At the very outset, I want to pay tribute to Richard Sterling for the excellent job he has done leading this Chamber during the past 2 years. I can say without fear of contradiction that he has given truly 'sterling' service to this organisation. Richard has worked tirelessly for the business community in the North West Region. His tenacity has been felt in the corridors of power in Belfast and indeed in Dublin, most notably in his pursuit of improved access infrastructure for the economic growth of this Region.

In the last few weeks I have attended a number of handover meetings with the Permanent Secretaries of DETI and DFP and with Nigel Hamilton, the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. These meetings left me with no doubt of the respect that the decision makers have for Richard and for this Chamber. An appreciation that we all share for the contribution that Richard has made to the success of our Chamber. One only has to read the Annual Report to see how this Chamber has thrived with a strengthened Executive team. Under the leadership of Janice Tracey our CEO and her team, all aspects of the service we deliver have been professionalized. This Chamber is no longer viewed simply as a membership organisation with a secretariat, and led by a group of business people.

It is now acknowledged as a focused business organisation operating with a clear mission statement and strategic objectives. Whilst the President may change every two years the executive team allows for continuity and sustainability of the Chamber. The strength of the team was critical to my decision to accept this great honour to become President of the Chamber for the next 2 years. One of the key strengths of this Chamber is that it allows small indigenous business owners who are still developing their businesses and are perhaps much more hands on and involved in their day to day management than previous Presidents, to take on this role. It allows a younger generation to participate more fully in the economic development of the Region.

I congratulate the Past Presidents and officers who had the Vision and paved the way for making this Chamber such an excellent organisation. I used that term excellent advisedly because as some of you may recall when Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter from Harvard was in Belfast a few years ago she identified what she referred to as the 'intangibles of an excellent organisation'. She spoke of the 3 Cs:

Concepts - having available people with knowledge and ideas;

Competence - in terms of being able to operate to the highest standards; and

Connections - having a network of relationships that you can call on for help or advice when it is needed.