Rachel Goddard hands over York Professionals chairwoman reins to Anne Taylor

Having served her four-year tenure, the managing director of marketing agency Intandem Communications is handing over to Anne Taylor, director at See Green digital design company.

For 13 years York Professionals has been championing the city’s professional services offering, providing support, networking,events, and a collective voice for the sector employing 21,000.

Its flagship event Venturefest welcomed 14,000 visitors and a £25 million contribution to the regional economy, as well as York Business Week.

Businesses editor Laura Knowlson joins Rachel to reflect on her time as chairwoman, and speaks to Anne about what lies in store.

Rachel Goddard

Why did you first join York Professionals?

"When I started my business I went to a lot of networking events, but I soon got to the stage where I had to choose a more select few to attend. York Professionals fit really well with me in terms of the people I wanted to meet. I met lots of people who were very friendly and helpful.

"It connected me to the different areas of York's economy, so I learnt very quickly what was happening in York, and met all the movers and shakers."

What does York Professionals mean to you?

"I set up my business around 14 years ago, and York Professionals was set up around that time. At that time York wasn't recognised for professional services.

"Originally called the York Professionals Initiative it was created in a bid to develop professional services in the city as a thriving sector and to support the growth of business, science and the creative and digital economy.

"The whole thing fitted really well time wise with me launching my business, so I joined the board.

"I think York Professionals can take some credit for having the sector recognised as an important industry in this city. We have a high productivity output per worker in the industry and we are good for the economy.

"York Professionals has created a voice for the professional services sector; flying the flag for the sector.

"It's all about collaboration. It bring people together from difference professions to get to know each other which creates opportunities for York businesses. Personally I have had lots of opportunities to work with other businesses in the city through York Professionals. There's a great hub of talent here.

"We aim to create quirky events with great speakers, maybe on a topic to do with economic development, or something businesses will learn from, along with a great networking opportunity.

"York Professionals is much more than events though. It gives a representation of the professional services sector across lots of different businesses. It's being a bigger and louder voice that has more power."

What role does York Professionals play in York's business community?

"It brings all the professionals together. Without it we wouldn't have the opportunity to meet just professional services people on their own. Because of these relationships people work together and create opportunities that are good for their businesses and good for York's economy as it keeps business in the city. People might look elsewhere for servies outside of York if they didn't know what we have here."

How has York Professionals changed during your time as chairwoman?

"There's a younger, more dynamic board. While there is still older and more experienced people there's now more of a mix of different skills.

"While I have been on the board the professional services sector has become more diverse; there's a lot less of the traditional "men in suits". The sector is much more digitally savvy and more forward thinking.

"The recession has also changed things and changed people. It is harder to get long term members as people really scrutinise their costs, so you have to make sure you provide value for money."

What is your proudest achievement during your time as chairwoman?

"I'm really proud of the board, and how it has developed while I have been chairwoman. We have got some great board members and a really strong board with representation from all the different professional services in the sector. There's so much enthusiasm and talent in that board and they are all real doers that give up time to get things done. I feel very honoured to have worked with such a great group of people.

"I'm also proud of the events programme we have run, and keeping that going through difficult economic times, such as Venturefest, which is a great event for the city.

"I'm proud of the fact the professional servies sector was better recognised than it was when I started. It's an important part of York's economy.

"Finally I'm really proud of the collaboration and support we give each other. There's friendships that have been made that will last for many years as a result of working together."

Anne Taylor

What attracted you to the position of chairwoman of York Professionals?

"We as a company joined York Professionals about four years ago. At that point I had only been running my business for a couple of years. For the business itself it seemed like the perfect group to be part of.

"I met Rachel at a York Business Week event, and she was looking for someone to join the board from the creative and digital sector. I hadn't considered it because I was still relatively new to running my business, but it was something I was quite interested in. Because I was running a business I realised I was interested in wider business issues, like how companies and economies grow.

"I joined the board and found it really dynamic, and really happening. I have always been a doer and like to be involved in all sorts of things, and I found this was something that actually made a difference. We were always talking about what we were going to do for the future to get our voice heard as an organisation and how we would achieve things.

"It was a really interesting role on the board, so becoming co-vice chairwoman alongside Tracey Smith was a natural progression, which gave a great insight into how the board was run.

"I will have been living in York ten years next year, but still feel there's so much more to learn about the city. We are a city steeped in history and we are never going to forget that, but it's also looking at what else York can be famous for."

What do you hope to achieve during your time as chairwoman?

"I'm not aiming to revolutionise York Professionals, it's more of an evolution process. A lot has been achieved so I want to build on that rather than change everything. We need to utilise the best of our ability to make sure we still have a voice, and make sure we are still at the fore front of representing the city's professional services sector.

"I'm also really keen on developing better connections with York's young professionals. They are the future and we want to keep them in the city and keep that talent here rather than losing it to other cities.

"York Professional's younger network Make York is already being reinvigorated and I wanted us to be more tightly linked."

How do you see York Professionals Evolving in the Future?

"I hope that the evolution will provide further recognition for the sector, and York Professionals will have more influence and effect on building a stronger economy in York.

"This can be done through membership but also by being bolder and braver. We have to be very clear about what we are as an organisation, There's an element of networking and that's vital, but there's an important part of what we do representing our sector and having a voice for our sector, and that only becomes stronger through a bigger membership.

"We want to add value to business. I run a business in this sector, I know how busy it can get. It people are taking the time out to be part of York Professionals then it has to give something back, whether that's new contacts or learning something new.

"I want to see increase collaboration. We want to be a network for each other, learning from each other, and being able to promote each other."

Are there any things you want to change within York Professionals?

"I'm interested in evolving the events schedule, looking at how many events we hold, and what type of events we run. We could possibly look at breakfast events as not everyone is available on an evening. People run businesses in different ways. Historically our events have been in the evenings, which doesn't work for everyone. We want to be inclusive for everyone.

"I want to work closely with our membership to consult with them and determine what they want to see as the future vision for York Professionals. I want to make sure we connect with them to ensure we are aligned with our membership and what they want. I also want to see an increase in membership because it gives us a stronger voice."