Paul Ogden has been named the new president of Calne Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Ogden, who runs management consultancy Red Rag to Bull, was elected at the chamber AGM last week.

He replaces Mark Barrett, of accountants Riverview Portfolio, who had been president for the past two years.

Peter Vujakovic, of Butfield Breach, was voted in as vice president and Cassandra Smith, of Higos Insurance, as treasurer.

Mr Ogden, 50, who lives in Mill Street, said he wants to continue with the work of his predecessor.

He said: “I think Mark has done an exceptional job over the past two years. He has lifted the profile of the chamber considerably and increased membership.

“We now have a new team of officers at the top with myself, Peter and Cassandra and everybody has lots of ideas.”

Mr Ogden said he is well aware of the issues the town faces in a tough economic climate and said he is raring to go as he looks to help not only businesses but the community as a whole.

He said: “Calne has several major problems, the main one being that we need to increase footfall in the town.

“But I am a great believer in collaboration and I would like to see a lot more of that between us and the other organisations in the town.

“I want to ensure we are not all doing the same thing, because we can pool our resources and get things done.

“Getting people talking to each other is really important. My first job will be speaking to the community to see what is happening and to see what needs to be done.”

Mr Ogden said he believes the chamber has a pivotal role to play in the town, particularly in strained economic times.

He said: “I think the chamber is very important. A business community fully integrated into its local community is absolutely essential for businesses and the town in general.

“Businesses are by their nature focused on their own success and sometimes it is hard to think outside of that. But for the health of the local economy in general we need to do things together.

“We want to help make Calne a better place to live and work in and we want to make things happen. It is an easy thing to say but I want us to just get on with doing things as soon as possible.”