Boosting the Kent economy

MidKent College, Nova IT Solutions, Stagecoach South East, Towergate Insurance Brokers, and the University of Kent. Thank you for your support. We look forward to working with you.

Ray Johnson, President of our Chamber’s Board of Directors, made a marathon effort to raise £150,000 for the Kent Association for the Blind. And he is not the only super runner at Kent Invicta – Paul Brooks, our Marketing and Events Manager, ran the Boston Marathon, raising £10,000 for Tedy’s Team. What an inspiration to us all!

Read all about the Port of Dover’s innovative plans to ensure it continues to be the port of choice.

Doug Bannister, CEO, tells us how the Port is using AI to make the UK’s busiest international ferry port run even more efficiently and engaging more with the local community to ensure Dover is an attractive place for investors. Is your cyber security fully protected? Have a read of our feature on the increasing cyber security risks to businesses. The British Chambers of Commerce recommends that the Government takes the lead to proactively engage with businesses, particular small businesses, to raise awareness of the risks, something we completely support.

Dan Campbell, Director of iMicro, shares his story starting from tinkering around with computers as a child to building his own business as a Managed IT Services Provider. He shares some invaluable advice on cyber security and insight into the digital landscape.

Skills 25 was a fantastic event which completely surpassed my expectations. The summit’s speakers provided some powerful insight into the partnerships between business leaders and education providers to drive regional skills development through collaboration. We heard some real-life examples from businesses too. It has really created momentum in the conversation about how we can all best support young people to boost our economy here in Kent and Medway.

The UK and EU’s new post-Brexit deal, signed on 19 May, marks a turning point in UK/EU relations. A permanent deal to remove unnecessary checks on food and drink exports in both directions is a huge win and will cut costs, increase sales and reduce waste. The use of e-gates at passport control will also make life easier for businesses who cross EU borders regularly, as well as being a boost for tourism.

Ensure that you have your say to the Government and the Bank of England in the Quarterly Economic Survey. The British Chambers of Commerce survey is the largest and longest-running independent survey of business sentiment and provides real insight into how UK businesses are performing. We have run the QES in Kent and Medway for over 20 years and our anonymised data is sent to the BCC to collate into a UK wide report. Find out how to have your say on p.39.

Keep an eye on upcoming events, including the Chamber Business Awards – entries open on 9 June –and the Kent Construction Expo on 2 October at the Kent Event Centre.

Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to seeing you at one of our next events.

Tudor Price Chief Executive, Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce