Coventry & Warwickshire in business
Foreword
Contents
July - August 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games Economy Comment Events
Dear Chamber of Commerce Member, I started the role as Chief Executive of your Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber at the beginning of July, and it is a real privilege to be following on from the mighty Louise Bennett OBE and great to be working with the brilliant staff at the Chamber of Commerce, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce Training and Destination Coventry. Most importantly, this is an amazing opportunity to work with you, the dynamic, innovative and hardworking businesses of Coventry and Warwickshire. But what a time our economy is facing. Our local businesses are incredibly resilient and cope time and time again with the challenges thrown at them by national and global forces but they are facing an avalanche of issues – we have inflation in double figures and unlikely to return to the Bank of England’s targets soon, we have energy and fuel costs at record highs, a combination of high shipping and logistics costs, gaps in supply chains and complicated border rules making importing and exporting incredibly hard. We also have an increasing skills gap in our workforces, difficulties recruiting staff and wage negotiations that are pushing company finances hard. This is coupled with a feeling that the gaps between the haves and have not’s is increasing rapidly – we have the crazy situation of record numbers of vacancies and yet nearly twice the national rate of youth unemployment in some of our most deprived wards. But to only look at the problems the economy faces would do a disservice to you because there are a lot of opportunities out there for the businesses that are ready to win them, and we can help you do that. That is why it’s so important to be not only a Member of this
great, global network that the Chambers offer – but also to be engaged, work with us as much as you can, share your stories, come to our events and let us help you survive and grow during these tough times. We all need to show our entrepreneurial spirit and seize the opportunities that are out there. The colour and imagination shown during Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture will be carried through future generations of artists and makers as long as the support is there to help them grow. The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will shine a global light on our tourism businesses and incredible products, and we are taking a worldwide lead in our work around sustainability and Very Light Rail. Of course, most of the issues that businesses face are outside their control and so our role lobbying, campaigning and partnering with our public sector and decision making colleagues will be critical. We will be battling for game changing devolution that puts decisions and budgets within local control, we’ll be campaigning to make sure our infrastructure supports productivity, rather than reduces it, and putting the business voice at the heart of the skills debate. I’m very excited about my new role and I am looking forward to working with you all, supporting you to grow your businesses, train your staff and support the incredibly diverse communities that make this area so special.
Corin Crane Chief Executive
4-7 8 9 10
Business Talent Business Engagement Profiles Chamber Training News Profile The Queen’s Award
11 12-13 14-15 16-19 20-21 22
News Economy News Around the Region News Environment Education & Training President & People New Members Members Offers
22-23 24-26 27-28 30-37 38-39 40 41-43 44-45 46 47
Earlsdon Park 53-55 Butts Road Coventry CV1 3BH www.bandhattonbutton.com info@bandhattonbutton.com 024 7663 2121
putting imagination to work www.cw-chamber.co.uk
3
