We are delighted to feature our Woman Who…Business Network Finalists today. Seanna Holland is the Vice Chair of Kenilworth Chamber of Trade.
“I am now in my 3rd year as Vice-Chair of Kenilworth Chamber of Trade, I became involved with the Chamber to meet other like-minded business people and also help to give something back to the town I love.
During my involvement with the Chamber it has grown from 53 members to over 100 members and we have launched a wide variety of new events including quarterly breakfast meetings and monthly social events, we have also grown the existing Business Fair to an extremely popular Business Expo providing over 50 exhibitors with a platform to promote their business locally. Our guest speakers include Sir Digby Jones and the Chief Economist of the Bank of England, Andrew Haldane.
Last year we launched our own Awards, The Worthies, this was my brainchild as we recognised that there are a number of awards locally but not many which recognise the general community and not just businesses. The Worthies was designed to recognise the people who put the Worth into Kenilworth. It has been a learning curve with nine categories eligible for public vote, co-ordinating the nomination procedure, then encouraging the public to vote, arranging the interviews for the shortlisted nominees and now putting the finishing touches to the awards dinner which will take place in May. We were keen to ensure the event was affordable for all and all nominees will receive a free ticket with main tickets being sold at £25 for the evening.
We run a twitter hour on a Tuesday morning between 11 and 12 which I manage behind the scenes, we have revamped our website and I handle the day to day updates and we have an active facebook page which I am one of the administrators of. All of the Chamber committee are volunteers and we all devote what time we can alongside running our own businesses, I have my own business Pack Smart Ltd which is a thriving fulfilment company employing 9 full time staff, I also teach 9 gym classes a week and am a keen runner.
I believe that Kenilworth has a lot to offer and we promote all the local businesses through the chamber, our current Chair Richard Hales comes to the end of his run in July and I will be the natural replacement so I am looking forward to the extra challenges and responsibilities the Chair position will have in store for me. I want to continue supporting local and try to secure some more high profile speakers in the months ahead and continue the great work which Richard has completed in his role as Chair.
I have made some great connections during my time with the Chamber and have found it a valuable way to share ideas and problems with other business owners who help you through difficult or challenging times. I also like to think that I have been on hand to help and advise others as they grow and develop their businesses.“
Congratulations Seanna on being a Woman Who…Business Network Finalist.
You can come along and support Seanna and Kenilworth Chamber of Trade at our Awards Lunch on Friday 15th April at Coombe Abbey Hotel.