Sara Williams OBE announces decision to retire

After years of dedicated service to the business community, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce CEO Sara Williams OBE has announced her retirement.

Sara has presided over Staffordshire Chambers for more than a decade, accomplishing significant milestones that have modernised the organisation and doubled its membership.

Sara explained: “It has been an incredibly difficult decision, but I believe that now is the right time.

I am enormously proud of the achievements that we’ve made as a Chamber team during my tenure. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported me through these years, including our members, Board, Council, stakeholders and of course my brilliant colleagues.”

Sara’s approach from the offset was to build on her vision of “funky corporate”, which she has certainly achieved.

She added: “I was able to take a fantastic foundation when I joined the Chamber and, seeing its incredible potential, modernised and diversified it”.

There are many things that I’m proud of during my time in Staffordshire, all of which have centred around my deep-rooted belief in enabling and building confidence, particularly in our work to empower women, drive sustainability and encourage diversity. This applies to businesses of all sizes and with people from all backgrounds.”

Some notable achievements include; being awarded an OBE for her service to the Staffordshire community, in the 2023 New Year Honours list; achieving Chamber of the Year 2021; seeing Staffordshire Chambers be awarded the first King’s Award in 2023 for Promoting Opportunity; developing the Student Chamber with Keele University; launching the Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards and making it a profitable annual event and the largest business awards in the region;

She invested resource to the Stoke-on-Trent City Council for HS2 support, launched the Boosting Women project with NatWest Bank and spearheaded refugee support, particularly around the Ukraine crisis, to name just a few.

Sara Commented: “I’ve loved being part of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce and supporting the local business community – who are very, very proud to call Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, their homes. The business community here is extremely collaborative and supportive of one another. It’s been a privilege to work with so many enthusiastic and like-minded businesses.

I wanted to take Staffordshire Chambers from being an established network with businesses attached to a Chamber that, at its heart, looks at what business can actually do for society.”

During her time as CEO, Sara also increased financial reserves to £1m, opened up the Staffordshire Moorlands to membership, built a strong connection with our neighbouring Chambers, and successfully relocated the Stafford office.

Ahead of the curve, she also oversaw an initial investment in the Chamber headquarters at Festival Park, to ensure the building was more sustainable and has continued to invest in future-proofing the organisation.

Ultimately, Sara has always ensured that the Staffordshire business voice is heard and has championed the least advantaged people in the community.

Plans for what Sara perceives as retirement include obtaining a master’s degree in Medieval History with a focus on the role of women in history, as well as retaining her seats on the board of the British Ceramics Biennial and British Chambers of Commerce. She will also be taking a part time role as Director at UnLtd – The foundation for social entrepreneurs.

Recruitment for Sara’s successor is now underway, with her official departure date set for 31 December 2023.