CEO

The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce is a community of forward-thinking business advocates who connect, encourage and share ideas that generate enterprise success and community prosperity for the communities of Oshawa and Clarington, including Bowmanville, Columbus, Courtice, Hampton, Orono, Raglan and Taunton. The Chamber advocates for business by providing a strong voice, vision and perspective to grow Oshawa’s economy, connects and promotes business by providing events, meetings and resources that support enterprise success, and informs community dialogue and brings awareness and innovative solutions through leadership that drives community prosperity.

With the pending planned retirement of the incumbent, the Board of Directors has initiated the search for the new CEO. Reporting to the Board, the CEO is responsible for leading the strategic direction, financial performance and day-to-day operations of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce. The CEO provides leadership, direction and supervision to staff and is the community face of the Chamber. The CEO also provides guidance to the Executive Committee and Board of Directors on all strategic matters to achieve key goals and objectives of the Chamber.

For this leader, this is an exciting opportunity to lead the Chamber into the future, evolving its business model to ensure the Chamber continues to be the go-to place for advice, education, direction, programs and services for a diversity of existing and new businesses. With the region poised to be a leader in post-COVID growth, the Chamber will play a key role in supporting the transformation of the economy of the greater Oshawa area.

In assuming this leadership position, the new CEO will want to address the following priorities:

  • Become immersed in Oshawa and region’s environment (political, economic, demographic, business) and develop a keen understanding of the issues and opportunities for Oshawa and the region.
  • Working with the Board, implement the new strategic plan and develop an operating plan with clear deliverables, KPIs and financial metrics based on a strategic direction that is financially sustainable.
  • Establish immediate credibility and long-term relationships with all stakeholders – members (current and future), the Board of Directors, Committee members and Chamber Ambassadors, political and bureaucratic stakeholders, neighbouring and provincial Chambers, and community partners and benefit providers.
  • Continue development and implementation of policies and processes that support a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.
  • Progress the Chamber’s relevancy through strength in policy and advocacy while enhancing its suite of programs, services, events and benefits to attract interest and meet the changing needs of members.
  • Embrace new ideas in both content and approach to ensure the Chamber keeps pace with member expectations (virtual access, digital transformation, social media, mobile working, communication, etc.) while maintaining the Chamber’s strengths.
  • Develop new, innovative partnerships to enhance the Chamber’s visibility and diversify and grow revenue opportunities.
  • Promote the Chamber’s relevance and grow membership across a diverse spectrum of business leaders.
  • Engage and communicate regularly with members to share the good work and successes of the Chamber and to publicize the value to membership.
  • Ensure the Chamber has the appropriate committee and staff structure to achieve goals, and foster a strong team environment with staff and volunteers.

 

The ideal candidate will possess the following experience, skills, knowledge, and attributes:

  • Experience in a leadership role in business, associations, or government where one has developed the skills to be effective in business and financial management, membership and revenue growth, advocacy, economic development, relationship building, and government/public relations.
  • While having connections to the Oshawa area may be an advantage to appreciating local realities, more important is the ability to fully immerse oneself in the community and to be seen as a community builder who is engaged, informed and knowledgeable and committed to the mission of the organization.
  • Exceptional stakeholder engagement skills and hands-on relationship builder; a connector and facilitator; collaborative; seeks consensus; strong partner.
  • Politically astute, non-partisan and diplomatic with the ability to navigate governments and the political environment; appreciates and understands the role, sensitivities, priorities and pressures of both the public and private sectors and how to bridge and develop support among all.
  • Innovative and creative; adaptive and open to exploring new ideas; effective change management skills.
  • An understanding of the intersection of technology and business modernization; proficient in new technologies and social media.
  • Exceptional communication and presentation skills; credible with all audiences, large and small; ability to deliver messages compellingly; balances extroversion with good listening skills.
  • Strong issues management skills and able to support the Chamber in developing policy initiatives and influencing political decision-makers.
  • Understands governance policies and best practices and is able to work effectively with the Board of Directors, Committees and volunteers.
  • Demonstrates commitment to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.
  • People leadership skills and able to lead a small team internally and establish a strong reputation for leadership externally in the business community.
  • Fiscally accountable with the requisite organizational skills to oversee Chamber operations effectively; comfortable being hands-on in a small organization.
  • Has availability outside of regular business hours as required.

 

Contact Information

For further information about this opportunity, or to submit your expression of interest (cover letter and current resume), please contact Chris Sawyer (chris.sawyer@lhhknightsbridge.com / 1 416-640-4312) or Jack Penaligon (jack.penaligon@lhhknightsbridge.com / 1 416-928-4646).

 

The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce is committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment, where all members, employees and volunteers feel valued and respected. If you require accommodation in order to participate as a candidate in the hiring process, please communicate your needs to the recruitment team.