Waverly Partners Recruits CEO for the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire
January 3, 2022 – Executive search firm Waverly Partners has placed Mike Skelton, who has led the Greater Manchester Chamber in New Hampshire since 2014, as the new president and chief executive officer of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire (BIA). Mr. Skelton will join the organization in early February. Selected after a nationwide search, he succeeds Jim Roche, who left BIA in August after 17 years in the role.
“I am deeply honored for the opportunity to join BIA as president and CEO and am excited to work with our outstanding staff and board of directors as we work towards advancing our mission of promoting a healthy business climate and robust economic future for New Hampshire,” said Mr. Skelton. “As our state’s leading business advocate, BIA has a storied history of strong and effective advocacy for New Hampshire’s business community. I’m looking forward to working with our staff, board and membership to build upon the incredibly strong foundation already in place and developing new initiatives and opportunities that will ensure our business community continues to prosper.”
BIA board chair Sheryl McQuade, regional president, Northern New England for TD Bank, said Mr. Skelton’s hiring begins an exciting new chapter for BIA. “Mike is a visionary leader who brings a true passion to BIA’s mission to help our member employers and all businesses in New Hampshire grow and thrive,” she said. “Mike’s time leading the Greater Manchester Chamber was marked by innovation, growth and economic development for its members.”
Key Accomplishments
Mr. Skelton led numerous key accomplishments for the chamber, including expanding economic development partnerships with the city of Manchester and state, allowing it to play a leading role in business expansion, attraction and retention efforts; growing the chamber’s programming, engagement, membership and revenue to help the chamber achieve its strongest financial health in decades; guiding the merging of the Manchester Young Professionals Network, the state’s largest young professionals network, into the chamber as a permanent workforce development program; the chamber’s first full rebranding in more than two decades; and renovation of the chamber’s offices into a modern collaborative meeting and workspace for members and community leaders.
In addition to leading the chamber for seven years, Mr. Skelton also served as its vice president of economic development and advocacy from 2006 to 2011.
Based in Concord, the Business and Industry Association was founded in 2013 as the New Hampshire Manufacturers’ Association. BIA is New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading business advocate. Through advocacy with state legislators and regulators, the organization shapes business-friendly public policy and provides counterbalance to legislation and regulations that threaten the growth and prosperity of New Hampshire business. The group monitors and responds to many issues that arise each year that directly impact businesses of all industries and sizes, providing them a direct connection to the legislative process BIA represents more than 400 members in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, high technology, professional services, financial services, health care, hospitality and tourism, public utilities, higher education and insurance. Member firms employ 86,000 people throughout the state and contribute $4.5 billion annually to the state’s economy.
Respected Recruiters
Formed in 2001, Cleveland-based Waverly Partners serves Fortune 500 service and manufacturing corporations, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, non-profit organizations, professional service firms, private equity firms, hospitals and healthcare systems and colleges and universities nationwide.
The firm has a national reputation of serving chambers of commerce and economic development organizations. The American Chamber of Commerce Executives, the national organization for chamber leaders, has designated Waverly Partners as the preferred provider of executive search services. It is the only firm in the country to have earned this distinction.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
