The North Wales chair of the Institute of Directors (IoD) believes the region’s business community can look forward at 2023 with optimism.
Following the organisation’s Christmas lunch at Llandudno’s Bodysgallen Hall, David Roberts hailed the event a success, giving attendees an opportunity to strengthen business connections to start the new year on the right foot.
The festive lunch was the final event of the year for the North Wales branch of the prestigious industry body and was sponsored by engineering, environmental and planning consultancy Caulmert, which has offices in St Asaph and Bangor.
The positivity in the room was a stand-out takeaway for David, who is also an IoD Fellow and runs the North Wales branch of business coaching and advisory service The Alternative Board.
He said: “The energy and eagerness from leaders to learn from one another was just fantastic and reflected a successful year of returning to in-person networking in North Wales.
“There was no better place to celebrate our growing community of businesspeople than at the historic site, so I’m grateful to Caulmert for sponsoring the event and hearing about the company’s story from its business development director, Chris Gouch-Butler.
“Attendees had the chance to meet with new and familiar contacts and, more importantly, identify potential partnerships and opportunities for collaboration.”
Key business voice, Liam Evans-Ford, who is executive director at Theatr Clwyd, was also in attendance to speak about the redevelopments taking place at the regional arts centre.
Liam said: “The IoD is an incredibly valuable network for the directors of organisations within the region, and we’re always thankful for the support and encouragement they offer to Theatr Clwyd.
“It was a real pleasure to have the opportunity to outline the impact of the significant work as well as talking them through our major capital redevelopment which has already attracted more than £40m in investment into North Wales.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the IoD in 2023 and beyond.”
For Caulmert founder and managing director, Mike Caulfield, it was his first Christmas event with the institute since being awarded his Fellowship by the institute at the start of 2022.
To qualify, members go through a vigorous process to demonstrate that they embody the century-old key values of integrity and enterprise.
Mike said: “It was an honour to sponsor networking lunch at Bodysgallen Hall, which provided a fantastic setting for leaders from across North Wales to come together.
“The IoD facilitates the joining of a range of sectors, and it always makes for interesting conversations.”
As well as two offices in North Wales, Caulmert has a further three in Cheshire, Nottingham, and Kent.
