Cork man Jimmy Stafford has been elected as the new president of the Letterkenny Chamber and has big ambitions for the town going forward.
Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce has elected Jimmy Stafford as its new president following a meeting on Tuesday evening.
Letterkenny Chamber’s outgoing president Leonard Watson handed over the presidential chain to the incoming Jimmy Stafford at the Letterkenny Chamber annual general meeting held this week in Dillons Hotel.
Mr Stafford, who has served on the chamber council since 2015, is the operations manager for Bank of Ireland in Donegal, and Bank of Ireland has been a member of the chamber for many years.
Mr Stafford is well known in the county through his work in the bank and he also presents and produces a show on Highland Radio.
Jimmy Stafford (left), newly elected Letterkenny Chamber President at Tuesday nights AGM. Photo: Clive Wasson
On taking over the role, he said he was very much looking forward to representing the business community and chamber members in 2020.
“As an adopted Donegal man, it is such an honour to be elected as the chamber president by my colleagues in the chamber council. I have really enjoyed my role on the chamber council over the last few years working with colleagues in shaping the strategy and future of the chamber of commerce.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Leonard Watson for his hard work and dedication over the past two years and I am committed to carrying out this role with the same enthusiasm and integrity.
“I moved to Donegal in 2007 with my wife, who is from Letterkenny, and it’s a great county. We’re a lobby group for 250 businesses and my aim is to meet every one of those over the next 12 months.
“If Donegal as a county want to develop and grow, it needs Letterkenny to thrive because it’s the biggest town in the county. I believe Letterkenny will be designated city status in the next few years, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where we can go in the future.”
Mr Stafford hopes to emulate the hard work of past presidents and continue to develop the relationships with key stakeholders across Donegal and to grow membership and participation. “I am very passionate about the future of Letterkenny and the county as a whole. I hope to build on the work we have done on the chamber strategy for growth and personally, I am aiming to engage with members as much as possible,” added Mr Stafford.
On handing over the chain, Leonard Watson said; “It has been a real privilege for me to serve as chamber president over the last two years. I would like to wish Jimmy well in his role. He has a huge amount of energy and will be an asset to our Chamber going forward.”
Along with electing a new president, the chamber also welcomed a new chamber council which consists of members from a wide variety of business sectors, who meet on a monthly basis and are responsible for steering the policies, activities and initiatives of the chamber.
By Stephen Larkin
Published: 12 December, 2019
