Presidential appointment at Sheffield Chamber

A NEW president of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been appointed.

From 11 December, Jillian Thomas, managing director of Future Life Wealth Management, will take up the top spot.

She will be only the second woman to take up to post in 160 years, replacing  David Thurkettle, after spending just over a year as vice president of the Chamber.

Ms Thomas said: “I am delighted to be taking over this role. It comes at an exciting time, with all this talk of the Northern Powerhouse and the focus on building the economy in the north.

“But I am very conscious of the fact that Sheffield could become overshadowed by Leeds and Manchester. So we need to make sure we have our very own Sheffield Powerhouse.

“We need to see successful businesses and professionals stay in the city and help its growth and the Chamber can be at the heart of that.”

Future Life, based in Renishaw, was set up by Ms Thomas in 2010. Before that, she held various positions at wealth management firms.

In 2004 she was caught up in the Boxing Day Tsunami while on holiday in Thailand.

“It was the worst thing that happened to me, but also the best,” said Ms Thomas. “It made me reassess my whole life and ultimately led to me setting up Future Life. The name is about my clients planning their future lives, but it is also about me planning my future life. I realised I could run my own business and I could be successful.”