Leeds Chamber elects new President

Mike Briffet will succeed Amanda Beresford as the 78 th president of Leeds Chamber of
Commerce as the organisation celebrates 170 years supporting and representing the
region’s business community. Mike was recently appointed Project Director at Clarion
Housing Group, the UK’s largest provider of affordable housing, having previously led the
refurbishment and relocation of Leeds Building Society into their new headquarters on
Sovereign Street.
Speaking on his election, Mike said, “I want to thank Amanda for her passion and
commitment in representing the Leeds business community over the last two years. The last
fifteen months have been the most challenging in peace time and Amanda has played a vital
role in ensuring the business voice has been heard by regional and national policy makers
as firms sought to adapt and survive.
“History has shown that crises bring out the best in all of us, and we have seen first-hand
throughout the pandemic the increased levels of collaboration across the public and private
sectors. The innovation and agility demonstrated by firms to be able to trade against a
backdrop of crippling uncertainty and volatility, as the virus and the Government’s response
to it evolved has been a source of great pride.
“Covid has changed the way organisations work, perhaps forever, and looking forward I
want to continue to build on our activities as our economy starts to recover. Whilst Covid will
undoubtedly be with us through the years to come we must also look to develop solutions to
ensure climate challenges are addressed. Supporting the decarbonisation of buildings and
transport will be on my agenda, as will the development of support and advice to help firms
move to a future net-zero economy.
“We must also remember that Covid has had a huge impact on education and opportunities
for young people and the Chamber will look to play its part in ensuring future generations
have access to learn about career opportunities and the skills needed to develop fulfilling
careers for themselves. Aligned to this I plan to nominate the NSPCC as my charity of the
year.”
Dan Murray, CEO of Leeds-List.com was elected as vice president and will look to bring his
knowledge and experience of the fast growing and dynamic Leeds digital community into
Chamber activities. Digital skills will be one of his key priorities, ensuring that links between
businesses, training providers and future workforce are strong and responsive to industry
needs. Dan said, “Covid has accelerated trends we were already seeing in the move
towards digital adoption. As we rebuild I am keen to ensure the Chamber makes full use of
its connections into business and government, whilst developing new connections into an
industrial sector where perceptions and understanding of Chamber activities may be limited
or misunderstood.”