Roland Harris, chief executive of York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, reveals his hopes and resolutions for 1999...

Roland Harris

"I am determined to provide the sort of services and support our members need and that will attract new recruits.

In 1999 we will be monitoring closely the take-up of our services and the attendance at events to gauge members' satisfaction. We will be seeking to improve the range of activities and benefits available to our members.

The first resolution for the Chamber's staff will be to listen to our members and to continue to develop the services and facilities they require.

On the wider national scene the Chamber will continue to monitor Government plans to assess the implications for business

Another of our resolutions is to continue to represent the needs of business in Government at local, regional and national level.

In the second half of 1998 we entered into dialogue with the National Farmers' Union and have now agreed some joint communications activity. It is our firm belief that closer working with such organisations, especially in presenting the case for improved understanding of and support to businesses of all types, must be pro-actively pursued.

Therefore, our third resolution will be to co-operate with other business organisations to better co-ordinate our representational activities.

On a personal note, it is my ambition (resolution) to get my golf handicap back nearer to its best level (12). But this might be the most difficult to achieve given my current level of performance."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.