THE incoming president of the North East Chamber of Commerce has put partnership firmly at the centre of his plans.
John Mowbray, who is director of corporate affairs at Northumbrian Water, was voted into office at the chamber’s annual meeting in Durham. He said: “We have to make it work and it is all about partnership. We really have to make strong partnerships between the business sectors and also with the public sector.
“The Government says it has to be business led and it is up to us to lead. We must not sit back and wait, we have to force our way in if we are to get the type of change we want for the region.
“Whether we like what the Government is doing or not, the Government is creating spaces. We need to step into those spaces and really influence this process.”
Mr Mowbray renewed calls for funding to be channelled into upgrading the roundabouts on the A19 either side of the Tyne Tunnel and into improving the A1.
And, having visited Dubai and Beijing, he said he had witnessed at first hand the importance of the chamber movement as a global link for NECC members to exploit.
The outgoing president, Martyn Pellew, echoed the importance of global markets, in particular China. He said: “China represents the major opportunity. Only 2% of our exports currently go to China. We are the biggest exporting region and it is upon our shoulders in the North-east to grasp the opportunity that 1.3bn people in China represent.”
James Ramsbotham, NECC chief executive, said the North-east’s exporting ability had been on the up in recent years and that exciting news surrounding SSI, Hitachi, Nissan, Nifco and Cummins had all demonstrated that manufacturers were enjoying better times.
He said: “I am deeply conscious that there are many tough challenges ahead and NECC will work hard to help businesses resolve these issues. Equally, we will contribute fully to help companies capitalise on the many opportunities that do exist.”