Chamberlink April 22

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The official publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

CHAMBER LINK

April 2022

Free to Members £5.00 where sold

Welcome to Brum’s Hollywood vision…

Peaky Blinders creator reveals plans to US diplomats - See page 7 • Chairman David Waller steps down after nearly 12 years • Death of CEO John Warburton, who brought NEC to Birmingham • Meet the academic who was kidnapped for his computer skills

Picture: Marc Kirsten

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Contents Chamberlink April 2022 Business News

Features

4

Editor’s View Building relationships is what it’s all about

57 Hotels, Conferencing & Events: Top tips for planning a sustainable event

5

Business News David Waller steps down as chair of GBCC

58 Making the most of business exhibitions

5

President’s Focus James Tait, president, Transatlantic Chamber

61 Growing Your Business: Why good news makes good views for your website 63 Getting the best value from your business

18 The Griffin Report Dr Mohammed Rahman, senior lecturer in criminology at Birmingham City University

Sector Focus

22 Where do you fancy?

About Dining

68 Finance: Female labour force is on the up

Chamber Patrons 36 Funding boost for healthcare training hub

66 Business Travel: Midlands leads the way for EV

67

70 Retail: Website boost for the high-street

Member Section

71 Technology: Event showcases 5G benefits

79 Member Profile Noel Ady, gravity9

72 Legal: Corporate team advises on major sale

1813 Club and Premier Members

75 Property: Hotel to get new lease of life

38 Law firm welcomes new taskforce scheme

77 Manufacturing: Engineers expand facility

80 New Members Chamber welcomes new members 82 …any other business News from Chamber businesses

78 Sport: Time to look into Russia funding

Chamber Group 40 International Trade: New training scheme launched for SMEs 43 ABCC: New faces join executive committee 44 Cannock Chase: New director relishes opportunity to support business 45 Burton & District: Business backs International Women’s Day 46 Lichfield & Tamworth: Star-studded line-up unveiled for festival’s 40th anniversary 47 Sutton Coldfield: Nutritionist benefits from business coaching 48 Solihull: Year of achievement celebrated at Chamber AGM 50 Future Faces: Businesses join regional charity campaign

Events 52 The latest comprehensive list of Chamber training courses and events

43

The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) is here to connect, support and grow local businesses. Accredited by the British Chambers, we have acted as the voice of local businesses since 1813.

CHAMBER LINK

The official publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Cannock Chase

Editor John Lamb 0121 274 3237, 0797 1144064 j.lamb@birmingham-chamber.com Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 274 3239, 0797 1144052 d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com Assistant Editor Philip Parkin p.parkin@birmingham-chamber.com

Chamber of Commerce

Sutton Coldfield

Greater Birmingham

Chamber

Commonwealth

of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce

Greater Birmingham

Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce

Reporter Claudia Congrave 0775 7798567 c.congrave@birmingham-chamber.com Reporter Sophia Corness-Parr 0750 8317356 s.corness-parr@birmingham-chamber.com

You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 3

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Opinion

Editor’s View

By John Lamb

Building relationships is at the heart of all we do ery much a month for goodbyes and hellos. The goodbyes included remembering John Warburton, stalwart Chamber chief executive who passed away during March, and bidding a fond farewell to David Waller, who has served as the Chamber chairman for nearly 12 years.

A successor is being sought for David (see page 5), who will now focus on his many other businesses interests. The former head of PwC (PrincewaterhouseCoopers) in Birmingham became the first chairman in the Chamber’s history when he was appointed in 2010.

David leaves us with heartfelt thanks for bringing his invaluable experience, expertise and friendship, all delivered with style and humour through some challenging times.

John, who served from 1979 to 1994, was of a different vintage and age. But he retained a sharp interest in Chamber matters and he was always on the Chamberlink mailing list for the latest news and views from the Chamber.

The different age is reflected in that John was chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, its correct, legal name although it does appear here and there as Chamber of Industry and Commerce, including on the Chamber House signage.

I suppose the uncertainty was created by members being undecided about which sector should take priority in a region that was still to some extent basking in its reputation as the workshop of the world.

He was obviously a man of vision, for he did not give into to the lobbying for a new exhibition centre to be built in London. When a

V

FRONT COVER: Mandy Haque, the US Embassy’s Rosemary Gallant and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. See page 7 Published by

Kemps Publishing Ltd Unit 8, The Courtyard, 707 Warwick Road, Solihull, B91 3DA 0121 765 4144 www.kempspublishing.co.uk Managing Editor Laura Blake Designer Lloyd Hollingworth Advertising 0121 765 4144 jon.jones@kempspublishing.co.uk Printers Stephens & George Print Group

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Parliamentary Commission visited Birmingham to find out where businesses in the city wanted the centre to be IN LONDON, John and in a joint Chamber-City Council team started the campaign to bring it to the West Midlands.

They beat Greater London Council to a decision and the rest is history…

During March, we said hello to the team from the US embassy in London (see pages 7 and 42) when the Charge d’Affaires addressed Chamber members at an exclusive event along with Steve Hewitt from Gymshark, a huge exporter to the US. They also met several Chamber members with US links as well as visiting Peaky Blinders creator Steve Knight at his new studio in Digbeth.

This is all part of the Chamber’s continuing programme of fostering relationships through the world, which was very much at the heart of John Warburton’s time as chief executive. He was presented with a CBE for services to exports and his legacy in that field prevails at the Chamber.

It is ironic that his passing comes at a time of unbelievable Russian brutality inflicted on the people of Ukraine in an invasion that has brought back the sort of images we thought had been consigned to history.

We can only hope that somehow peace will again return to the region and that the rebuilding of utterly destroyed cities like Mariupol can begin.

It is wishful thinking that such a move can start anytime soon. But as long as free nations stand together, whether it’s through direct aid or protecting, maintaining and promoting trade between friendly countries there must be hope. A hope that the Chamber will continue to promote…

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Whenever we process data for these purposes, we always ensure we treat your Personal Data rights in high regard. If you wish to, you can visit www.kempspublishing.co.uk to view our full Privacy Notice and to learn more about our legitimate interests and your rights in this regard.

CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.

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Business News

Business News Latest news from Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Final annual meeting: David Waller pictured with board newcomer Suzy Verma (centre) and chief executive Henrietta Brealey at the 2021 annual meeting

Chamber chair to step down

By John Lamb avid Waller is to step down as chair of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) after nearly 12 years.

The former head of PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Birmingham became the first chairman in the 209-year history of the Chamber when he was appointed in September, 2010.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of the GBCC, said: “The Chamber is very grateful to David for his support in guiding us through this particularly interesting period in the Chamber’s history. I’d also like to personally thank David for his advice and insight since becoming CEO last year “As a highly successful businessman, his experience, expertise and counsel have been highly valuable to the Chamber and our board through Brexit, the Covid pandemic and beyond.

He has been a unwavering critical friend to the Chamber over the past 12 years.

“Although he will be a very difficult act to follow, we have started a recruitment process to identify our next GBCC chairperson. I’m sure I speak for former chief executives, board and Chamber members and colleagues when we wish David continued success in his various business interests.”

Mr Waller, who will now devote more time to his other business interests, said: “It’s been an honour to serve as the first chairman of the

D

Chamber in a time when the organisation transformed into an even more relevant force.

“This has been achieved latterly in one of the most difficult two years businesses have faced since the Second World War. I’m delighted to say the Chamber has helped businesses to meet those challenges as they battled the impact of a global pandemic.

“We have overcome any setbacks and emerged stronger, leaner and more efficient. I have worked with three excellent chief executives – Jerry Blackett, Paul Faulkner and now Henrietta Brealey – who have all steered the Chamber through challenging times.

‘We have overcome any setbacks and emerged stronger, leaner and more efficient’ “The Chamber can now look forward to a secure and prosperous future following the sale of the Chamber of Commerce house in Edgbaston.”

Mr Waller, who held the 2007 title of West Midlands Ambassador of the Year for Business in the Community from Prince Charles, decided to step down from PwC in December 2008 in order to return to a career in business.

Before joining PwC, Mr Waller held a number of senior managerial positions with Distillers, Kerrygold, and a global supermarket retailer. He worked abroad for several years in the Far East,

Middle East and USA before returning to the UK. He is married to Edwina and has a grown-up family who are all into equestrian sports.

Other appointments include chairmanships of Nexus Professional Network, Network Group Holdings plc, Delami Investments and British Edutrust as well as local appointments including Patron of St Giles Hospice.

The GBCC is also currently recruiting for two non-executive directors. Henrietta Brealey added: “The GBCC is mid-sized organisation employing around 80 members of staff and operated by a professional executive and management team. Our GBCC Board serves the critical function of providing independent strategic oversight and steer for the Chambers’ operations and commercial strategy.

“The external policy and campaigns priorities for the Chamber are handled separately by our Chamber Council and President.

“We are currently seeking leading professionals to join our existing board of high calibre professionals. While we welcome applications from all individuals who would make a significant contribution to the work of the board, we are particularly seeking individuals for the non-exec roles with a background in any of the legal sector, media and social media, information and digital technologies.

“We are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce and leadership and welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds.”

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Business News

Remembering John Warburton J

ohn Warburton, former chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry (now Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce), has died at the age of 89.

Among many achievements, he was part of the joint City and Chamber team that brought the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) to Birmingham, and created what is now the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).

In a career distinguished by tirelessly promoting British business abroad, John was awarded a CBE for services to exports in the New Year’s Honours in 1983.

He was also responsible for embracing Birmingham’s Asian community into the Chamber in the wake of the Handsworth riots in 1987, when the Institute of Asian Businesses (now the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce) was created.

John died on 3 March in Cowes, Isle of Wight, where he moved in 2020 to be nearer to his family. A funeral service as being held at The Oratory, Birmingham, on Tuesday, April 5 (12.30pm), followed by a reception in his memory at Edgbaston Golf Club.

Clockwise from top left: Meeting Margaret Thatcher; a fond farewell at Chamber House; receiving his CBE in 1983; at events with Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

‘John’s contribution to the Chamber was critical at a time when the promotion of Birmingham abroad was essential’ He joined Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1959 after working for London Chamber of Commerce following National Service in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.

John was appointed the Chamber’s Chief Executive in 1979 and served until 1994. He was also regional secretary of the West Midlands Chambers of Commerce from 1979 to 1994.

John’s daughter, Moira James, said: “My father was always exceedingly proud to have served the Chamber for so many years and to have contributed widely to the fortunes of businesses based in the Birmingham area.”

His deputy, Sue Battle, who went on to become Chief Executive, said: “John leaves a lasting and tangible legacy for Birmingham. He positioned the Chamber as one of the leading promoters for successfully bringing the National Exhibition Centre to Birmingham and was tireless in connecting its businesses globally, especially across Europe.”

Henrietta Brealey, Chief Executive of the GBCC, said: “John’s contribution to the Chamber was critical at a time when the promotion of Birmingham abroad was essential and he turned the Chamber into a leading force in that field as well as helping to bring the NEC to the city.”

John attended Newcastle-under-Lyme High School, gained an MA in law at Keble College, Oxford, and was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn in 1977. He became an accredited mediator at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.

In the 1960s, the Chamber became a focal point for local businesses working hard to boost their world-wide export sales. In the 1960s and early 1970s, John took Birmingham business missions to New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USSR, Congo, Romania, Yugoslavia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and Philippines.

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During the Chamber’s campaign with the city to bring the NEC to Birmingham, John wrote a paper for the Parliamentary Estimates Committee, which advocated the building of a new international facility in the Midlands.

This was instrumental in winning support for the bid, resulting in the creation of the NEC, now one of the world’s major business exhibition venues.

John succeeded Sir Robert Booth as Chief Executive of the Chamber in 1979. He also became the first Chairman of the advisory council of the West Midlands Development Agency, which was instrumental in making the West Midlands the most successful UK region in attracting new business and manufacturing investment.

With Sir Reginald Eyre, John pioneered the Heartlands partnership for the regeneration of East Birmingham and, with the support of Cadbury, Lucas, Bass and other large local firms, he set up Birmingham Venture, one of the first UK enterprise agencies created to promote new small businesses and support their growth.

He held several honorary appointments while at the Chamber, including membership of the Pay Review Body for Doctors and Dentists in the

N.H.S. (1982-1992), director, National Exhibition Centre Ltd. (1989-1995) and a founder Director of Business in the Community, the Prince of Wales’s national initiative for responsible businesses. He was also a member of the Steering Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce, Paris.

John remained active after his retirement and was a member of the Council of the University of Birmingham and a life member of its Court.

He was executive chairman of the Governors of Newman College (now Newman University), and chaired the Birmingham Macmillan Cancer Relief Appeal, providing additional Macmillan cancer nurses in the city.

He was also Deputy Chairman to the late Gary Allen on the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Appeal. In 1994 and 1995, he was a volunteer visiting adviser in Slovakia and Mongolia, helping their Chambers to adapt to economic and political change.

In 1960, John married Patricia Gordon, who died in 2009. He is survived by his sister Beryl Warburton, his daughter Moira James, her husband Julian and grandchildren Christopher and Dominic.

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Business News

Brum’s vision to attract the best of Hollywood

By Dan Harrison Bold plans to create a world-class “media neighbourhood” that will bring the biggest names in American TV and film to Birmingham were outlined by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight during a visit from a US Embassy delegation.

In a visit organised by the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, screenwriter and film director Mr Knight gave the delegation a tour of an 18-acre site in Digbeth which is set to be converted into a major production hub, alongside a boutique hotel, residential, shopping and dining areas.

The site – known as Digbeth Lock – has been confirmed as the new home for BBC’s MasterChef series from 2024, while a featurelength film of the hit show Peaky Blinders will also be filmed there.

‘We can tailor this towards an American production sensibility, while maintaining the integrity of what it is’ The US Embassy delegation was joined by the Chamber’s international director Mandy Haque, head of HSBC’s US desk Joe Davis and Birmingham Airport CEO Nick Barton.

Mr Knight said the demand for US streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney, Amazon and Apple to film in the UK presented Birmingham with a golden opportunity.

“We want the best of American productions,” he said.

“At the moment in the UK the demand for studio space is phenomenal. All of the big American productions like to come here.”

High on Mr Knight’s wishlist to

Bringing Hollywood to Brum: Steven Knight with the US Embassy’s Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs Rosemary Gallant (left) and Mandy Haque

help attract the best of Hollywood to Birmingham is a return of direct US flights to the city.

He said the introduction of a route from Los Angeles would transform Birmingham into a top TV and film destination.

“I want it to be a package where someone who is deciding where to go can, in the future, get on a plane in LA, come to Birmingham instead of Heathrow, and we can roll out the red carpet to welcome them,” added Mr Knight.

“The idea is that you get on a plane in LA, land 20 minutes away from where you’re going to be working, you get to where you are going to be working and you live where you are going to be working.

“I feel we can tailor this towards an American production sensibility, while maintaining the integrity of what it is.”

• Full report on the US ambassador’s visit to Birmingham – see page 42

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Business News

New face of Ronald McDonald in Brum: Mark Hipwell

New chair of Ronald McDonald charity Ex-Future Faces president Mark Hipwell has become the new chairman of Ronald McDonald House, a charity that provides home-away-from-home accommodation to children under care at the nearby Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Mr Hipwell will succeed Doug Wright, who has stepped down after six years in the role.

Mr Hipwell is a senior technical interface manager for the Systra Motts Macdonald Joint Venture, working on the main works civils design for phase one of HS2, the highspeed London to Birmingham railway.

He served as president of Future Faces – the young professionals’ arm of the Chamber – from 2018 to 2020.

Mark joined the Ronald McDonald board in 2020 and has been involved in a number of fundraising initiatives, including the ‘House-to-House’ challenge – in which he raised £2,500 by running and walking 1,000km (621 miles).

He said: “I am over the moon to be asked to follow Doug as the chairperson for the RMHC Birmingham board.

“It's a little scary to follow such an incredibly generous person and hero of mine but I'm excited for the challenge.

“The work the charity does is vital. With hotel costs and the often zero notice that can come with illness, being able to support parents and guardians to stay close to their children is amazing.

“I look forward to promoting the charity, celebrating the work it does in the city and taking its reputation up a level.”

Outgoing chairman Mr Wright said: “I was greatly impressed with Mark’s leadership of Future Faces and the impact he made across the regional charity sector. I wish him great success as chair.

“He is an exceptional individual who has a great future ahead of him. He has all the necessary attributes to be the lead and face of RMHC in Birmingham and to ensure that this wonderful charity is fully integrated within the businesses and communities of Birmingham and the wider region.”

• Award for predecessor – see page 26

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Diversity champ: Sir Lenny Henry

Band backs Sir Lenny media diversity call Birmingham City University Chancellor and TV comedian Sir Lenny Henry has joined forces with global chart-toppers Coldplay to raise funds to improve diversity and representation across UK media.

Sir Lenny is offering the public a chance to enter a ‘Crowdfunder’ prize draw to win a Fender guitar previously owned and signed by all Coldplay bandmembers, with the funds raised set to enable the delivery of new research, grants and action via Birmingham City University’s Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity.

Since its inception almost two years ago, Birmingham City University has funded nine key research projects through the Centre, including a collaboration with Cardiff University and work with Channel 4.

‘We have already made great strides in ensuring we shine a light on representation’ The Centre has published important research findings, examining the portrayal of black people in UK documentaries, the use of the term BAME (black Asian and minority ethnic) in broadcast media, and how entertainment trade unions should provide better support for members of colour.

It carries out an array of independent activities including offering grants to industry professionals researching diversity, while it aims to further expand its work to ensure the media better reflects UK society.

Sir Lenny said: “Through our Centre we have already made great strides in ensuring we shine a light on representation in the media and hear from the many unheard voices in this industry.

“We want our work to be even more impactful to ensure it delivers the real change that is required to shape our media landscape for years to come, bringing new opportunities and

tangible shifts across the sector.

“Media diversity matters to all of us, in shaping who tells our stories, which stories are told, and the career pathways open to people from under-represented communities.

“That is why I am launching this fund-raising initiative, with the help of Coldplay, to get support in helping us provide even more grants and change our industry for the better.”

Through the Centre, all money raised through the Crowdfunder initiative will be used to provide grants for research and activity which promotes media diversity both in front of, and behind, the camera.

Confirming the guitar’s authenticity, Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin said: “We fully support, applaud, and encourage everything that is being done to increase diversity and inclusion in the media through all of the brilliant things being done by Lenny and the whole team.”

• The Centre for Media Diversity has helped ITV develop plans to improve racial equity and disability equity in its programming content.

The broadcaster has announced plans to reserve £80m of its content commissioning budget over the next three years on a new diversity drive, with at least £20m of the total reserved for content made by black, Asian and minority ethnic-led and disabled-led production companies.

ITV has also created a new £500k development fund to develop ideas that will qualify for the Diversity Commissioning Fund.

Ade Rawcliffe, ITV’s director of diversity and inclusion, said: “ITV is committed to creating content by, with, and for everyone, connecting and reflecting modern audiences.

“We want more people of colour and disabled people to be able to tell their stories and get opportunities in senior production roles. With this reserve fund, we’re working to speed up progress in a sustainable way and play our part to change the structure of the industry.”

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Business News

Athletes see stadium is on track Athletics stars of the past, present and future marked Commonwealth Day by trying out the track at the newly-transformed Alexander Stadium.

And they were joined in the impressive new facility by 72 school children from across the city.

Each pupil represented one of the nations and territories that will participate in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, with the facility in the Perry Barr area of the city set to play a crucial role at Games time, hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as 59 athletics events.

The stadium has been the proud home of Birchfield Harriers athletics club since 1978. The club has produced a huge number of Commonwealth stars and will house up to 30,000 spectators at each Commonwealth Games session, before reverting to a permanent capacity of around 18,000.

Inspired: Rhiana Burrell

‘It is going to be a really special venue for athletics at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games’ With constructors in the final stages of commissioning the building and the decoration and snagging being completed, some of the temporary infrastructure such as the additional seating and lighting are already being installed.

Ian Reid, CEO of Birmingham 2022, said: “Today is very special as it is a day when the Commonwealth is united in celebration. Many of these celebrations will highlight the countdown to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and it is now just 136 days until athletes from all of the 72 nations and territories will gather together at the Alexander Stadium for the official start to 11 days of fantastic sporting action.”

“The Alexander Stadium looks fantastic, and it has been great to get out on the track today to celebrate Commonwealth Day with our partners, local school children and with athletes who have strong links to this world-class venue.”

As celebrations took place in Birmingham, at Westminster Abbey and around the Commonwealth, the Queen’s Baton Relay was in New Zealand to mark Commonwealth Day. The day unfolded with community and ceremonial events. Lewis Clareburt, swimmer and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and Irene van Dyk, the most capped international

Traffic plans to ease Games disruption

netball player of all time, were among the Batonbearers to take on the Relay in the former Commonwealth Games host country.

Birchfield Harrier and Team England’s Commonwealth Games 1500m finalist, Sarah McDonald, said: “It was amazing to visit the new Alexander Stadium on Commonwealth Day. The transformation of this facility is incredible, and it is going to be areally special venue for athletics at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and for athletics events for years to come.”

Birchfield Harrier, Rhiana Burrell, who is 18 years old and finished fifth in the high jump at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships, said: “I’m really excited that the Commonwealth Games is going to be held in Birmingham. It’s inspiring to have such a major event happening in my home town.

“I also can’t wait to be back training here at the Alexander Stadium. Having a world-class facility like this will benefit Birmingham athletes for years to come.”

A series of local traffic management plans have been published for communities in the vicinity of venues for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to help residents and businesses plan ahead.

To ensure the smooth running of the Games when more than one million spectators are expected to visit the region, there will be temporary changes to local roads, parking regulations and public transport in Birmingham around: • Perry Barr - Alexander Stadium • Sutton Coldfield - Sutton Park • City Centre - Arena Birmingham, Smithfield • Southern venue cluster – Edgbaston Cricket Stadium, University of Birmingham (venue and athletes’ village) The plans show when and where traffic management measures will be in place and what they will mean to those who live or work in those areas.

An area of the Birmingham 2022 website has been set up to act as a single source of information. The online hub will continue to be updated with the latest information in the run up to the Games.

Free jazz summer school hits the right note B:Music, the music charity responsible for Birmingham’s Town Hall and Symphony Hall, have announced that their Jazzlines Summer School will return later this year.

The free, non-residential course designed to help young musicians from Birmingham and surrounding areas will run from 22-26 August for those aged 11 to 19.

It takes place at the world-renowned Symphony Hall in the heart of Birmingham. The Jazzlines Summer School offers a comprehensive and broad-ranging programme.

The course is designed to develop key skills in aural training, ensemble musicianship, jazz repertoire and harmony and is suitable for those aspiring to further their music studies as well as those who just want to learn new skills in a fun, supportive and encouraging atmosphere.

The Jazzlines Summer School is led by the world-renowned trumpeter and bass player Percy Pursglove and professional vocalist and songwriter Sara Colman, both experts in helping young musicians build their skills in a way that is best suited to each individual.

They are supported by an experienced group of Jazzlines tutors, music educators and specialist jazz performers from the Birmingham and UK jazz scene such as Shabaka Hutchings, Kit Downes, Yazz Ahmed and Nikki Isles.

B:Music’s Talent development manager, Richard Foote, said: “The free-to-access Jazzlines Summer School is one of B:Music’s flagship talent development programmes which gives many young musicians their first foray into the world of jazz, and also into Birmingham’s iconic Symphony Hall.”

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Business News

Telecoms giant signs up to Chamber network

The HS2 Skills Academy in Bordesley Green

HS2 Skills Academy is a rail opportunity West Midlands mayor Andy Street has visited the HS2 Skills Academy in Bordesley Green, one of Birmingham’s most deprived wards.

The academy has been established by HS2’s construction partner, Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV), and is based at South and City College’s site in Bordesley Green.

HS2 says that a further 3,000 local people are set to benefit from jobs on HS2, and no previous experience is needed to sign up to the construction training programmes on offer.

After completing a four-six week course, students progress to a paid work trial with BBV, after which they are matched to job roles within the HS2 project.

BBV estimates it will eventually support around 7,000 jobs to deliver its programme of work on HS2.

Telecoms infrastructure firm Openreach has joined the Chamber.

To mark the occasion, Chamber chief executive Henrietta Brealey toured the firm’s new Snowhill office with its regional director, Kasam Hussain.

The company employs more than 3,200 people across the region and recently announced that a further 300 engineers were set to be recruited.

These recruits will be put to work building a new ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband network across the region.

Ms Brealey said: “Openreach’s full fibre network build is the second biggest infrastructure build in the UK after HS2. It was great to meet Kasam and the team to learn more about Openreach’s national activity and local objectives.

“At the Chamber, we’ve been in business, for business, since 1813. We specialise in helping businesses develop and navigate networks while delivering core support and services that enable businesses to achieve their ambitions on local and global growth.

