The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Paul Guzzi is retiring from the organization after running it for 18 years.
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Guzzi is retiring from the organization after running the chamber for 18 years.
A search committee led by Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish and Hill Holliday CEO Karen Kaplan has been created by the chamber’s board to search for a successor.
“I love the Chamber and am proud of the work we have done to improve our region’s business climate, cultivate future leaders, and strengthen our community,” Guzzi said in a statement. “The Chamber’s strong position makes this the ideal time for me to step aside and let a new leader usher the organization into its next phase.”
Guzzi said he’ll stay with the chamber until his successor is picked. Fish and Kaplan said the chamber expects to hire an executive search firm, and is in the process of interviewing firms for that job.
“I have been privileged to know Paul for many years, and to work with him closely while I was Chair of the Chamber,” Kaplan said in a statement. “He is not only an effective and inspired leader, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of the business community and the community at large, but he is also an important figure in our region. He will be difficult to replace, but we will work hard to fill his very big shoes.”
Previously to leading the chamber, Guzzi was a vice president of state and community affairs for Boston College. He also held executive positions at Data General and Wang Laboratories.
Before his time in the private sector, Guzzi was involved with politics: He started as a state representative from Newton in 1970 and was elected secretary of state in 1974. He also was a chief of staff under Gov. Ed King.