"I look forward to working on your behalf in the weeks and years ahead" - Lee Osborne

After 13 years with the Stoneleigh-based National Farmers Union, most recently as skills and employment policy advisor, Lee Osborne was recently appointed the Federation of Small Businesses' development manager for Warwickshire and Coventry.

Here he reflects on his first two months in the job - and outlines his objectives in the role going forward.

Hello everybody and thank you to Warwickshire Means Business for offering me this opportunity to introduce myself in my new role at the FSB.

I was delighted to take on the role of development manager for Warwickshire and Coventry and am already really enjoying getting my teeth into it.

I came to the FSB from a position at the NFU which was very much focused on the skills and employment issues facing the farming industry - and those issues are pretty similar to those facing businesses in all sectors in Coventry & Warwickshire.

The challenge for me is to get up to speed with the amazing range of businesses in the region. Our region is strong in so many areas sectors, from its wonderful automotive history and vibrant tourism industry to its renowned place at the forefront of the digital sector. The business reach of Coventry & Warwickshire is staggeringly diverse so I have already met many businesses throughout the county and will continue to do so to get a real sense of the issues facing small businesses across the board.

In Coventry & Warwickshire, with such a depth of expertise across so many sectors, we are working from a position of strength, but of course there are challenges ahead and I, like the FSB as a whole, am committed to helping small businesses see those challenges coming and become equipped to tackle them.

In my conversations around the county, Brexit remains a major concern with continuing uncertainty over what sort of a deal, if any, the UK will reach. The Skills Gap is another main area of focus and I will be working hard, alongside partner organisations like Warwickshire County Council, to help small businesses identify their skills gaps and access support to help fill them.

I know that Glenn Robinson and Fay Winterburn at the county council do a lot of great work to support employers and encourage and help them to look at options like apprenticeships. We at the FSB are very much on the same page and the more that organisations like ourselves, other local authorities and the Chamber of Commerce work together the better.

I am currently in the process of speaking to a lot of businesses and councils so that I can lobby our MPs effectively to ensure that our views are heard by decision-makers at the top level. That is my job - to be a voice for the small businesses of Coventry & Warwickshire. So if you have any comments or concerns that you would like to raise with me, or if you would like to join the FSB, please do get in touch at lee.osborne@fsb.org.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you - and working on your behalf in the weeks and years ahead.