“With 650 staff based at their Snow Hill offices alone, Openreach are a substantial employer in the city and already making a big impact.

“The Chamber team are looking forward to working with Openreach on engaging local businesses with the 2025 switchover to digital phone lines and raising awareness of Openreach’s investment in the city though their 1813 Club membership of the Chamber.”

Mr Hussain said: “We’re delighted to be

Speed dial: Kasam Hussain with Henrietta Brealey

joining the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and enjoyed showing Henrietta and her team around Snowhill. We play a significant role in every community across Birmingham, both in terms of building full fibre and employing thousands of people locally.

“Joining The Chamber will enable us to work more closely with other businesses and organisations across the city, sharing experience and expertise, and hopefully being able to explain a bit more about what we do and the important role we play.”

Curtain goes up at new-look Birmingham Rep Birmingham Rep has officially unveiled a £2.87m new look to its home in Birmingham’s Centenary Square, half-a-century after opening its doors there for the first time.

The design includes a front entrance and terrace which connect directly to Centenary Square for the first time.

Other features include a new cafe, bar and restaurant spaces and new 10-foot signage that welcomes visitors from across the square.

Rep artistic director Sean Foley said: “First founded in 1913 by Barry Jackson, Birmingham Rep is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre companies - it is simply one of Birmingham’s crown jewels.

“Now, 50 years since The Rep moved to its iconic ‘new’ home on Centenary Square, we are thrilled once again to re-new the company by remodelling this beautiful building.

“The theatre will, for the first time, have a front door and the new bars and foyers will ensure we can give audiences and all of our visitors a great night out from the moment they first step into the building.”

Rep executive director Rachael Thomas said: “We are now able to welcome visitors direct from the recently reimagined Centenary Square and ensure an accessible, high-quality theatre10 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

Cast of many: Rachael Thomas, Janeel Brown (Young Rep), Claire Winteringham, (Rep original architect), Graham Winteringham, Sean Foley, Madeline Kludje (Rep associate director) and Zarah Alam (Young Rep)

going experience for all who visit Birmingham’s only premiere producing theatre.”

Anita Bhalla, interim chair of Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), who backed the project, said: “Our £2m investment into The Rep is part of our work to support our creative industries

cluster and to drive forward inclusive economic growth.

“It’s all made possible through our unique triple helix structure of bringing together local authorities, businesses and partners to make investment decisions that are underpinned by local knowledge and need.”

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President’s Focus In this month’s President’s Focus, James Tait, president of the Transatlantic Chamber and partner at law firm Browne Jacobson, looks at how the pandemic has impacted on attitudes towards flexibility in the workplace. He says employers may need to take a closer look at working practices as part of their recruitment and retention strategies.

Greater Birmingham

Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce

he first thing I noticed when I returned to the office after the Christmas break was that traffic jams were back in full swing, the streets of Birmingham city centre were busier than before Christmas and, importantly for me, the doughnuts and other artery clogging delights in the kitchen that our staff bring in were back.

This told me that people are now no longer thinking about returning to the office, but they are actually doing it. However, the complexities of hybrid working are not straightforward.

The pandemic has seen employers and employees having to adjust quickly and with considerable flexibility to new ways and, in many cases, places of working. While there will no doubt be some employers who would like to see a return to pre-pandemic norms, there appears to be considerably less appetite from employees to do the same.

Having had a taste for greater flexibility over hours or work location, many employees are unwilling to give this up, with hybrid working the preferred choice for most employees where this has been feasible during the pandemic.

T

‘The pandemic has seen employers and employees having to adjust quickly and with considerable flexibility’ The recent government flexible working consultation which closed in December 2021 was, rather misleadingly, called ‘Making flexible working the default’.

While the proposals do not, in fact, go anywhere near as far as establishing a “default” right, they do include reframing the right to request flexible working (as opposed to the right to work flexibly) as a day-one right.

Publicity over both the consultation and any likely future changes ahead will continue to raise awareness of flexibility within the workplace, as will the publication of tribunal awards of compensation where employers have not dealt with flexible working requests appropriately.

The ever-changing makeup of the workplace – with rising percentages of Millennials and Generation Z – will also affect the importance of flexibility in the workplace, with both groups rating flexibility highly when making employment decisions and being more willing to vote with their feet if they feel their needs are not being met.

The pandemic-related ‘Great Resignation’ is predicted to continue throughout 2022, with a survey indicating that almost a third of UK 12 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

workers are considering moving to a new job.

That is a lot of people.

The existence of flexible working policies (or the lack of) also has a key impact on whether employees decide to stay or go.

The notion of a four-day working week is also gaining some traction with 4 Day Week Global reporting that 63 per cent of businesses found it easier to attract and retain talent with a four-day work week, and that 78 per cent of employees with a four-day work week were happier and less stressed.

A pilot scheme has been launched to run a six-month trial within the UK of a four-day working week, with no loss of pay.

The trial is intended to run from June to December 2022 – again raising awareness of how different types of working arrangements may benefit employers and employees alike.

To retain and attract talent, we will all need to think very carefully about both our reward packages and working practices moving forwards and assess whether they remain fit for purpose – whether we like it or not.

In this context, working practices go well beyond a flexible working policy – and run right through the culture of the organisation.

The adage “out of sight, out of mind” springs to mind – ONS research indicates that those mainly working at home were less likely to be paid a bonus and less likely to be promoted, despite working higher levels of unpaid overtime and with lower sickness absence rates.

Employers who do wish to move to a more flexible model will therefore need to consider how best to integrate this within their culture to avoid inequalities – whether advertent or inadvertent - arising.

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Business News

Sackings put P&O in choppy water An employment barrister has warned that P&O ferries faces a ‘hefty price tag’ for its actions in suddenly sacking 800 staff without warning.

Alex Mellis, an employment barrister at No5 Barristers’ Chambers, said that there would undoubtedly be legal implications for what P&O had done, although the precise nature of this was unclear as Chamberlink went to press.

Mr Mellis said: “By all accounts, there seems to me no doubt that there has been a failure to consult the workers affected by this decision and this will likely lead into various avenues of legal proceedings.

“In the short term, we may well see the trade unions seek an injunction in the High Court, although we would expect to see it imminently if it were to happen at all and it is likely to enter a relatively untested area of law.

“This would essentially force P&O to carry out the consultation with workers that should have happened.

“There is also a mechanism for the failure to provide consultation which can be sought by the trade unions in a complaint to the Employment Tribunal.

“If the Tribunal agrees the consultation was not carried out, a protective award can be ordered. This would come in the form of a week’s pay for a period of 90 days, dependent on the severity and egregiousness of the breach by the employer, so we could see P&O needing to pay out up to 90 days’ additional pay for all 800 employees.

“There are also grounds for these workers to individually claim for unfair dismissal. In a simple unfair dismissal case, the pay-out will be capped at a year’s salary for every employee who takes this step, which may well be a similar amount to the recently announced ‘enhanced’ redundancy packages that have been discussed.

Chief executive wins top business award Chamber chief executive Henrietta Brearley has been crowned the ‘Young Businessperson of the Year’ at a major awards ceremony.

Henrietta Brealey (pictured) received the award at the 2022 ‘Birmingham Business Live Awards’ at the ICC. Ms Brealey said: “Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe and home to many outstanding leaders in business. It was an honour to be shortlisted alongside such inspiring individuals and I am delighted to have won this award.

“For me, there could have been nowhere better to start and grow my career than Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. The opportunities I’ve had to learn from and build a network of leaders of all sectors in a supportive and entrepreneurial environment has been second to none.

“This city-region is home to an incredible array of business excellence and talent, it feels so good to be able to get back out and celebrate it in style again.”

Graeme Brown, editor of the Birmingham Post, which supported the awards, said: “My congratulations goes to all of our finalists.

After what has been a very hard two years for the business world, it is heartening to see companies across the West Midlands continuing to recruit, thrive and innovate.”

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Protestors outside the head office of P&O ferries after the sacking of 800 staff

“Whether made redundant or dismissed without notice, P&O will be expected to pay out a year’s salary to these workers as standard, with some able to claim more should there be further discrimination involved in the dismissal.

“For whichever avenue of legal proceedings take place, it is set to be a hefty price tag for P&O, although one they may well have calculated and decided to take already.”

Transit station sites needed to fuel green transport plan The search is on to find sites for 10 electric vehicle transit stations to provide ultra-rapid charging for cars and larger vehicles as part of the region’s green transport revolution.

As the electric equivalent of petrol and diesel filling stations they are designed to encourage greater take up of electric vehicles (EVs), including lorries and commercial vehicles as part of the ‘#wm2041’ plans to deliver a net zerocarbon region.

The 10 stations, each likely to include 80 to 100 ultra-rapid chargers, will be located at strategic points along the region’s major road network with a view to putting 90 per cent of the region within easy reach of a top-up.

The EV transit station network is one of the first four major transport projects to be delivered as part of the £1.3bn City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) backed investment.

The four schemes were green lit by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) board and can go ahead pending final approval from government. These are: • £24m to seek sites for, plan and deliver a network of 10 EV transit stations across the West Midlands • £43m to extend the West Midlands Metro depot at Wednesbury to service the region’s growing tram fleet and network – including the extension to Dudley in 2024.

• £17m to replace and upgrade the Metro power supply on the existing Wolverhampton to Birmingham line for the first time since it opened 22 years ago.

• £56m to deliver phase two of the Sprint bus priority corridor with more bus lanes and junction upgrades along the full route between Solihull and Walsall. Phase one along the A34

Going green: Search is on for ten charging sites in the region

and A45 in Birmingham is nearing completion.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the WMCA, has been awarded £1.05bn CRSTS funding which, topped up with local funds, will deliver £1.3bn investment across 50 large and small transport projects over the next five years.

Projects to promote the decarbonisation of transport, target investment into areas of poor connectivity and support inclusive growth have been prioritised.

Design and delivery work on these first four schemes will begin as soon as the government approval is confirmed.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “These projects are just the start of our £1.3bn investment to de-carbonise and revolutionise our transport network across the West Midlands.

“We know that many people and businesses would like to switch to electric vehicles but are worried about the availability of chargers – so these ten electric vehicle transit stations show we are serious about supporting that transition.”

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Business News John Stephan: International deals have boosted the building products sector

Buildings sector sees resurgence The UK’s building products and services sector has seen a significant upturn in the number of deals being completed.

According to accountancy and business advisory firm BDO, there was a massive 51 per cent increase in transactions in this sector last year.

Some 375 deals were completed, compared to just 249 in 2020, with the builders’ merchants sector particularly active.

More than 1,000 deals have been completed in the UK market in the last four years.

Deals in 2021 included the sale of Redditch-based Mikrofill to Stuart Turner Group and the sale of Technocover by Solihullheadquartered Hill & Smith Holdings.

‘The building products and services sector has performed strongly during 2021’ Of the UK deals, 41 per cent were backed by private equity (PE), which included additional funding into existing PE investments (31 per cent in 2020).

John Stephan, mergers and acquisitions partner at BDO, said: “The building products and services sector has performed strongly during 2021, compared with the market as a whole, rebounding 43 per cent last year following a challenging 2020.

“That performance was underpinned by a clear appetite from businesses to pursue ambitious

growth strategies through mergers and acquisitions, with investors following suit with first-time capital and follow-on funding.

“Unsurprisingly, private equity has played a major part in the market’s eagerness to do business during 2021.”

Globally, 213 deals were completed by BDO’s building products and services team, a rise of 33 per cent on 2020. Following the market trend, 30 per cent of BDO deals involved private equity.

Although cross-border deals dipped as a proportion during 2021, highprofile transactions included the sale of Solatube International (USA) to Kingspan Group (Ireland); the acquisition of Fiora Bath Collections (Spain) by The Engineered Stone Group (UK); the sale of 63 per cent share capital of Electrozemper (Spain) to FW Thorpe (UK); and the acquisition of Energent Oy (Finland)

by Volution (UK).

Mr Stephan said: “The building products and services sector has developed a very global feel in recent years, with transactions transcending boundaries as overseas and domestic companies look to widen their international footprint through acquisition.

“With supply chains coming under pressure due to the pandemic and Brexit, with further disruption expected as a result of the invasion of Ukraine, businesses are increasingly targeting strategic add-ons that enable them to strengthen their position in key overseas territories.”

T: 0121 745 8444 E: sales@midland-fire.co.uk W: midland-fire.co.uk April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 15

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Business News

Chamber forges links Down Under

By Dan Harrison The Chamber has signed an agreement with an Australian trade body that will bring increased benefits to its members.

To coincide with the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay arriving in Australia, the Chamber has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Trade & Investment Queensland – the Queensland Government’s dedicated global business agency that helps exporters do business in international markets.

As part of the deal, Chamber members will be able to access meeting rooms and a small events space free of charge at Trade & Investment Queensland’s new Queensland House building in London.

And Chamber patron Aston University is returning the favour by offering hot desking facilities to any companies linked to Trade & Investment Queensland.

‘Meaningful connections between businesses that lead to beneficial outcomes in the form of export deals’ Australia is seen as a key trading partner for West Midlands firms. According to the Department for International Trade (DIT), more than 1,300 businesses from the region exported to Australia in 2020 – with the value of those goods in excess of £350m.

Road vehicles accounted for £118m of those exports, while cake brands Mr Kipling and Cadbury are purchased by 20 per cent of Australian households.

Stefanie Bowes, head of the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber, said: “We are delighted to have put together a great

It’s a deal (from left): Stefanie Bowes, the Chamber’s international director Mandy Haque, outgoing AgentGeneral for Queensland in the UK Linda Apelt, and Warren Bartlett

initiative with Trade & Investment Queensland where our members can now benefit from hotdesking facilities both here in Birmingham and central London.

“Australia is an important trading partner for the West Midlands and through our relationship with Trade & Investment Queensland we look forward to expanding those links.”

Warren Bartlett, deputy commissioner Europe at Trade & Investment Queensland, said: “Our focus at Trade & Investment Queensland in the UK is to support innovative Queensland businesses to internationalise and to bring productive European investment in our state.

“A key element of our work is facilitating meaningful connections between businesses that lead to beneficial outcomes in the form of export

deals, partnerships and collaborations.

“We are pleased to participate in the MOU with the GBCCC and welcome Chamber members to interact with Queensland businesses and learn more about exciting opportunities in Queensland over the next as we prepare for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.”

Mark Smith, executive director of business engagement at Aston University, said: “I’m delighted at this great step taken by the state of Queensland. The MoU with the GBCCC formalises a joint approach to trade. Extending the use of the Queensland state offices in London to members is superb.

“I look forward to reciprocating and hosting Queensland business delegates and officials visiting Birmingham at Aston University.”

Risk brings investor reward for Wesleyan Wesleyan – the specialist financial services mutual for professionals in the education, medical and dental sectors – has secured the ‘Responsible Investor of the Year’ award at the Insurance Asset Risk Awards.

The Birmingham-based business won the award for its responsible approach to investment, led by director Martin Lawrence.

The Wesleyan investment team is made up of 23 people and has more than £8 billion in assets under management, ranging from stocks to property and bonds.

The mutual is committed to ensuring all its directly managed funds meet a robust set of investing principles that focus on reducing harm, positive impact and driving change.

This means that investments are made in companies that are actively working to protect the environment and tackle the issues that impact the planet and its people.

Mr Lawrence said: “This award means a lot to our team and shows we’re on the right track with our responsible investment ambitions.

“The business launched its enhanced sustainable investing policy in October 2021

16 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

and we have refined our investment approach to match, which applies to all our directlymanaged customer funds and not just a selection of them. This sets us apart from competitors in a crowded marketplace.

“We have also expanded our in-house socially responsible nvestment team, to give us the additional expertise required to consider a broad range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the companies we invest in.

“As a mutual serving some of society’s most trusted professions, we have sustainability at the heart of our business. We care about doing the right thing for our customers, their communities and the wider world, which means we have a duty to invest in a responsible, sustainable way.”

Wesleyan is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), a United Nations supported network of investors that works together to drive best-practice on ESG issues, and a signatory of Climate Action 100+, an organisation focused on ensuring the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.

Doing the right thing: Martin Lawrence

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Business News

The Griffin Report Dr Mohammed Rahman was regularly kidnapped as a youngster to be exploited by gangs for his knowledge of laptops. But he fought his way out of a tough inner-city environment and used the experience to earn a PhD and become senior lecturer in criminology at Birmingham City University. Jon Griffin finds out what makes the former Winson Green schoolboy tick. ohammed Rahman has understandably vivid memories of the occasions when he was kidnapped and bundled into a car on the back streets of Winson Green.

“There was a time when laptops would get stolen by those that I knew and because they had very limited technological knowledge, I would be the one that would be forced to unlock those laptops for them.

I would be walking home from school in Winson Green and I would be physically picked up and put into a car just around the corner of my house.

“I would be given a set of laptops and I knew immediately that it was a stolen item because it had the names of the organisations that they were stealing from – these were double glazing companies and heating companies that they would break into at night.

“Although these individuals knew how to pull off a robbery or burglary they had no knowledge of how to switch on a laptop because they thought it was blocked.

“That happened three times and on the third occasion, I had just had enough. I said to one of the guys ‘rather than you kidnapping me, let me just teach you how to switch on a laptop’.

“You would get paid for it, twice I got paid £5.

I was 13 to 14 years old. That’s like a month’s

M

‘I would be walking home from school in Winson Green and I would be physically picked up and put into a car just around the corner of my house’ supply of whatever you wanted to buy at that age.”

Mohammed’s dramatic recall of his kidnap fate at the hands of street gangs and life in inner-city Birmingham nearly 20 years ago provide a telling insight into the determined character who fought his way out of a tough inner-city environment to carve his own distinctive path in the world of academia.

Mohammed has come a very long way from the youngster who was once paid by gangland thieves for his computer knowledge. Today, Dr Rahman is, at just 31 years of age, senior lecturer in criminology at Birmingham City University, an author, a media commentator and a renowned expert on organised crime.

Such is his expertise in his field that he was recently appointed to become a member of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime, a Geneva-based independent non-

governmental organisation set up to tackle illicit activity and crime.

With that sort of global peer recognition at such a young age along with a distinguished track record in academia, Mohammed, an only child who pays tribute to the value of his upbringing in the mean streets of Handsworth and Winson Green at the hands of ‘excellent’ parents, has much to be proud of. But it could have been different.....

“If I was in that environment in the present day it would have been very easy to groom me into that world. There has been a paradigm shift with the advent of county lines and going beyond city bases.

“The situation is getting worse for youngsters in inner-city Birmingham and it is also affecting the outskirts of Birmingham. There are also enough cases and evidence to suggest that it is affecting young girls, young white girls from

Research: Dr Mohammed Rahman at work in his Birmingham City University office

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Business News middle-class backgrounds, individuals that are part of gangs that have been exploited or groomed – there has been a seismic change in terms of the individuals in relation to ethnicity, gender and class.

“It is far from reality that this is restricted to inner-city areas, young, black male.” He said Birmingham had a strong reputation for increasingly violent organised crime.

“The number of criminal gangs has increased significantly in the past 20 years and accompanying that, so has the violence. It was used sparingly, it was used as a last resort but these days, the violence is more explicit, visceral and at the forefront of confrontation.

“The violence is often employed by the youngsters, individuals who are naive or groomed. They tend to be coerced and manipulated to do the dirty work and the dirty work results in them being involved in cases of fatal violence.”

With his background and knowledge of the back streets of inner Birmingham, Mohammed has been able to compile vital research into organised criminality as part of his PhD and his ongoing work as a lecturer at Birmingham City University.

“A lot of my work is based on my own personal contacts, individuals that I have grown up with over time. I have always lived in innercity Birmingham, 20 years in Handsworth, 10 years in Winson Green.

“It has enabled me to acquire a deep understanding of some of the key stakeholders that are involved in organised crime and street gangs, particularly in the North-West corridor of the city.

“I grew up with them, I went to school with

them, I was around when they were involved in criminality – not with them – but I would hear about them.

“They would talk to me about some of the techniques that they would employ and use so as to be able to evade the police and that kind of got me to start thinking more deeply about the organised nature of criminality, that it is not just ad hoc or sporadic. I have seen violence, I have heard shootings.”

Mohammed is full of praise for the research undertaken by much-loved Birmingham historian Carl Chinn on the Peaky Blinders TV phenomenon, work which helped him with his PhD. “For me, they were the first entrepreneurial criminals. Carl Chinn’s work about the history of Birmingham and Peaky Blinders was pivotal, a cornerstone for the work that I ended up doing and later developed in terms of publications, my book and other stuff. For me, he is an invaluable resource.”

But back to the present and what hopes does he have of society tackling the growing scourge of organised crime in Birmingham and further afield?

“You are never going to stop crime but informal education is key, understanding exploitation, grooming, the education of life to understand that this can potentially lead to trouble.”

He is also optimistic that the Global Initiative can play a key role in tackling crime at a worldwide level. “The Initiative is a world-leading organisation whose mandate is to curb transnational organised crime and I am very thankful for them getting me involved as one of their 555 global network expert members. It is a massive deal to become a member.”

With Covid-19 highlighting concerns ranging from workplace safety to furlough fraud, it is hardly surprising to have seen a rise in workers ‘speaking out’ about such issues.

protected, although they could well be protected for blowing the whistle about breaches of individual employment rights where the disclosure is also in their own personal interest.

Fostering an open culture can also create better working relationships with loyal employees more likely to make an internal report than complain externally or publicly.

However, what amounts to whistleblowing is a complex and technical area of law with lots of angles, and it is not always obvious that a worker is whistleblowing.

Whistleblowing legislation protects workers, including employees, from being subjected to any detriment on the grounds that they have made a ‘protected disclosure’.

But if a whistleblowing complaint is not spotted or is mishandled, an employer may find themselves on the receiving end of costly litigation.

Employees are further safeguarded against dismissal.

And if the principal reason for an employee’s dismissal is that they made a protected disclosure, they shall be regarded as automatically unfairly dismissed.

Employers must also remember that prohibiting staff from speaking out is not allowed. Any provision in an agreement, including a worker’s contract, trying to prevent them from whistleblowing will be void, as will non-disclosure agreements in settlement agreements which seek to gag workers from making a protected disclosure.

It is therefore crucial to understand what whistleblowing is. In broad terms, whistleblowing is a worker disclosing information about past, present or imminent wrongdoing in the workplace or an attempt to conceal the same – typically to their own employer or a regulator.

This is crucial, and employers need to know that there is no cap on the amount of compensation which can be awarded in such cases, where interim relief is also available in some circumstances.

The disclosure of information can be oral or in writing and need not be formal which is why a whistleblowing complaint can be easy to miss.

Organisations should therefore be encouraged to see effective whistleblowing procedures as part of their good governance strategy.

Workers disclosing such information must believe that doing so is in the public interest and that belief must be reasonable in all the circumstances.

Effective whistleblowing procedures can uncover hidden occupational issues, and dealing with a complaint promptly will help to avoid issues escalating, therefore mitigating litigation risk and reputational damage.

A worker acting purely in self-interest will not be

Here at Thursfields, we believe that good governance and a clear, meaningful whistleblowing policy encourages a culture where wrongdoing can be addressed quickly and potentially before any litigation, regulatory action or damage to reputation.

We have a team of experienced lawyers who can support businesses by providing bespoke management training and drafting effective policies.

We also undertake investigations and defend whistleblowing claims.

For more information please contact Lisa Kemp:

T: 0345 2073728 E: lkemp@thursfields.co.uk W: www.thursfields.co.uk

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Business News

MBA Essentials – a series of short courses from University of Birmingham Flexible and practical, the new University of Birmingham MBA Essentials series of short courses are designed to fit in with existing career commitments, enabling managers across a range of industries and sectors to boost their career prospects.

Each taught over four days, MBA Essentials is made up of 'unbundled' modules from its full Executive MBA degree. It offers block-teaching modules that fits with busy schedules and will support managers with their career prospects, either in their own organisation or moving elsewhere.

The courses are designed to meet the needs of modern learners, providing flexibility and choice giving students the opportunity to gain knowledge, skills and competences at a higher education level in smaller bitesized units.

The suite covers six areas taken directly from within the Executive MBA degree with applications now open for its courses in Strategic Procurement and Supplier Management, Business and Society and, Corporate Communication, which start in May and July this year.

Upon completion of each programme, students will receive 10 UK Credits at Postgraduate level as well as a Postgraduate Microcredential certificate from the University of Birmingham.

The university is also keen to support students wishing to take the programme and is offering 15 £1,000 scholarships for those enrolling in 2022.

To find out more, please visit the University of Birmingham’s website: www.Birmingham.ac.uk/short courses

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Sponsored by: The University of Birmingham

Design students get to dress major festival show

Talented Birmingham City University design students have created costumes for the opening event of the Birmingham 2022 Festival as part of the Commonwealth Games.

Guided by London-based costume designer Sophie Donaldson, second and third-year students at BCU have produced more than 300 costumes for the ‘Wondrous Stories’ production.

