A DORSET business group has been shortlisted for a national award.

The Dorset Chamber is a finalist in the Chamber of the Year award, hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

An online presentation to a panel of judges by Dorset Chamber’s chief executive, Ian Girling, takes place on September 25, with the winner being announced on October 11.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, Dorset Chamber has 629 members, with a vision to enable better lives through business.

Ian said: “We are in the running against four other chambers, out of the 53 accredited chambers which make up BCC’s UK network, having submitted a detailed award entry which demonstrates how we are delivering the best experience possible for our members in these challenging and changing times.

“Dorset Chamber has worked tirelessly to be a proactive business support organisation, leading on a range of workplace matters, from banging the drum on the impact of the menopause to online workshops which demystify environmental, social and governance issues.”

He paid tribute to the work of chamber staff for the success.

“We are proud to be a bold, innovative, inclusive and creative chamber with strong social values, our vision being Enabling better lives through business,” Ian added.

“It is testament to the hard work of colleagues that we could submit a compelling award entry submission to BCC.”

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Caron Khan, Dorset Chamber’s president, said: “To date, 360 businesses have engaged on our latest programmes and we had a highly successful re-accreditation by BCC, with several areas of best practice and innovative new ideas highlighted, including online networking events connecting chambers across the UK and a got-your-back campaign for pressurised business owners.”

The Dorset Chamber recently achieved an excellent rating in a Net Promotor Score survey of members, a metric to measure loyalty and advocacy towards an organisation.

Ranked as the leading chamber nationally with 113 five-star reviews, Dorset Chamber reaches nearly 18,000 social media users and 10,000 people through its monthly business magazine.

Ian said: “Our Chamber is very much about what we can do for members, not what members can do for us, with regular touch points in-person and online, and this will be the theme of our online presentation to BCC judges.”

BCC’s announcement on Chamber of the Year takes place during the first Dorset Business Festival, which involves four days of major events in Bournemouth, including The Future of Business conference, a business expo and the first Dorset Business Awards since the pandemic.

The four other chambers of commerce shortlisted for the next stage are Cumbria, Glasgow, North-East England and Staffordshire.