The chief executive officer of the Canberra Business Chamber Graham Catt has resigned from the top job after three years.
Mr Catt has accepted a new role as chief executive of Independent Schools Australia, the national peak body for the independent school sector.
"I've enjoyed and greatly valued my time with the chamber, which has given me an enormous respect for the diversity and impact of the ACT private sector," Mr Catt said.
"It has been a privilege to serve as a voice for the local business community. I'd like to thank the board and our chairman Archie Tsirimokos, who have helped guide the chamber though an often difficult time.
"The chamber team is passionate about supporting our members, and they harness the goodwill and energy of the business community to consistently deliver outcomes that exceed expectations.
"While there are challenging times ahead for business, I'm confident that the chamber is in a strong position and ready for a change of leadership.
"While the decision to move on has been a difficult one, this is a time of great challenge and opportunity for Australia and globally, and I'm excited to have been offered the opportunity to contribute to the national agenda as the CEO of Independent Schools Australia."
Chairman Archie Tsirimokos said Mr Catt provided leadership to the chamber and the business community during the pandemic, which was a challenging and volatile period.
"Graham worked closely with the chamber board to develop a strategy that focused our organisation on influence, advocacy and value for members," Mr Tsirimokos said.
"During his time as CEO, our organisation and members faced unprecedented challenges including the significant impact of the COVID pandemic, and the bushfires of 2019-2020.
"Graham led the chamber and the business community through these, advocating tirelessly for business, and fostering greater community, media and government recognition of the contribution the private sector makes to Canberra.
"Despite the turbulent operating environment, our membership has increased, and Graham successfully restructured operations to reduce costs, create opportunities to increase income, and use our resources more efficiently to deliver value for members."
Mr Catt will remain in his role with the chamber until April.