Created by Leamington-based dance company Motionhouse, ‘Wondrous Stories’ was performed in Birmingham’s Centenary Square, with the help of a case of more than 250, including 16 dance groups, as well as a crane, a globe, two zip wires, and a giant book.

Wondrous Stories collected stories from West Midland residents to form a snapshot of life in the region. People from across the Midlands were able to submit their personal stories to the project.

Kevin Finnan, creator and director of Wondrous Stories, said:

“I'm over the moon with the costumes. The students have responded to the brief brilliantly and the result is exceptional.”

BCU costume design lecturer Louise Chapman said: “The scale of this production is larger than anything we have ever delivered across the costume programme, and I am so proud of what we have achieved.”

‘It’s provided such insight into working in the industry’ Final-year BCU student Jack Slater, who was involved in the project, said: “It’s been a huge honour. The director, Kevin Finnan, pitched his ideas, but he wanted us to add our own creativity. We sat down as a team and everyone had different ideas, but we wanted to make all the different costumes look cohesive.

“I wanted to do characters that

were based on Birmingham. I’m Brummie born and bred, so I knew I had to represent Birmingham. I really wanted to build in elements of graffiti art. I’ve always been sort of mesmerized by it, it’s so vibrant and unusual.

“I’m so proud to be doing something for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. At the start of this project, I was nervous as I’d never done such a big production, but as the module progressed, I’ve felt more and more honoured and proud to be part of it. This is for Birmingham.”

Second-year BCU student Teresa Mayes said: “It’s been such a surprise and so invaluable to work on this project. It’s provided such insight into working in the industry and has given me so many skills.

“It’s amazing to think our costumes could be seen by up to hundreds of thousands of people.

I’m so proud and immensely excited. I never thought something I did would go worldwide.”

Info hubs will keep visitors engaged Visitors to the West Midlands this summer will be able to find out about everything the region has to offer via a series of mobile information hubs at key locations.

The information hubs are being launched by the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP), under the grand name of the ‘People Powered Visitor Engagement Programme’.

The project is aimed at supporting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and its anticipated 1.2 million visitors. Those staffing the information hubs will be readily identifiable by their 1920s style threepiece tweed suits, inspired by the look of the ‘Peaky Blinders’ TV series.

They will be able to recommend attractions and

experiences, give travel information, directions and help with ticket sales.

Becky Frall, Head of Tourism at the West Midlands Growth Company said: “We’re delighted to launch the People Powered Visitor Engagement programme.

“As excitement builds in the lead up to the Games, our new mobile information hubs and information staff will ensure visitors receive a warm welcome upon arrival and a memorable experience throughout the duration of their stay.

“While encouraging footfall across the breadth of our venues, attractions and eateries, our tweed-clad staff will also pay tribute to the Birmingham-borne, hit TV series Peaky Blinders, which continues to capture audiences worldwide.

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Business News

Good Business Forum puts the focus on doing right by society The second edition of the Chamber’s Good Business Forum is taking place this month – with a focus on environmental and social governance (ESG).

The Good Business Forum launched in January as a quarterly forum for Chamber members to explore topics that impact on business’ wider role in society.

These include social value, profit with purpose, environmental and social governance and CSR. The forum will explore how businesses are tackling this subject and why, as well as the benefits of doing so.

The event on 13 April (3pm to 5pm) takes place at the Birmingham office of law firm Pinsent Masons.

Speakers at the event include Michael Watson, partner and head of climate and sustainability advisory at Pinsent Masons.

He leads the climate and sustainability advisory practice at Pinsent Masons which enhances and develops services for clients, manages the firm wide development of skills and expertise and advises the board in relation to ESG matters.

He is an energy and

‘Environmental and social governance is ever growing in importance to businesses’ infrastructure finance specialist, having led and developed the global finance and projects practice prior to taking on this role.

Joining Mr Watson will be Natalie Webster, senior social sustainability manager for Kier Construction.

Her role involves developing the strategy for delivering maximum social value on Kier’s construction contracts and leading the team of local CSR managers.

In her previous role at Kier, Ms Webster was responsible for delivering social value in the East and West Midlands.

Also on the panel is Birmingham City Council’s policy and governance manager, Rokneddin Shariat, who will be sharing the council’s approach to social value in procurement.

Chamber chief Henrietta Brealey said: “I’m really looking forward to

Law firm offers mental health first aid training Birmingham and Solihull-based law firm The Wilkes Partnership has trained 11 employees as mental health first aiders.

The purpose of the training was to give employees the skills needed to recognise the signs that someone may be experiencing mental problems, including stress or depression, and to offer support, encouragement, and guidance on how and where to seek help.

Andrew Garland, partner and mental health first aider at Wilkes, said: “We aim as a group to promote good mental health across Wilkes and try to reduce the stigma that is associated with mental health issues.

“In England, one in four people will experience a mental health

Natalie Webster: How to be a good business

problem of some kind each year, and one in six people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week.

“We, therefore, want to ensure that at Wilkes we build an open culture and encourage everyone to feel they can share their mental health struggles and know they can talk to colleagues about it without judgement.”

“With the legal profession having the tendency to be stressful and highly demanding, we wanted to ensure that our employees know there is always someone that can lend a listening ear and has time for them, whether it is for a quick for a walk, a cup of tea/coffee or just have a sit in a quiet place.”

welcoming our members to the second Good Business Forum meet up. Environmental and social governance is ever growing in importance to businesses, particularly in light of ongoing global events.

“In this session we will be exploring the general direction of travel on ESG and advice for businesses on developing their strategies, as well as doing a deep dive into social value – how businesses can gain a competitive edge on bidding for public sector contracts by focusing on it

alongside what measuring social value looks like in practice for our business case study.

“100 per cent of delegates at the January session fed back that they were likely to recommend the Good Business Forum to their colleagues and networks and that they made new contacts through the event.

“The Good Business Forum is all about insight and network building and I’ve been delighted to see contacts made between our members at the last session already start to develop into valuable connections.”

Touchwood to host family egg-stravaganza Solihull’s Touchwood shopping centre is preparing to host a familythemed Easter Extravaganza during April.

From 9-24 April, there will be an Easter maze will be set-up in Theatre Square. Children and adults alike can work their way around the decorated topiary paths, hunting down hidden letters to spell out an Easter anagram.

Children’s book character Peter Rabbit will be making appearances throughout the day on Saturday 9 April, and Touchwood cows Daisy and Dotty will be in attendance for photo opportunities.

There will be other attractions as well, including face-painting and balloon modelling.

Lucy Burnett, Touchwood marketing manager, said: “We are really excited to be able to bring Touchwood to life this Easter. The maze was a huge hit with families last year, so we are thrilled to be bringing it back with the added bonus of meeting Peter himself.

“It’s great to see the centre buzzing with interactive events again, and we can’t wait to see some moo-tastic photos with Dotty and Daisy.”

Touchwood houses some of the best-known UK and international brands, designer retailers and independent boutique-style stores.

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Business News

Where do you fancy?

About Dining is a dining concept created by husband and wife team Sam and Emma Morgan alongside critically-acclaimed chef Andrew Sheridan, who reached the finals of the Great British Menu 2018 and 2019. It offers four different restaurant experiences – all in cool, chic settings.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner…

About Dining Address 8 Centenary Square, Birmingham B1 2EA T: 0333 772 9329 E: hello@aboutdining.co.uk W: www.aboutdining.co.uk

Food and drink There are four vastly different dining experiences –the flagship immersive dining experience of ‘8’, the exclusive private-dining restaurant Divide, the casual, fun and dynamic Craft and the innovative Divide by 8 Cocktail Bar. All of these restaurant experiences have received critical acclaim from Michelin and AA. ‘8’ was ranked by The Times as one of the six best dining experiences in the world, while Craft featured as number one in the UK and 11th in the world for ‘hottest new restaurants’.

Each of About Dining’s restaurants sources its produce

from British micro suppliers to create nostalgic refined dining experience.

About Dining specialises in English and Welsh wines – and prides itself on using 100 per cent British produce.

Business facilities Set menu, exclusive hire and private dining facilities available.

Private dining facilities • Twelve private dining pods, catering for two to 12 guests • Private dining room for 16 guests • Kitchen table at ‘8’ for 16 guests • Exclusive rooms for separate drinks receptions

Exclusive offer for Chamber members All Chamber members can become ‘about100’ members – giving them up to 20 per cent off standard menu prices in midweek and Friday and Saturday lunchtimes.

22 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

Owner: Sam and Emma Morgan / Andrew Sheridan Head Chef: Andrew Sheridan Opening hours Wednesday to Saturday 12 noon – 11pm

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Business News ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

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April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 23

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Business News

Botanical Gardens seeks new leader to help grow its crop of activities Birmingham Botanical Gardens is seeking a new experienced chief executive to lead the charity through a period of transformation.

The registered charity, based in Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, is looking to appoint an experienced, dynamic and highly organised chief executive to work alongside the board and staff team.

Former TV presenter Sue Beardsmore, chair-elect of the trustees, said: “As one of the country’s most historically important botanical gardens, we pride ourselves on being a valuable asset. We have exciting plans for the future and are looking to bring on board an experienced individual to lead us in achieving our mission.”

There are ambitious plans to transform the gardens for the 21st century. Eight new trustees and a new chair of trustees have been recruited in the past year, as well as a new head of operations.

The role, which is a permanent position within the charity, will focus on key areas of strategy, leadership, operations, and financial resilience, and will require a candidate with exceptional

‘This is one of the most exciting, yet challenging roles in the sector’ experience as well as a passion for horticulture, heritage, education and the development of Birmingham.

Ms Beardsmore said: “An opportunity has arisen for us to appoint a new chief executive. This is one of the most exciting, yet challenging roles in the sector, and we are now looking for someone to take up that challenge and build on a legacy of almost 200 years.”

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which first opened to the public in 1832, is a 15-acre oasis just one mile from the city centre and set within a conservation area. It has more than 7,000 formally documented plants and is the largest and most diverse botanic collection in central England.

As well as the gardens, the charity also provides a unique educational resource and welcomes visits from nurseries up to colleges, as well as organised groups and

Exciting plans: Sue Beardsmore

adult learners. It receives no regular public funding and relies on public donations, grants and any other income it can generate.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens operates in a diverse community and it is committed to being an inclusive and diverse organisation, reflective of the community it serves, and this extends to the diversity of its board and staff team.

The charity welcomes applications from all backgrounds,

regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, disability, age, gender, sexuality, class and economic disadvantage and any social institutional barriers that prevent people from creating, participating or enjoying the Gardens.

The deadline to apply is 15 April, 2022.

For details and information about how to apply, visit www.birminghambotanicalgardens. org.uk/vacancies/

Lloyds names new regional director Lloyds Bank has appointed Dave Atkinson as its new regional director in the Midlands.

Mr Atkinson will be based in Birmingham, and will oversee Lloyds Bank’s small to medium enterprise SME operations across the Midlands and South Wales.

He previously held the same role between 2012 and 2014, and was latterly doing the same job in the East of England. He started with Lloyds in 1988. He is also Lloyds Banking Group’s UK head of manufacturing, and will continue doing that.

He recently authored a report – ‘UK Manufacturing: From Now to Net Zero’ – which highlights the steps manufacturing firms can take to move towards the government’s ambitious goal of net zero emissions.

Mr Atkinson is also planning to build on the bank’s £10m sponsorship of the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry.

So far more than 2,500 apprentices, graduates and engineers have benefitted from been trained and upskilled at the centre during the last seven years.

He said: “It’s a hugely exciting time for businesses in the Midlands and I’m pleased to be back after eight years away.

24 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

“I’m hoping my joining the team will build on the knowledge and expertise we already have to help businesses in the region prosper and support them on their journey to net-zero.

“The next few months won’t be without challenges, but there will also be significant opportunities. We will be by the side of local business to offer the tailored support they need to make the most of these and continue their growth.”

Andrew Connors, Lloyds’ regional head of corporate and institutional coverage for the Midlands, said: “It’s great that Dave is returning to his roots and our team in the Midlands and I’m looking forward to working alongside him again.

“Dave will also bring valuable insight to help our customers and ourselves achieve our sustainability goals and will play a vital role in our efforts to support local communities, which will remain a priority.”

Back home: Dave Atkinson

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Business News

50-year milestone for family firm Air conditioning specialist Weatherite has racked up 50 years of operation – a milestone that reflects the strength, stability, and success only a few companies achieve.

Founded in 1972 by chairman John Whitehouse, Weatherite’s early days of business were carried out in a conservatory with his late business partner, Lou Simmonds.

John recalls: “it’s been quite a journey. Over the past five decades, we have applied a combination of ability, agility, flexibility and responsiveness, and proof that thriving, not just surviving, is a true test of grit in this business.”

The company, Chamber members for 25 years, began life selling Daikin air conditioning equipment and their first order was a job at Combe Abbey, Coventry and was designed, installed and wired by himself and worth just £585.

Weatherite soon began rapidly expanding by selling more heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment (HVAC) and six years later the company moved to larger premises and started its journey into manufacturing its own equipment.

John says: “This was a gamechanger when we received an order for a huge centrifugal chiller plus cooling tower and a fan-coil unit order for a local office block in Halesowen – a £250,000 job. It considerably improved cashflow and helped us ride out the peaks and troughs in the mid 70s.”

Then came 1980 when Weatherite built its first ‘free-cooling’ telephone exchange cooling unit for a leading telecoms company – still one of its flagship products..

The company has continued to supply more than 15,000 units across the UK, first in the Midlands, then Scotland and Wales. But it was, as London got to grips with digital communications, that work really started to take off for Weatherite. “That’s when we seriously got into manufacturing as a business” John recalls.

Another significant milestone came in 1986 with their first order for a packaged’ rooftop air conditioning unit for a leading retailer.

“We had been making regular trips to Daikin’s Japanese factories and became increasingly impressed by the quality and detail of their equipment,” said John.

“We realised that we had a number of well-trained engineers in the business, giving us the ability to manufacture our own bespoke designs and the timing couldn’t have been better as two UK leading food retailers grabbed us by the collar and took us aboard their retail express train of massive development.

50 years in business: John Whitehouse

“We moved premises again and doubled the workforce to cope with the expanding demand as the retailers were both developing their sales floor areas and needed more air conditioning equipment.”

The 90s were a period of considerable growth and in order to expand its opportunities, Weatherite acquired DLT Shopfronts & Shutters Ltd, in order to further develop potential opportunities within the retail sector.

Now named Weatherite Aluminium Solutions Ltd, the company works for many major UK

Weatherite moved from three separate factories into a 120,000 square foot facility in West Bromwich to cope with further demand for its expanding HVAC product solutions.

A concerted push to target the data centre market commenced in 2008 with its extensive knowledge of IT mission-critical cooling techniques, ensuring the company continued to expand. In 2012 it celebrated 40 years in business and grew its data centre operations.

As well as telco and retail, the company further expanded into

‘We survived the effects of the pandemic in good shape and are looking forward to growing our market share’ retailers and leading contractors delivering bespoke architectural aluminium solutions including shopfronts, entrance facades, curtain walling systems, aluminium windows, and automatic doors.

Weatherite’s free cooling and Rooftop AHU systems were being manufactured at an extraordinary rate during this period before the decades of trigeneration, power generation, heating and cooling which then moved towards the more user-friendly “energy centres”, driven by retailers’ needs for onsite energy – a demand that quickly widened to other sectors.

Weatherite then started working with a number of other leading retailers and continued to grow its business portfolio. In 2006

other sectors including leisure, pharmaceuticals, logistics and health. Weatherite was soon recognised as one of the UK’s largest independent manufacturers of bespoke HVAC equipment and won its largest ever single data centre order, valued at over 12 million euros, as well as a number of industry awards along the way.

Today, the business turnover is over £34m as a group, primarily through Weatherite Air Conditioning, which represents the major proportion of that turnover with about £25m.

Like many other businesses, the company has encountered some major obstacles over the last few years but working with organisations which operate within a missioncritical environment has meant the

company continues to thrive.

“We survived the effects of the pandemic in good shape and are looking forward to growing our market share in these very interesting times”, said John.

As with many other businesses now facing challenging times with procurement of components, in 2021, Weatherite invested over £2.5 million, doubling the size of one of its existing factories, to increase storage capacity and has also updated its major manufacturing facility to ensure that production capabilities continue to provide excellent reliability and longevity.

John’s son, Tim, has also worked at the business for the past 25 years and believes an emphasis on family helps when it comes to retaining staff. “There’s a big difference between being a family business and being part of a multi-national.

“There’s a bigger sense of belonging. We have a lot of people who have worked at the company for a long time – our staff retention is excellent and somewhere between 10 and 15 people have one or more family members working here out of a workforce of 209,” he said.

John added: “We would like to think that our continued success can be attributed to our core values; our commitment to our customers and our commitment to our employees.

“We enter our 50th year with a great deal of optimism and we would like to say, ‘thank you’ to all of our customers, contractors, suppliers, co-workers and of course, our valued staff, both past and present.”

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 25

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Business News

Insurers on the up with move to tallest building Mr McDonald’s’ global accolade A Birmingham-based McDonald’s franchisee has received global recognition for his contribution to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Chamber board member and patron Doug Wright (pictured) is one of just nine people in the worldwide McDonald’s system to receive a global Three-Legged Stool Award for 2021.

Mr Wright, the boss of Wright Restaurants which operates 21 McDonald’s restaurants across the West Midlands, has been recognised for championing the organisation’s values at local, regional and national level through his work with RMHC in Birmingham.

He stepped down as chair of the RMHC Birmingham board earlier this year, having led the charity through some extraordinary fundraising initiatives since 2015 – including the annual gala dinner which last year raised in excess of £300,000.

Under Mr Wright’s leadership, the charity also pioneered virtual and hybrid galas during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham offers homeaway-from-home accommodation for families of children under care at the nearby Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Mr Wright said: “I’m delighted to have received this global award which I will receive in Orlando next month.

“I’d like to thank everybody across the West Midlands who has helped us to elevate and amplify the work of RMHC here in Birmingham.

“The business community have been so generous in their support and I’d particularly like to recognise the significant part Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce have played with this.”

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Gallagher, the insurance, risk management and consulting services specialist, is moving its Birmingham team to 103 Colmore Row, the tallest office building in the city.

The company has taken 12,146 sq ft on the 13th floor of the 26-storey building, agreeing a ten-year lease with joint venture partners Sterling Property Ventures (Sterling) and Tristan Capital Partners (Tristan).

The rent is undisclosed.

The move will enable Gallagher to co-locate its 150 staff in Birmingham into a single office.

Gallagher is the sixth company to take space at 103 Colmore Row, joining Grant Thornton, Knight Frank, Shoosmiths, Tilney Smith & Williamson, and flexible workspace operator x+why. More than 60 per cent of the office space in the building is now let.

Tom Gunn, head of real estate and facilities at Gallagher, said: “Having previously operated three separate offices in Birmingham, our move to 103 Colmore Row will enable us to bring everyone together under one roof, and provide a modern and spacious workspace for both our colleagues and clients in a prime city centre location.

Tallest building: Gallagher’s new home will be on the 13th floor out of 26

“Not only does 103 Colmore Row tick all the right boxes in terms of design and location, but will also allow our colleagues to work in a space that is far more energy efficient – tying in with our ambitions to reduce our environmental footprint in the communities where we have a presence.

“Our move to 103 Colmore Row marks a key milestone for Gallagher in Birmingham as we continue to invest in our presence in the city, and we look forward to welcoming our colleagues and clients to our new home.”

103 Colmore Row is the tallest office building (108 metres) in Birmingham. As well as 223,631 sq. ft. of Grade A, BREEAM ‘Excellent’ office space, the building boasts a two-storey top floor restaurant and ground floor café, which will be operated by D&D London, and a members’ business club on the 18th floor.

103 Colmore Row’s office space has also achieved an EPC rating of A, a first for an office building in the city. The office space is being marketed by joint agents Colliers International among others.

Writing PR agency’s next chapter Story Comms is stepping boldly into its next chapter with the appointment of a new leadership team.

Sophie Drake, the agency’s first-ever employee, joins the board as deputy managing director while former ITV News editor Tom Lowe joins as chief operating officer.

The communications agency, founded by MD Amanda Lowe, has racked up an impressive client roster of international, national and regional brands including National Highways, Berkeley Group, global property firm Goodman, EY and IM Group’s Spitfire Homes.

Amanda Lowe said: “Story has evolved at speed over the last two years – it’s been quite the ride. While a definite challenge, Covid put a rocket on many of our plans for new services and growth. We’ve buckled down, put in the work, invested in our team and now, we’re ready to go.”

“Sophie and Tom are pure fire. They both have a passion for storytelling done right and an ability to make the seemingly impossible happen. I’m excited for them to make their mark and help take Story to the next level.”

Tom Lowe, a former editor with ITV News, will be drawing on more than 20 years in broadcast news to build Story’s video and content services.

As COO, he will also lead the firm’s operations as it looks for expansion opportunities.

He said: “The ability to tell a story in a way that makes people feel something is increasingly rare. I know firsthand from being on the other side as a journalist that Story does that and I’m looking forward to working with the team to build the agency’s DNA into a broader range of services.”

New team (left to right): Sophie Drake, Amanda Lowe and Tom Lowe

Sophie Drake, Story’s first employee and current PRWeek UK 30 Under 30, has been promoted to deputy managing director, taking ownership of the firm’s client service, standards and growth.

She said: “Since day one, Story's been on a mission to strip the BS out of PR. Almost eight years on and this hasn’t changed.

“If anything, the last few years have made the human aspect of comms and strong storytelling more important. We’ve never been more confident in our proposition. This next bit is where things get really tasty, and I can’t wait.”

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Business News

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 27

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Business News

Mayor highlights £15bn investment proposition Good HR good for business: Sara Abbott

Firm responds to HR press criticism A HR firm has responded to criticism in the national press surrounding the role of HR departments within organisations.

The role of HR has been in the firing line in the national press – with several opinion pieces claiming it is holding back managers or dogmatically advising continued working from home.

One such piece said: “Personally, I have never met anyone in HR who is not a presumptuous dullard”, while another stated “it is a classic example of the HR doom loop that has taken root in the British workplace since the pandemic.”

However, Sara Abbott, from Sutton Coldfield-based The HR Dept North Birmingham, has responded by putting forward the case for the role of good quality HR advice in modern British businesses.

She said: “I won’t dwell on the sweeping negative generalisations that some newspaper opinion pieces have expressed, which are quite ideological in their nature. I put it positively: quite simply, good HR advice is good for business.

“As in any profession there will be different approaches and, just as in any profession, you need to find advisers who suit your vision.

“At The HR Dept we put your business first, and one of our mantras is ‘We tell you what you can do, not what you can’t’. This eschews the constrictive approach that can give HR a bad name. It means we look for positive solutions to help you meet your goals whilst staying legally compliant.

“This could be helping terminate the contract of a troublesome employee who thinks that employment law protects them when they take liberties. It could be helping you navigate difficult conversations during times of adversity or leading you safely through any number of tricky situations.

“These are reactive scenarios, but good HR looks ahead and helps you create the right conditions for your team to thrive in their roles as they work towards your business goals.”

28 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

West Midlands mayor Andy Street has launched £15bn worth of housing, regeneration, commercial and infrastructure development opportunities to international investors at the MIPIM property conference in Cannes, South of France.

MIPIM, the world’s leading real estate event, brings together over 20,000 property professionals from around the world, including over 4,000 investors, representing hundreds of billions of pounds in capital.

‘Once in a generation opportunity to make this a game-changing moment for the West Midlands’ Speaking at the UK Government Pavilion, the Mayor unveiled more than 20 diverse development opportunities from across the region, all featured in the West Midlands Investment Prospectus 2022.

The opportunities include: • Birmingham Curzon HS2: major investment opportunities around the new HS2 station include commercial, residential, leisure, energy, and education development.

• UK Central Solihull: significant opportunities around the HS2 Interchange Station at Arden Cross, across the UK Central Hub, and broader Solihull, with investment in commercial, residential, leisure and energy sectors • Key regional growth corridors and hubs: developments guided

Bold approach: Andy Street at MIPIM in Cannes

by the Perry Barr 2040: Vision for Legacy masterplan; Phase 3 of the landmark Paradise Development in Birmingham City Centre; and a new opportunity area linking Coventry and Warwickshire.

• Urban centres and strategic sites: regeneration schemes including Nuneaton town centre redevelopment; the 125-hectare West Midlands Gigafactory site at Coventry Airport; the South Site of automotive innovation cluster MIRA Technology Park; and a significant residential and commercial development on the site of the former MG Rover car plant at Longbridge.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) used its presence at MIPIM to engage with international investors, putting the region on the global stage, and highlighting the best opportunities for investment across all property and regeneration sectors.

