October 30, 2015 – Bob Malcolmson, CEO & General Manager of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce will be retiring in early 2016. Since taking on the day-to-day leadership of the organization in 1998, Mr. Malcolmson has been instrumental in strengthening the local Chamber movement, helping the Chamber earn widespread praise for its local advocacy work, as well as program scope and quality.
“I extend a sincere thank you to my dedicated staff and the close to 1,000 directors and volunteers I have had the pleasure of working with for close to two decades. I would also like to thank the Chamber membership for their unwavering support for, without them, the Chamber would not be a strong and effective “Voice of Business” in our community. Their generous support and dedication to the Chamber movement made this job the best leadership role in all of Durham Region. At this stage in my life it is time to step aside from the daily routine, spend more time with my family and put my many years of experience into private consulting,” said Mr. Malcolmson.
Malcolmson’s work with the Board, his staff and committees has yielded many accomplishments that have benefited the Chamber and the Durham Region community. Under his leadership, the Chamber has been placed on a sound fiscal footing with 18 successive surpluses and in 2005 the Chamber was recognized by the Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada (CACC) as one of the first of three Chambers in Canada to earn an “Accreditation with Distinction” – a certification that still holds to this day. He took a leadership roll in establishing Oshawa’s physician recruitment taskforce, Durham Economic Prosperity Conferences and increasing awareness of our community’s attributes and needs at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill, and he has shared his progressive and best-practice initiatives with Chambers coast to coast to coast across Canada.
Since 1998, the Chamber has been recognized for its policy and advocacy work provincially at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and nationally at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce as well as locally at the Region and City.
“We have long recognized Bob as a skilled local leader and community builder,” said Jeff Hayes, President of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce. Malcolmson’s contributions have also been recognized by his peers having received in 2008 the Alumnus of Distinction Award from Durham College for his outstanding dedication and contribution to Durham College and the community and in 2010, the Chamber Executives of Ontario awarded Bob the James Gordon Carnegie Memorial Award for having shown outstanding service to the industry, in the capacity of a leader and mentor to another industry professional as well as leadership and mentorship.
Jeff Hayes said, “Mr. Malcolmson will be continuing in his role until his successor has been found. A search for Mr. Malcolmson’s replacement is currently underway with a view to announcing the successful candidate early in 2016.”
The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce represents over 750 businesses employing over 40,000 persons in Oshawa and Clarington and across Durham Region and has been a large and effective Voice of Business in our community since 1928. For its members the Chamber provides: Connections to other members and local, provincial and national governments and agencies; Support through member discounts and exclusive services; and Advocacy in areas of government affairs and policy, energy, transportation and infrastructure issues.
