Carey Olsen partner Elaine Gray has been elected the new president of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce.

With almost 700 members employing around 18,000 members of staff, the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce is the Island’s largest business network, supporting local business from sole traders to international corporations.

Elaine, who is partner and head of the Carey Olsen Guernsey dispute resolution and litigation team, has served as vice president of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce for the past year. She was elected as president at this week’s AGM, replacing Barrie Baxter who had held the position since 2018.

Elaine said: “It is a huge honour to become the first female president of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce, and I would like to thank Barrie for his excellent work and commitment over the past two years. As an organisation, Chamber continues to play an incredibly important role in Guernsey’s business community, representing businesses across all industries and sectors in relation to the latest issues and opportunities affecting them. No challenge is more pressing than Guernsey’s ongoing response and recovery to the global coronavirus pandemic so we look forward particularly to representing members in our work with government on Guernsey’s ‘Revive and Thrive’ strategy.”

Chamber Executive Director Kay Leslie said she was “absolutely delighted” to be part of the team under Elaine’s leadership. The re-shaped Executive contains a wealth of diverse ability and talent at board level and will ensure that the ever-growing business organisation engages strongly with all sectors. She also welcomed the addition of  Jane St Pier and Clare Carre, who bring considerable experience and insight in Finance and Third Sector, plus broad involvement in the community as a whole, together with Diane de Garis who has been actively assisting for two years. “With major challenges facing all businesses now and the potential around Revive & Thrive for our future, it is a fantastic positive to be working for such a talented Board.”
The full Guernsey Chamber Executive is:
President Elaine Gray
Past President Barrie Baxter
Treasurer Graham Rabey
Board members:
Claire Carre
Jane St Pier
Diane de Garis
Industry Heads Representative Rupert Dorey