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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, September 30, 2016 | 12 Oakville Chamber shuffles chairs at annual gala by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff "This has been a great ride." These were the parting words of Oakville Chamber of Commerce Chair Kerry Colborne as she passed the title onto Ford of Canada's Caroline Hughes at the 62nd Annual Chair's Dinner Tuesday (Sept. 27) night. The event, held at the Oakville Conference and Banquet Centre, drew a crowd of about 375 members from the town's business community as well as local politicians. Colborne, the founder of Force 10 Capital Management Inc., served two back-to-back terms as Oakville Chamber chair. She called the experience rewarding, demanding at times, and something she will miss. "Over those two years, we hosted 110 events attended by 15,201 people," said Colborne. "People I hosted for you, our members, or whom I met on chamber business during my tenure included Governor General David Johnston, United States Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman, chief correspondent and host of The National Peter Mansbridge, Boston Pizza International owner and long-serving panelist on Dragons' Den Jim Treliving, Premier Kathleen Wynne, Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Perrin Beatty and numerous ministers from our provincial and federal parliament. I've been around so long, I've met Stephen (Harper) and (Prime Minister) Justin (Trudeau). Sadly, Justin had his shirt on that day." Colborne also listed the Oakville Chamber's achievements during her tenure, noting at a time when many not-for-profit organizations, charities and member-based groups are struggling, the chamber saw a membership increase in 2016. The Oakville chamber's current membership level, Kerry Colborne she said, puts it among the top five chambers in Ontario and among the top 20 in all of Canada. Other achievements included the Oakville Chamber earning its accreditation with distinction from the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada. This level of accreditation, she noted, has only been awarded to nine per cent of the chambers and boards of trade in Canada. Accreditation recognizes chambers that follow the highest standards of governance, programming and policy. Colborne said the Oakville Chamber was also awarded a gold medal in the annual Canadian Chamber Competition in recognition of the chamber's innovative approach to creating community partnerships. The outgoing chair thanked the Oakville Chamber's partners, board of directors, chamber staff, and chamber members for making her two years as chair so successful. In her address to the gathering, Hughes said she looked forward to continuing that success. "Having served as a director (on the chamber board) since 2010 and vice-chair since 2012, I really recognize the importance the chamber plays as the voice of business and I really look forward to carrying on this role and to building on the success this chamber has Caroline Hughes had to date," she said. "Focusing on relevant topics for the business community and government and engaging with public policy leaders at all levels will continue to be a key priority for our chamber in the coming year." Hughes noted Ford Canada has been a member of the Oakville Chamber for more than 56 years and said her company has maintained this membership because it recognizes the important role local chambers play in promoting and sustaining both business and the community. As vice-president of Government Relations at Ford, Hughes and her staff conduct strategic analyses and dialogue with all levels of government regarding public policy and economic issues of importance to Ford of Canada and the Canadian vehicle industry. She is also responsible for developing Ford of Canada's long-range forecasts for new vehicle sales in Canada, and for evaluating and reporting Canadian economic trends to Ford's global corporate economics office. Hughes has more than 25 years experience with Ford having worked in several capacities within the company's Finance and Canadian Vehicle Sales Division. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Michael's College, University of Toronto and an MBA (Finance) from the Schulich School of Business, York University. MORTGAGES We have a pool of private money available at great rates. Instant Approval, Fast, Reliable Service by your bank? Turned down I feel it in my feet! 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