Outgoing executive vice president of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, Cyanne Thomas, leaves Bermuda next month with one major misgiving about her three year stint with the Chamber.

And she observed the need to improve the consultation processes involving the Chamber and Government.

Particularly, she is concerned that while Government seeks the Chamber's input on some issues, often there is no real time to get a membership consensus, before the matter is proceeded with.

She noted, "It means our consultation internally within the Chamber will have to get faster. E-mail will improve that, eventually. But right now, we use global fax to get the word out to our 750 members, and that normally takes two nights.

"In retrospect then, I wish that I would have been able to improve the consultation process between the Chamber and Government.'' Key issues she sees facing the business community in the immediate future include Y2K, the UK's stance on financial oversight, new trade union legislation, the national pension plan and the airport and tourism authorities.

Ms Thomas remains in a consulting role until leaving for England next month, to get married. She will be able to help guide her replacement, Mrs. Sharon Jacobs, who will be settling into the top executive post of the business lobby group.

In an interview last week, Ms Thomas suggested that the Chamber is going to be challenged in the future to get more out of individual committee participation.

"I always wanted to get more functional committees,'' she said, "that actually get involved with specific projects, instead of standing committees -- ones that will work on specific issues with memberships comprising those in areas of expertise, as opposed to those simply with a common denominator.'' She believes the Chamber can get more out of its membership that way, with members actually doing some of the leg work to ensure the Chamber's view at the end of the day is more comprehensively arrived at.

"There aren't as many active committees as I think there could be, working on specific issues,'' she said.

The Chamber currently has nine standing committees, although not all are as active as others. And some rarely meet regularly, unless they are working on something specific.

Her view of a new structure for the Chamber would entail an agenda that is promulgated more by the membership than the Chamber staff.

"It's an old story,'' she said, "but it is true that it would be great to get more Chamber members to realise that this organisation is really about them. It can only be as effective as what the members put into it.

"If it is always a struggle to get volunteers to give us their feedback or participate in workshops or study groups that can come up with a position statement on something, then it will be difficult to get a broader sense of what this organisation can represent.'' She does not recommend the job to anyone for more than four years.

She said, "It can be a bit of a burn-out with all the changes, including changes to the executive board, the economy and changes in how the membership sees issues.

"So after four or five years, not only is it physically and mentally healthy for one to be taken out of the pressure role, I think it also is good for the health of the organisation to have that change. I found it stressful, although it was a growing experience and a real challenge.

"I loved the in-depth relationship that I developed with many of the members.'' She stated modestly that her successor, Mrs. Jacobs, will bring more skills to the job, adding, "My experience was limited in terms of management, but broad, I think, in terms of problem-solving, thinking clearly and being creative. Every individual coming into this role will bring a large portion of their own personality onto the job.

"It is a question of finding the balance of where your personality blends with the limitations of the organisation and/or the politics of the country.'' Cyanne Thomas