Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid held its annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday November 23, reviewing the year and reaffirming its commitment to promote, connect, support and inform businesses in Wales.
Chamber members and partners joined the organisation’s Executive Chair Paul Slevin for the event which took place at the Gareth Edwards Lounge at Cardiff Arms Park for the second consecutive year.
Following the election of new board member Paul Clark and re-election of current board members Andrew Morris, Rachelle Sellek and Stuart Taylor, the Chamber shared how they had delivered on the framework of support for businesses unveiled at last year’s AGM.
The Chamber has enhanced its offering with new membership packages which launched at the end of the summer. The organisation offers practical and bespoke support in the areas of finance, markets, people and property, the foundations a business requires to operate, and has built these key areas into the new packages to better suit the needs of its members.
Significant progress has been made to address the challenges around skills cultivation, with the Chamber Academy, led by Paul Butterworth, set to launch in early 2023. Skills development will be offered through two strands of learning: industry based insights including British Chambers of Commerce Accredited trade training, and academic long-learning.
The Chamber also highlighted how they work to celebrate businesses and facilitate growth through the successful events they had hosted over the last year including the Wales Business Awards 2022 and the Wales to the World international trade exhibition and dinner.
Paul Slevin, Executive Chair at Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, said: “It has been fantastic to connect with members and partners at this year’s AGM and share how we have used our network, influence and experience to improve our services to help the Welsh business community thrive.
“In addition to what we have achieved this year, we are committed to promoting, connecting, supporting and informing businesses to build a more prosperous Wales and will provide further services to help build supply chain resilience, accelerate innovation and address Net Zero challenges over the coming year.”
Turning to green opportunities is also high on the agenda of the Football Association of Wales (FAW). The organisation’s Chief Executive Noel Mooney joined the AGM via Zoom live from Doha, Qatar to discuss the FAW’s sustainability initiative as well as the Wales team’s journey at the World Cup so far.
The organisation’s first-ever sustainability strategy ‘Cymru, wellbeing and the world’ outlines a vision for a “global, local Cymru”, using the power of football to improve the nation’s wellbeing and identifying environmentally friendly measures and processes to transform the game from the grassroots level to the national team.
To conclude the event, members and partners enjoyed a Q & A hosted by broadcaster, businessman and rugby legend Tom Shanklin.
Tom interviewed current Welsh rugby stars Robyn Wilkins, Josh Navidi and Owen Lane, with the entertaining conversation touching on the trio’s experiences in the women’s and men’s national teams, career insights and thoughts on the Autumn internationals.
