The British Chambers of Commerce, the influential network representing tens of thousands of firms, has appointed a prominent entrepreneur and government adviser as its new chair to steer it through a period of economic uncertainty.
Michael Hayman MBE, co-founder of the communications consultancy Seven Hills, was elected unanimously by the BCC board to succeed Sarah Howard, who has completed more than six years in the role. He takes the helm of an organisation that, according to its own estimates, speaks for over 50,000 UK businesses employing six million people, and a further 19,000 companies with 18 million employees worldwide through its international network.
A Champion for Enterprise
Hayman brings a deep background in championing small and growing businesses to the position. He co-founded the national campaign StartUp Britain in 2011, an initiative launched with the backing of then-Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne which played a part in a surge of new business registrations.
His advocacy extends into government policy, having assisted the Department for Business in developing programmes like Start-Up Loans and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme. He currently serves on the UK Government’s Help To Grow: Management Advisory Council and chairs the Small Business Charter.
In the private sector, he is chairman of entrepreneurs at the private bank Coutts & Co and built Seven Hills into an internationally recognised firm, named the Holmes Report Best Corporate Consultancy in the world in 2014. An author and broadcaster, Hayman also holds several academic positions, including Honorary Professor of the Purpose Economy at the University of London and Honorary Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. He was awarded an MBE for services to enterprise in 2014.
“Supporting business has been at the heart of my career, as a founder, as a campaigner, and through the organisations I’ve helped lead,” Hayman said. “Becoming Chair of the BCC is a privilege because this network represents the very best of British business.”
He stated his intent to ensure the BCC “continue[s] to be seen as the leading organisation for businesses, as they navigate the fast‐changing economic landscape.”
Stewarding a Historic Institution
Hayman, who joined the BCC board as an independent member in October 2025, takes charge of an institution with roots stretching back to 1860, when it was founded as the Association of Chambers of Commerce. Historically, it has campaigned on issues from intellectual property law to transport.
Today, its core mission is to aid business expansion, lobby government, and foster international trade through a network of 51 accredited UK chambers and a presence in over 75 international markets. Accredited chambers provide vital services like export documentation and customs declarations.
The organisation has evolved in recent years, forming a Business Council in 2023 to collaborate with major firms like Aviva and BP on future economic policy. Hayman’s immediate predecessor, Sarah Howard, oversaw a “remarkable period of renewal” during her tenure, which began in 2019.
Howard, a former management consultant at JP Morgan and KPMG and past president of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, said she had helped reshape the BCC’s image and strengthen its commercial foundations. She championed skills development and diversity in the boardroom, working closely with groups like “Neurodiversity in Business.”
Howard, who received an MBE in 2015 for work with young people and chairs the not-for-profit Abbeycroft Leisure, will remain on the BCC board until the end of the year, focusing on skills, diversity, and international trade. She described Hayman as a “tireless champion for business.”
The new chair assumes his role at a critical juncture. Businesses are contending with a complex landscape marked by the cost-of-living crisis, inflation, interest rate pressures, and a shifting global trading environment—challenges compounded by the lingering effects of the pandemic.
Hayman’s experience with scale-up businesses and his focus on the “Purpose Economy” suggest his leadership may steer the BCC’s advocacy towards supporting high-growth firms and those with strong social or environmental missions, as it works to maintain its position as a leading voice for UK enterprise.
