30 November 2009

Chamber of Commerce welcomes latest platinum member

Photo opportunity: 9am, Wednesday, December 2nd at Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill. Chris Lundie from Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce will present the University of Dundee’s Platinum membership certificate to Dr Jim McGeorge, University secretary.

Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce and the University of Dundee have strengthened their partnership in order to promote a stronger local economy.

The University has become the latest Platinum member of the Chamber of Commerce. This exciting development will allow the two organisations to work more closely together in support of their mutual objective of a successful and dynamic local economy, underpinned by Dundee and Angus’s already very strong and world-renowned knowledge economy, and its growing reputation as a vibrant leisure, tourism and cultural centre.

Chris Lundie, Vice-President of Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce, will meet with University secretary Dr Jim McGeorge on Wednesday, December 2nd, to formalise the agreement and hand over the institution’s new membership certificate.

Mr Lundie expressed his satisfaction at seeing the University become the 10th organisation to obtain this status, saying, 'We are delighted that the University of Dundee has chosen to become a Platinum member.'

'It is an acknowledgment of our shared agenda for economic success for the region. The university has been a great supporter of the Chamber and we are looking forward to an even more mutually beneficial relationship in the future. The Chamber will be firmly supporting the university’s campaign to bring the V&A to Dundee.'

Professor Peter Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, echoed Mr Lundies sentiments, saying, 'A strong Dundee and Angus economy is good for the University of Dundee, just as a strong University is a key part of the local economy.'

'It is a mutually beneficial partnership and we're therefore delighted both to sign up to Platinum membership and to continue to work with Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce to provide the very best for Dundee and Angus.'

Notes to Editors:

Platinum members are a key component of the Chamber’s growing membership and the University of Dundee is the tenth organisation to have that status. The others are: Angus Council, Bank of Scotland, DC Thomson, Dundee City Council, Dundee College, James Keiller Estates, Overgate, Michelin Tyre plc and Winters Pioneer.

For more information about Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce, contact Alan Mitchell on 07874 606395 or by email alanmitchell@dundeeandanguschamber.co.uk

With 18,000 students, 3,000 staff, and an annual turnover of £160m, the University of Dundee makes a significant contribution to the local economy. It is at the forefront of the V&A at Dundee initiative, a project aiming to establish a cultural portal at the heart of the city’s waterfront redevelopment with input from the Victoria & Albert Museum, the world’s premier museum of art and design.

A two-phase independent feasibility study has concluded that the V&A at Dundee project could attract up to 250,000 visitors a year, create up to 900 jobs and inject millions of pounds into the local economy.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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