The South and Mid Wales Chambers of Commerce has appointed Liz Maher as their new President and Chair of the organisation’s Cardiff Capital City Region Council.
Mrs Maher, who spent 13 years with leading global accountancy firm Ernst & Young where she became the UK’s first female VAT director, begins a two-year term as the President of the South and Mid Wales Chambers of Commerce, where she aims to provide a powerful voice for the interests of small and medium-sized businesses right across south and mid-Wales.
Prior to its merger in 2015, Mrs Maher acted as the deputy chair of the Newport Chamber of Commerce Board, before taking up the same role within the expanded South Wales Chamber, which represented businesses across the Cardiff Capital City Region.
Mrs Maher is no stranger to the challenges faced by SMEs in Wales. As a director of Newport-based Centurion VAT Specialists, formed in 1998 and now one of the largest independent VAT teams in Wales, she provides business and specialist financial advice to a wide variety of senior managers and business owners.
“Although SMEs make up around 94% of all businesses in Wales, it is sometimes hard for them to get the profile and the support they deserve,” said Mrs Maher.
“The Chamber has always provided support for SMEs in the form of business advice, training, access to funding and networking opportunities, but we are about much more than that. We want ensure that their voices are heard on the important issues that impact on them as employers, creators of wealth and critical elements of the supply chain in a range of different industries.”
Mrs Maher also sits on the Wales Council for the CBI and retains a long involvement with the entrepreneurship charity, Young Enterprise. She is a passionate advocate of promoting the role of women in business and strives to highlight the importance of education in encouraging and instilling the qualities and characteristics of entrepreneurship at an early age.
Commenting on the wider role of the Chamber, Mrs Maher said: “The expansion of the Chamber to represent a wider, interconnected region has been an important and essential development in recent years and reflects the reality of the environment that small and medium-sized businesses are working in.
“There are lots of different challenges that Welsh SMEs face, but also some exciting opportunities on the horizon. Proposals for a City Deal that shapes strategic investment to stimulate growth and create new opportunities for the private sector and the work that has been done on initiatives like the Life Sciences Hub in Cardiff Bay, the Newport-based Alacrity Foundation and the £7.5m Technology Seed Fund are all examples of positive steps forward.
“It is the responsibility of the Chamber to ensure that our members take advantage of these and other initiatives, as well as ensuring that they are armed with the skills and resources they need to build and run a successful business.”
Keith Palmer, CEO of the South and Mid Wales Chambers of Commerce, said: “Liz has worked tirelessly for many years on behalf of SMEs across our region and it is fantastic to have her on board as our President. I know that her drive and enthusiasm will continue to be a great asset to the Chamber and our members.”