Mr Street said: “We are taking a

bold approach to winning investment, anchored by our nationally-acclaimed devolved housing and regeneration programme and our dedicated capital investment strategy – the first of its kind in the UK. “We have a clear and compelling proposition to put to investors on the world stage, underscored by a genuine demand for affordable local housing alongside inclusive, sustainable places helping our communities to thrive.

“With the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and HS2 on the horizon and the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda centre stage, we have a once in a generation opportunity to make this a game-changing moment for the West Midlands.

“I know that our stellar publicprivate delegation will make the most of MIPIM and ensure investors grasp the true scale of the development opportunities available right across our region.”

Law firm just the wicket for Bears Warwickshire County Cricket Club has secured a two-year commercial partnership with Talbots Law to be its new Official Legal Partner and front of shirt sponsor for Birmingham Bears in the 2022 and 2023 Vitality T20 Blast.

With seven offices located across the Midlands, Talbots Law will become the principal legal advisors to the Club and have prominence within the Bears home of Edgbaston Stadium, which hosts marquee fixtures against India and Australia in the next two years.

Through the partnership, Talbots will enhance its brand presence in-bowl at Edgbaston Stadium and through Club digital channels, whilst also hosting a fundraising day for its designated charity, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, at one of the Bears Vitality Blast fixtures.

From left: Ben Seifas, Commercial Partnerships Director at Warwickshire CCC, Dave Hodgetts, Chief Executive of Talbots Law and Alex Perkins, Sales & Marketing Director at Warwickshire CCC

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Business News

Top Australian academic joins Aston University Aston University has appointed Professor Aleks Subic as its next vice-chancellor and chief executive.

He succeeds Professor Alec Cameron, who stepped down after five years in December 2021. He will take up the post in August 2022, until which time Saskia Loer Hansen will continue in her role as interim vice-chancellor.

Professor Subic is currently the deputy vice-chancellor (STEM) and vice president (digital innovation) at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT University), where he is responsible for leading the STEM college and digital Innovation portfolio in Australia and globally.

Previously, he was the deputy vice-chancellor (research and enterprise) at Swinburne University of Technology, responsible for research, graduate studies, engagement and partnerships, advancement, innovation,

enterprise, and commercialisation, leading the research transformation of the university towards top two per cent in the world.

Before that, he was the executive dean of engineering at RMIT University, one of the largest engineering faculties in Australia, ranked in the top one per cent in the world and renowned for industrypartnered education and research.

Concurrent with his academic appointments, Professor Subic has held notable positions on the Australian Prime Minister's Industry 4.0 Taskforce and the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council Leaders Group (Australian Industry Group).

Previously he was the director and deputy chair of the Australian Association of Aviation and Aerospace Industries, director of the Oceania Cybersecurity Centre Governing Board, director of the Society of Automotive Engineers

“I feel privileged”: Professor Aleks Subic

Australasia Board, director of National Imaging Facility Governing Board, director of Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Governing Board, and Director of the Victorian Centre for New Energy Technologies Governing Board.

Dame Yve Buckland, prochancellor of Aston University, said “I am absolutely delighted at Professor Aleks Subic’s appointment. He joins the university at an exciting time and his wide experience of leadership across both academia and industry makes him a perfect fit for Aston University’s needs and ambitions.”

Professor Subic said “I feel privileged at being given the opportunity to lead Aston University at this time. The University is renowned for its commitment to graduate employability, translational research and its engagement with business.

“I look forward to continuing the momentum built up by Professor Alec Cameron and Saskia Loer Hansen, and I am ambitious to see Aston University continue to build on its reputation for high quality teaching, research and business engagement locally, nationally and internationally.”

More clarity needed on Ukraine refugee scheme

Drivers plug in to the idea of going electric UK motorists are beginning to accelerate towards electric vehicle travel – with 67 per cent preparing to ditch petrol and diesel cars for good.

According to a YouGov survey of more than 2,000 motorists, 64 per cent of consumers believe EV driving will be a better experience than fossil fuel cars.

Those surveyed pointed to several positives of switching to an EV – including the environment impact (56 per cent), saving costs (47 per cent) and tax benefits (23 per cent).

The survey results come as petrol and diesel prices reach record highs, contributing further to the cost of living struggles faced by many.

However, there are still concerns over a lack of EV charging points

locally and nationally and how to cover the potential gap in tax revenue caused by the transition to electric vehicles.

For businesses looking to decarbonise their transport activity, the Chambers’ 2021 Sustainable Business Series has content that shares best practice, guidance and knowledge to support them.

Will Hargreaves, policy advisor at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “These findings will be welcomed by the many businesses operating in the lowcarbon electric vehicle market.

“The reality is for a successful and timely transition to low-carbon vehicles, more needs to be done to increase the amount of supply infrastructure.”

A leading immigration barrister has called on the UK Government to offer more clarity on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, after the number of volunteers opening their homes to Ukrainian nationals surpassed 100,000.

Under the scheme, households will be offered £350 a month, tax-free, if they host a refugee. However, hosts will not be expected to provide food and living expenses and is open to those who know a named individual from Ukraine. Jennifer Blair, a barrister at No5 Barristers’ Chambers, who also co-founded the Ukraine Advice Project, has warned that the scheme has more questions than answers for all involved.

She said: “The UK Government has been slower than other countries at responding to the growing crisis in Ukraine. On the surface, the Homes for Ukraine scheme will allow for thousands of vulnerable Ukrainian nationals to enter the UK, however, the reality is that the new scheme will face an admin bottleneck and local resources and training are needed for it to run successfully.

“The priority of the scheme must be on the safeguarding of those entering the UK, however, there is a risk that this could be under threat. Because the scheme will first open to ‘pre-matched’ cases, refugees have been using social media to find hosts.

“We must not allow unaccompanied children or refugee women, for example, to be put at risk of human trafficking or abuse. Before Ukrainians are welcomed into the homes of volunteers, the Government must announce ways in which homes will be fully vetted.”

To support refugees, Jennifer co-founded the Ukraine Advice Project. The initiative has been set up to provide a service to connect people fleeing Ukraine with free legal advice on UK immigration, visas and asylum from qualified and regulated lawyers.

For more information on No5 Barristers’ Chambers, visit www.no5.com. For more information on the Ukraine Advice Project, go to www.advice-ukraine.co.uk

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Business News

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Business News

UK employment back to pre-pandemic levels points to 105.81 in February, The strength of the UK labour marking a second consecutive market has returned to premonth of improvement following pandemic levels for the first time, December’s Omicron-related dip. according to a business trends This rise was primarily driven by report. the BDO Services Optimism Index, The Employment Index from which covers retail, hospitality and accountancy and business advisory leisure among other industries. firm BDO LLP rose for a fourth The index jumped by 0.94 points consecutive month to 110.75 in February, representing a monthly gain of 0.77 points.

This is the highest level the index has seen since February 2020, when it reached 112.86 ahead of the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown.

The jump in the Employment Index has been driven by the lifting of Covid restrictions and associated economic recovery.

A shortage of workers due to Brexit and the pandemic has also made competition for employees fierce.

Together, these factors have placed upward pressure on employment figures, reflected in BDO’s Employment Index.

The lifting of the remaining coronavirus restrictions has also led to a Jobs market moving from rise in BDO’s Optimism resilience to growth: Tim Foster Index, which increased 0.9

in February to reach 105.24 - its highest reading since July 2021 reflecting the impact that remaining restrictions had on consumer-facing businesses.

However, the impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine are expected to weigh heavily on inflationary pressures, compounding existing concerns around the cost of living, which could see confidence decline in the coming months.

Tim Foster, partner at BDO LLP in the Midlands, said: “Propped up by the government’s furlough scheme, the UK jobs market was largely resilient throughout the pandemic.

“As we emerge from a series of lockdowns and return to normality, the jobs market is now moving from resilience to growth, reflected in February’s buoyant figures.

“While it’s promising to see growth in business optimism throughout February, this could be short lived as inflation continues to rise at a faster rate than wages.

Inflationary pressures are set to mount further over the coming months, with energy and fuel prices key drivers of this increase.”

Industry tackles supply issues The construction industry is moving towards negotiated procurement activity to deal with supply concerns – but are generally not widening their supply chain in response.

That’s according to a new report from Midlands construction, property and management consultancy Rider Levett Bucknall.

Findings show that 75 per cent of respondents are seeing fixed price durations decreasing.

There is a noticeable fall in use of single stage routes with a 10 per cent fall in single stage, a seven per cent increase in frameworks and a four per cent increase in use of two stage.

As well as this, between 40 and 55 per cent of negotiated tenders, frameworks and two stage projects are taking longer in procurement now compared to 12 months ago.

Only 16 per cent of contractors are widening their supply chain to mitigate risk of supply side risks.

The report also found that commercial fit out projects with budgets between £5m to £7.5m are seeing more competitive procurement activity.

In-Comm Training to deliver council upskilling programme

Future proofing the workforce: Gareth Jones

A West Midlands training provider has been appointed as a key delivery partner to the £12m Supplier Skills Programme (SSP).

In-Comm Training will work on the Birmingham City Council-backed project to help upskill 800 individuals across Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Redditch, Solihull and Wyre Forest by offering access to training that will help SMEs make the most of the post-pandemic bounce back.

Funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), the initiative will provide grants for half the total cost of the training, starting with grants of £500 and increasing to a maximum of £18,000.

Up to 200 local firms can put employers forward for one of the 36 accredited courses.

The courses cover quality, Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) training, toolmaking, leadership and management, mechatronics and robotics.

Training ranges from a basic level right up to a degree equivalent standard and can be carried out at the employer’s site, or at In-

Comm Training’s technical academy in the Black Country.

Gareth Jones, managing director at InComm Training said: “The Supplier Skills Programme is a fantastic opportunity for companies to bridge skills gaps, build capacity in their workforce and futureproof talent for years to come.”

“Covid-19 has placed significant pressure on SMEs and this initiative helps ease some of the financial burden on them, especially as many of them look to identify the skills they require to grow again.

“In-Comm has been allocated over £400,000 of dedicated funding and the beauty of SSP is its flexibility. The employer can access the level of training they need whether that’s at a basic starter course right through to more technically advanced ones.

“There is a special focus on priority sectors for the region, including advanced manufacturing, digital and creative, life and health sciences, professional services and low carbon and environmental technologies.”

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Business News

Hometown return: Beatrice Vears

Beatrice joins the HDY team Award-winning content marketing agency HDY Agency has further strengthened its senior team after appointing an experienced marketeer and brand specialist to join the agency to bolster its national and international expertise.

Beatrice Vears will bring her rich marketing experience, which spans creative leadership, ATL advertising and brand strategy to her new role as managing director of HDY Agency.

Beatrice was most recently the marketing director for the global sports, leisure, hospitality and events brand, Sodexo Live!, which is responsible for the catering offer at a wide range of cultural moments and such prolific events as Royal Ascot and RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

She now returns to her hometown of Birmingham by joining co-founders Angel Gaskell and Global broadcaster Ed James, Beatrice’s new role will support the fast-growing agency’s vision of international growth and further strengthen its client servicing.

Now in its fourth year of trading, HDY Agency has experienced 12 months of solid growth, which has included winning more than 20 new clients and projects, creating 26 new job roles and moving to a larger office. It also recently scooped the title of Large Content Marketing Agency of the Year at the 2022 European Content Awards.

Beatrice Vears said: “It’s a great time to be returning to my hometown of Birmingham.

With so many incredible cultural moments like the 2022 Commonwealth Games and a boost in inward investment, there’s a real buzz around the city. It’s certainly an exciting time to be back.”

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Work completed on improvement projects Change team (left to right): Councillor Brigid Jones (Birmingham City Council), Sandeep Shingadia (Transport for West Midlands), Nicola Fleet-Milne (Colmore BID) and David Hardman (GBSLEP)

Works have completed on two projects in Colmore Business District, providing improved access for pedestrians and enhancing the appearance of the historic Colmore area.

Developed in partnership by Colmore BID, Birmingham City Council and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), with further funding from the Greater Birmingham Local Enterprise Programme (GBSLEP), the schemes on Colmore Row and Cornwall Street are part of the larger Snow Hill Public Realm programme.

The work has improved the pedestrian space, with new high quality paving materials and landscaping, which includes the widening of footpaths.

The right turn from Livery Street onto Colmore Row has been removed, meaning vehicles will now need to turn left onto Colmore Row from Livery Street. The central reservation outside Snow Hill Station has now been removed, narrowing the road and providing pedestrians with more space.

Drivers on Livery Street will also notice a difference as a new two-way traffic system has been installed, enabling users to exit from Snow Hill car park and Livery Street via Barwick Street or Cornwall Street.

Nicola Fleet-Milne, chair of Colmore BID, said: “While lockdown has impacted on the work schedule, the completion of this work could not have come at a more opportune time as we re-evaluate how we use spaces in the city. The BID team and its partners have worked diligently over the past seven years and the end results have indeed been worth all of the hard work. I look forward to seeing Cornwall Street brimming with visitors in the summer, making full use of the newly installed seating and widened pavements.”

David Hardman, interim deputy chair of Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) added: “Our £4m investment has helped created a more welcoming public space around Snow Hill station.”

Agency puts the focus on growth Birmingham creative agency Reeves has developed and expanded its team as part of ambitious plans for growth.

To mark the start of the two-year project, the company has replaced ‘public relations’ as the descriptor in its name with ‘media’, to better reflect the evolution of services it is providing for its clients.

Reeves Media will retain its core public and media relations expertise but will focus investment on the expansion of content production and social media management, as well as the development of the already successful branding consultancy offering that emerged as the world worked from home.

It has also launched partnerships with a specialist consultant in environment and sustainability and diversity and inclusion.

Agency founder Clive Reeves said: “The traditional PR model has been on the road to extinction for quite some time and our work has long surpassed a press release and supporting photograph. Dropping PR from our name gives us agility and corporate sustainability, allowing us to thrive and adapt in a changing world. We recognise how content is consumed and its need

to influence positive change.

“Businesses need effective, creative and purposeful communications and content covering each element of their operation, from highlighting their team, story and ethos to major success stories and social value efforts.”

Two of three new recruits are already in post in an expanded creative department, including videographer Jamie Hogan, who has worked on YouTube channels with followers in the millions, while

Oliver Tuzzio has joined the team as a graphic designer and illustrator.

This comes after a raft of internal promotions, including Bradley Meersand’s move from client services director to director of operations and account manager Jordan Harris’s promotion to account director. Akash Bhardwaj has also taken on the role of creative and branding manager, while Saleena Ali has been given the role of PR and social media account executive.

Team Reeves (left to right): Bradley Meersand, Jordan Harris, Jamie Hogan, Saleena Ali, Oliver Tuzzio, Clive Reeves and Akash Bhardwaj

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Chamber Patrons

Chamber Patrons Greater Birmingham Chambers’ leading supporters Curium grows US-based team Curium Solutions, the business transformation consultancy with offices in Birmingham and the United States, has strengthened its Stateside team with a key appointment.

Jordan George has joined Curium Solutions US as head of client solutions.

Jordan will support and champion the next phase of the company's growth as it continues to expand operations throughout the Americas.

Curium Solutions US director Dan Entwistle said: “We continue to see an increase in demand for the people first change management solutions we provide. With workplace, employee and customer demands changing so vastly, the ability to help our clients with some of their biggest people, technology and change programs will be well supported as we continue to hire high caliber people onto our team.”

Jordan earned his master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Rollins College and has attained multiple certifications through the Society for Human Resource Management, the Institute of Organizational Development, and the HR Certification Institute.

With more than 15 years’ experience developing and delivering programs for companies including Addition Financial, InnovaCare Health, Seminole State College, Starbucks, the University of Central Florida, and Wyndham Destinations (now Travel & Leisure Co.), Jordan is wellversed in helping businesses shape their organisational culture, lead through change, and cultivate a high-impact workforce.

Jordan said: "Curium has experienced year on year growth since launching in the US in 2016 and I'm thrilled to join the team during this exciting time.”

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Contact: Henrietta Brealey T: 0121 274 3266

Funding boost: The Seacole Building which houses the skills and training hub

Funding secured to revamp training hub Birmingham City University has secured new government funding towards the £3.57m revamp of a skills and training hub for future healthcare workers.

The university is investing £1.57m of its own money on the refurbishment and has landed a further £2m from the government’s Office for Students following a successful capital funding bid.

The money will be spent on a revamping the skills hub at the university’s Seacole Building at its Edgbaston-based City South Campus, which is used to provide hands-on, practical training for those studying on health courses such as nursing and midwifery.

It will provide even better facilities for students by introducing a high-tech and highspec suite of resources.

Professor Ian Blair, pro-vice chancellor and executive dean of the university’s Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences, said: “We’re really pleased to have secured funding from the Office for Students, and I think the success of our bid is testament to the strong case we made to meet employer demands around the recruitment and retention of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

“We work closely with hospitals and trusts to ensure training of new recruits is fully up to date with the

latest standards and is tailored towards employers’ particular needs.

“But as well as meeting future workforce requirements, we’re also focused on knowledge enhancement and upskilling of current staff members through continuing professional development.”

Teaching facilities already housed within the Seacole Building include a simulated operating theatre and hospital wards, a fully equipped birthing room, a simulated home environment and a fully functional radiography suite and 3D imaging diagnostic suite.

The £3.57m pound upgrade will see the refurbishment of the building’s existing skills hub.

Venues aim to reduce food waste The NEC and the International Convention Centre (ICC) marked Food Waste Action Week by highlighting work behind the scenes to reduce food waste within their venues.

In total, more than 13,200 food portions have been saved during 18 months of operation through a partnership with food sharing app OLIO and the NEC Group’s in-house caterers Amadeus.

The initiative has also averted more than 11,400kg of carbon emissions - the equivalent of taking 38,700 car miles off the road - and has saved two-million litres of water. We’re committed to driving sustainability, reducing our carbon footprint and tackling food waste within the events industry,” said Marc Frankl, food and beverage director for Amadeus.

“It has been a tough, yet rewarding journey for us to transform our operations in this way.

“Our staff have really embraced the partnership and it’s moving from strength to strength. OLIO is fantastic as it allows us to reduce any food waste from events, while giving back in the areas in which we operate.

“At Amadeus we’re always looking to support our local communities, sourcing 80 per cent of our food

and beverage supplies within a 30-mile radius.”

The food redistribution service ensures that surplus pre-packaged food such as sandwiches, salads and sushi boxes from the venues are distributed to those in the local community.

OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses to make sure surplus food can be given away, not thrown away.

Taking action: The NEC Group has made big strides in reducing food waste

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Chamber Patrons

AI experts help estimate daily transmission rates Aston University researchers have helped develop a mathematical model which can estimate daily transmission rates of infections such as Covid by testing for antibodies in blood collected at donation centres.

Current epidemiological models that are used tend not to be as effective at adjusting quickly to changes in infection levels.

Working with researchers at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, Aston experts conducted a major study using a modelling technique often applied to the mathematical modelling of infectious diseases.

The testing was done by Fundacao Hemominas, one of the largest blood services in Brazil.

They used the reported number of SARS-CoV-2 cases along with serology results (diagnostic methods used to identify antibodies and antigens in patients’ samples) from blood donors as inputs and delivered estimates of hidden variables, such as daily

Modelling breakthrough: Dr Felipe Campelo

values of transmission rates and cumulative incidence rate of reported and unreported cases.

The model discussed in the paper gave the experts the ability to have a more refined view of the infection rates and relative rate of immunity compared to official measurements.

The testing started at the beginning of the pandemic and involved 7,837 blood donors in seven cities in Minas Gerais, Brazil during March to December 2020.

The data obtained allowed the experts to estimate the proportion of people who were going undiagnosed.

Dr Felipe Campelo, senior lecturer in computer science at Aston University, said: “Public communication about the Covid-19 epidemic was based on officially reported cases in the community, which strongly underestimates the actual spread of the disease in the absence of widespread testing.

“Our model delivers daily estimates of relevant variables that usually stay hidden, including the transmission rate and the cumulative number of reported and unreported cases of infection.”

The experts are now aiming to improve the accuracy of the model by introducing changes to account for vaccination effects, waning immunity and the potential emergence of new variants.

HS2 offers summer jobs University students who live in the Midlands are being offered the chance to join HS2 on a paid work placement this summer.

HS2’s construction partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), is launching a new undergraduate programme to help students gain valuable work experience aligned to their specialist subject area.

The eight-week programme, which begins on 4 July, will include opportunities to join Balfour Beatty VINCI’s civil engineering, commercial, design, construction, project controls and planning teams.

Julie Venn-Morton, HS2’s Skills manager for the West Midlands said: “HS2’s construction is already supporting over 20,000 jobs, and we expect around 14,000 more roles will be needed.

“It’s imperative that we create meaningful career pathways for the region’s thriving local talent pool to access.”

Apply at www.balfourbeattycareers.com

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1813 Club and Premier Members

1813 Club and Premier Members Greater Birmingham’s leading companies

Year of activity to support Sense Edgbaston-based chartered surveyor Pennycuick Collins is embarking on a fundraising mission for local charity Sense.

The firm will support Sense through a series of activities during the coming year, ranging from dress down Fridays, in-house bake-off competitions, to taking part in the London marathon.

Sense helps children and adults who are deaf or blind. It has a local hub in Selly Oak, the ‘Touchbase Centre’, and Pennycuick’s fundraising efforts will go towards further developing this.

Carl Williams, community fundraising manager at Sense, said: “We are incredibly grateful to be chosen as the new charity partner for Pennycuick Collins.

“The team has already raised thousands of pounds for Sense, and we’re delighted that they will continue to support us.”

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Membership Contact: Gary Birch T: 0845 6036650

Taskforce ‘a good thing’ The announcement of a crossgovernment taskforce on housing for older people has been welcomed by experts at national law firm Clarke Willmott.

Announced as part of the commitment by the government to level-up housing and care options for older people in the UK, the taskforce has the potential to speed up the development of retirement communities, and benefit hundreds of thousands of older people.

Clarke Willmott, which has a dedicated ‘later living’ team, say that exploring ways to expand housing options for older generations can ‘only be a good thing’.

The firm recently released results of a survey which looked at the perceptions of retirement living developments and found that more than half of respondents would consider moving to a retirement development before the age of 75, although many had reservations about this.

Paul Hinett, a partner and specialist in residential

development at Clarke Willmott, said: “Our findings show that there is an appetite for purpose-built housing for older people but that it doesn’t always completely hit the mark.

“There are different types of retirement living schemes, including apartments with help oncall and villages with communal facilities like restaurants.

New family partner for Clarke Willmott

New arrival: Adam Maguire

Premier

Law firm Clarke Willmott has added a new partner to its family team in Birmingham, Adam Maguire.

He has joined from rival law firm Shoosmiths, where he headed its Birmingham Family team.

Mr Maguire was named by legal bible the Legal 500 as a ‘rising star’ in 2021 and 2022.nHe has considerable experience advising clients in cases which involve businesses, trusts, pension arrangements and arguments relating to nuptial agreements, third party interests in land, and pre-marital and inherited assets. In addition, he is often instructed to deal with high conflict private law children matters involving elements of domestic violence and relocation issues.

Rayner Grice, partner and head of the Birmingham family team at Clarke Willmott, said: “Adam is highly commended for his technical ability and expertise as well as being the vice-chair of Resolution West Midlands. I have admired Adam’s approach to resolving matters sensibly and pragmatically for a number of years.

Mr Maguire said: “I am thrilled to be joining the impressive and highly regarded team at Clarke Willmott and getting stuck into the varied and interesting work the team handles, with a view to settling cases sensibly and cost-effectively for our clients.”

“However, we believe there are many more options to suit everyone and to benefit the housing market as a whole – if the older generation have fit-forpurpose housing then it frees up larger family homes for the younger generations.

“The launch of this taskforce is an excellent step in coming up with ways to provide people with a good range of options and achieving improvements in housing and care.”

It has been predicted by Age UK that by 2030, one in five of the UK population will be over 65, raising questions about what to do about the aging population.

Clarke Willmott has extensive expertise in the later living sector acting for developers, including Retirement Villages, Blue Cedar Homes and LifeStory Group, and advising a range of later living care providers.

Paul Hinett: Older people’s housing taskforce is a good idea

Film promotes cultural library A project aimed at raising the profile of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Memorial Library is to premiere a new film, ‘Shakespeare’s Coming Home’.

The film will feature scenes from various Shakespeare plays, and will be used to help promote the ‘Everything to Everybody: Your Shakespeare, Your Culture’ exhibition at Birmingham Library.

This exhibition is part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival and will open on 22 July and run until 5 November.

The project is a collaboration between the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council.

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1813 Club and Premier Members

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 39

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International Trade

International Trade

T: 0121 725 8994 E: ibh@birmingham-chamber.com

Employee training available for small international traders Small businesses that trade internationally could be able to apply for employee training through a European backed project, the Supplier Skills Programme (SSP).

This is part funded through the European Social Fund (ESF) and managed by Birmingham City Council.

