President 's Column: Resilience and creativity driving us forward

As we head into the festive season and look forward to the new year, I could not be prouder of our business community, writes Shaun Gray.

The sheer resilience and creativity that is being shown by businesses across our region as they do their best to drive their businesses forward, and look after their people in tough times, is amazing.

I 'm sure you don 't need me to tell you that it has definitely been a year of many twists and turns against a tough economic climate. But as a region there have been many moments to celebrate, and I 'll talk about just some of those later in this article.

First, I just wanted to reflect on Jeremy Hunt 's autumn statement which hopefully went some way to reassure businesses across our region, although not as far as some of us would have hoped.

It was pleasing to see Mr Hunt 's statement address points the Chamber had been lobbying for, including maintaining levels of R&D spend, freezing the business rates multiplier in 2023-24 and continued support for firms who are struggling to pay their energy bills beyond April.

It was also good to see a package of targeted support worth £13.6 billion over the next five years to help with business rates costs, while relief for retail, hospitality and leisure sectors will also be extended and increased.

The Government 's pledge to reduce energy consumption by 15 per cent by 2030 was well received at the Chamber as supporting businesses to grow sustainability is a priority for us.

I know many companies will be disappointed by the lack of action on recruitment challenges and VAT reforms, but this is something that the Chamber will continue to campaign for.

Putting the economic partially to one side, and focussing more on the positive, I was honoured to recently host my first ever celebration lunch as president of Burton & District Chamber of Commerce at Burton Albion and welcome so many people from all the different businesses and sectors.

I would encourage all of our fellow businesses in the Burton & District area to get engage with the Burton Chamber, to raise their own profile, meet others and receive the help, support and guidance of the Chamber and its members during this fluctuating business climate. '

Even in tough times, I think that it 's important to celebrate together when you can and say thank you to businesses for their efforts and support as well as recognise those who are excelling.

I was delighted to present Dawn Ward CBE chief executive of Burton & South Derbyshire College with the President 's award in recognition for her outstanding service to the business community. Dawn, who has recently been appointed deputy lieutenant of the West Midlands, has invested a vast amount of time to many local, regional and national organisations, charities and future generations and this award is very well-deserved.

I 'd like to congratulate customer experience expert Michelle Spaul, of Delta Swan CX, who was crowned Networker of the Year having attended 48 events this year - more than any other Chamber member.

And our final award went to Bisbell Magnetics - the family-owned manufacturer of magnetic materials and products - who received the Longstanding Member Award having been a member and supporter of their local Chamber for more than 70 years.

As 2023 approaches, the pace of change shows no sign of slowing down, but there will be many opportunities for those businesses that can adapt and respond to what the new year brings.

For me, a few core priorities for 2023 include putting collaboration at the heart of everything, to the benefit of customers, colleagues and indeed all other stakeholders; I also believe that innovation has to be a major focus, despite fiscal challenges - especially around what the digital world can bring; and thirdly, while the economy is tight and costs need to be competitive, today everyone is much more aware of quality versus quantity and so whatever your sector, delivering value will be a critical KPI.

Next year, the Chamber will continue to play an important part in our local economy area, society and fabric of daily life. It is not just a business network. It is a network of like-minded people who support not only each other, but also our local communities and the future generations that we inspire to one day become business owners and leaders within our region.

If you would like to discuss any support your business needs or to come along to one of our regular networking events, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Shaun Gray is president of Burton & District Chamber of Commerce and European managing director of Burton-based Ginho Group

This column first appeared in the Burton Mail