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Collectively Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce has been supporting the local economy and facilitating individual and business success since 1882.

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At the recent Annual General Meeting, held at the new Barnsley College Business Centre, Matthew Stephens of Castlebray Services, was appointed the new President of Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber of Commerce. A leading regional figure in property and regeneration development, Matthew Stephens has played an active role in delivering and leading redevelopment across the Barnsley and Rotherham region, most notably the flagship Gateway Plaza development in Barnsley town centre. Matthew has been an active member on the board of the Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber of Commerce for over five years, serving as vice-president, with his role allowing him to liaise with local authorities to represent regeneration opportunities for Barnsley and Rotherham on behalf of the Chamber. He takes over the role from outgoing President Joada Allen, who held the position for three years. The inauguration took place with outgoing President Joada Allen passing the responsibilities of the role, along with the ceremonial Chamber Presidential medal at the College’s impressive Business Centre, a new joint venture between the Chamber and the College. Speaking of his appointment at the AGM, Matthew said “I am very proud to be announced as President of Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber of Commerce and I am honoured that the board has trusted me with this esteemed position. “I would like to be an active voice on behalf of our members and to do so effectively by representing our members across the many opportunities presented to the Chamber. I believe an open-door policy is the most effective way to communicate with our membership, so we can help members and their businesses thrive through the support offered by the Chamber. With the support of our Chief Executive, our Chamber team, our board of directors and our many stakeholders I believe we can continue to build on the fantastic work Joada has established to continue to make Barnsley and Rotherham a fantastic place to do business.” Outgoing President, Joada Allen said “It is a privilege to hand over to our new incoming President. Having worked closely with Matthew over the last three years I firmly believe he will guide the Chamber to support the number of members I have had the privilege to meet during my tenure. “I am looking forward to seeing our Chamber invest in quality growth, so we continue to serve our membership. I see the work that the Chamber does each and every day in representing businesses across Barnsley and Rotherham and that is vitally important, particularly in the current climate, that we continue to do so.”<blockquote>I am acutely aware of the important role that the Chamber plays for its members across the Barnsley, Rotherham and wider South Yorkshire region, and the variety of businesses our Chamber represents.</blockquote>

New President of Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce announced

On the publication of the South Yorkshire Infrastructure Survey, powered by the Quarterly Economic Survey for Q4 2022, the CEOs of Barnsley &amp; Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield Chambers of Commerce said in a joint statement: There are some reasons for cautious optimism. Though significantly weaker than a year ago, there are tentative signs that business confidence in the future is beginning to level out after falling for most of the past year. Our business awards events over the last month celebrated the good that businesses do for our economy and our communities. They were showcases for the best of business and how our employers can inspire each other to succeed and grow, even in tough times like these. As Chambers, we will continue to advocate for more support from government policy where it’s necessary – for instance in maintaining support on energy bills beyond the current package for those who need it most. And we are focused on growing the long-term potential of our economy. In the coming months we will be working intensively with employers, colleges, and other partner organisations on an ambitious Local Skills Improvement Plan, so our economy gets the skills it needs. We’ll also be working with Chambers across northern England to campaign for infrastructure funding that matches our economic potential. We need to escape the ‘levelling-down’ cycle of infrastructure promises to the north that are followed by scaled back or abandoned projects. The last quarter saw the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport and ongoing disruption to transport services across northern England. So it’s no surprise that businesses believe that South Yorkshire’s rail and airport infrastructure do not meet their needs, or that the majority favour the compulsory purchase of DSA by the authorities to reopen it. But it’s important to remember the importance of other infrastructure too: for the largest number of businesses improving road and digital connectivity are the highest priorities for investment. Highlights from the survey: On South Yorkshire’s infrastructure Survey respondents had most commonly experienced delays/issues as a result of the road network (53%), followed by the rail network (33%) The most commonly-cited business impacts resulting from infrastructure issues were increased direct travel costs (42%), increased costs of products/services (31%) and loss of business opportunity/client dissatisfaction (25%) 68% of responding businesses favoured a Compulsory Purchase Order of Doncaster Sheffield Airport as a means of keeping it operating as an airport On the economic outlook The balance of firms reporting an increase in UK forward orders was negative (-3%) for the second quarter in a row – the weakest performance since 2020 The percentage of businesses operating below full capacity increased to 60% from 56% on the quarter 61% of firms reported that inflation was more of a concern than three months ago – slightly down on the 65% recorded in the previous quarter 18% of businesses reported increasing concern about the exchange rate On recruitment difficulties A net balance of +18% of firms succeeded in growing their workforces – the lowest since the first quarter of 2021 Of firms that tried to recruit, most (90%) experienced difficulties, similar to the previous quarter Comments from Chamber business award winners in South Yorkshire: Adam Bradley, Director at Corrosion Resistant Materials – member of Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber: ‘Winning the Business Person of the Year…[it] means so much…Over the past 12 months, Corrosion Resistant Materials have gone from strength to strength and have seen dramatic growth from Exporting. The company exports to over 38 countries worldwide and has seen turnover surpass £2.4 million this year (55% of overall turnover) resulting in a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade and The Made in Sheffield Award for Export. The next 12 months will see us expand further in the Middle East, Far East and India as we seek to continue to grow from our base here in Rotherham.’ Chris Roberts, Founder and CEO, Nimble Approach – member of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce: ‘Being a Sheffield company, winning both the Scale-Up and Employer of the Year Awards means a lot to me personally, and it’s a great reward for our Nimblers after a year of hard work, dedication and creativity. It’s definitely been a difficult economic time. But focusing on our people has been the greatest investment we’ve ever made.’ Tom Rumboll, SYNETIQ CEO and IAA UK Managing Director – member of Doncaster Chamber: ‘We were delighted to win Large Business of the Year; it was a really proud moment for the whole team. Despite the surrounding challenges that the current economic climate brings businesses, we are growing due to a steady increase in demand for Green Parts… such as doors, headlamps and tailgates. Not only is there increasing pressure for our clients to operate as sustainably as possible, but they now have the continued struggle of new parts availability, resulting in a long and expensive wait until the vehicles can return to the road. We’re experiencing more opportunity as a lower cost and lower CO2 solution to the challenges our clients are facing.’<blockquote>This has been another challenging quarter for the UK economy. Our survey captures the reality of this in South Yorkshire. As in other regions, most of the indicators are not pointing in the direction we would like, and there seems to be no let-up in the post-pandemic, post-Brexit recruitment challenges facing our firms. Many of our businesses are finding it tough.</blockquote>

