The new man at the head of Dudley’s business community says he hopes to bring large and small companies together to boost trade in the borough.

Mike Dell, the newly-elected Dudley president of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, says he hopes to visit as many local businesses as he can during his spell at the top.

He added that the chamber also had key roles to play in representing the interests of business with local and national politicians.

Walsall man Mr Dell, aged 48, managing director of rubber, foam and plastics converter firm Rubber Astic, succeeds Sylvia Wellings, the director of Dudley Mind Trading, as Dudley president.

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The new man at the head of Dudley’s business community says he hopes to bring large and small companies together to boost trade in the borough.

Mike Dell, the newly-elected Dudley president of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, says he hopes to visit as many local businesses as he can during his spell at the top.

He added that the chamber also had key roles to play in representing the interests of business with local and national politicians.

Walsall man Mr Dell, aged 48, managing director of rubber, foam and plastics converter firm Rubber Astic, succeeds Sylvia Wellings, the director of Dudley Mind Trading, as Dudley president.

He said: “We have to make sure that the chamber works for everybody by expanding the local membership base.

“We have strong relationships with Dudley Council, which helps up to resolve many issues, but we also speak to ministers and civil servants about national topics on behalf of all businesses. By putting business leaders in the same room as senior policy-makers we can make sure their message is understood.

“The world is changing and manufacturing is becoming difficult – but not impossible.” Mr Dell is married with three children and his hobbies include golf, football and rugby. Shawn Riley, enterprise and development manager at Brierley Hill Regeneration Partnership, has been elected vice-president of the chamber in Dudley.