Any company that applies for the SSP and is successful will have their training costs match funded by up to 50 per cent.

The scheme is for businesses to upskill employees or provide valuable training to new and existing team members.

Various courses available through the Chamber, most of which will benefit any company whose focus is importing or exporting, may be eligible for this funding.

Members of the Chamber and non-members can apply, all that is needed is the ability to meet the criteria set out by the council.

Minimum spend is £1,000 per application.

Each attendee that is participating must

complete short assessments to pass the courses.

Chamber international trade training manager Leah Quarmby said: “The courses we provide will offer guidance in the export process as well as provide key details attendees can implement into their role.

“If companies opt to apply for the great opportunity of funding through SSP, the training they choose will mean they answer assessment questions at the end of their courses, once completed, the attendee will gain themselves the Foundation Award in International Trade, a qualification awarded from the British Chambers of Commerce.”

There are five areas across the Midlands that are eligible for the SSP. These are Birmingham, Solihull, Redditch, Wyre Forest and Bromsgrove.

For further details on courses and content, email training@birmingham-chamber.com Full details of the programme can also be found on the Chamber website.

Leah Quarmby

‘Innovative’ Singapore trade agreement The UK and Singapore have agreed what has been described as ‘the most innovative trade agreement ever signed’.

The government says the UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) will strengthen the two nations’ trading relationship – worth £16bn in 2020 – and will capitalise on the UK’s claim to be the world’s second-largest services exporter.

In the first three quarters of 2021, trade between Singapore and the West Midlands was worth more than £240m, of which nearly £80m was the export of machinery and transport equipment from the region to Singapore.

A third of the UK’s exports to Singapore are already digitally delivered, including in finance, advertising and engineering. The UK and Singapore also agreed to revitalise the existing FinTech Bridge, a move that will support

40 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

innovative financial services and strengthen cooperation on emerging technologies.

Chamber international director Mandy Haque said: “The new UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement presents an incredibly exciting trade opportunity for businesses across the West Midlands who are keen to scale their services and innovative technologies to IndoPacific markets.

‘A third of the UK’s exports to Singapore are already digitally delivered’ “Businesses in the Greater Birmingham area already trading in Singapore will be very well placed to take advantage of this deal, which is the first of its kind in Europe.

“This is another key milestone in the UK’s

journey to joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, in which Singapore plays a fundamental part, and we look forward to helping businesses capitalise upon this deal.”

The British Chamber of Commerce Singapore said: “The news of the UK Singapore Digital Economy Agreement is an exciting development for both countries.

“It should provide opportunities for businesses to develop their digital trade further, to enable faster and cheaper transactions, enhance trusted data flows and provide a secure digital environment to promote participation in the digital economy.

“The British Chamber of Commerce Singapore looks forward to supporting businesses by ensuring we create dialogues across sectors to support the development of the digital economy.”

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International Trade Greater Birmingham

Commonwealth

Commonwealth Chamber Patrons

Greater Birmingham

Transatlantic Chamber Patrons

Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce

Contact: Mandy Haque T: 0121 725 8994

Canadian trade deal in pipeline Canada and the United Kingdom are to launch negotiations this month to establish a comprehensive trade agreement between the two nations.

A comprehensive deal has been on the cards ever since Britain walked out of the European Union, and in the wake of this an interim deal, the UK-Canada Continuity Agreement, was announced.

This deal – agreed in 2020 during the Brexit transition period – mostly preserved the status quo, which existed in a deal known as CETA, or the Canada Europe Trade Agreement.

The continuity agreement was meant to avoid disruptions to trade between the UK and Canada following Brexit. However, the intention was that the deal would also pave the way for a more detailed free trade agreement.

In an announcement last December, Canadian international trade minister Mary Ng signalled that negotiations on developing the interim deal would proceed within a matter of months.

She said: “Canada and the United Kingdom share a broad and extensive relationship, built on shared history and values and strong economic ties. The Government of Canada now has the opportunity to negotiate an ambitious, modern and comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) that best reflects Canada’s inclusive approach to trade and our bilateral trade relationship with the United Kingdom.”

How are you preparing for the Games?

Ralph Goodale: Importance of partnerships

According to the Department of International trade, total trade in goods and services between the UK and Canada was worth £22bn in 2021. In this period, Canada was the UK’s 14th biggest trading partner.

Ralph Goodale, Canada’s High Commissioner in the UK , said: “The United Kingdom is one of Canada’s most important trade and investment partners. The worrying impacts on global trade due to Russia’s unwarranted and aggressive invasion of Ukraine have underlined the importance of deeper partnerships between likeminded allies.

I am pleased therefore that Canada and the UK will soon embark on negotiations towards an ambitious free trade agreement.

“I am also very much looking forward to visiting Birmingham in April and thank the Chamber for their collaboration in facilitating a meeting with their members to discuss the important economic opportunities that exist between Canada and the UK.”

Researchers from Griffith University Australia are calling for input from Birmingham businesses for a new study into how firms are preparing for this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

The research, led by Dr Joan Carlini, aims to develop a more comprehensive understanding of business attitudes to the Games and what, if any, preparations are taking place ahead of its commencement on 28 July.

The study follows earlier research conducted by Dr Carlini and her team in 2018 during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, which gathered valuable insight from firms in Queensland about the impact and legacy of the sporting event.

Dr Carlini, senior lecturer at Griffith University, said: “The Commonwealth Games promises many opportunities.

However, host city businesses can find it difficult to maximise economic benefits and may be impacted in unexpected ways.

“Our research seeks to engage Birmingham business to learn about their challenges and help them better prepare.”

Erin Henwood, policy advisor at the Chamber, said: “This is a great opportunity for businesses in Greater Birmingham to enable researchers to identify key issues that firms are facing and where more support may be needed. I would encourage members to get involved.”

To take part in this research contact Dr Carlini at J.Carlini@griffith.edu.au

New Zealand move will cut business red tape The UK and New Zealand have signed a comprehensive trade deal which is expected to slash red tape for the UK’s tech, creative and services companies while boosting trade between the countries by almost 60 per cent.

After reaching agreement in principle last October, negotiators have worked intensely to finalise the agreement which will add £800 million to the UK economy.

Under the new deal, tariffs will be eliminated on all UK exports to New Zealand, including current tariffs of up to 10 per cent on clothing and footwear, five per cent on buses and up to five per cent on ships, bulldozers and excavators.

As well as this, UK professionals – such as lawyers and auditors – will be able to work in New

Zealand more easily and bring their families with them.

Flexible rules of origin negotiated within the trade deal will give British exporters an advantage over international rivals in the New Zealand import market, which is expected to grow by 30 per cent by 2030.

The trade deal is also one of the UK Government’s greenest ever, confirming commitments to the Paris Agreement and net zero.

It will liberalise tariffs on the largest list of environmental goods in any Free Trade Agreement to date and will encourage trade and investment in low carbon services and technology.

Chamber international director Mandy Haque (pictured) said: “The new trade deal announced by the Government is fantastic news for the West Midlands region, which is the largest regional exporter of goods to New Zealand, having exported nearly £88m worth of goods in 2020 out of an English total of £541m.

“From professional services firms to manufacturers of machinery and transport equipment, this deal has something for firms of all shapes and sizes. In particular, the commitments to promote SME participation in international trade are an exciting element as smaller firms look to scale up as the world’s border reopen. GBCC looks forward to supporting and working with firms across to understand how they can make the most of the latest developments.”

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International Trade

Workplace revolution will strengthen the UK-US bond Better connected: Ambassador Reeker (centre) with Rosemary Gallant (left), the Chamber’s international director Mandy Haque (right) and (back row, from left) Steve Hewitt, HSBC’s head of UK banking David Beaty, Transatlantic Chamber president James Tait, Gus Franklyn-Bute and Joe Davis

By Dan Harrison UK and US businesses are well-placed to take advantage of a workforce revolution that can bring the two countries’ economies “even closer together”, a leading US diplomat told Chamber members.

Ambassador Philip T.Reeker, the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States to the United Kingdom, was speaking at an exclusive event hosted by the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the US Embassy.

Addressing delegates at the headquarters of HSBC UK in Birmingham city centre, Ambassador Reeker said that while the pandemic “spared no industry from unprecedented challenges”, it has also brought about changes in recruitment that have allowed UK and US firms to create a “truly global workforce”.

Ambassador Reeker said: “The pandemic brought a sea change in how we employ workers – many who went remote during the pandemic do not plan to return to the office or will be part of a hybrid model.

“That’s something we’re going to have to deal with in terms of social and corporate decisions.

“But certainly innovators and technology and business processes have enabled the opportunity to recruit, connect and ultimately retain the best talent virtually, creating a truly global workforce, even if we have to look for ways to bring those people together in person.

“We’re better positioned than ever before to take advantage of the now global workforce that is at our fingertips.

“Birmingham, England companies can now easily connect with Birmingham, Alabama companies – bringing our economies even closer together.”

42 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

Ambassador Reeker also praised the West Midlands’ “crucial role” in the green industrial revolution.

He said the region’s fast-growing low carbon sector offered prime investment opportunities in future mobility, smart energy systems, energy storage and resource management.

“What the West Midlands and Birmingham demonstrate to the world goes hand in hand our net zero ambitions and the goal of building strong and inclusive economies,” he said.

“We can partner to implement our goals and commitments and find ever new ways to innovate, prosper and problem solve.”

Delegates also heard from Steve Hewitt, executive chair of global fitness brand Gymshark.

Mr Hewitt delivered a presentation on the Solihull-headquartered firm’s expansion into the US market, which is now its fastest-growing territory and accounts for 31 per cent of its 44 million social media followers.

He also joined the US Embassy’s senior regional investment advisor Gus Franklyn-Bute and HSBC’s head of US desk Joe Davies for a Q&A session.

A delegation from the embassy – including minister counselor for commercial affairs Rosemary Gallant, international business advisor Kristina Schaferova – were given tours of two Chamber members who have trade links with the United States.

First up was a visit to the European headquarters of Hydraforce Hydraulics, a manufacturer of hydraulic valves that has six centres across the world, including three in North America.

The delegation also visited Chamber patron Flexeserve, the award-winning manufacturer of heated food-to-go units and hot-holding displays.

As well as touring Flexeserve’s headquarters in Leicestershire, they heard about the firm’s existing and future ventures in the US market.

Expansion plans: The delegation visited Flexeserve who are making in-roads into the US market

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ABCC Updates and useful information from the largest ethnic support organisation in the UK Contact: Anjum Khan T: 0845 6036650

New faces join exec committee The Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) has announced several appointments to its executive committee, as it celebrates another year of growth.

The new faces were announced during the ABCC’s online annual meeting, at which it was also announced that Dr Jason Wouhra, CEO of Lioncroft Wholesale Limited, would go on to serve a second year of presidency.

In his address, he reflected on his experience as president during the pandemic and commended the resilience and bond between businesses throughout that time.

He also expressed his optimism and declared that the Chamber was ‘alive and kicking’ with new ideas for the upcoming year.

Mr Wouhra said: “I am proud to be continuing into my second term as president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce after what has been an incredibly difficult couple of years for the Asian business community.

“The ABCC comes into the term with more confidence than ever that we are best placed to represent the needs and be the voice of Asian business. Our new team has a broad range of experience in many sectors from business and entrepreneurship to professional services, sport and education.

“We are best placed to give vitality and even more influence to the ABCC and we aim to grow our organisation to reflect its 34-year heritage in supporting our community.”

Stepping down from the executive committee

Alive and kicking (left to right): Omar Rashid, ABCC director Anjum Khan, Jason Wouhra and Amina Hussain

are Dr Nasir Awan, Dal Darroch, Sally Walder and Mani Hayre.

Re-elected to the committee were Aftab Chughtai, Fajli Bibi, Neelam Afzal, Pam Sheemar, Ravinder Masih, Sajid Gulzar and Shani Dhanda, in addition to newcomers Amer Awan and Sapreena Kumari.

Amina Hussain and Omar Rashid were elected ABCC vice-presidents.

Amina Hussain is the founder of SME Outsourcing, a firm providing a range of accountancy services to SMEs. In addition to running her accountancy firm, she is currently setting up an accounting academy in Birmingham to support younger people in the region.

She has more than 24 years’ experience in

accounting and finance, previously working for the ‘Big Four’ firm KPMG for eight years.

For the past 24 months, Ms Hussain has focused on supporting local businesses with Covid-19 financial support which, in turn, has aided the firm’s expansion and enabled it to relocate to larger premises in the heart of Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Born and bred in Smethwick, Omar Rashid originally wanted to be a cricketer but went on to Coventry University to be an accountant, then leaving with a Masters in HR Management.

He started his HR career with local authority before working for the NHS for eight years. He started his own business with the HR Dept franchise in January 2018.

Patrons’ dinner returns after pandemic

Dinner at last: At the rear are Hotel du Vin general manager Arron Wincott with Paul Faulkner, Jason Wouhra, Aftab Chugtai and Carl Richardson; and in front are: Andy Street, Anita Bhalla, Anjum Khan and Katrina Cooke

ABCC Patrons

Patrons of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) gathered at the Hotel Du Vin last month for a patrons’ dinner, a celebration that has been put on hold for the past two years due to the pandemic.

The patrons’ dinner is a chance for the Chamber to thank their highest level members for their support and advocacy and catch up on their plans.

The dinner was opened by Chamber president Jason Wouhra, followed by a presentation from keynote speakers Carl Richardson and Paul Faulkner from Richardson UK, who shared insight on their investment plans.

Mayor Andy Street was also in attendance to set out how the region intends to ‘bounce back’ and make the most of the opportunities coming up this year.

Andy Street also commented on the Ukraine crisis and paid tribute to the bravery and dignity of the Ukrainian people, saying: “The West has to stick together like never before and I believe Putin is not representing the Russian people but the personal agenda of a despot.”

ABCC head Anjum Khan said: "It was great to welcome our patrons and guests after what seemed like a very long two years. It’s great to be back with physical events and we have a great line up of events for the year ahead.”

Premier+ Partners

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 43

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Cannock Chase Chase Chamber Patrons

Cannock Chase

Chamber of Commerce

Contact: Steve Mattin T: 07971 144056

Chamber welcomes Steve as new director Steve Mattin, who has taken over from longstanding Cannock Chase Chamber director Chris Plant, is ‘relishing the opportunity’ to support businesses.

Mr Mattin, who also heads up Burton Chamber, brings with him a range of experience with various professional bodies’ membership teams aimed at growing, retaining and increasing the engagement of members, as well as promoting members’ services to their potential clients.

For the last two years he has worked at the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) where he was responsible for increasing the professional development and networking capability of their healthcare professional members during the Covid pandemic, when their usual day-to-day functions were heavily curtailed.

Prior to that he worked at two institutes within the built environment sector, the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Royal Institute of British Architects, primarily working with members to increase their commercial profile and supporting their growth as businesses.

A key part of these roles was working closely

with potential clients of architects and planners to help them choose the right partners for build projects, from bespoke workplace adaptations to city wide master planning projects.

He said: “I’m relishing the opportunity to work closely with colleagues within Chambers to make members throughout Burton and Cannock chase aware of the supportive resource that’s available to them.

“The last few years have been the toughest in decades for businesses. They have faced the uncertainty caused by Brexit, rising costs in materials and energy, a skills shortage, the logistics of an unstable supply chain and of course the pandemic, the recovery from which will bring its own challenges.

“Backing for business has never been more vital, and Chambers play a huge and crucial role in providing world class services and support as well as bridging the gap between business and the government.

“I want members to know they have me as a full time point of contact at Chambers and together with my colleagues we’ll continue supporting them throughout these challenging times.”

Challenging times: Steve Mattin

Shaun Gray, president of the Burton Chamber, said: “Steve is a great appointment his experience and enthusiasm will be great for the Burton and District Chamber, myself and the chamber council look forward to working with Steve to support our members locally, grow our membership base and gain more exposure for Burton business within the wider Greater Birmingham Chamber.”

Training enables potteries worker to reach a new level

Paul Clayton with Nicola Dulson of PTP

44 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

A Staffordshire potteries worker who started without a single qualification has secured a degree-level apprenticeship, thanks to Midlands training organisation Performance Through People (PTP).

Paul Clayton says his six-year journey to achieve an operation/department manager Level Five qualification has made him both “a better manager and person”.

Mr Clayton, who is now a shift manager at Portmeirion Potteries, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, started working for the firm eight years ago.

He had not achieved his grades when he left school, did not enjoy learning and did not want to learn, but following a marriage breakdown he applied for a job at Portmeirion, seeing this as an opportunity to develop himself.

He started studying with PTP in 2016, initially completing a team leading Level 2 qualification.

Nicola Dulson, Mr Clayton’s learning and development tutor at PTP, which is part of the BCTG Group, said: “Paul openly admitted that he was not academic. He had never had any support or guidance, but after studying with us he quickly achieved his Level 1 functional skills math and English.”

Mr Clayton became a forklift trainer and was then promoted to shift manager with 38 staff in his team, and due to this he was chosen to complete an operation/department manager Level 5 apprenticeship – equivalent to a degreelevel qualification.

Ms Dulson explained: “Paul, myself and his employer all discussed the challenges that lay ahead, and how this was a big jump from a Level 2 to a Level 5.

“It has not been easy but with Paul’s positive attitude and commitment, and my continued support, he has slowly but surely progressed, continually striving to achieve and putting many study hours in on his weekends off.”

She added: “Paul has also developed IT skills.

He didn’t really use IT until he had the training role, and together we have used Microsoft and created filing for Paul to improve his organisational skills.

“Paul’s positive mental attitude has served him well, he has appreciated the opportunity to learn, he has embraced it and focused.”

Mr Clayton said: “I can honestly say, without the guidance from Nicola, I wouldn’t have been able to shine in my role as I have done.”

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Burton & District Burton & District Chamber Patrons

Contact: Steve Mattin T: 07971 144056

Diverse: Members of the Ginho Group team supporting International Women’s Day

Firm champions female engineers Burton-based Ginho Europe has been supporting International Women’s Day, as well as celebrating the achievements of the female members of their team.

European managing director Shaun Gray, who is also president of Burton Chamber, has long been a champion of a more diverse and inclusive culture and is proud of the opportunities that Ginho is providing for women.

He said: “The automotive sector is really progressive and has been taking a lead on equitable working practices.

“In my opinion, the automotive industry as a whole has made great progress in terms of diversity and inclusion – which extends to improved working conditions and the banning of unethical practices.

“There is no bias here at Ginho and there is no barrier to progress. We actively encourage all team members to embrace personal development, to take on new responsibilities and to take advantage of training programmes that are happily funded by the company.”

Ginho’s European quality engineer, Theresa Mackay, sees International Women’s Day as an opportunity to champion women in engineering in sectors which decades ago were traditionally dominated by men.

She said: “I am really fortunate to work for a progressive, inclusive business now and I really do encourage other women to pursue their dreams with confidence and to be proud of their achievements.”

Theresa started work in food retail. Then when she moved down to Nottingham from her native Glasgow, she worked for a plastics manufacturer and it was here that she became fascinated with production processes, engineering and quality control. Fast forward 16 years and she is thriving in her role as European quality engineer at the Ginho Europe, having worked in aluminium extrusion and rail freight maintenance along the way.

This year, she will be overseeing ISO 9001 for Ginho’s operation in Germany and she is hoping to go to China to visit the company’s state-ofthe art factory.

Arboretum highlights the Commonwealth The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire is celebrating sport, service and friendship between the nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

The exciting programme of exhibitions and activities at the nation’s year-round place to remember includes a brand-new outdoor escape challenge and an augmented reality experience.

Timed to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Arboretum’s ‘Sports, Service and the Commonwealth’ programme highlights the camaraderie of communities from across the Commonwealth who have served alongside each other.

Armed Forces personnel from across the nations and territories of the Commonwealth have served, and continue to serve, alongside each other in times of war and peace, working together to protect democratic freedoms and way of life. The Arboretum is home to many memorials that honour the service and collaboration of diverse communities from across the Commonwealth.

Chris Ansell, head of participation and learning at the Arboretum, said: “Our ‘Sports, Service and the Commonwealth’ summer programme is a celebration of international friendships and the diverse communities who live in Britain today.

“With 2022 being the year of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and with Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games, we thought this was a fantastic opportunity to explore how the Commonwealth has helped shape our communities and to highlight the role that sport plays in the lives of Armed Forces personnel and veterans returning to civilian life.”

College supports YMCA Burton’s food bank Burton and South Derbyshire College has donated a range of food boxes to the YMCA Burton to support vulnerable people and families in need in the local area.

Students and staff have generously donated the food that will be used by the YMCA to provide emergency food supplies for those in need in Burton upon Trent.

The food bank is an ongoing initiative by the college that is part of the national ‘Good for Me, Good for FE’ campaign, which has seen colleges across the country working together to boost emergency food supplies of many local foodbanks.

With more than 100 colleges signed up, the campaign aims to generate £1m of ‘social value’ by creating a ‘long term, sustainable programme of community wealth’, as well as encouraging volunteering and fundraising across the country.

Joining a growing number of partners supporting the FE sector’s campaign, BSDC has been raising awareness and providing opportunities for people to get involved with volunteering within their local communities.

Paula Senior, fundraising and partnerships manager at YMCA Burton said: “We are so grateful to Burton and South Derbyshire College for supporting our foodbank.

“Our foodbank has been running for over 20 years in Burton town centre and we are open seven days a week. We could not run it without the generosity of the local community and collections such as those from BSDC – thank you to all involved.”

College chief executive Dawn Ward said: “We’re proud of the work our students and staff do throughout the year to support local charities and projects. Supporting the Good for Me, Good for FE campaign is our way of coming together with other colleges across the country to support our local communities and have a positive impact on the lives of those in need.”

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 45

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Lichfield & Tamworth Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber Patrons Contact: Chris Brewerton T: 0845 6036650

Businesses thanked for hospice support Lead story: Chris Leggett and Clare Knowles, with Wilson and Benji

Specialist takes on lead role with PR firm Public relations agency Osborn Communications has increased its team on the back of revenue and client number growth.

The agency has added experienced specialist Clare Knowles to the business, after securing a run of new client additions.

Clare, who worked for £1.2bn-turnover convenience giant AF Blakemore, has joined founder Chris Leggett to provide support for clients through media relations, content and social media campaigns.

The Osborn team are continuing to make a positive difference, raising money for a dementia charity through a month-long dog walking challenge. Having launched in May 2020, Osborn has grown to deliver work for an increasing number of retained clients based in the West Midlands, as well as new customers in London, Yorkshire and the South West.

Clare Knowles said: “In my previous role I was heavily involved in the management of a corporate social responsibility programme and corporate branding together with internal and external communications. I hope to bring my experience in these areas to support Osborn clients.”

Throughout March, Clare and Chris, together with their dogs Wilson and Benji, will be taking part in the 100k Dog Walking Challenge to raise funds for Dementia UK, a good cause which they know well. The charity provides specialist nursing care for families living with dementia in the UK. Director Chris Leggett, a former BBC News journalist, said: “Having been impressed by Clare’s experience, I am delighted she has chosen to join at what promises to be an exciting time for Osborn. We are fortunate to work with some amazing clients, who we see as partners in our growth story to date.

“Joining forces with specialists in website delivery and digital marketing to further meet client needs, the business is increasingly a team effort with future prospects looking strong. We are keen to give back so the Dementia UK fundraiser is one of many ways we plan to help good causes.”

46 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber divisional director, Chris Brewerton, has put on record his thanks to all businesses based across the two districts for their support of the organisations’ chosen charity partner, St Giles Hospice, since December 2019.

The hospice, which is based in Whittington, has a reach across Staffordshire and the West Midlands, thanks to a huge network of volunteers, retail outlets and outreach campaigns. St Giles utilised communications and networking opportunities linked to the Chamber to grow awareness of its many fundraising events, campaigns and support for people living with a terminal illness, caring for someone who is, or grieving over the death of a loved one.

The Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber is now looking for a new chosen charity for the next two years. However, Mr Brewerton was keen to bring the hospice's term as chosen charity to a close by acknowledging the support of so many people in building awareness across the business community and raising funds which, with raffles linked to the division’s annual business awards and various fundraising campaigns, totalled in excess of £2,000.

He said: “Our members voted to support St Giles Hospice and it was a great choice given

the extensive geographical reach the organisation has in our area, touching the lives of many thousands of people, and the links the organisation already has with so many businesses and fundraisers in the community.

‘The Chamber’s support has been immeasurable’ "The tireless efforts to raise awareness of the cause from the St Giles team with hospice show rounds, social media engagement, presence at networking events and promotion of the hundreds of thousands of pounds raised through their extensive events programme, something that was hugely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of.”

Samantha Storey, of St Giles, said: “The Chamber’s support has been immeasurable, for many years, but starting this new charity partnership at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen incredible stewardship, the building of wonderful new relationships and incredible funds raised. The Chamber’s donations and support will help us continue to be there for patients and their families, when they need us most. On behalf of everyone here at St Giles Hospice, thank you.”

