Fife Chamber CEO Update May 2023

I write this update with a backdrop of Sunshine this morning which puts a smile on my face. I do hope that you are all enjoying the longer days and at least some Spring sunshine!

It has again been a busy month with many different events taking place, but all eyes are now looking forward to the annual Fife Business Awards which are taking place this Friday 19th May. This will be my first experience of the event and I am looking forward to meeting both Members and Non-Members and I wish everyone an enjoyable evening whether you are up for an award or not.

Your Team at the Chamber have been busy this month. We had our AGM event at the Bay Hotel in Kinghorn and we were delighted to have Dr Liz Cameron from the Scottish Chamber speaking at the event and sharing her knowledge of the Chamber Network across Scotland and the UK. She also talked about the opportunity for Businesses to create jobs and invest in the Fife Economy and stressed that Fife Chamber and Scottish Chambers of Commerce would continue to press government on business regulations, high inflation, tax burdens and skills shortages.

Earlier this month we welcomed the Open University to Fife where we held a joint Roadshow ‘Informative Skills for Business’. This was the perfect opportunity for employers to gain valuable insights and to discover what training is available and I am aware that there has already been some engagement between the Open University and Business which I am delighted about.

Our Fife Social on the 20th of April was well attended and received positive feedback with over 40 people at the inspirational Carnegie House. Thanks to the Dunfermline Carnegie Trust, our delightful hosts, for entertaining us.

We are looking forward to the next Fife Social which is taking place at Landscape Brothers in Kirkcaldy on the 22nd of June. Look out for more information on our website.

The workshop from our partners at DYW - Engaging Employer Workshops - Developing the Young Workforce on Thursday 27th April was a success with many businesses attending and enjoying the informative session which was accompanied by coffee and cake.

Finally, we are looking forward to a fair-weather Golf event on Friday the 2nd of June where we will have a full compliment of 80 golfers descending on the Fairmount Hotel in St Andrews where they will be tackling the Torrance course. Thanks to our sponsors Purvis and DYW for their valued support on what should be a great day.

I would like to also take this opportunity to welcome our new members joining us over the last month and look forward to meeting with them at future events and likewise thank our renewing members for their continued support. We continue to offer guidance and support to our members daily, so if we don’t know the answer to your issue immediately, we do have the resources to achieve this.

On a business front, we are still receiving feedback that trading remains tough not only in Fife but across the whole of the UK. The other significant challenge remains people and the recruitment of and retaining of good people. We are engaging with all the Educational Institutions to understand how we can assist with these challenges, and we hope to be in a position to continue to offer our Members opportunities when these arrive.

Stephen Percy-Robb

CEO, Fife Chamber of Commerce