Sarah Cook, Managing Director, HR People Support, was elected Chamber President at the Chamber’s annual general meeting (AGM) in March, following the tenure of Rob Duncan, who served from 2021-2023 and remains the Chamber’s Planning Executive.
Michael Ratcliffe, Chamber Chief Executive said, “I am delighted that Sarah has been appointed Chamber President and is someone who knows Cheltenham very well. She is an entrepreneur and understands the challenges facing both SMEs and large corporations. With her business HR skills and experience, I know Sarah will do an excellent job in representing our Chamber to public organisations and the wider business community.”
Jon Leamon, Chamber Deputy CEO, echoed those sentiments. “Sarah is an ideal fit for the role of Chamber President. She is already well-connected throughout the local business community, having attended many networking events and presentations over the past few years. She is therefore well placed to be able to represent the views of the Chamber membership to businesses and our local political leaders”.
Sarah has hit the ground running, attending several high-profile business events with more to come. She is also very involved in the Chamber’s short and long-term development and business planning in which she’ll bring her tactical and strategic skills to great effect. Dan Harris, Chamber Vice President, added, “Sarah is a consummate professional and will be a great asset to the Chamber and the business community as President. She’s got a great sense of purpose and is a pleasure to work with as well.”
Michael Ratcliffe added, “We would also like to thank the excellent service that Rob has provided, not only during his presidency but throughout his long tenure with the Chamber. We’re thrilled that he is staying on as Planning Executive and member of the Executive Committee.”
Sarah offered her own perspective on taking up the President’s role. “We’re really fortunate in Cheltenham to have a broad range of businesses and this is reflected in the membership. I have a passion for helping businesses to grow through my HR business and it seemed the perfect concept for me to also help the Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce’s business members to grow and develop too.
I look forward to working within the Chamber’s executive team to add value to its existing and new members. This will be a great opportunity to help members to meet other local business people, through networking and other events and to provide support, advice and training to help them grow. I am very proud to represent the Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce especially being a ‘Cheltonian’.
If you would like us to attend or partner with your next business event in Cheltenham, please do get in touch through the Chamber website.
