East Midlands Chamber has hosted its first annual black tie dinner for more than two years at Colwick Hall, in Nottingham.
Some 350 guests enjoyed the chance to get together and socialise again following 18 months of restrictions.
Eileen Richards MBE – the owner of ER Recruitment in Leicester – spoke about her business career and journey to become this year’s East Midlands Chamber president.
Decision-making and resilience were key themes in her speech, as she explained how she took the plunge to resign from a senior position in a national corporate firm to set up her own business.
Her 12-month term began last December with three priorities, she said – growing member-to-member relations, increasing business engagement with young leaders via Generation Next, and representing firms during the regional economic recovery.
Highlighting the role of the chamber in the region’s business community, she said its frontline team handled more than 280 enquiries every week, while its international trade team processes nine export documents every working hour.
Reflecting on life after Covid-19 she said: “Well, of course many of the biggest challenges we face will be mitigated or exacerbated by the decision-making of our political leaders.
“How will they manage the end of furlough and the infection rate as winter approaches? Will the Levelling Up White Paper lead to a more equitable resource settlement in our region?
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“When will a clear decision come on HS2? What does net zero mean for our members?”
The black-tie gala also included a speech by General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman, a former vice-chief of Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces.
He gave an update on the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, which is currently being built at the Stanford Hall Estate, on the Leicestershire-Nottinghamshire border, which will also become the site of an NHS National Rehabilitation Centre in the coming years.
Former Leicester Tigers and England rugby player Leon Lloyd also gave a keynote address about how to translate learnings from teamwork in sport into business.
The evening raised £1,130 to be split between the president’s three chosen charities – Chesterfield Samaritans, Help the Homeless Leicester and Nottinghamshire Hospice.