It is in the running for the UK Chamber of the Year 2026 at the Chamber Awards, which will take place at a gala event in London in October, and is up against Chambers in Suffolk, West Cheshire & North Wales, Edinburgh and Cumbria.
The shortlisting reflects a year of growth and evolution for the Chamber which is based at the Coventry University Technology Park and supports businesses across the whole city and county.
It acquired Midlands-based training provider PTP in November 2025 to complement its existing training company, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training.
At the same time, Sandra Godley OBE became Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s second female president – the first Black woman to take on the role.
It also delivered a hugely successful annual conference at the IXL Events Centre followed by the hugely uplifting Coventry & Warwickshire Business and Community Awards in April, attended by hundreds of business, community and civic leaders.
As well as supporting thousands of businesses through membership and publicly-funded contracts, including international trade, the Chamber is the lead business body on the Government’s Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) for Warwickshire and the West Midlands. Destination Coventry, the regional destination management organisation, is also part of the Chamber group.
Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has also grown the number of commercial services it offers to regional firms – from business growth consultation to support in profile-raising – to help future-proof the organisation.
Chris Nagle, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s head of events, marketing and communications, is also shortlisted for the President’s Award which recognises a leader who has made a remarkable impact on their Chamber, local business community and the wider global network.
Corin Crane, chief executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are really pleased to be shortlisted alongside so many fantastic Chambers of Commerce from around the UK.
“We’ve achieved so much in the past 12 months – from acquiring a new business right through to helping thousands of businesses survive and grow in these uncertain times.
“We’re central to the Local Skills Improvement Plans in this region which is putting training and skills into the hands of local employers and we’re also the home of Destination Coventry, which is helping put us on the map when it comes to the visitor economy.
“Of course, there was a huge celebration when Coventry City won the Championship and their place back in the Premier League and we’d love to add to the silverware coming to this area by picking up this award!”
He added: “We’re delighted to see Chris Nagle recognised for his work both for us as a Chamber and for everything he does outside of work in the city and county.
“In the citation that accompanied his shortlisting it said that we encourage members to play an active, positive role in our city and county and we want our team to live and breathe those values. Nobody does this more than our head of marketing, events and communications Chris Nagle both in his day-to-day job but also outside of work too.
“He is an absolute superhero inside and outside of the office. His role covers a myriad of different areas of work, including running our huge events programme, marketing us as a business and, also, supporting our members in raising their profile too.
“He goes above and beyond every single day and has become one of the best-known and trusted faces of the Chamber in our region.”
