Agile and responsive new-look Chamber
THERE are exciting times ahead for the thousands of islanders involved in Guernsey Chamber now that the not-for-profit group has finished its reorganisation and can easily connect with members and lobby on items of interest to them.
Chamber members – together with anyone interested in getting involved in a whole raft of important initiatives – are now able to easily participate in the organisation’s new industry groups.
Chamber will be reaching out to as many of its 18,000 individual members as possible to encourage a high level of representation on issues which are crucial for business in the island and life in general.
The 12 industry groups are all headed by individuals who have expertise in their core area, as well as general expertise, and expressions of interest are being invited from anyone who would like to join.
All initiatives, lobbying and representation will be organised with the awareness that they need to be arranged as efficiently as possible.
A one-hour meeting rule is being used throughout.
‘We know that most people are already juggling extremely busy lives so are reassuring everyone that effective involvement with Chamber will not be overly time consuming,’ said Chamber director Kay Leslie.
The organisation surveyed members last year to identify the main issues faced by those living here, with air and sea links clearly identified as a major concern. Other topics are removing unnecessary bureaucracy and controls to make it easier to do business and encouraging an enterprise culture, especially with younger islanders.
The industry groups will engage across sectors and work with broader policy committees in major areas such as travel, tourism and infrastructure. All of the organisational side of this work will be fulfilled by Chamber’s new office team which is resourced to provide admin support, event organisation and communications.
The new-look Chamber is the result of the organisation assessing changes needed to ensure that it is efficient and effective going forward. It has been in existence for more than two centuries and the recently introduced structure has been created to ensure that all initiatives are outward-looking with clear communication of efforts and results to the community as a whole.
Chamber president Barrie Baxter made it a priority to ensure that a group with the weight and expertise of 600 corporate members and the 18,000 people within those businesses can easily interact with the organisation.
‘We are a members’ organisation. That is a very clear business model. It is also very valuable in terms of representation and lobbying. Chamber is the largest corporate organisation in the island and we want to act as an “enabler” for discussion and change where needed,’ he said.
Anyone who would like to contact the groups can email office@guernseychamber.com.
The industry groups are: Agriculture & Horticulture, Attractions and Outdoor Pursuits, Blue Economy, Land Planning, Construction, Finance, Tax & Legal, Health and Wellbeing, Retail, Hospitality, IT & Tech and Logistics & Travel
