we’ve cracked it”, I can’t… yet. But we’re working on it and through a number
of excellent initiatives, we are making good progress. Finally, the Chamber has amended its vision
to: 'To enhance East Midlands businesses and communities'. Over the coming months there will be a key
focus on how the Chamber, and business in general, can enhance our communities - this will be a fundamental area of Chamber activity moving forward.
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