Tell us a bit about your Chamber.
At Dorset Chamber, we consider ourselves to be a modern and innovative Chamber with a real focus on partnership working. We like to push boundaries as a Chamber and are strong advocates of business as a force for good, with our vision being “Enabling better lives through business”. In 2023, we were really pleased to be nominated as one of the Top 5 Chambers of the Year and this year we will be celebrating our 75th anniversary, As Dorset’s leading business community, we are proud of the support we offer our members and the strength of our network.
Tell us about the team.
Dorset Chamber is a relatively small but mighty team!
The International trade team is made up of Tom and Kellie who are both ChamberCustoms accredited agents and fully accredited for export documentation with the BCC.
With over 10 years of combined knowledge, they are both enjoying the changing climate of international trade and thrive on learning new things each day.
Kellie joined the Chamber the day Brexit kicked in, coming from an international sales role with a company who are a Chamber member and using our international trade services. While it has been a big learning curve, she brings to the role an undertaking of being both sides of the role giving her a unique experience on how customers feel when approaching the Chamber for support and guidance.
Tom has been with Dorset Chamber since 2018 and started in a business advisory role as part of the Dorset Gateway service. He has since moved on to join the international trade team and is now team leader. His favourite part of the job is working on customs declarations, the more complex the better!
What advice would you give a business which is considering exporting overseas?
Know your incoterms - the first question we tend to ask when speaking to a new customer is “what is the incoterm?” and the amount of people who don't know what an incoterm is, let alone which one they are using, is staggering. Knowing your risks is vital to a successful international trade shipment.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Kellie – Loves all things theatre and spends time outside of work with her local amateur dramatic’s society, P&P both performing and directing concerts and musicals. When not in rehearsals she enjoys walking on her local heath with her husband Pete and beloved cockapoo, Darcie.
Tom – When not chasing around after his 1-year-old daughter, he likes to travel and spend time at his allotment. He is also coveted by the entire chamber team for making the best chocolate brownies!
Meet Darcie the cockapoo!
