Stephen Mileham, General Manager of the renowned Donnington Valley Hotel & Spa, has been elected as the new President of the West Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. In a unanimous decision, he was voted by members to lead the dynamic local Chamber Council, and will be tasked with building closer working relationships with regional government departments and the local business community over the coming months.
Commenting on his new appointment Stephen said: “It’s an honour to have been elected the new President of such a progressive and innovative region. Working closely with the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, who have overall responsibility for West Berks, we will be tackling many of the key points raised in the local Chamber Council policy priorities document produced at the end of last year.
“The importance of engaging with the community on both national and local issues are core priorities including ensuring that Newbury town centre has the proper financial injections to improve its services and lobbying for a park and ride scheme to attract skills for more rural communities to help retain key employers in the area.
“We have a fantastic set of members on the Chamber Council and have the opportunity to communicate and work with the local borough council directly on many of the issues and concerns raised by the community.”
Stephen has spent more than 13 years in the hospitality industry working in a variety of roles before becoming the General Manager of Donnington Valley, which is situated in the heart of Berkshire. Prior to joining The Vineyard Group, he worked for a series of BDL Hotels including the Crowne Plaza in both Marlow and Colchester.
Sara Parris, SME Business Manager, who leads events and represents the Thames Valley Chamber on the local Chamber Council further added: “Fantastic news that Stephen has joined and will be adding an exciting dynamic to the team. We are looking forward to working with him and showcasing everything West Berks has to offer to the wider business community.”
Furthermore, the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, has announced the date of its exciting ‘Made in West Berkshire’ campaign, which will be launched in April 2018. It will showcase the success of local, regional and international businesses based or founded in the area. Attendees will have the opportunity to not only hear about the campaign and how to get involved but also participate in the business networking breakfast. Members of the local business community and Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce are invited to bring along pop-up stands and promote their products and services to likeminded businesses.
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