A GROUP comprising some of the region’s most influential business people has celebrated its fifth anniversary.
The North East Chamber of Commerce’s Partners marked the occasion with a birthday party, complete with cake and streamers at its monthly meeting at NECC’s Aykley Heads headquarters.
The Partners act as a sounding board for NECC’s aims and ideas. It is a group that boasts a host of wise and experienced captains of industry who provide views and opinions that help shape the organisation’s policy agenda.
It is five years since the Partners programme was introduced with the last 12 months being the most successful as it attracted a threefold increase in membership, which now stands at 24.
NECC head of partners, Joanne Fryett, said: “The birthday represents a significant landmark in the history of Partners and I’m pleased we could celebrate it with the three founder members, Teesside University, Northumbrian Water and Virgin Money, which originally signed up under the Northern Rock banner.
“Partners are selected to represent businesses across the range of sectors in the North East and are part of an exclusive group of members that work with NECC to influence and shape its agenda.
“It includes some of the largest employers in the region, whose contribution to the growth in private sector jobs and business investment is immense.”
NECC chief executive James Ramsbotham also outlined the important role Partners play for both the region’s largest business membership organisation and the North East generally.
“The NECC and the wider business community has benefitted enormously from the way Partners have supported key NECC policy developments such as making sure smaller businesses have a fair crack at large public sector contracts and making sure skills and training support the real needs of business in the North East,” he said. “We look forward to Partners’ contribution to the economic landscape of the North East in the next five years being as positive as the last five have been.”