Pop star joins festival line-up Pop icon Tony Hadley (pictured) is to open Lichfield Festival’s 40th anniversary celebrations this summer with a stunning Lichfield Cathedral concert on 7 July.

The singer and festival patron is one of the headliners at this year’s event, taking place from 7-17 July.

Former Spandau Ballet frontman Hadley will be joined by singer/ songwriter Ayanna WitterJohnson, Ballet Cymru, folk group The Longest Johns, comedian Zoe Lyons, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Brodsky Quartet and cellist Steven Isserlis, and jazz coupling James Pearson and Lizzie Ball.

Damian Thantrey, Lichfield Festival director, said: “Since the first event in 1982, Lichfield Festival has brought artists and musicians of the highest calibre, and audiences local and national, to this beautiful city.

“Alongside fabulous established and up-andcoming artists, our 40th anniversary will feature

works from the first festival, new commissions, bespoke 1980s themed shows, music honouring the 150th anniversary of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and the inaugural Midlands Choir of the Year.

“We’re thrilled that Tony Hadley has agreed to launch the celebrations for us and delighted also to welcome new principal festival sponsor McArthurGlen. As always, there will be dance, drama, comedy, family fun, fireworks and free events – all the hallmarks that have made Lichfield Festival a cultural beacon for the last 40 years.”

Rebecca Lee, marketing manager of McArthurGlen, the West-Midlandsbased designer outlet, said: “The West Midlands has a thriving arts and culture scene and we are delighted to work with the Lichfield Festival to support this wonderful community.”

The festival runs from 7-17 July. General booking opens on 3 May.

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Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield Chamber Patrons

Sutton Coldfield

Charity of the Year

Chamber of Commerce

Contact: Chris Brewerton T: 0845 6036650

Vice-president boosts nutritional start-up An entrepreneur with a passion for nutrition has turned her dream into a start-up reality with support from a Sutton Coldfield business coach.

Tine Nyland enlisted the help of Clare Whalley, founder of Meta4 Coaching and vice-president of the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce, Tine Nyland: Living her dream in business

to help her business, Calluna Nutrition, thrive.

Norwegian-born Tine had always had a passion for nutrition, as well as ideas to turn it into a business venture.

But she continually put her plans on hold due to family commitments and having to manage a medical condition.

However, Calluna Nutrition was brought to life after she decided to work with Clare and one of Meta4’s coaching programmes. Now the business is going strong despite launching against the backdrop of a global pandemic.

Tine explained: “It was important for me to choose an expert who worked with ‘wannabe’ entrepreneurs just like me.

“This enabled me the time and space to really dig in and uncover everything that I wanted to make my business succeed and to be helping those who needed me the most. So, my audience was women desperately seeking a fresh approach to get away from fad and trend dieting to create a healthier lifestyle for a lifetime.”

The coaching programme Tine chose was Meta4’s Business In A Box, which helped with everything from developing a strong brand and website, to assistance with business management.

She said: “That feels like such an achievement writing it down, but it really does prove that a business start-up can be achieved once you have the right help and support.”

Of the support she received from Clare and Meta4, Tine said: “Working with Clare and her team has been a dream come true.

“The business I'm left with after this year is something I didn't dare dreaming about. It has meant a great deal to the indecisive me, learning to become more determined. Together we've made a business I'm really proud of!”

Quin Holtzhuizen: New boss at The Belfry

New general manager appointed at Belfry The Belfry Hotel & Resort has announced the appointment of a new general manager.

Quin Holtzhuizen joins the team with more than 22 years of experience in hospitality – and will be responsible for overseeing hotel operations.

Quin – who will report directly to resort director Chris Eigelaar - previously worked as general manager of The Bodmin Jail Hotel in Bodmin, Cornwall and is also a former general manager of the Crowne Plaza Felbridge, Gatwick.

Throughout his career, Quin has worked in many roles, from porter to general manager.

Quin said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have joined The Belfry and I am excited to play my role in the resort’s future.

“As well as ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional stays for our guests, I will be looking at innovative ways in which we can take forward the brand and remain market leaders.”

Chris Eigelaar said: “Quin brings with him a wealth of experience and a real passion for the hospitality industry.

“I’m looking forward to working together with Quin and the wider team at The Belfry to further enhance our offer and to continue to build on our reputation for excellence.”

Charity shortlist announced Three charitable organisations have been shortlisted to become the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce’s chosen charity of the year.

The Chamber is on the lookout for a new charity to support after its partnership with Sutton Coldfield YMCA came to an end.

Charitable organisations were invited to apply for the opportunity and the applicants have now been whittled down to a shortlist of three by president Phil Arkinstall and vice-presidents Clare Whalley and Naeem Arif.

The three shortlisted charities are Acacia Family Support, UK Sepsis Trust and Motor Neurone Disease Association The three shortlisted organisations will now be invited to a networking lunch event at the

Brewhouse and Kitchen in Sutton Coldfield town centre on Wednesday 6 April, where they will each give a five-minute presentation to delegates about why they should be chosen.

The process will then culminate in a vote among members to determined the Chamber’s charity of the year.

Phil Arkinstall said: “It was extremely tough to shortlist the candidates for charity of the year.

There are so many worthy organisations who applied. It was a pleasure to hear more about each of them and I wish we could have shortlisted them all.

“As a Chamber, we have loved supporting the Sutton Coldfield YMCA over the last few years and I look forward to supporting our new charity when they are elected at our event on 6 April.”

Phil Arkinstall: Difficult choice

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 47

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Solihull All the latest news, advice and events for the Solihull business community Contact: Samantha Frampton T: 0121 678 7488

Chamber AGM looks back on year of helping local businesses Solihull Chamber of Commerce celebrated a successful year of supporting the town’s business community last month at its annual meeting.

The event took place at Solihull Moors Football Club and saw members come together to appoint new members to their executive committee and outline their achievements within the last year.

The AGM outlined the many ways in which the Chamber has been flying the flag for local businesses, including the hosting of its Annual Awards ceremony in October 2021 and the host of networking and charity events aimed at keeping businesses connected whilst navigating the coronavirus pandemic.

This year’s AGM was also the first time that head of Solihull Chamber, Samantha Frampton, (pictured) had led the event since her appointment last year.

She said: “As you know I became the new head of Solihull Chamber in September 2021, a role which I am privileged to take on. I love what I do and am really excited to be able to

play a part in what is an exciting time ahead for Solihull.

“Since joining in 2018 I have had the pleasure of getting to know our wonderful members, partners and patrons.

“Solihull is already home to an ever-growing number of highprofile businesses and significant opportunities from major investments such as the Commonwealth Games and HS2 Interchange Station. And I promise within my role to continue to connect with, support and help grow local businesses.”

Touchwood general manager, Tony Elvin, addressed attendees ahead of what will be his second year as Chamber president, and thanked members and the committee for their support during his term so far.

He said: “May I take this opportunity to thank everyone that has served the Chamber in this

capacity over the past year, wish well those that are passing on the baton and offer a huge welcome to my new vice presidents and exec team members.”

The Chamber’s wider executive committee has seen a few changes, with Vijay Jogia, business manager at Metro Bank and Susie Ankrett, director of Plum Personnel appointed vice-presidents on the executive council for a twoyear period alongside Eileen Schofield, who will continue in the role for another year.

Mr Jogia and Ms Ankrett will take over from Michael Westman and Stuart Watson, who both remain on the executive council.

It was also announced that Kevin Johns, Emma-Louise Hewitt, Lindsey Stewart, Jas Rohel, Brad Parkes and Pauline Clarke will continue as executive council members for a second year, as well as Amanda Holden, Kim Hulse, Ian Rogers, Stephen Rome, Andy Cole and Namrita Sharma.

SoLO chosen as Charity of the Year A charity helping people with learning disabilities to achieve their full potential and encourage their integration in society has been named as this year's Solihull Chamber Charity of the Year.

Social Life Opportunities (SoLO) is a charity based in Chelmsley Wood and was founded in 2000 with just £500 in the bank and one employee delivering leisure activities for people with learning disabilities. Since then, the charity has supported hundreds of children and young people and adults, some who have been part of SoLO's journey since it began, and the team has since expanded to 200 staff, supported by volunteers.

SoLO’s growth has been shaped by need, after identifying gaps in provision, and is driven by its desire to improve the lives of all who it supports. Being the chamber’s Charity of the Year will help further growth by enabling SoLO to expand its changing areas for those whose personal care needs cannot be met with mainstream bathrooms.

This will include refurbishing the accommodation at SoLO’s base in Chelmsley Wood, and adding a second changing table and hoist.

Jan Prior, who has a son with severe and complex disabilities. said: “This is brilliant news for SoLO, a leading Solihull social care charity, which has been providing services for people with learning disabilities for over 20 years.

“We’re so pleased and thankful to have the support of the Solihull Chamber of Commerce following a long, hard journey through a pandemic, when staff have gone above and beyond to ensure its members continue to receive their activities and breaks.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for engagement with the wider community in Solihull to further develop and enhance SoLO’s personal care facilities in the bathrooms. A very welcome burst of Spring sunshine to boost SoLO onto the next stage of its journey.”

48 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

SoLO will be the Chamber charity until March next year.

Samantha Frampton, head of Solihull Chamber, said: "Solihull Chamber is incredibly excited to announce SoLO as its newest Chosen Charity.

"The aim of this partnership is to support charities doing meaningful and impactful work in and around the Solihull area and it is already clear from conversations with Jan that there is a lot of passion behind the work taking place at SoLO.”

Chosen charity: Samantha Frampton and Chamber president Tony Elvin with the staff and children at SoLO

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Solihull Solihull Chamber Patrons

130 years of providing canine care Birmingham Dogs Home is celebrating 130 years of caring for lost and homeless dogs across the region.

Established in 1892 in the heart of Birmingham, the charity’s history is interwoven with decades of change for the Midlands, providing a vital service through two World Wards, times of economic hardship and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.

The130th birthday is being marked by the opening of a new in-house veterinary clinic at the charity’s rescue centre near Solihull, which will help provide the highest levels of medical care to more than 2,000 dogs that come to its attention every year.

Following the official opening of the new clinic by the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Ken Meeson, and Mr John Wheatley, chairman of Birmingham Dogs Home, supporters and adopters are being invited to join the charity for a ‘Big Birthday Paw-ty’.

Dog lovers are invited to support the charity by buying a ticket to bring along their four-

legged friends for a special afternoon of doggie themed fun and enjoy the surroundings of its Catherine-de Barnes home, where it relocated to in 2015.

The charity will be fundraising with a ‘130’ theme throughout the year, to raise essential funds, and is encouraging business teams to ent er two big birthday challenges to lend their support. Dog lovers can join the BDH team for a Malvern Hills Marvellous Mutt Walk on 24 April or a more challenging Snowdon Sunset climb on 29 October.

Head of fundraising Fi Harrison said: “We are so proud to be celebrating this milestone for our charity and for animal welfare in the Midlands. We do not receive any government funding and are entirely reliant o n the local community and business supporters to operate.

"We have a range of activities to suit everyone throughout our birthday year and we hope local businesses will enjoy taking part in these challenges and become part of our history as well as our future.”

It’s a dog’s life: The new in-house veterinary clinic at BDH rescue centre

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Future Faces Future Faces Chamber Patrons Contact: Jodie-Lee Perks T: 07951 245985

Communications firms pledge to help charities Good causes: Rob Langley-Swain and Tara Tomes

Three marketing and communications businesses are the latest in a growing number of organisations across the West Midlands to join the ‘Make Good Grow’ movement, pledging their support to help charities in the region.

East Village, Gibsonhaus and Kinetic PR have all pledged pro-bono services for good causes worth a total commercial value in excess of £75,000.

Putting the focus on skilled volunteering, Make Good Grow aims to connect businesses to causes that need specific services so that both can reap benefits.

Its ‘Business Pioneer’ pledge system enables organisations to assess their time, services and

product availability, and pledging a portion of what they do to help good causes to thrive.

Make Good Grow’s platform connects businesses with good causes who need that service, support or product offer and then the work begins, bringing huge benefits to both parties.

Make Good Grow believes that in a world that has an increased focus and spotlight on environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and delivery, the advantage this approach poses will revolutionise how companies view corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Rob Langley-Swain, managing director of Make Good Grow and a member of Future Faces, said: “There has never been a greater need for businesses to pledge their support and skills, not only in terms of helping others and paying it forward, but also because of their own ESG or CSR strategies.

“Businesses have traditionally focused on reporting and delivering financial successes, but the increased focus now, and in the future, will be on their impact on the world, their people and the communities where they exist.

“Consumers, investors, regulators, employees and shareholders are all expecting more from businesses, so to be able to prove that you are measuring authentic sustainability and social impact with genuine continuous improvement to gain trust and recognition in the market is vital.

Our pledge programme is just the start for businesses doing this and we can’t wait to grow and increase the good we are doing in the world.”

Birmingham PR agency, headed up by Tara Tomes, is among those who have pledged to support the initiative.

She said: “I’m a true believer in doing good things and helping people when you can, so I’m thrilled that East Village is able to commit more than £50,000 worth of time and resource to organisations that need our support.”

New Members Fintan Corkerry (Mills and Reeve) Alexis Parry (Eventmasters Limited) Tas Gola (Eventmasters Limited) Abigail Coulson (Acorns Children's Hospice) Oli Wem (Ridge and Partners LLP) Luke Askill (Ridge and Partners LLP) Rebecca Forrest (Ridge and Partners LLP) Zuzana Muckova (Ridge and Partners LLP) Matt Taylor (Ridge and Partners LLP)

Upcoming Events How to navigate tricky conversations in the workplace Date: 07/04/2022 Time: 5:30 – 7:30 Venue: IBIS Birmingham New Street Cost: Non-member price: £15.00 Future Faces Members: Free Future Faces Paint & prosecco social networking Date: 26/04/2022 Time: 5:30 – 7:30 Venue: The Studio Cost: Non-member price: £15 Future Faces Members: Free Future Faces social networking (Solihull) Date: 13/04/2022 Time: 5:30 – 7:30 Venue: Taste Collective Mell Square, Solihull Cost: Member and non-member price: Free For more information and to book a place contact events@birmingham-chamber.com

Podcast will give you a growth mindset ‘Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast’ is continuing to help young professionals with their professional development, through the release of a new podcast, ‘Adopting a growth mindset’.

In the second episode of the Chamber’s newest venture, aimed at showcasing and engaging the region’s young talent, FF vicepresident and business coach Sabah Hussain joined host and press and PR executive Claudia Congrave to discuss what it means to adopt a ‘growth mindset’.

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During the episode Sabah explains how she came to learn about her own outlook, and realise that she was holding herself back from a lot of experiences for fear of pushing herself out of her comfort zone.

As a result of adopting a growth mindset, Sabah shared how it has allowed her to achieve so much more in both her professional and personal life.

She said: “I’ve always been positive and optimistic and seen the good side of things, but at the same time I’ve been guilty of

convincing myself that I can’t do things, worrying about if I’d be good at them or worrying about if I’d look silly.

“It’s only really this year that I’ve just thought I need to step out and try new things, which is where that growth mindset has come through.”

To listen to the full episode and subscribe to Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast, visit www.anchor.fm/futurefacespodcast

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Future Faces

The Chamber’s ever growing network for young professionals and the leaders of tomorrow.

Future Faces awards set to return A highly-anticipated awards ceremony celebrating the region’s young professionals and their achievements will return this summer – with guests being welcomed to celebrate in person at the ICC in Birmingham.

This year’s ‘Future Faces Annual Dinner and Awards’ will take place on 26 August at 7pm and will see guests gather to recognise the region’s young talent.

The awards this year will also mark another special occasion, as the Future Faces Chamber of Commerce celebrates ten years of the division being established.

Last year’s ceremony was hosted online and saw more than 50 individuals shortlisted for the 12 category awards.

This year’s awards categories are as follows: • The Future Faces Apprentice of the Year • The Future Face of Creative Arts and Culture • The Future Face of Charity • The Future Face of Start-Ups and Enterprise • The Future Face of Finance • The Future Face of Industry and Engineering

• The Future Face of Legal • The Future Face of Education and Public Sector • The Future Face of Retail & Hospitality • The Future Face of Sales, Marketing and Communications • The Future Face of Sustainability

• The Future Face of Technology and Innovation • The Future Face of Health & Wellbeing As well as committee-selected awards: • The President’s Award • The Future Faces Ambassador Award The overall winner of the awards will be crowned the Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2022.

Jodie-Lee Perks, Future Faces manager, said: “After two years of virtual awards ceremonies, we are delighted that 2022’s annual dinner will be in person and bigger than ever. We are introducing two new categories, ‘The Future Face of Health & Wellbeing’ and the ‘President’s Award’ which will be chosen by Jaccy Datta. It’s been a hard two years, so it really is time to celebrate the successes of young professionals whose career paths have been affected by lockdowns.”

FF Awards 2021: Chamber CEO Henrietta Brealey, Jessica Uppal, Future Faces vice-president Kasim Choudhary, Jaccy Datta, vice-president Sabah Hussain, Anna Assinder and host Gemma Hill.

For more information or to apply for an award visit the GBCC website or contact j.perks@birmingham-chamber.com

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Training

Training courses The Chamber’s International team has a portfolio of documentation training, aimed at those who are exporting goods to Europe and all over the world. The majority of the courses are British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) accredited. The courses cover everything from customs procedures to incoterms, a set of legal terms which define where the responsibility of the exporter ends and that of the buyer begins. The list below covers the second quarter of 2022.

For bespoke training options or alternate dates, contact training@birmingham-chamber.com

Course Title: A beginner’s practical guide to exporting

Course Title: Customs declarations

Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Thursday 7 April 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £270 + VAT Non-Members £325 + VAT The attendee will gain knowledge and understanding on terminology used in an export role and understand why export procedures must be correctly actioned.

Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Course Title: Trading with Ireland & Northern Ireland

Course Title: An Introduction to Authorised Economic Operator (AEO)

Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Wednesday 20 April 2022 1.30pm – 4.30pm Online remote training David Reader Members £110 + VAT Non-Members £170 + VAT This webinar would suit any business that currently trades with southern or Northern Ireland or looking to trade and would like guidance.

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Thursday 21 April 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Online remote training Malin Geanovu Members £275 + VAT Non-Members £385 + VAT The training course will provide the delegate with details on what they need to know to be able to accurately complete a simple Customs declaration and to understand the Customs regimes.

Date: Tuesday 26 April 2022 Time: 9.30am-4.00pm Venue: Online remote training Trainer: David Reader Cost: Members £200 + VAT Non-Members £280 + VAT The attendee will gain an insight as to why their business should consider obtaining AEO status and how they could benefit in doing so.

Course Title: Understanding export & export documentation (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Thursday 28 April 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £270 + VAT Non-Members £325 + VAT The attendee will see the end-toend Export process and gain an understanding of the Export documentation requirements, including knowledge on shipping, using freight forwarders and couriers. A great follow on from anyone who has sat our beginner’s export course.

Course Title: Health & Safety for small businesses Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Monday 9 May 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Chamber house Beckie Staincliffe Members £170 + VAT Non-Members £220 + VAT

This is a general Health and Safety awareness course and is suitable for owners / directors / managers and supervisors of small businesses who have specific responsibilities with regards to managing and coordinating Health and Safety.

Delegates do not need prior knowledge to attend.

Course Title: Customs procedures & documentation (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Tuesday 10 May 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £270 + VAT Non-Members £325 + VAT The day will include discussing & reviewing organisations involved in International trade, what an Export is, key information on international documentation, including commodity codes, Incoterms and licences, rules of origin covering preference and non preference and more.

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Training Course Title: Understanding export & export documentation (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Wednesday 11 May 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £270 +VAT Non-Members £325 + VAT The attendee will see the end-toend Export process and gain an understanding of the Export documentation requirements, including knowledge on shipping, using freight forwarders and couriers. A great follow on from anyone who has sat our beginner’s export course.

Course Title: Understanding commodity codes (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Tuesday 17 May 2022 9.30am – 12.30pm Online remote training David Reader Members £165 + VAT Non-Members £220 + VAT Key points delivered on the course include the background to Trade Commodity Codes, make up of a Commodity Code, general Interpretive Rules, building a Commodity Code, how to find a Commodity Code, hard To Classify Goods and more.

Course Title: Agents & distributors (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer:

Tuesday 17 May 2022 1.30pm – 4.30pm Online remote training David Reader

Cost:

Members £165 + VAT Non-Members £220 + VAT This detailed course is suitable for anyone in an International trade environment who lease with different Agents and Distributors or are looking for opportunities to get involved with an agent / distributor and the best way how.

Course Title: Incoterms 2020 (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Wednesday 8 June 2022 9.30am – 12.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £165 + VAT Non-Members £220 + VAT The course will provide an overview of the changes that have taken place between the previous 2010 Incoterms to the new 2020 terms.

It will also provide a guide on the obligations and costs to the buyer and seller during a sale to include when risk passes during the transaction from seller to buyer.

Course Title: Import procedures including IP & OP (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Thursday 9 June 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £270 + VAT Non-Members £325 + VAT The attendee will gain an overview of the end-to-end import process and all areas applicable. You will look at supplier risk, country risk, payment risk and learn about duty payments along with special procedures.

Course Title: Preference rules of origin (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Tuesday 21 June 2022 9.30am – 12.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £165 + VAT Non-Members £220 + VAT Attendees will receive a detailed discussion and explanation on rules of origin, non-preferential origin rules, UK & Arab certificates of origin, preferential origin rules, trade agreements, UK EUR1 movement certificate’s and more.

Course Title: Documentary letters of credit & methods of payment (BCC accredited) Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Tuesday 28 June 2022 9.30am – 3.30pm Online remote training Exporter Services Members £270 + VAT Non-Members £325 + VAT

The course will provide an overview of all methods of payment when trading internationally to include the risks and benefits involved. It will also guide you through the rules of managing a letter of credit and how to make sure documents are compliant, so payment is successful.

Course Title: Risk and rewards in International trade Date: Time: Venue: Trainer: Cost:

Wednesday 29 June 2022 9.30am – 12.30pm Online remote training David Reader Members £110 + VAT Non-Members £170 + VAT This bespoke half day course is to help businesses and their staff understand the different areas of risks of International Trade and therefore be in a position to make informed

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Chamber Events

Live events are back in action The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s events programme is one of the largest in the British Chambers network.

Spring has arrived and so has April’s events programme.

For further information about this month’s events and to book a place, visit: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/networking-events

1813 Premier Members Breakfast Networking Date: 01/04/2022 Time: 8:30 – 10:30 Venue: Clayton Hotel Division: GBCC Cost: Members: Free Chosen Charity Selection Lunch Date: 04/04/2022 Time: 12:00 – 14:00 Venue: TBC Division: Lichfield & Tamworth Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Meet the Neighbours Date: 05/04/2022 Time: 08:00 – 09:15 Venue: Zoom Division: GBCC Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: Free Non-members: Free

International Networking Date: 11/04/2022 Time: 16:00 – 17:00 Venue: TBC Division: Commonwealth Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Solihull Speaker Event Date: 12/04/2022 Time: 09:00 – 10:30 Venue: TBC Division: Solihull Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £10 +VAT Non-members: £10 +VAT

Networking Lunch Date: 06/04/2022 Time: 12:00 – 14:00 Venue: Brewhouse & Kitchen Division: Sutton Coldfield Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT

Future Faces Social Networking (Solihull) Date: 13/04/2022 Time: 17:30 – 19:30 Venue: Taste Collective Division: Future Faces Cost: Future Faces Members: Free Members: Free Non-members: Free

Future Faces: How to Navigate Tricky Conversation in the Workplace Date: 07/04/2022 Time: 17:30 – 19:30 Venue: TBC Division: Future Faces Cost: Future Faces Members: Free Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT

The Good Business Forum Date: 13/04/2022 Time: 15:00 – 17:00 Venue: Pinsent Masons Division: GBCC Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT

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Social Networking Date: 13/04/2022 Time: 17:30 – 19:30 Venue: National Brewery Centre Division: Burton upon Trent Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Lower Thames Crossing – Supply Chain Opportunities Date: 20/04/2022 Time: 10:00 – 11:15 Venue: Zoom Division: GBCC Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: Free Non-members: Free Networking Lunch Date: 21/04/2022 Time: 12:00 – 14:00 Venue: TBC Division: Cannock Chase Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Speed Networking Date: 22/04/2022 Time: 8:30 – 10:30 Venue: Eastside Rooms Division: GBCC Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Pro Solihull Networking Date: 24/03/2022 Time: 17:30 – 19:30 Venue: TBC Division: Solihull Cost: Members: Free

Future Faces Social Networking (Birmingham) Date: 26/04/2022 Time: 17:30 – 19:30 Venue: TBC Division: Future Faces Cost: Future Faces Members: Free Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Quarterly Business Report Q1: Investment in Greater Birmingham Date: 27/04/2022 Time: 17:00 – 19:00 Venue: Birmingham City University, City South Campus Division: GBCC Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: Free Non-members: Free Commonwealth Delegation with Ghana Date: 27/04/2022 Time: 08:00 – 09:00 Venue: TBC Division: Commonwealth Cost: Members: Free Future Faces Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Speaker Breakfast Date: 28/04/2022 Time: 07:30 – 9:30 Venue: Branston Golf and Country Club Division: Burton upon Trent Cost: Members: Free

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Chamber Events

Picture gallery With 11 award-winners, 92 shortlisted businesses and over 1,300 guests, the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce annual awards and dinner 2022 was nothing short of spectacular.