Call on government not to ‘level down our infrastructure’ as businesses experience tough fourth quarter

Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber of Commerce has announced Carrie Sudbury, as successor to Chief Executive Andrew Denniff, as part of the organisation’s future plans. Carrie’s appointment was confirmed by Chamber directors at a recent board meeting, following a competitive and rigorous recruitment process. She will take up her new role next year, ensuring a smooth transitional period, ahead of the planned retirement of outgoing CEO Andrew Denniff, in June. In her new role, Carrie will be responsible for representing the interests of more than 1,100 members based within South Yorkshire, helping to ensure the voice of local businesses are heard, as well as collaborating with Board Members, Council Representatives, and regional strategic partners to help build and strengthen the local business economy. Carrie is no stranger to the influence of the Chamber in South Yorkshire. Since joining the member-led organisation in 2013, she has worked as an integral part of the Chamber’s team, and overseen Chamber Skills Solutions, which provides specialist training to businesses. More recently, she has helped local businesses to prepare for Brexit and supported local companies to navigate their way through the Covid-19 pandemic. Carrie will become just the third Chief Executive of Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber and the first woman in the role, following the merger between the two town Chambers in 2007. Matthew Stephens, President of Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber, commented; “On behalf of all our members, I would like to wish Carrie every success in her new role. Carrie is no stranger to the local business community, and under her leadership the Chamber will go from strength to strength, continuing the significant results Andrew has delivered over the past 12 years. “More recently, our Chamber has recorded some of the highest levels of membership retention in the UK, as well as continuing to grow as an organisation. This is due to the hard work of both Andrew and Carrie, and under Carrie’s leadership the Chamber will continue in its mission to provide support and representation to the local business community and help make both Barnsley and Rotherham great places to do business.”<blockquote>Chambers of Commerce are imperative in representing, supporting, and helping businesses to overcome the challenges they face. Being appointed as Chief Executive is an incredible honour, and I am looking forward to building on the success Andrew has delivered, by helping Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber to play a vital role in developing a strong local economy. Over the next few months, Andrew and I will work together closely to provide a smooth transition period ahead of his well-deserved retirement next year.</blockquote>

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber names Chief Executive’s successor

Balliante, a leading Rotherham-based IT provider recently upgraded their existing membership to become further involved with Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber as the latest Patron. Winner of the 2022 Network Server Specialists of the Year, Balliante joins an exclusive group of businesses that have a key partnership with Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber of Commerce. Patrons play an important role by working closely with the Chamber to support businesses throughout the Barnsley, Rotherham, and wider South Yorkshire region through their expertise and links to the Chamber. With offices in South Yorkshire and a support team based in the UK, Balliante offers several services including IT Support, Website design and Hosting solutions to a variety of businesses throughout the region. The growing business has ambitious expansion plans for the next 12 months as they hope to increase their client base in and around South Yorkshire by innovating their customer’s organisations using technology, ensuring their IT infrastructure is running at maximum performance whilst keeping costs to a minimum. This attitude, alongside a team with decades of experience and the new Chamber Patronage, will see the business kick off the new year in style. Craig Boddy, Balliante Managing Director said; “One of the first business decisions we chose to do, way back when we were just starting out and operating out of a spare bedroom, was to join Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber of Commerce. It was a decision that turned out to be a very wise one, as every member of staff within the Chamber has always been so friendly, and with their expert knowledge, have helped us to grow to where we are today.” Louis Marcus, Balliante Managing Director added; “As our expansion plans evolved and we became more and more involved with Barnsley &amp; Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, it really highlighted them as a business support service, and that they are at the heart of the community, doing good and helping local businesses in more ways than just connections – their advice and support has been invaluable.”<blockquote>It is fantastic to see a young and dynamic business in Balliante sign up to the Chamber as our latest Patron. The team at Balliante are impressive in their pursuit of the highest standards in the latest IT practices and their support to users by utilising a technology-focused approach, which means they make the choices that are right for your business and are not just centred around sales. We look forward to working with Balliante.</blockquote>

Shane Young

Award-winning IT Service Provider begins the new year as the latest Chamber Patron

Deputy Chief Executive

Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce

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