OUR Annual General Meeting is being held today where we will be reflecting on a quite extraordinary 12 months, as well as outlining our ambitious plans for growth over the coming year, writes James Ramsbotham, North East England Chamber of Commerce chief executive.

We had so many highlights in 2015 they could fill this whole column and it is hard to identify a handful but I will try.

Our Durham Cathedral spectacular celebration of 200 years of Chamber of Commerce history was a very fitting tribute in a perfect, unique setting.

Throughout the year we hosted VIPs and dignitaries, such as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Sajid Javid, who were able to learn more about our region and its companies at first-hand.

The success of our region’s businesses was very much in evidence on the national stage last year when one of our member, Hodgson Sayers, won Business of the Year at the annual British Chambers of Commerce Awards.

Our focus for 2016 is to support more of the region’s businesses and encourage them to join forces with us.

As a result of our analysis of the best way for us to grow our business we have made the hard decision to transfer our training business to Middlesbrough College from the end of July.

This decision is due to funding reforms and changes in the training marketplace, which require a level of investment that would have diverted attention from our core membership services.

In the college, we are confident we have identified a buyer who will provide the infrastructure and support needed to ensure this business is fit for purpose in the changing landscape.

We maintain our ambition of realising a ‘Working North East’ in which young people can progress into meaningful employment or training opportunities and businesses can access the right talent and support to enable future growth.

As you will see above this text we have a new corporate brand to represent our vision, one that truly represents all the facets of the North East England Chamber of Commerce.

It is a symbol of our core message that together we grow stronger.