Today we turn to Suzanne Caldwell, Managing Director at Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, as we continue our 2025 popular festive spotlight — featuring regional businesspeople from across the north. We are quizzing a notable name with 12 quickfire questions.

1. What were you hoping to achieve by December when you sat down in January, and did you get there?

Growing Chamber membership and our commercial Cumbria Business Growth Hub business support services. And yes to both but we’re aiming to grow both further in the coming year!

2. Tell us about three moments from 2025 that made you proud of your business.

I’m proud of the Chamber every day so this is a difficult one to answer. But if I have to go for three I’ll say (in chronological order)
1) Our Annual Partnership Dinner. What a fabulous gathering of so many of Cumbria’s wonderful business people! A relaxed and genuinely enjoyable and celebratory evening that made me feel proud not just of the Chamber but of Cumbria’s business community.
2) As did my next choice, Conference Cumbria. This continues to grow and build year on year, as a vibrant gathering of business people from across the county.
3) And finally, the Inspira-led supply chain winning the Connecting Cumbria bid. I’m delighted and proud that a number of Cumbrian organisations, ourselves included, agreed to focus on a Cumbrian offer rather than hedging our bets by also going in with out-of-county-led bids.

3. What's been your biggest headache this year - supply chains, recruitment, costs, or something else entirely?

I have to say we’ve found recruitment surprisingly easy with great fields of candidates for every job we’ve advertised (five), and we’re delighted with appointments we’ve made. We’ve some really interesting candidates coming through for the policy role we currently have out too. That said, the recruitment process is always time-consuming, and the volumes of interesting applicants have made it even more so – so I’m looking forward to a quieter year on this front.

4. If you had to describe 2025 using a Christmas film title, which would you choose?

You’ve Got Mail as I seem to have spent the whole of 2025 under a tsunami of emails – I’m sure I’m not alone in that!

5. What's your number one priority when the office reopens in January?

Getting myself and everyone else focussed on the challenges and opportunities of 2026.

6. Which business in the region has caught your eye this year - for all the right reasons?

How to pick when we work with so many?! So I’ll go seasonal. I’ve just had the pleasure of a tour around Bells of Lazonby – busy making fabulous mince pies for just about all the big buyers. The aroma was fantastic!

Their achievement of not just keeping but growing very significantly growing a family business in a small village in the Eden Valley is genuinely outstanding. With more than 400 in the team they’re no longer an SME but they’ve absolutely kept that family business feel and atmosphere too.

7. Crystal ball time: what does 2026 hold for businesses like yours?

The lack of public sector business support funding is going to be challenging, not just for us but, more importantly for the businesses it could help to grow, become more productive and flourish. But we have some great initiatives underway and planned around business support. And even more if we can find the funding.

More widely as a Chamber we have lots of great things on offer and in the pipeline so we’re looking forward positively to continuing to work with Cumbria’s businesses.

8. This Christmas, are you a "full production" household or a "feet up and telly" one?

I absolutely love Christmas decorations and sneakily leave one or two more out all year round every year. So, I definitely go for a full production approach when it comes to decorations, which includes having at least 3 trees. I decorate every room except the utility!

9. Crackers, Brussels sprouts, or pudding - which one best describes your year?

Crackers as you’re never quite sure what to expect.

10. Which business book, podcast or piece of advice has been your "surprise hit" of the year?

I didn’t expect when the year set off that I’d decide to get myself a mentor. But having read the blurb on our own new mentoring service in preparation for helping promote it I thought it sounded so great I’d take up the offer myself. It’s proved immensely useful in a range of ways - so much so that I also arranged for the rest of our SMT to participate!

11. As you wind down for the festive break, what are you most looking forward to switching off from?

Everything!

12. In twenty-five words or fewer, what would you say to your customers, teams and stakeholders as we head into 2026?

As I constantly say, the Chamber’s a community, where business belongs. I’m looking forward to being part of that community with you all in 2026.