Waterford Chamber wins Chamber of the Year Award
Waterford Chamber of Commerce has been named as Chamber of the Year at the 2021 Chamber Awards.
The awards, hosted by Chambers Ireland and sponsored by Zurich, recognise the outstanding work of chambers of commerce throughout the country in supporting local, regional and national business.
Waterford Chamber was shortlisted in six of the seven award categories and was recognised for its high level of activity throughout the year despite challenging operational conditions.
It won Best Local Authority Collaboration as it partnered with Waterford City and County Council to showcase the seaside town of Tramore as part of a successful application to the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards. This resulted in Tramore receiving €20,000 towards community projects.
Of this, €15,000 will be used to support the development of an outdoor market space for food and craft businesses at the old Tramore Railway Station with €5,000 provided to Tramore Tidy Towns.
President of Chambers Ireland, Mags Brennan said:
“Being named Chamber of the Year is testament to the scale of ambition shown by Waterford Chamber during such a challenging period. It reflects the huge amount of talent and dedication within the team and underlines how impressively they have managed and adapted their activity to meet the needs of their members.
“What truly impressed our judges was how much Waterford Chamber engaged with its community. This is a group of strong communicators, relationship builders and people who care deeply about their city and county. Despite the obstacles, the team produced a series of excellent projects which undoubtedly contributed positively to the economic resilience of Waterford and put it in a better position as we move towards recovery.”
President of Waterford Chamber, John McSweeney said:
“It’s a tremendous honour to be named Chamber of the Year and we are humbled and overjoyed in equal measure. It is wonderful to see the hard work of the team recognised and our work in supporting the Waterford business community will continue in earnest.”
CEO of Waterford Chamber, Gerald Hurley said:
“I couldn’t be prouder of my team, Lynda Lawton, Michael Lynagh, Angela Jackman and Lisa Power, who all worked tirelessly throughout the year. To see their commitment and innovation recognised is fantastic. Like every other business we have had to adapt in what was one of the toughest years in businesses in living memory, but they rose to the challenge with grit and determination and we are proud that the Waterford business community is stronger for it.
This wouldn’t have been possible without our Board, corporate partners and all our members who have shown such strength in times of adversity.”
Director of Corporate Life and Pensions at Zurich Ireland, Joe Creegan commented:
“Zurich is delighted to once again support the annual Chamber Awards. It is more important than ever to acknowledge the excellence of the Chamber network and the resilience of their members as they continue to support local economic development. We are proud to be associated with these awards and to support the important work Chambers undertakes in fostering a vibrant business community of all sizes and sectors across Ireland.”
The annual Chamber Awards seek to recognise the outstanding work of the Chambers Ireland network around the country. They also provide an opportunity to showcase successful event ideas, campaigns and policies that have contributed to the development of chambers and business more broadly.
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Pictured top (l-r): Colm Blake, Zurich Ireland; Gerald Hurley, CEO Waterford Chamber; John McSweeney, President, Waterford Chamber and Ian Talbot, CEO Chambers Ireland. Photo: David Murphy Studio
For further information, please contact Lynda Lawton on 087 9379894
Notes to editors
There were seven awards presented in addition the overall Chamber of the Year Award. The full list of winners for each of the award categories is below.
Best Digital Marketing Campaign
Tralee Chamber – Xplore Tralee Digital Infrastructure
Virtual Event of the Year
Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber – Dungarvan Live
Local Authority Collaboration
Waterford Chamber – Bank of Ireland Begin Together Awards
Most Innovative Project
Arklow & District Chamber – Cheers for Charity Campaign
Most Successful Policy Campaign
Cork Chamber – Sustainable Cork Programme – Building Economic Resilience
Best Membership Initiative
Drogheda Chamber – Tapit CashBack & V.I.M (Very Important Member) Scheme
Partnership for Business
Galway Chamber – Galway Chamber Mindfulness Month
Chamber of the Year
Waterford Chamber