Change is in the air at Lochaber Chamber of Commerce this spring time as local business man Frazer Coupland takes up post as Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Lesley Benfield who has moved on after five successful years in the role.
Frazer has been a key player in Lochaber’s business community for many years as one of the founding directors of the popular ‘No Fuss Events’ the Lochaber-based outdoor events company, which runs a variety of events throughout Scotland.
Frazer has also been instrumental in helping to promote and celebrate the incredible range of activities on offer in Lochaber through his active involvement as a Lochaber Chamber of Commerce board member, and as the former Programme Director of the Outdoor Capital of the UK destination management organisation, which merged with the Chamber of Commerce in 2014.
Frazer is excited about working with the wide range of businesses in Lochaber. As he says, “Although we are primarily thought of as an iconic and very successful visitor destination, there’s a lot more to Lochaber than just tourism. The Lochaber economy is made up of a huge variety of businesses and at the Chamber we’re here to help support all of our members, no matter what size they are or what sector they’re in. From aluminium production, through to timber processing and fish farming, climbing guides to retail and hospitality, we’ve got a real mixture of businesses to serve.”
Frazer says, “We’re rightly proud of the work we’ve been doing for our local business community and our aim now is to take that success and build more for our members: enhanced benefits, greater involvement and more support to help them make the most of business opportunities. These are exciting times in Lochaber as our population and workforce look set to increase because of large-scale new business developments like GFG Alliance’s planned aluminium wheel factory. The team at Lochaber Chamber of Commerce are excited to help our members make the most of opportunities to develop their businesses.”
With so much going on, the Chamber also plays a key role in representing member businesses on critical issues like the pressure on our road infrastructure and a shortage of suitable local housing for workers. Frazer comments, “A crucial part of our work is to make sure that our members’ views and needs are taken into account by those with the power to make things happen.
We’re here to speak up for the needs of our business community and engage with Scottish Ministers and key decision-makers to lobby for positive change. Being able to get your views heard as part of a strong collective voice is what makes being part of a local Chamber so important.”
To get in touch with Frazer, please email him on ceo@lochaberchamber.co.uk. Find out about news and events in Lochaber at
www.lochaberchamber.co.uk.