Here are some of the evening’s moments.

Pictures by: Marc Kirsten Top All the winners: Awards winners celebrate on stage.

Centre (picture: Jas Sansi): Chamber Chief executive vs president - Henrietta and Deb warm up for the battle of the speeches.

Left Business of the year: The Touchwood team take home the main prize of the night.

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Hotels, Conferences & Events

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Hotels, Conferences & Events

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How to plan a

sustainable event Corporate hospitality is seen by many businesses as a vital way to gain and retain customers and improve their brand recognition. However, it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to also demonstrate a commitment to sustainability – but how can you deliver an event that has an enormous impact on your audience but not on the environment?

What’s your impact?

When planning an eco-friendly event, your first action should be to consider past events and measure their environmental impact. This will give you a great starting point to work from and show you the exact areas that need improvement.

Choose a responsible venue For your event to be as sustainable as possible, it’s imperative that you work with a venue that shares your eco-friendly values. Some venues, such as hotels, will be able to offer a Green Tourism certification, but you can also check their policies on recycling and energy use, too.

Consider the fact that a larger event space will require more energy to light and heat, so make sure you choose a space that is appropriately sized for your guest list.

Scrap paper With the advance of digital technology, do you really need to clog printers with invitations, flyers, posters, welcome packs and brochures? Send out

e-vites instead of printed invitations, and consider developing a website – or even an app – where your guests can find all of the information they need during the run up to the big day. This will eliminate the need to print out hundreds or thousands of programmes and will also help your guests stay on top of any last minute changes or additions to the day. Other ways to reduce paper consumption include only promoting your event on social media and presenting information digitally on the day, by utilising interactive screens. Where you must use paper, opt for recycled products.

guests to practice being more sustainable once the event is over.

Sustainable refreshments If you are planning on catering your event, there are a few steps you can take to provide sustainable refreshments. Where possible, choose organic, locally produced food and drink to cut emissions and to support local manufacturers.

Avoid over catering, to save both money and to reduce food waste – but if you do have any leftovers, consider donating them to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

Go plastic free

Travel and transportation

Plastic cutlery; delegate badges; drinks bottles; straws; goody bags; decorations – how many single-use plastics are usually used and discarded at your corporate events? A simple way to make your event more eco-friendly is to see where you can minimise or ditch entirely the use of plastic. If your budget allows it, consider giving out reusable drinks bottles as a gift, and encourage your

If you have large guest list, consider how they will travel to your event – and what you can do to make their journey a little more eco-friendly. Can you pick a venue that is close to a train, bus or coach station, allowing your guests to travel via public transport? Can you arrange coach travel (or even a car share system) for delegates to travel together and share their emissions?

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Hotels, Conferences & Events

Get the most out of

business exhibitions Business exhibitions can seem like a daunting prospect, especially for smaller businesses or startup firms. However, attending an exhibition could be the first step in achieving your growth plans – but how do you make the most of exhibiting? s you may already be aware, there is more to exhibiting than simply turning up and manning your stand. The most important thing to remember is you need to make the most of your presence and introduce your business to as many potential customers as possible.

A

Location, location, location The position of your stand is an important factor to consider. Consider paying extra for a prime position, as being tucked away in a corner may limit your exposer.

Even small businesses can make a big impression.

Use social media to your advantage As well as using social media to let people know what exhibitions you’ll be attending and when, you can also tell them exactly where your stand will be located and what you’ll be promoting, encouraging attendees to seek you out. You can also use social media to drum up interest about any giveaways and offers you might be running during the exhibition, as well as to arrange meetings with potential clients or new suppliers.

Stand out A business exhibition is a professional event, but professional does not have to mean bland. When it comes to setting up your stand, creative inspiration is key – you want to convey your brand message and 58 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

catch the attention of everyone that passes by. Think about what you can do to stand out from your competition, be that decorating your stand in your brand colours, investing in professionally-printed banners or digital display boards, installing visual and audio equipment or providing promotional material and token gifts such as pens or keyrings or free product samples.

Next, think about how you will keep your visitors interested in finding out more about your product or service. If you have the space, a seating area will provide a place where you can comfortably chat to attendees. If you are able to, demonstrate your product or set up an interactive game or activity – if visitors are able to interact with your product, they are more likely to remember it.

Network, collect leads and follow up Attending an exhibition is not just about introducing your product to potential customers; it can also be a great opportunity for you to find new suppliers or potential business collaborations. So make sure you take the time to step away from your stand (leaving it in the capable hands of trustworthy staff members) to network with other exhibitors and seek out new leads.

It will be helpful to arm yourself with professionally printed business cards and a notebook or tablet so you can jot down information or contact details.

‘Attending an exhibition is not just about introducing your product to potential customers’

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Hotels, Conferences & Events

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After the exhibition is over, follow up with all of your leads. A great yet simple way to solidify new relationships is to send a personalised email to thank them for their interest in your business and to prompt future communication.

Advice for attendees Even if you’ve not invested in a stand, you can still get a great deal out of attending a business exhibition. Networking is just as important to attendees as it is to exhibitors, so make sure you take up-to-date business cards. It may be helpful to check the exhibition layout before you arrive and note down the locations of the stands you are most interested in. It is also a good idea to arrive early so as to beat the crowds, as this will give you ample time to talk to as many exhibitors as you can – especially the ones most prevalent to your own business needs.

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Growing Your Business

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Growing Your Business

Feature

Make sure your

company website shares your good news

by Chris Leggett (pictured), director, Osborn Communications pdating websites with the latest news on your company’s progress can be an all too familiar headache for busy people in business today.

With competing pressures on time and resources, many feel they do not have the time to get round to updating their site or are put off by setting a strategy for adding content to their online presence as it is “too big a job”.

At Osborn Communications, we passionately believe companies should see sharing their website content as an opportunity not a threat.

We deliver content which helps businesses to sell across digital and other channels.

Website visitors, who could be your next customer, partner or staff hire, will make their mind up about your business based on first appearances.

In person, it is widely quoted that seven seconds is all you have to make a first impression.

For websites, the window could be less than 0.2secs, according to eye-tracking studies by Missouri University of Science and Technology in the US. Further US research shows 75 per cent of consumers admit they judge businesses’ credibility based on their website.

With this in mind, we encourage all businesses to look at how news can play its part and feed ongoing engagement via social media and other channels.

Taking some simple steps will increase website traffic and provide the fuel for greater social interaction.

U

1. Plan updates for your News section We all know that disappointment when you research a business via its website and get that sinking feeling when you see no news has been added in months, or even years. You may wonder: are they still in business?

If you have a news section, keep it updated regularly by planning ahead to shout about your successes. If you do not do it, no one else will!

You may give simple updates on new initiatives you have launched, new colleagues to join the business or other breakthroughs.

It could be your staff have won awards, either for work or outside work. Recognition and acknowledgement of your successes can be a strong differential in the buying process.

If you give back through charitable work or organise colleague social events, explaining your actions in a positive way can sit alongside other key updates like testimonials from clients delighted with service. Make sure your news section works for you and your business in 2022 and beyond.

2. Publish new photos, ideally shaped with a professional’s eye A picture says a thousand words so you should ensure your images represent you and your workforce in the best light. They should illustrate the nature of business and various opportunities available, to draw in users who visit the website.

If you want people to see your business is a great place, professional photos are a good investment. If budgets are under pressure, try for yourself first to see if you can move things on.

3. Update your About Us When a new website is launched the About Us page can be polished and up to date. But despite being one of the first pages that people will look at, they can soon go stale. They should cover your changing story and your heritage as you evolve. Before highlighting any growth or successes, ask yourself: why would you want to work here? Why do business with us? Why buy from us? Anticipating these questions can give you a strong offering.

4. Make sure your Careers section does the job It is tough to get quality staff in the current climate so your website content should do its job by helping “sell” your offering. Not only should you update the list of vacancies across the business, use this space to promote case studies and role models which can encourage others to join.

People today are not just interested in the salaries on offer. Make sure you promote benefits such as staff days out, pensions or Christmas gifts. And with training vital to enhancing your workplace, highlight your successes for apprenticeships or other opportunities.

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Growing Your Business

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Growing Your Business

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Building and releasing value from businesses

By Jonathan Watt, founder and managing director at Improve B2B

ecently, I was asked to present and support a business clinic at the Shard in London for entrepreneurs, SMEs and consultants organised

by Warwick Business School. But first, I had to provide a concise pitch to set the scene! How do you put 30 years of building and investing in SMEs into a few minutes? Here is the essence of what I communicated…

R

To build value, the focus needs to be on these elements:

Business development It’s all about managing the sales pipeline’s depth and momentum.

Increase the lifetime value of your existing customers, lead generation in the target market, and success and speed of the conversation process by focusing on learnings from both successes and failures.

There are some great tools we use around sales that help SMEs efficiently measure, manage, and drive sales growth action, which, when applied together, can be exponential.

Value creation It’s all about driving valuation! Increasing future net cash flows with the least incremental capital expenditure (CAPEX) reduces all the risks that potentially threaten future cash flows. There are some companies and tools that can provide helpful SME valuations. Look for those that not only provide you with a valuation but also identify areas of improvement and, preferably, blueprints for execution.

Risks Of course, we need to consider the operational risks and mitigate the most significant risks. But we must

also think about disruptors as they are one of the main risks businesses face today.

Disruption can come from an existing or new competitor, changing customer habits or regulatory changes. These can all result in a new business model in the sector offering a product or service that represent a significant benefit for your customers over your current offering. It's all too easy to be caught off guard.

Similar to the potential for upside revenue growth, there can be a multiplier effect on the downside with disruptor risks that are ignored.

‘Trust between managers and employees is the primary defining characteristic of the very best workplaces’

Strategy and execution It’s rarely just about strategy or execution on both the problem and solution side!

In SMEs, we often see that the owner/CEO tend to get buried in ongoing operations and not in the work of developing the future, whereas in larger enterprises, the tendency is the reverse.

The answer is balancing strategy and execution: • Defend the core with operational excellence – current value • Extend and transcend the core with a winning strategy addressing risks and opportunities – future value.

Trust Trust comprises two-thirds of the criteria in the Great Places to Work/100 Best Companies to work studies in various countries. Their research shows that trust between managers and employees is the primary defining characteristic of the very best workplaces.

These companies beat the average annualised returns by a factor of three – a direct link to value! We have seen effective employee engagement programmes bring a step improvement in an SME. April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 63

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Feature

Growing Your Business

Building and maintaining strategic partnerships Many SMEs have underserved this area, given the relentless internal focus on operational challenges.

The value creation activities for an SME with a portfolio of trusted, close strategic partners is significantly higher compared to a business with a group of suppliers and customers where the relationships are weak. External partners include: customers, suppliers, service providers, funders and other companies delivering complementary

64 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

products to the same market. When these partnerships succeed, they open up whole new horizons for the participating partners: new products and services, new markets, access to resources including funding, and a more innovative way of doing business.

The skill is to identify them, build trust with key decision-makers, and design and execute equitable agreements that create value. A practical tool that can improve the traditional relationships with suppliers and customers is to implement quarterly or annual business reviews.

This will allow you to elevate the discussion above daily problems to discuss the market, key projects and opportunities to collaborate further.

Releasing value On the journey of building value, preparing for an exit, and/or bringing in new investors in a way that preserves the legacy and can provide attractive capital events is increasingly vital for business owners we help in SMEs. There are some exciting developments in this area that can raise multiples and returns for business owners.

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Feature

Growing Your Business

Feature

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

The real cost of recruiting nurses overseas Detailed calculations and comparison An overseas nurse in the UK

Article by Liza Moroz The Covid19 pandemic combined with the effect of Brexit heavily impacted the care sector, causing severe staff shortages. Traditionally the UK healthcare sector relies on foreign workers to fill about 15% of the positions, and the care industry may use the same path to find quality talent from abroad. Still, for many recruitment and home managers, overseas recruitment remains a complex operation related to too much uncertainty, especially regarding its cost. In this article, we will try to answer how much it costs to hire an overseas nurse.

FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE Finding the right people could be complex and cost your organisation a lot of effort and time.

Unless the organisation has dedicated personnel who deal with the task, you may seek external help from agencies who will connect with the right candidates. The fee often is equal to one month salary, starting at about £2K to £3.5K. Issuing the Visa will cost, £232 plus a TB health check for £55. To transport then to UK the place ticket will cost around £500-£700 depending on the country of origin.

GETTING LICENSED The primary and more complex step is getting the Certificate of Sponsorship that covers four years of sponsorship but could be extended.

Under this license, the employer may recruit for all their roles, and the chosen recruits are getting their visa to come and work under a multiyear contract. The cost of the Certificate of Sponsorship is £536 for small businesses and charities and £1,476 for medium and large organisations.

Additionally, the government charges Sponsors an Immigration skills fee for each overseas employee. The sum depends again on the size of the organisation and the length of the contract.

• small or charitable organisations pay £364 for the first year and £182 for every additional six months after • medium and large organisations pay £1000 for the first year and £500 for every additional six months after.

MANDATORY TRAINING Upon arrival overseas nurses have a strict timeline to cover the mandatory UK training and take exams: three months for OSCE and CBT, six months for OET. In total, candidates have eight months to obtain their PIN and become Registered nurses. When an employer pays for these courses, OET and OSCE may cost between

£1000 to £2000 each depending on length, personalisation, and quality of the coaching.

The actual exam also costs you as CBT is £130, OET £315 and £794 for OSCE. It is important to know that during the period of training, candidate nurses can work limited hours under supervision. The employer has an obligation to provide time for study and the opportunity to attend the exams.

OTHER RELATED COSTS NMC Application Fee of £140 is paid to Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) when a new nurse applies to the register. Upon receiving the PIN another £153 are paid to the same organisation.

Health Surcharge Fees of £200 per year are paid for access to free NHS healthcare.

Recruiting foreign personnel also increases the time load on people dealing with HR, compliance, and welfare as it will require monitoring, reporting and regular counselling. The whole process is time-consuming and requires specific knowledge. The sum of all related indirect costs will affect your bottom line with an additional £300 to £500 as working hours.

to selection, transportation, training and registration are covered entirely by the candidates during the initial period of their training in the UK. When introduces to the employers they are already Registered nurses ready to work.

In this case, the main expenditure will remain the licence and paying the compulsory government charge. The cooperation with QAQF will also reduce the indirect cost offering Legal, Compliance and Welfare support to the trainees before they settle successfully in the country.

QAQF partners with UK care and nursery homes in recruiting talent from all over the world directly from our training courses avoiding complications and reducing the related costs more than half.

DRAWING THE LINE After adding up all the related costs, the total sum may reach an impressive number over £10K. It could be 'money well spent' to guarantee long-term employment and access to a broader talent pool for some organisations. The cost will also spread if the organisation recruits and trains more nurses at the same time.

With Agent

With QAQF Difference

Approx.

Summary of costs 10.6K 3.9K

62%

Still, the cost is significant, and can be reduced with the QAQF Discover – Train Deploy scheme, by an astonishing 62% as the expenses related

Liza Moroz (pictured) is part of QAQF BD Department. She likes connecting with people, solving problems and finding new opportunities.

You can connect with Liza for more information about Discover – Ttrain Deploy via elisaveta.moroz@qaqf.co.uk

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Sector Focus

Business Travel

Sector Focus The latest news from the sectors that matter to business New MD for local train operator West Midlands Trains (WMT) has announced the appointment of a new managing director.

Ian McConnell - currently chief operating officer at ScotRail - will join West Midlands Trains this month, once he has ensured ScotRail is successfully handed over to a new public body, Scottish Rail Holdings.

Mr McConnell has considerable experience and expertise within the rail sector, having previously been franchise and programmes director at Greater Anglia and prior to that holding several project and leadership roles at ScotRail and London Overground.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining the West Midlands Trains team at such an exciting time.”

Dominic Booth, managing director, Abellio UK, said: “I am really excited to welcome Ian to West Midlands Trains. He has the skills, determination, and experience needed to lead West Midlands Trains as it seeks to recover from the pandemic.”

Region embraces EVs The Midlands is on the brink of an electric vehicle boom which could see more than 1.7 million electric cars on its streets by the end of the decade.

These new projections have been released by Midlands Connect, which develops transport projects in the region, and engineering consultant WSP, ahead of an EV conference, which took place last month.

Figures claim that the Midlands will see a 2,475 per cent increase in uptake in electric vehicles (EVs) by the end of 2030, with projections predicting to rise from 68,725 EVs today to 1,769,855 by the end of 2030.

This means nearly a third (28.4 per cent) of all vehicles registered in the Midlands Connect area could be an electric vehicle by the end of 2030.

WSP forecasts that the Midlands region needs a further 8,909 public charging points in this period to support this increase in EV use.

While local councils have worked to improve the city’s EV infrastructure, analysis by Midlands Connect claims that a £131m ‘electric vehicle fund’ is needed to provide more public charging points.

Research predicts that private businesses will fund around half of these charging points needed on the network (51 per cent), but local authorities will have to supply the rest.

The conference brought together academics, politicians and policymakers to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing the electric vehicle industry.

Midlands Connect’s CEO Maria Machancoses said: “We’re on the brink of a boom in electric vehicles that could see every third car being an electric one by the end of decade.

‘We’re on the brink of a boom in electric vehicles’ “But more than this, we could also see thousands of new jobs created in the manufacturing, installation and repair of electric vehicles and charging points.

“Local authorities across the Midlands are doing a great job to roll out charging points, but they cannot do this alone.

“Government, the automotive industry and private suppliers must all play a part in speeding up the roll out and ensuring councils have the support they need.

“The Midlands started the industrial revolution and we are trying to make it our mission to make the Midlands the home of the green industrial revolution.”

Longstanding bus driver set to retire A National Express West Midlands bus driver is swapping driving for digging after 30 years of loyal service at a Yardley Wood bus garage.

Michael Keen, aged 72, has retired exactly 30 years to the day, after starting with the company on 9 March 1992.

And while he’ll be hanging up his keys, he’ll be picking up the garden tools instead as he has plans to landscape his garden at his Wythall home, which he shares with his wife Susan.

Mike has driven hundreds of thousands of National Express West Midlands bus passengers across south Birmingham over the years and attracted a number of commendations for customer care.

In April 2019 he also qualified as a Master Driver. The National Express Master Driver programme was created to encourage and recognise excellence in driving, rewarding those with an 66 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

impeccable safety record and outstanding driving technique as well as excellent customer service skills.

Anybody who has travelled on local bus routes may recognise Mike’s friendly smile as he spent 16 years driving the 35 route between Hawkesley and Birmingham city centre and the 27 route from Maypole to Cofton Hackett.

He then spent eight years on the 18 route between Yardley Wood and Bartley Green, serving Kings Norton, Cotteridge and Northfield.

Mike, who is an avid Aston Villa supporter and season ticket holder, said: “I would say my favourite route was the 27 as it runs through Bournville, which is where I used to live.

“While I have been with the company, I have met many new drivers and will really miss the camaraderie among the staff and drivers – many of whom will remain my close friends.

On the buses: Mike Keen signs off from National Express

“As I head into retirement I am looking forward to spending more time with my two sons and five grandchildren as well as enjoying holidays with my wife. Like many others, we want to make up for lost time over the last few years.”

Sean Borgazzi, operations manager at National Express West

Midlands, said: “Mike has been a fantastic asset to our company over his 30-year career with us. He is very well thought of by our colleagues and customers alike.

“As a Master Driver, he is one of our best. We’d like to wish Mike all the best for a very happy retirement with his family.”

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Business Travel

Sector Focus Bus station of the future: How Dudley’s Interchange will look

Step forward for transport hub The development of a new £24m Dudley transport interchange has taken another step forward with the submission of a final planning application.

The new Interchange – to be built on the existing bus station site – will link bus services to the tram services on the Black Country Metro extension, which is currently under construction.

As a gateway for visitors, it will support the regeneration Dudley town centre, as well as offer residents easy public transport access to leisure and work opportunities across the wider West Midlands.

The interchange, which will include waiting areas, real time travel information, a retail unit and cycle parking, is being developed by

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

The two-storey building will feature a distinctive curved roof with solar panels on top to reduce the running costs of the building, together with space for a ‘living green’ roof covering to absorb carbon emissions and, along with the investment in public transport services, support the region’s net-zero carbon ambitions.

As well as developing the Interchange, Metro extension and a new cross-city bus priority route serving Dudley, the WMCA is also supporting multi-million pound investments in the town centre including the Portersfield mixed-used development, the Institute of Technology and

the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “Recently we saw the first Metro track laid in Dudley town centre and now we are making progress on developing a purpose built transport interchange for the new trams to arrive into.”

Outline planning permission was granted by Dudley Council in 2019 and that has now been followed up by the detailed planning application.

A contractor will be appointed later this Spring to carry out the project.

The existing bus station was built in 1986 and is the oldest in the West Midlands. With 420,000 bus departures per year pre-pandemic it is also one of the busiest.

Mayor pitches in with restoration West Midlands mayor Andy Street swopped his office for a seat behind the controls of a digger, to help start work on the restoration of the Dudley No 2 canal in Selly Oak. Mr Street visited the project as a guest of Lapal Canal Trust, who recently signed a £300,000

contract with Land & Water, to build the Selly Oak section of the canal.

The new waterway follows the development of Whitehouse Wharf, which forms part of the Selly Oak shopping centre. This includes a bridge linking the development’s new shops to Selly Oak town centre.

Dig it: Mayor Andy Street starts work on the Dudley No 2 canal

There is also a large water area, designed to enable boats to turn and enter and exit the soon to be restored Dudley No 2 Canal.

The Lapal Canal Trust is now focused on raising the further funds required to complete the restoration to Harborne Lane Bridge, which must be completed by 2025.

Mr Street said: “Congratulations to the trust on the progress made.

This is a hugely important project for Selly Oak and the wider region, and I endorse it wholeheartedly.

“Our canals provide a safe and enjoyable way for residents to exercise, commute and connect with nature. We are all grateful for their restoration work, and I look forward to attending the grand opening in June.”

Richard Parry, Canal & River Trust chief executive, said: “The Midlands canals form the heart of the UK’s waterways network and have gone from playing a vital role in the Industrial Revolution to the vibrant spaces enjoyed by both boaters and waterside communities today.

“The Canal & River Trust is committed to preserving this important heritage and is pleased to work with the Lapal Canal Trust in taking care of this valuable new water space.”

Flybe appoints leadership team Phoenix airline Flybe has announced the appointment of its new senior leadership team composed of several highly experienced executives from the UK and international airline industry.

The new team of senior leaders will assist CEO Dave Pflieger and the rest of the carrier’s team with the relaunch of the airline as it prepares to take to the skies once again this spring.

Members of Flybe’s new team include chief commercial officer Philip Saunders, John Jackson, chief operations and customer service officer, Ron Karger, chief technical officer and Jim Comer, director of finance.

CEO, Dave Pflieger, said: “We are extremely excited to have such accomplished industry leaders joining Flybe’s management team. Each one brings a wealth of professional experience and knowledge that will prove invaluable as we look to launch the new Flybe, but also create a strong community focused airline that people love.”

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Sector Focus

Finance

Female labour force on the rise

Mind the gap: Becky Clayton:

PKF appoints senior executive PKF Smith Cooper appointed Harnil Motivaras as corporate finance senior executive.

He has joined from rival accountant PwC where he worked for various large corporate clients, as well as SMEs and owner-managed businesses, operating across a range of industries.

The specialist corporate finance division of PKF Smith Cooper offers advice across a variety of areas, whether clients are looking to buy, sell or grow a business.

PKF corporate finance director James Ward said: “I am delighted to welcome Harnil to the team. He will have an integral role in the development of PKF Smith Cooper’s corporate finance team primarily in Nottingham, but also across the wider firm working alongside colleagues in our Derby and Birmingham offices.

“We are continuing to recruit and are always looking for people of all experience levels to join our awardwinning team.”

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The Midlands has seen improvements to its female labour force participation rate - but decreases in the overall regional rating, according to this year’s Women in Work Index.

The index analyses female economic empowerment across 33 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.

Since the index began in 2010, the Midlands has seen a steady improvement in all five measured indicators.

However, although the West Midlands has moved up one place in this year’s index rising from 12th to 11th place, the East Midlands has dropped from fifth place to 12th in this year’s overall rating.

