He is appealing for nominations from across the business community, particularly from those with experience of running small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Since its formation in 1995, the CGi has provided a voice for the grass roots of local industry – typically outside of the finance and hospitality sectors. Mr McMinn said the CGi had established a valuable conduit between small businesses and the States in the early days of the pandemic.

"We were particularly effective in providing politicians and civil servants with practical feedback from our membership which helped resolve many of the issues that arose during Covid," he said.

"We have also lobbied hard to mitigate the negative impacts of the Population Management Law and supported members with the practical aspects of data protection and the forthcoming anti-discrimination law."

The role requires someone who can draw on their experience and contacts in order to assist local industry.

"The ideal candidate would be someone with first-hand experience in managing SMEs, who understands the challenges presented by the continuously evolving economic environment that we operate in, the impact of changes in Government policy and legislation and how this affects the many thousands of small businesses on the island," said Mr McMinn. 

The election of the new chairman and committee members takes place at the CGI’s Annual General Meeting on 24 February and nominations prior to this can be made to Mr McMinn at enquiry@thecgi.net or by calling 07781 145862.