The Black Country Chamber of Commerce has appointed Julie Cunningham, Wholesale Finance Director at AF Blakemore, as its new Vice President.
Julie Cunningham (formally Bevan), is a Chartered Management Accountant who has a wealth of commercial experience across a number of organisations, including AF Blakemore, Midland Recruitment Solutions and Poundland. In addition, she has also spent six years as a self-employed financial consultant and headed up many high-level projects on behalf of the Co-op, Holland & Barrett, M&S, Homeserve and the RAC.
Her current role is at AF Blakemore where she holds the position of Wholesale Finance Director and sits on six Divisional Boards. Julie has expertise in defining, implementing and managing strategy, and has recently qualified as a Six Sigma yellow belt to manage lean process projects to ensure efficiency.
Julie, who will be the Black Country Chamber of Commerce’s first female Vice President, was officially appointed in April. Commenting on her recent appointment, Julie said: "I am delighted to be taking on the position as Vice President of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce. I want to work closely with members to raise the profile of our local Chamber on both a regional and national level. The Black Country Chamber of Commerce has ambitions moving forward for first-class business support, so this is a very exciting time to be part of the organisation.
“The Chamber has many new initiatives this year, one of which is around Young Chamber and the support of school students in the area. I am passionate for the increased interaction between young people and businesses so we can develop the next generation to support a growing economy. I look forward to my next year as Vice President and hope to meet lots of Black Country business people during this time to understand their business needs.”
Adrian Wright, President of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, commented: “I have worked very closely with Julie over the past twelve months and she shows real care and passion for the Chamber. I am delighted that she decided to stand for the position and her appointment certainly illustrates where the Chamber is heading. Julie has fantastic knowledge and experience in the business environment which is invaluable to the Chamber moving forward. I am looking forward to the next year as President with such a capable colleague by my side.”
