A Word from Our CEO, Murray Norton, October 2025

As we all get the wheels turning again post summer (not that they stopped turning in August at all) I was musing on our role for you as members. At the Jersey Chamber of Commerce, we walk a fine line every day. Our role is to represent the concerns, ambitions and realities of our members while ensuring that those voices are heard where they matter most in Government, across departments and among our political leaders.

That line is not about balance for its own sake, but about creating genuine impact. Chamber is not here to shout from the sidelines or throw stones from the cheap seats, and frankly there are enough of those around anyway boosting their own ego by creating a noise. Instead, we are in the middle of arena, engaging constructively, to bring the lived experience of our members to the policy table and to act as a trusted and critical friend to decision makers.

Thankfully it is rare that we are criticised. If it happens, itis of either acting in the interest of businesses – well yes that’s kind of the point of Chamber! Or that we are too cosy with Government, which we are definitely not. It is simply a narrow space where we can discuss things like adults, void of the noise that is often played by some in the media for peacocking purposes.

To do this well, we draw on the strength of our structure. At the heart of Chamber is a team of more than 70 volunteers, all highly valued business leaders from across every sector of our economy, who give their time and expertise to shape our work every week and month of the year. Their insights, together with the wider voice of our 600 member businesses, both large and small, ensure that our positions are grounded in real world experience and that our output reflects the challenges and opportunities felt across the Island.

Our role is to create the bridge. We help Government understand how decisions land in practice and we help businesses see the bigger picture of why policy is being shaped in a certain way. It is a position that requires trust, from our members and from Government, and one we take seriously. Yes, we organise events, where businesses come together and network, engage and learn more from an array of speakers, but the daily work is representing the members, who trust us work on their behalf. And the more members we have the more powerful the voice, so encourage more businesses to join us.

By engaging, informing, challenging where needed and supporting where possible, Chamber ensures that the voice of Jersey’s business community is not just heard but respected. Walking that fine line is not always easy, but it is the role that makes Chamber most effective for its members and for the Island as a whole.