CHAMBER LIFE
chamber life The first half of 2022 is off to a flyer for the Chamber with a whole host of events, networking sessions, webinars, political engagement, dinners, lunches, and everything else in between! With Covid restrictions officially gone, society is beginning to get back to normality and we’re all looking forward to our first ‘normal’ summer in over two years again. Derry and the North West are welcoming tourists and visitors from across the world again with open arms and, with the return of large-scale events like the Round the World Clipper Race, there’s a palpable sense of excitement across our region. Our busy period kicked off with our AGM in December 2021, when Allstate Director Aidan O’Kane replaced Dawn McLaughlin as President of the Chamber.
New Chamber Vice President Selina Horshi and President Aidan O’Kane
Speaking at the AGM, and outlining his vision for the year ahead, Aidan said, “Our region is on the cusp of something special. There’s an energy and optimism among colleagues, among key stakeholders, and among businesses to lift up the North West. We are fast approaching the next Assembly election, and it’s crucial that our local elected representatives, new ministers, and the incoming NI Executive recognise this and commit to doing all they can to positively
develop our region during the next mandate.” In one of his first engagements as President, Aidan gave evidence on behalf of the Chamber to the Oireachtas’ Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. Aidan outlined to TDs, Senators, and MPs the huge crossborder potential of the North West region, some of the challenges facing businesses here including Brexit and Covid, and what the Irish Government can do to better support the North West as a whole. Into 2022 and our first event of the year was a HR and Finance support webinar for SMEs on 18 January. Hosted by HR expert Julie Pollock and Chamber Past President Dawn McLaughlin, the webinar provided upto-date business advice and support for small businesses dealing with the various impacts of the pandemic including home working, VAT, and the minimum wage. On 20 January, we held our first Meet the Chamber event of the year at the Bishop’s Gate Hotel. Held especially for our new members, we had a fantastic turnout of business owners and leaders who got to meet the Chamber team face to face for the first time and get to know the organisation a bit better.
Members at the first Meet the Chamber event of the year
22
