The official representative of the Chamber at public events
Responsible for planning the strategic aims of the Chamber
Representing of the Chamber at groups concerned with economic development
Project Director during European Funding Projects
I would like to begin my term as President by thanking Mark Hutchinson for all his hard work and dedication over the past year and congratulate him on the excellent job he has done. The Chamber has grown in both size and stature under Mark’s presidency; he has developed strong relationships with stakeholders locally and strengthened links with government agencies, leaving a great foundation to build on.
As one of the owners of a local business in a highly competitive sector, I understand the challenges and the speed of change we all have to deal with on a daily basis. We are all working harder than ever to retain the business we have and maximise any potential we can create to grow. I believe the Chamber has a vital part to play in helping to represent, support and connect the business community through a series of now well established events as well as working with Coleraine Borough Council, Causeway Enterprise Agency, Invest NI and other stakeholders to signpost and direct our members to the initiatives, training and help that is available. I would encourage all members to attend events, network and learn from each other.
Even though we are in challenging times, we have a number of exciting opportunities ahead, the RPA Council Area will ultimately mean a much larger Borough and a larger, more diverse business community. At the weekend the transatlantic cable, known as project Kelvin, which will connect Coleraine directly with the east coast of America, came on land in Portrush. It is a high speed fibre optic cable that will deliver secure high speed internet to the whole of Northern Ireland, but it is the business growth opportunities the cable brings to the borough that will be the focus of the Chamber’s efforts.
I would like to thank all our sponsors’ for their continued support and look forward to working with them. We have a full calendar of events in the coming year which are made possible through our sponsors’ generosity and I would again like to encourage all our members to attend.
Finally, I’m looking forward to working with the Chamber council and Chamber members to re affirm this area as a centre for business excellence, to developing a proposition for inward investment that can’t be ignored and to promoting Coleraine locally and globally as ‘A great place to do business’
