The local Chamber of Commerce, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), on Thursday 14th December 2017 elected Jennifer McKeever as President.
The 75th President and second lady since 1885 will oversee what could be one of the most challenging times for businesses in the North West.
Speaking on Thursday evening at the AGM, Jennifer McKeever, who is also the Director at Airporter, said that “Brexit might mean Brexit but we have yet to fully understand what that means and in the meantime, we will all get on with the job at hand.
“We have had to learn a whole new language that we use now to try to dissect what that means to us; hard Brexit, soft Brexit, transitional arrangements, special status and regulatory alignment – all phrases we didn’t know we needed to know two years ago but now are crucial for how we try to measure what’s in store for us and how best we can plan for it.”
Focusing on the many positives in the North West and the added value the Chamber brings to the many businesses in the North West, Jennifer added; “The Chamber is about membership services, leadership and advocacy. It runs many events which encourage networking and selling opportunities, or which address areas of improvement and development, for example in finance or governance or marketing, we also have the opportunity to hear from political leaders and to influence their opinions. With the assistance of the Officers and the Executive Team, I will continue to do that to the best of my ability.”
The new President also spoke about the special value in the Chamber and that it is the ecosystem of companies and businesses in the North West that understand that they work better when they work together.
She also added, “A key area for development for the Derry & Strabane District Council and one of the sectors that we will grow within Chamber this year is the tourism product.
“The Chamber will also continue to campaign for the expansion of the university and the improvement to infrastructure – these are some of our core challenges that we must overcome in our city and region – but we will also work at helping our members large and small improve their productivity and competitive edge to ensure that we not only are we strong enough to face the challenges ahead – but ready to harness the opportunities that it will carry with them.”
Jennifer also thanked her predecessor, George Fleming, Chairman of Fleming Agri-Products and described him both as a straight talker and a sharp shooter who dedicated his year to promoting entrepreneurship in the city and region and is such an outstanding example of our local manufacturing success stories. Other thanks included past presidents, Philip Gilliland, Gerry Kindlon and Gavin Killeen and she thanked the Chief Executive, Sinead McLaughlin and her staff for all their hard work and contribution.”
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