Welcome to Contact. Goodbye from me. This is my last message as president of Chamber. I have enjoyed my tenure immensely, and am left to reflect that like most things in life, the more you put into a job, the more you get out of it in terms of achievement and personal satisfaction. It is a truism to say that if you knew how much commitment a position like this would involve, you may not agree to take it on. But it’s equally true to say that now my departure from the role is imminent – I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. My successor is Tony Rowbotham (subject of course to your validation of his nomination at the AGM in June), the first internal appointment as president for eight years. Tony has headed the retail sub-group for the last three years and is a hugely experienced property professional with very sound judgement. I am sure he will make an excellent president. One of Chamber’s key tenets during my presidency has been to attract inward investment to Guernsey. The creation of a fully-fledged business centre with all the key trade organisations represented is central to this proposition. I remain optimistic that this can happen over the next few months. It will be a huge statement of intent, ambition and commitment and we are tantalisingly close to achieving it. In addition, we have been striving to promote high value-added low-footprint businesses here in Guernsey. We already see a developing core of high quality expertise in the ‘digital’ arena with a number of businesses and individuals based in Guernsey but with clients located around the globe. No less important is the emerging culture of entrepreneurialism that is visible in a number of St Peter Port’s popular coffee spots. It is invigorating to witness nascent business activity, orchestrated by organisations such as Startup Guernsey and experienced mentors, created before your eyes!
Editor Trish Grover editor@collaboratecommunications.com Advertising sales Julie Todd sales@collaboratecommunications.com Design & production Mojoe joe@mojoecreative.co.uk
I have been delighted to experience the development of a very healthy dialogue between Chamber and local government. Much goes on between our two organisations that never sees the light of day, usually because we iron out differences and come to agreed positions before going public. What you see is usually the tip of the iceberg, or the proverbial swan serenely gliding across the lake, while the frantic paddling goes on underneath! There have been a number of recent consultations on topics key to Guernsey’s long-term health. These include the Tax, Pensions and Benefits Review, the Guernsey Electricity Supply - Future Strategy Report, the Ports Master Plan and the Transport Strategy. Interestingly, in studying all of these reports, they all have a single unifying theme. In seeking solutions to the issues they raise, there is one subject that permeates through all of these reports… population policy – in other words – demographics. While Guernsey’s population is likely to remain broadly stable for the next 20 years, the dependent population will rise inexorably. Beyond 2040, our population, without policy changes, will likely shrink to under 50,000 over the following 20 years and the working population by up to 40%. Take a minute to digest what the implications of this might be. I will leave it to your imagination! Clearly some far-reaching population policy decisions are going to have to be made, and I would suggest that they are diametrically opposed to what we currently have. Thank you for electing me as your president. It has been a privilege and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I wish Tony all the best as my successor when he takes over in June. Rupert Dorey
Contact is produced six times a year by Collaborate Communications.
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