British Chambers Director General Hits Town

19 Oct 2023

Published in: Black Country Chamber of Commerce News

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British Chambers Director General Hits Town

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British Chambers Director General Hits Town

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce hit the Black Country this week, (18th October) to meet Black Country business leaders at a lunch organised by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber’s Patrons and Platinum Group members, gathered at the Mercure Hotel in West Bromwich to hear Shevaun, former Head of Business Engagement in Downing Street and a previous Head of the Inclusive Economy Partnership, discuss her own career, including previous consultancy roles in London and New York and a strategic planning role for the Walt Disney Company at Disneyland Paris, give an insight into her work as head of the country’s longest established business support organisation.

Discussing everything from the recent developments around HS2 to economic policy, the need for an industrial strategy, whilst taking the audience through the work of the collective Chamber network, along with an insight into her lobbying activities at the highest level of government and meetings with cabinet ministers, Shevaun was introduced by Chamber CEO, Sarah Moorhouse to a gathered audience of manufacturers, service sector organisations, accountants, legal professionals and representatives from the higher education sector.

Skills, recruitment, productivity, energy prices, green innovation and international trade were, as ever the hot topics on the lips of leaders from across the region, all eager to hear Ms Haviland’s take on the current economic climate and the challenges facing business.

Shevaun, a Board member of BCC, the Women of the World Foundation (WoW) and the UK International Chambers of Commerce (ICC UK), concluded that the Chamber network are under no illusion on how challenging times have been, and continue to be for firms in every sector across Britain but confirmed, as ever, the collective network of 53 Chamber’s will continue to lobby government, whatever colour that government may be in the coming months, whilst continuing to champion and support businesses across the country.

Black Country Chamber CEO Sarah Moorhouse said, “We were delighted to welcome and host Shevaun Haviland to the Black Country this week.

“Meeting and engaging with over 60 of the region’s business leaders from key sectors, representing the breadth of our regional economy, was incredibly useful for both ourselves and Shevaun.

“Facilitating this meeting with our members gave Shevaun a real insight into our region’s diverse business sector whilst allowing many leaders to voice their concerns about some of the issues and challenges they continue to face in the current economic climate.”