The managing director and founder of Liz Lean PR (LLPR), Liz Willingham, has been appointed as the new Chair of the South West and Wales Regional Assembly of Chambers.
Liz, who already holds the position of President of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce, was unanimously voted in during an Assembly meeting in Bristol.
Speaking on her appointment, Liz said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Chair of the South West and Wales Regional Assembly. The new role, in association with my presidency of Dorset Chamber, will provide a platform from which I can champion the profile and innovation of businesses here in Dorset to a wider network.
“Equally, I look forward to representing the interests of businesses from across the south west and south Wales, facilitating the sharing of best practice and cross-region opportunities.”
Liz Willingham founded Sandbanks-based PR and communications agency Liz Lean PR in 1998, which employs 15 staff and manages national and regional accounts for a number of high profile clients including Hall & Woodhouse, Bournemouth Development Company, Weird Fish, Royal Caribbean, Hoburne Holidays, Westover Group and Paultons Park.
The South West and Wales Regional Assembly is part of a new regional structure under the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), bringing together a number of existing Chambers from across Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and South Wales. The purpose of the new Regional Assemblies is to enable deeper and more active involvement in BCC policy and campaigns, as well as forming an important part of updated governance arrangements.
The Regional Assemblies are expected to encourage further involvement from both non-executive and executive Chamber leaders at a local level, and also feed in to an annual National Assembly that will benefit from the intelligence and perspectives from each regional meeting.
British Chamber of Commerce President, Francis Martin, commented: “The new Regional Assemblies serve to deepen policy involvement across the Chamber Network with the BCC, and form a vital part of our new governance procedures. We are delighted that Liz will Chair the South West and Wales Assembly, and look forward to her input and expertise in the months to come.”