This week marks Stephen Rouxel’s 100th day as President of the Chamber of Commerce. We caught up with him to discuss the steps he’s taking to drive positive change over his two-year term. 

As I reflect on my first 100 days as President of the Chamber of Commerce, I feel incredibly privileged to be in a role where I can advocate for the broader business community.  

From the outset, my focus has been on driving meaningful change across the business community and engagement with government that will ensure Guernsey remains a great place to live and work.

In recent months, the Chamber executive team and I have met with key stakeholders across government and industry to address essential issues for our members. These include housing needs, air links, company and competition law changes, education challenges, and our key priorities of people (2025 election) and planet (net zero)

I’ve continued the great work of previous President Diane de Garis in pushing for changes that will making business banking more efficient and accessible for local businesses – and we’re making great progress with engaging with the Registry and other interested parties. I’m pleased to see that Guernsey will have an electronic electoral roll from December removing one of the barriers credit reference agencies have as part of their due diligence process.  

At the heart of the vision for Chamber is the belief that collaboration is key to success.

Stephen Rouxel , Chamber President & Brooke Kenyon, Vice President

I’m a strong advocate for demonstrating the power of collective action. Recently, Brooke Kenyon, Chamber’s Vice President, myself and the Chamber team brought together representatives from the Guernsey International Business Association, the Hospitality Association, the Construction Forum, the Institute of Directors, the Guernsey Retail Group, Confederation of Guernsey Industry and the Association of Guernsey Charities to explore working together to improve Guernsey’s future.  

Unanimously, the housing crisis stood out as a key issue, with its impact felt across sectors, from skill shortages to overall workforce development. Addressing this challenge is critical if we are to invigorate Guernsey’s economic growth and remain a great place to live and work.

To support this, we are stepping in to help set up the Housing Forum to bring together Government, Construction, business and the housing sector to speed up delivery of affordable housing of all types. 

Looking ahead, in the coming months we will issue a joint survey to all our members to identify where we align and can collaborate. We also want to use this information to inform the candidates running in the 2025 election, ensuring they understand the critical issues affecting Guernsey’s future. 

As we approach the election, I believe it is essential that we steer the island towards more collaborative decision-making in government. Many in our community feel that the quality of political decisions could improve, and this will remain at the forefront of our agenda.

Through collaboration and strong leadership, I am confident we can drive the positive change Guernsey needs.  Throughout this time, Chamber is here to bring the business community together, offering valuable insights, and advocating for the changes that matter most.

Stephen welcomes ideas and feedback from our members.  To schedule a meeting, please email office@guernseychamber.com.