Nigel Rowlson, Managing Director of Nottingham-based creative agency The Dairy, has been officially unveiled as the new President of Nottingham City Business Club (NCBC).

Formed in 1924, NCBC is the oldest business club outside of London and was created as a member organisation to provide a forum where people can discuss business and social interest matters through regular lunches.

Pre-pandemic, the Club hosted its monthly meetings at Nottingham’s Park Plaza but has had to adapt by moving its lunches and events online since.

Many notable keynote speakers have attended over the years including Eleanor Roosevelt in 1957 – former First Lady of the United States – and a strong relationship continues to exist between NCBC and the Roosevelt Scholarship Programme.

Eleven lunches are held every year alongside several social events and an annual charity golf day, and the club is hoping to return to face-to-face events later in 2021.

A new President is appointed to lead the Club each year and well-known Nottingham businessman Nigel Rowlson has been invited to take on the role from May 2021 with Ross Davies, Managing Director of Strafe Creative, named as Vice President.

As well as being made President, Nigel was formally appointed to the Council of the Business Club alongside Terry Ellis from H20 Digital and Matthew Arnold from Five Nine Five.

Nigel has enjoyed a 41-year career in marketing and advertising after working for agencies in Nottingham, London and Leicester. He formed The Dairy in 2002, with the agency providing a full-service creative approach for its clients across branding and marketing strategy, social media, web, video, PR and design.

The business has worked with a host of well-known brands over the years including the NHS, Nottingham Trent University, the British Psychological Society and Nottingham City Transport while in 2021, the team has already welcomed new names to its roster including Nottingham Castle, Nottingham Forest Community Trust, Kaleidoscope International Trust and Entain.

Taking on the role of NCBC President is a challenge which Nigel is looking forward to and he has already set out a strategy for the Club over the next twelve months.

“First of all I would like to say a big thank you to our members for voting me in as President – it’s a privilege to hold such a position for a very established and historic Club,”

“There are three key themes I’m looking to develop over the next year as we look to evolve and push the Club forward. First, I want to make the council more diverse and representative. I think there’s work to be done collectively to make sure that we are representing people from a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds,”

“Secondly, we need to become stronger financially and build on our membership base. The pandemic has, understandably, affected numbers, so we need to build back up and reaffirm a strong and stable position. Finally, I want us to continue to attract headline speakers from Nottingham’s business community. We have a growing and dynamic network in and around the city and I would love to hear more from local entrepreneurs and provide a platform for them to share their stories and provide valuable insights for our members,” adds Nigel.

He continues, “Above all, I’m excited to be working with the council, our members and the local business community to continue to raise the profile of the Club. Nottingham is home to a strong economy and by working together, we can help the city to prosper and become a stronger home for commerce, innovation and success.”