Robin Phillips of Siemens has been appointed as the new President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
In his first speech as President at the Chamber's AGM, Robin explained that his focus during his time in office would be “Connectivity and Innovation for Growth.”
Outlining his campaign, he said: “The Connectivity bit is extremely important - the movement of people, data and goods and freight in all their forms. Ease and speed of movement is an enabler for greater social interaction, greater innovation and increased commerce and trade. As a region, we need significant improvement here, and without the vitally required infrastructure we can never hope to achieve our full potential.
“But getting this bit right won’t be enough, we have to look ahead and expand beyond our current horizons. Innovation means many things to different people - it's in the DNA of our great city - it's what keeps business moving forward and it will play an increasingly important role for us in our future.”
He added: “There is increasing focus on Industry 4.0 and digitalisation - borne from innovation and enablers for innovation - greater connectivity (especially 5G) and the Internet of Things. Why can't we lead the way? Our city and its businesses/entrepreneurs led the first revolution, we should be leading the fourth and then the fifth!”
Robin Phillips takes over from Jane Boardman, Partner at Deloitte, who has been Chamber President for the past two years.
Looking back over her time as President, Jane said: “We have lobbied for, and driven, change in the Apprenticeship Levy. We are building a skills strategy for Greater Manchester.
"We have provided valuable input into the integrated transport plans for Greater Manchester. And we have kept Brexit in our peripheral vision, making sure that the voices of Greater Manchester businesses are heard over the parliamentary hubbub.”