East Midlands firms join Chamber President for celebration event incorporating release of Business Awards shortlist

The President of the East Midlands Chamber Dawn Whitemore has welcomed representatives of the region’s top businesses to highlight achievements over the last year and look to the future.

Held on 9th October, long established as one of the most prominent events in the Chamber’s calendar, the evening, featured a inspirational talk from Britain’s first female fast-jet pilot Dr Jo Salter MBE was followed by a dinner, before finalists for the three regional Chamber Business Awards taking place in early 2025 were revealed.

East Midlands Chamber President Dawn Whitemore, speaking after the event said: “What stands out to me in the East Midlands is the diversification of the region. From fantastic small businesses to big food producers, a massive manufacturing centre and world-class employers, it's the diversity that makes us so special.

“My very clear message to the East Midlands business community was around the process of education and how that is absolutely critical if we are to secure the growth of this region and nation. We have a million young people that are not in employment or education.”

Dr Jo Salter MBE, speaking after the event said: “There's a great deal of change happening in the world. There's a great deal of change with technology, for example. We need to stretch ourselves and not stay in our comfort zones. “We need to learn to become comfortable in discomfort so that we can adapt and evolve and learn. We need to do it in a way where we are bringing people on that journey with us and helping them become the versions of themselves that they need to be.

“Sometimes the hardest thing to get over is ourselves. If we can do that, we can start to understand the impact we're having on other people and then how we can help them on their journey.

“To me leadership, throughout organisation and the levels of it, isn't about self; it is about the impact we have on the people around us and how we, again, take them to a different level.”

Host of the Evening Mark Dennison, speaking after the event said: “The interesting thing in the East Midlands is the real mix we have of businesses and industries, whether in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire or Derbyshire. The way regions like this are made up and so many others round the country, often means people from neighbouring counties don’t often get together and talk – that’s not the case here where an event like this brings the business community together. That’s fantastic.”