Mike and Kieran join the Chamber team
Shropshire Chamber of Commerce has appointed two new membership growth executives who say they are looking forward to building new and strong links with local businesses.
Mike Barton and Kieran Jones are both well known in the county through their previous roles.
Mike, who lives in Pontesbury, is a keen tennis player who runs his own coaching business called High Five Tennis, and has also worked as a commercial finance broker for Q Commercial Finance.
“I learnt a huge amount during my time at Q and worked with some amazing businesses to reach their goals,” he said.
“My job at the Chamber is a very rewarding one. I get to go out and meet businesses, learn about what they do, listen to the problems and challenges they are facing, and try to find a solution.
“All businesses can utilise the Chamber offering in different ways, and my job is to understand where businesses fit within the membership levels and make sure they maximise the potential and see a return on investment.”
He added: “For me, the best part of the job is seeing a business fully utilising their membership and seeing great value in us. We are a member-led organisation and everything we do is for our members.
“We want to see businesses collaborating and supporting one another for the betterment of the whole business community.”
Kieran, from Minsterley, is a former retained firefighter in Shropshire – a task he carried out alongside his long-standing job at the Three Tuns Brewery in Bishop’s Castle, where he worked his way up from delivery driver to operations director.
“My role is to make as many businesses as possible aware of the fantastic membership the Shropshire Chamber offers at all different levels,” he said.
“I am keen to get out shout about it at every opportunity as I feel that everyone should know who we are and what we have to offer.
“It is great to learn about businesses from all sectors and of all sizes to see how we can support them on their business journey to grow their business to its full potential.
“At my previously job I decided to sign the company up with the Chamber as I was keen to see how this could support the business to grow.
“When an opportunity arose with the Chamber, I felt excited at the thought of being able to support other businesses to develop, grow and be supported in such a fantastic way. I could see the impact that I could have on other small businesses in Shropshire, and I jumped at the chance of getting involved.
“I am looking forward to going out and learning about businesses within Shropshire and finding ways to help them save money, upskill staff, meet other businesses who may be able to support them.”
He added: “I love to reach out, meet and develop relationships with all kinds of businesses from sole traders to larger businesses and explore how we, at the Chamber, can support these no matter the size or industry.”
