Resilience, connection and making the most of opportunity

Eleven years ago, when I started MMC Research, one of the first things I did was join the North East Chamber of Commerce. 

I wanted to be part of something, part of an organisation that could help me connect with others, but where I could influence policy as a small business. After all, in a previous role I had worked within a public policy organisation so I knew the power of businesses having a voice for the bigger regional and national picture. 

Over the years, I got more involved. From chairing an area committee to eventually joining the board. To be asked to step into the role of president was a ‘pinch me’ moment as I knew it was a chance to make a difference in the regional business community. 

Every president gets to choose a theme to focus on for their two-year term. I didn’t have to think twice about mine. It had to be around resilience. 

Resilience is a word we hear a lot and for me it isn’t simply about weathering a storm or surviving when things don’t go as expected. It is about how we move forward, how we adapt and how we find strength from within.  

Businesses are navigating changing markets, new technologies, supply-chain pressures and evolving customer expectations, often simultaneously. We can’t necessarily control those changes, but we can become better equipped to respond to them and find the opportunities to take forward. 

I could never have imagined the curve balls faced as a business owner 11 years ago. Quite frankly, I may have thought twice about getting started but I’m a firm believer in that having a strong peer-to-peer network is what keeps business leaders moving forward. This couldn’t have been truer during the aftermath of the pandemic. 

I lean on that peer-to-peer network and the friendships I’ve formed within the Chamber network all the time. 

That is one of the great strengths of the Chamber. With nearly 1,800 members spanning different sizes and sectors, there is an enormous amount of collective knowledge and experience for us to draw upon. 

Over the next two years, I want to get out across the region, listen to businesses and create opportunities for us to learn from each other. Because when our businesses are more resilient, our region becomes more resilient too.