It is a daunting task to start writing a blog as a first-time CEO less than a week into the job!
However my editor tells me that people will miss this blog if it is not updated. So here are my initial impressions:
First, when we get events right, really great people turn out. I so enjoyed the Cambridge Business Lecture on Wednesday, because the analogies Louise Makin drew between building her company and competing in an endurance sailing and running race were such a great way to connect to a very diverse audience of people who have come from around the world for the University or one of the fast-growing local companies. Chatting in the dining room after the event I was amazed to find that I was talking to an academic whose discoveries in the early 80's were the basis for the top 3 BTG products today. On Friday I met a variety of professional services and charity organizations from across the Greater South East who have just joined the network, just so eager to improve their offerings and find a niche in this buoyant local economy. And new overseas companies are crowding into the Corporate Gateway event at the end of the month, keen to understand how this all works. So I hope we keep getting things right more often!
Second, there is a real spirit of community here. The commitment of the members, particularly the leading firms in the cluster, is stunning. The Directors of Foreign Direct Investment research units here are putting heart and soul into any activity that will connect them better here and show their distant HQ why a Cambridge outpost is a key asset. The quality of the professional training that leading companies have been making available through The Learning Collaboration club is wonderful, and allows everyone to share the benefits of scale. People from a range of functions in companies from CEOs to technical authors are finding their own ways to link to their peers and raise their game. The rapid growth of the LinkedIn and the Ning groups shows the eagerness that people here have to find and engage with like-minded fellows. We need to give more members the chance to connect to these new groups, raise their aspirations and build their dreams.
Third, the scale of Cambridge, UK makes it possible to do more and still live well. The lunchtime and early evening sessions we are running can fit around personal commitments because many things are a quarter to half an hour away on a cycle. People can follow-up informally at short notice because they don't have to plan with a long journey. We can find more ways to involve more people in each of our members - and help us all meet the challenges of this global slow-down and come out stronger.
I'm new, so I look forward to hearing ideas from current, past and future members of the Network. Its our home region, and we need to collaborate to make it strong.
