1284 managing director George Oliver has been appointed to the Board of the East Midlands Chamber.

He was voted in by members today at the annual general meeting in Loughborough.

1284 has been a member of East Midlands Chamber since the company was founded in 2020. George judges its Enterprising Women Awards and is a mentor to young business leaders on its Generation Next programme.

He was shortlisted as Entrepreneur of the Year at the Leicestershire Business Awards in 2022.

George’s personal links to the Chamber go back further, to when he spent four years as Editor of the Leicester Mercury.

“There's some really excellent business leaders on the EMC Board (as well as stepping down from it) so it's a real honour for me to be here,” he said.

“My application was based on advocating for East Midlands small business innovation, as SMEs in our regions employ more than 650,000 people. 

“Their productivity and growth is fundamental to economic outcomes for the East Midlands region as a whole.”

Chartered PR practitioner George will be interested in small business innovation, regional devolution, and associated opportunities for Chamber growth.

The AGM heard that the East Midlands now has the biggest Chamber of Commerce in the UK, with an income approaching £20m in 2022/23.

Members received summaries from president Stuart Dawkins, chair Kevin Harris, and CEO Scott Knowles which summarised a range of assets and services, from skills programmes to its stake in EMB Group.

George was one of six NEDs to be appointed to the Board as a number of other directors completed their term and stood down. The other five directors appointed are:

• Anjuu Trevedi MBE
• Martin Barnett
• Sandra Wiggins
• Maz Patel
• Amit Sonpal

“I’m now looking forward to getting started - and already have meetings with the leadership team in the diary for the new year as we continue to drive forward the biggest and best Chamber in the UK,” George said.