On one key indicator, the gender pay gap in the West Midlands has been reduced to 16 per cent.

Yet, while the female unemployment rate remained the same at five per cent in the West Midlands, it has increased by one per cent in the East Midlands from four per cent to five per cent.

Becky Clayton, Midlands consumer markets and industrial products/ manufacturing partner at PwC, said: “The index highlights the extent to which the pandemic has affected women in work, especially in the Midlands.

“Over the last 10 years the Midlands has driven improvement across every indicator.

“Yet, we have to address the very real impact of the pandemic on women in the region to continue to strive for progress, through continuing to invest in addressing inequality to create inclusive workplaces.

“As we look to the future, we must continue to help create equal employment opportunities for women from all social backgrounds.

“We are pleased to be on the front foot of investment in the region, establishing a presence in the Midlands through our technology degree apprenticeship programme with Birmingham University and our support of the ‘Tech She Can’ and ‘Tech We Can’ programmes.

“We are actively investing in local talent from a diverse range of backgrounds aiming to break down barriers to support social mobility and help people forge new career pathways.

“As the UK government continues to prioritise levelling-up to reduce regional social disparity, governments and businesses must continue to work together to empower women and create opportunities to support women in the workforce.”

The UK moved up seven places on the index for 2020, from 16th position in 2019 to ninth out of the 33 OECD countries.

This puts the UK in the highest position among G7 countries. The average score among the 33 countries fell by half a point. The UK’s increase in the rankings was driven by a fall in the gender pay gap.

BDO expands tax risk team across Midlands and North Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has made two appointments to its tax risk team.

Salman Anwar joins as associate director for the Midlands and North and brings experience from working in an advisory firm and for HMRC. He will support clients with a range of aspects of managing tax risk, including dealing with enquiries from HMRC and working with businesses and individuals facing investigations.

Haris Rehman has been appointed as a manager in the team. He has also built a track record in helping clients with HMRC enquiries, having started his career as a fraud and investigations specialist at HMRC, where he spent five years.

Lucy Sauvage, tax risk partner at BDO, said: “Businesses are facing a myriad of pressures as they navigate the long-term impacts of the pandemic and an increasingly complex tax environment.

“We work with businesses to proactively address gaps in their tax control framework to support their long-term goals, as well as

Lucy Sauvage: Complex tax environment

helping clients to respond to HMRC enquiries and investigations in order to reach an effective solution with HMRC. “Our own team has expanded on the back of our clients’ growth and the resilience of the mid-market.

It’s brilliant to announce new hires across the region as BDO commits to attracting the best talent into all areas of the business.”

Mr Anwar said: “BDO’s reputation in the market with

clients, combined with its supportive culture made the move a compelling one.

“Because of my experience working at HMRC, I understand how an investigation is run insideout.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the wider BDO teams to give our clients peace of mind when it comes to their tax risk and ultimately to help them succeed.”

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Finance

Sector Focus

Inclusivity is key to levelling up Birmingham’s plan to tackle inequalities through a decade of inclusive economic growth will be a key driver in its role in the levelling up of the UK. That’s according to the latest Demos-PwC ‘Good Growth for Cities Index’, which finds Birmingham is experiencing a slower economic recovery than some other large cities.

The index ranks 50 of the UK’s largest cities, based on people’s assessment of 12 key economic wellbeing factors, ranging from skills and income to health and housing.

Placed 46th, the index found that Birmingham ranked above average for work-life balance and new business and was around average for health, house prices in relation to earnings, transport, skills among those aged 1624, income distribution, environment, and safety. The report also outlines the challenges facing Birmingham in providing growth opportunities and reinforces the need for a comprehensive levelling up strategy, as it scores below average for jobs, income, house ownership, skills (25+), and high street and shops.

The research also finds it has the highest universal credit claimant rate contained in the index at 6.8 per cent in January 2022, down from 8.5 per cent in January 2021.

The West Midlands region also has the seventh highest estimated rate of regional economic growth in 2021, with a GVA (gross value added) growth rate of 6.9 per cent.

Matt Hammond: Growth must be ‘inclusive’

The GVA analysis takes into account a city’s sectoral make-up, the impact of the use of the furlough scheme to protect jobs, and rates of Universal Credit claims, Covid infection and mobility rates to estimate GVA growth for 2021 and 2022.

Matt Hammond, Midlands region leader and Birmingham senior partner at PwC UK, said: “We’re emerging from the pandemic with a new set of priorities and our research makes clear that Birmingham’s decade of growth

New finance director Solihull-based Jerroms Mortgage & Finance is expanding, with the appointment of Paul O’Reilly in a new role as commercial finance director.

His focus will be on helping to grow the business, providing all types of funding solutions to suit business requirements.

During 23 years at Allied Irish Bank, Mr O’Reilly has worked with a variety of clients across a wide range of sectors, including healthcare, manufacturing, hotel and leisure and property investment and development. He will be working alongside directors Richard Rigg and Mark Flower, head up the commercial finance department at Jerroms Mortgage & Finance.

Mr Rigg said: “Over the years Paul has been involved in various types of transactions including management buy-outs, private equityled debt funding, acquisition and debt funding and asset-based lending.

“With this background and his vast experience in commercial finance, Paul’s move here seemed like a natural fit. He will be a significant asset to our team, bringing extensive knowledge and expertise for our clients’ benefit and we are delighted to welcome him on board.”

Mr O’Reilly said: “Knowing the client-first culture that Jerroms have, it was an easy decision to make and I look forward to continuing to support clients and grow the business going forward.”

Jerroms Mortgage & Finance is part of the Jerroms Group, headquartered at Blythe Valley Business Park.

must be inclusive, with localised plans to address the societal disparities that affect people and could hinder economic recovery.

“With the city’s levelling up strategy focused on boosting the local economy by £9bn a year and creating around 75,000 jobs, local leaders and businesses have a key role to play in continuing to attract inward investment, stimulating economic recovery and providing opportunities for a young and growing population.

“Medium term impacts from investment in HS2, the airport and the development of a distinctive recovery plan for the WMCA area focused on the sector strengths from Wolverhampton through to Coventry and Warwickshire are key.

“Additionally, investment in the 5G network, medtech and life sciences and the SuperTech cluster are each and all features of the inclusive growth needed for future generations.”

Help for firms with poor credit history Finpoint, the Chamber’s preferred business finance hub, has issued new advice for firms who are worried that their credit score may affect their ability to access business loans.

Access to finance important can be important to many small businesses who are striving for growth.

But bad credit history can negatively impact some businesses’ ability to secure business finance loans through a traditional bank, who will view them as ‘higher risk’.

However, Finpoint says businesses can improve their chances by taking advantage of open banking technology.

By connecting to banks directly on the Finpoint Business Finance Finder’s platform, all of the business’ historical financial

information is shared securely to lenders so that they can get a broader insight of prospective lending capabilities.

Finpoint adds that alternative lenders provide more choice and flexibility when funding business loans to those with a poor credit history.

A Finpoint spokesperson said: “Alternative funding is the most accessible option for early start businesses and businesses with a low credit history.

“With alternative funding, you have the ability to unlock faster and more flexible lending options than you would with traditional banking”.

Chamber members can use Finpoint’s service for free and save time with one simple online application.

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Sector Focus

Retail

Website to help the high-street An online trading site designed to support the high-street get back on its feet has been launched.

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) is calling on shoppers to support the new Neartoo website, which supports independent retailers.

The platform allows shoppers to find out what they are ‘near to’ and encourage them to explore more local shops to where they live or are visiting.

Many of the independent retailers featured on Neartoo offer home delivery or click and collect. Shop owners are able to either sync the Neartooo site with their existing online sales platform, or create their own online presence through the platform if they haven’t be able to afford to do so otherwise.

Jayne Weldon, e-commerce manager at Neartoo, said: “It’s so important that we support the high-street, especially now

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restrictions have been lifted, as it will give our local businesses that added boost they need to get back on their feet after what has been a very turbulent two years, so we are hoping to get plenty of shoppers taking a look and buying through the site.”

‘It’s so important that we support the high-street’ Bira’s CEO Andrew Goodacre said: “The pandemic accelerated shopping behaviours, with more use of the internet and people also shopping more locally.

"This platform, owned by independents, addresses both of those societal changes, and will allow these retailers to open up new ways of selling to customers, and more profitably.

This is a really exciting opportunity for independents throughout the UK.”

Used to narrow spaces: the Flexi Truck

Amazon orders new fleet of flexi forklifts Amazon has ordered a fleet of six ‘Flexi Truck’ articulated forklift trucks for its fulfillment centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The centre opened in 2019 and is spread over 32,700 square metres. It is stocked with more than four-million products, is Amazon’s largest fulfillment centre facility in the Middle East, with more than 650 staff employed there.

Amazon’s new Flexi Trucks are able to operate in very narrow aisles and have significantly reduced operating and maintenance costs, and feature a lead-acid battery charging system that dramatically reduces energy consumption.

Flexi Trucks are built in the UK and Taiwan by Narrow Aisle Ltd. International sales account for some 40 per cent of Narrow Aisle’s business, and the company sells its products in 63 countries worldwide.

Narrow Aisle Ltd’s managing director, John Maguire, said: “The Flexi Truck’s iconic articulated design is ideally suited to the modern fulfillment centre operation. Flexi Trucks save space, increase productivity and allow safe access to any stacking aisle at all times.

“The Flexi’s ability to work in very narrow aisles means 30 per cent more pallet and shelving locations can be designed into storage systems compared with traditional wide aisle operations while comparison tests have highlighted that Flexis are 25 per cent more productive during a typical shift.”

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Technology

Sector Focus

Unlock creative potential with 5G The organisation responsible for promoting the use of the fifth generation of mobile phone technology in the West Midlands (5G) has held a two-day event to demonstrate its benefits to the creative industries.

The organisation - West Midlands 5G (WM5G) – staged the event in front of an audience from various sectors, including gaming, live events, production, arts and theatre, sports and broadcasting.

WM5G is a multi-million-pound programme that has been set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to develop the UK’s first regionwide 5G testbed.

As well as the testbed, WM5G is running a number of ongoing projects, ranging from connected ultrasound to self-drive vehicles, to find new ways of utilising 5G. The organisation is also working to accelerate the roll-out of 5G and fibre networks, and says the West Midlands already has the highest rated 5G mobile coverage in the UK. The two day ‘bootcamp’ event featured a

range of talks and demonstrations from creative industry experts alongside WM5G’s team, to showcase how 5G can give businesses an edge over competitors, regardless of their level of technical expertise.

Robert Franks, managing director of WM5G said: “The creative industries have long been the backbone of the UK economy, but technological advancements and an increased consumer appetite for fully immersive experience means that new SMEs are being left behind due to a funding gap and little support, despite being critical to the UKs recovery post pandemic.”

Delivery service transforms payroll

Payroll boost: Alexandra Eno

Grocery delivery service Beelivery has appointed Birmingham-based Hive 360 as its payroll provider.

Hive is an employment support and benefits outsource business, providing firms with a complete range of employment administration services.

Beelivery is using Hive after seeing business boom during lockdown, and now has a self-employed workforce of 50,000 people.

Beelivery connects independent drivers with customers, to deliver essential or emergency groceries within 15 to 60 minutes.

Since it launched in 2015, Beelivery says it has become ‘the UK market leader in on-demand grocery

delivery’, delivering 24/7 to 90 per cent of households across the UK. Beelivery people and culture manager Alexandra Eno said: “Prior to the Covid lockdowns and restrictions, online grocery ordering and delivery services were novel, but now they are pretty commonplace and certainly used more than ever before.

“We now have fully compliant outsourced payroll that guarantees our staff are paid correctly and deductions accurately calculated. As well as this huge boost to our operational and business strategy, we now also have a magnificent employee benefits app.”

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Sector Focus

Legal

Thursfields Solicitors advises on Compco sale Nuclear expert: Zoe Stollard

Energy expert made partner Browne Jacobson has appointed Zoe Stollard as a construction partner at its Birmingham office.

Ms Stollard has particular expertise in the nuclear and renewable energy sector and has around 20 years of experience in advising on construction and infrastructure, property, and related projects.

She is experienced in creating legal frameworks for complex deals and developments, and previously headed up rival law firm Clarke Willmott’s nuclear sector.

She is ranked as a ‘leading individual’ in the legal sector’s ‘bible, the Legal 500.

Tim Claremont, partner in Browne Jacobson’s construction and engineering team, said: “I am delighted to welcome Zoe to the firm. She is a highly respected construction lawyer who has some fantastic experience in the nuclear and renewable energy sector and has led on some high profile, large scale national and international construction projects.

“She will be a great fit with our existing and prospective clients as there is a real synergy between her credentials and expertise and our offering and ambitions, particularly around ensuring the drive for carbon neutrality remains high on the agenda.”

Ms Stollard said: “I am thrilled to be joining such an ambitious and well-respected law firm.

“Browne Jacobson’s dynamic construction team have an excellent reputation for providing good quality commercial legal advice to a premium client portfolio whilst the firm is very focused on its responsibility to make a positive impact across business and society and this is what really stood out for me.”

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The corporate team at Thursfields Solicitors, which has an office in Birmingham, has advised a West Midlands-based fire protection specialist on its sale to an Irish group.

Wtech Fire Group (Writech) has acquired Compco, based in Worcester, for an undisclosed sum.

Gareth Burge, director and head of Thursfields’ corporate team and associate Joe Rollins advised the sellers of Compco on the deal, with Shoaib Hussain dealing with the commercial property aspects.

Mr Burge said: “Founded in 1988, and now employing over 200 people, Compco is the UK’s largest privately-owned fire engineering company.

“The business offers a wide range of services to all sectors and has grown from its Worcester head office to a further six offices across the UK. “We were delighted to be asked to advise the sellers of such a

successful local business on a sale which will lead the company into its next chapter.”

‘The business offers a wide range of services to all sectors’ The purchaser, Writech, provides fire protection system design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and servicing to some of the largest blue-chip companies in the world.

Sectors serviced include data centres, life sciences, logistics, retail, office and food and beverage.

Writech is based in Mullingar, Country Westmeath, Eire, and has a UK base in Media City, Manchester.

Compco chief executive officer Matt Baker said: “Writech Fire

Group is a great partner for our business, committed to long-term growth and development of the company, as well as our people.

“With a reputation for high standards, innovation and trustbased relationships with clients, their values and approach are highly complementary to our business and we look forward to working with them to delivering quality service standards to our clients.”

Ted Wright, chief executive officer of WTech Fire Group, said: “Compco is a great business supported by a team of excellent people. Its purchase realises the continued of our strategy to grow our UK business and strengthen our position as a leader in fire protection systems.

“We are very excited about the future prospects for the business and look forward to working with the team to build on our successes to date.”

Law firm a great place to work The Birmingham office of law firm Mills & Reeve has been ranked in the top 10 employers in the West Midlands’ ‘Best Companies to Work For’ league table.

Mills & Reeve is the only law firm in the top 10, and the accolade follows on from achieving its bestever position in the ‘UK 100 Best Companies to Work’ for table for 2022.

The UK law firm was placed 18th in the latter, its highest position and an improvement on 23rd place in 2021. It also retained its ‘worldclass’ ranking with a three-star ‘best companies’ rating.

The Birmingham office is led by former Chamber president Steve Allen, who said: “Mills & Reeve prides itself on being a firm that puts its workforce first, from offering a best in class experience for employees to the skills, training and development opportunities that we provide.

“I’m honoured that our team has once again been recognised within the top 10 West Midlands’ Best Companies to Work for List, alongside achieving a wonderful national result.

“The Birmingham office is one of our largest, with more than 280 staff, all of whom are integral to

Steve Allen: Retaining the best talent is important

building and maintaining a strong office culture.

“As we return to the workplace post-pandemic and look to the future, attracting, developing and retaining the best talent is more important than ever.”

This recognition follows on from the firm being named as one of the top law firms in the UK for the sixth year running by RollOnFriday.

Sandy Boyle, director of human resources at Mills & Reeve, said: “This double-record breaking triumph is a huge accomplishment for the firm and everyone who has worked together to achieve it.

“This is more great recognition of our collaborative culture and how Mills & Reeve continues to strive to be a leader in people experience.”

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Legal

Sector Focus

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Sector Focus

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Property

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Property

Sector Focus

Apartment plan for Gandhi hotel Plans are afoot to regenerate a historic Birmingham hotel where world-famous Indian lawyer and campaigner Mahatma Gandhi once dined.

Gandhi – who led India’s campaign for independence from British rule – is thought to have visited Birmingham in the 1930s, and spent time at what is known as the Murdoch Chambers & Pitman Building in Corporation Street.

The Victorian building started life in the late 1800s as a vegetarian restaurant and hotel, thought to be the first in Britain, but now stands empty, apart from two fast food outlets on the ground floor.

That could soon change after developer MP Devco Limited drew up proposals to transform it into an

‘aparthotel’ offering 136 apartments.

The scheme is being backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority, who plan to invest in it, using money it has secured from Government to provide new homes, jobs and commercial spaces on urban, brownfield sites.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “Murdoch & Pitman is an iconic city centre building with a glorious history. This scheme will breathe new life into the building and the area, helping to safeguard a valued part of our local heritage.

“It is also yet another example of how the WMCA is putting its funding to good use to help drive forward a successful economic recovery from Covid-19 by transforming brownfield sites into

new homes and communities, creating vital jobs in the process.”

The Murdoch Chambers & Pitman Building was built in 1896 by J Crouch and E Butler for Dean’s Furniture and the Pitman’s restaurant, which is thought to have been named after Sir Isaac Pitman, then vice-president of the Vegetarian Society and creator of Pitman’s shorthand.

The building features carvings depicting its early uses, showing diners at the Pitman Vegetarian Restaurant and workers at Dean's Furniture offices. Pitman’s restaurant had expanded into a hotel by 1898 and was still open when Gandhi visited the city in the 1930s. Later uses of the buildings included offices and barristers’ chambers.

Tower to be budget option for travellers

Paradise: New planning permission

City’s public space gets the green light Planning permission has been granted by Birmingham City Council for a new public space at Paradise Birmingham as part of the completion of phase two of the £700m development.

The plans include a number of new public spaces and pedestrian routes through Paradise and between Colmore Row and Westside and the Jewellery Quarter.

The new routes include Ratcliff Passage, alongside the Town Hall, Ratcliff Square, and Western Terrace, leading to Easy Row with a newly renovated subway route through to Alpha Tower and Arena Central.

The council also recently awarded permission for a new 17 storey, 152-bedroom hotel on the corner of Paradise Street, while in December enabling and construction began on the worldfirst Octagon apartment tower at the northern end of the Paradise site.

Rob Groves, regional development director of Paradise

Gandhi’s hotel in Corporation Street

development manager MEPC, said: “The success of the existing public realm is reflected in what we are now proposing with more highquality stonework with a variety of tones and finishes alongside mature trees and greener elements.

“With two green lights for both the public realm and new hotel now awarded, we’ve brought cutting edge new designs for exemplar new public realm which will continue to knit Paradise into the wider city centre.”

Paradise Birmingham has already completed phase one of the development with One Chamberlain Square and Two Chamberlain Square.

Professional services giant PwC moved its 2,000-strong team to One Chamberlain Square in January 2020 and has since been joined at Paradise by DLA Piper which has taken occupation of the top two floors of Two Chamberlain Square, while Arup has committed to taking three floors of the new One Centenary Way building in 2023.

A new 26-storey budget hotel is to be built in Birmingham’s Westside.

The 124,321 sq ft hotel will have 322 bedrooms and a 109-cover café bar.

The hotel – ‘Tribe Hotel by Accor’ – will be managed jointly by Accor Hotel Services in a joint venture (JV) with Ennismore, part of the Accor Group.

The site is in an established hotel and leisure district, and construction will be led by development manager Taylor Grange and RG Group as contractor.

Building work is scheduled to start later this year, with completion expected in early 2024.

Pippa Harrison, from property firm Avison Young, who have been brought in to help find funding for the scheme, said: “Birmingham is a vibrant city, which has been experiencing major investment and regeneration in time for the Commonwealth Games this summer, though there is an underserved gap in the market for modern, design-led hotels at an affordable luxury price point.

“The exciting arrival of the new Accor Tribe Hotel, in a JV with Ennismore, will offer a guestcentric, design-driven hotel at competitive rates, and the ground floor café bar will be a welcome addition to the leisure scene on Broad Street.”

Sam Ginda, CEO of Taylor Grange, said: “We are delighted to bring what will be a new addition to Birmingham’s ever-growing Skyline to the market. This is Birmingham’s time to shine and that comes with the increasing demand to deliver new, contemporary well-placed hotels, which the city is desperately crying out for.”

Going up: How the new budget hotel will look

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 75

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Sector Focus

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Manufacturing

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Manufacturing

Sector Focus

3P Innovation invests in facility A Midlands engineering firm is doubling the size of its premises – with a £5m investment in an ecofriendly 30,000 sq ft facility.

The management team at equipment manufacturer 3P Innovation gathered to cut the sod at the new development site, which will enable the Warwick firm to double in size and expand its operations in the UK and internationally.

3P Innovation works with global pharmaceutical and medical device businesses to manufacture the equipment used in their production processes.

3P’s management team and employee council were joined by builder Clowes Developments for a ground cutting ceremony to celebrate the start of a new chapter for the employee-owned company.

Paul Shanley, consultant at Clowes, said: ‘It is great to see an existing occupier at Tournament Fields thriving and expanding.

“We are delighted with the success 3P have experienced while located here and we are looking forward to helping them evolve further with their brand-new premises.”

The new site will be a 30,000 sq ft purpose-built facility, taking the

On site: 3P founder Tom Bailey and Bill Wareing of Clowes

3P premises to a combined total of 60,000 sq ft of both office and workshop space.

3P says this will allow its workforce to double in size.

Of the £5m investment, at least £350,000 will be dedicated to making the building greener.

3P’s managing director, Nick

Brooks, said: “This new chapter is an exciting one for us. After outgrowing our current purposebuilt facility in just three years, we needed to invest in another premises to enable our continued growth.

“We are looking forward to housing more projects, recruiting

Manufacturing outlook survey reveals strong start to the year Manufacturers in the West Midlands have experienced a strong start to the year, according to the latest quarterly manufacturing outlook survey from Make UK, the voice of manufacturing.

The survey, compiled in conjunction with accountant and business advisor BDO, said that manufacturing was to grow by three per cent during the year, although this figure was under threat from growing energy costs.

The survey found that output and orders were both well above historical average levels, with the one downside being a slump in investment intentions among West Midlands manufacturers.

The organisation sounded a warning note over growing inflationary pressures, and renewed its demand for the Chancellor to take whatever measures were necessary to

support companies dealing with rapidly increasing energy prices in particular.

Make UK has also called on the Chancellor to delay the proposed increase in National Insurance due to come into force this month.

‘Output and order balances in the West Midlands remain relatively strong’ Charlotte Horobin, regional director for Make UK in the Midlands, said: “Manufacturers in the West Midlands have seen a mixed start to the year given the continuing difficulties being experienced by the aerospace and automotive sectors.

“Companies are also now facing eye-watering increases in costs which are threatening to stop the economy in its tracks. As

a result, the most immediate priority for the Chancellor in the short term must be to do whatever it takes to support companies through this difficult period.”

Jon Gilpin, head of manufacturing at BDO in the West Midlands, said: “Output and order balances in the West Midlands remain relatively strong.

UK-wide, however, we are seeing a worrying widening of the gap between supply and demand.

“Manufacturers on the whole are currently managing to meet demand, but this may be difficult to sustain.

“Costs are rising at a speed that they cannot respond quick enough to and, combined with supply chain disruptions which will sadly now be exacerbated by the invasion of Ukraine, manufacturers will be looking for support from the Chancellor.”

more engineers and expanding on our new 3P pharma equipment and 3P custom automation brands as the business takes an exciting direction towards standard platforms, alongside our traditional custom automation expertise.”

The new building will be ready towards the end of next year.

Number plate firm forms partnership Logistics firm DX has agreed a major new contract with Hills Numberplates, which makes vehicle number plates.

The contract was won after a competitive tender process and the completion of a successful trial period.

Under the terms of agreement, DX will provide Hills with a delivery service covering the whole of the country. These services will be provided through the company’s DX Express division, which specialises in secure, tracked and express delivery services.

Hills managing director Rob Laugharne said: “We are very pleased to have signed this contract with DX for our B2B delivery services. During our trial we were impressed with the consistent and high level of customer service DX was able to provide.”

Lloyd Dunn, CEO of DX, said: “We look forward to establishing a close and successful commercial relationship.”

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Sector Focus

Sport

The Business of Sport Moors welcome stand sponsor Promotion-chasing Solihull Moors has announced that local hotel The Forest has become a stand sponsor at its Damson Park ground.

The hotel – jointly owned by Moors chairman Darryl Eales – will sponsor the Draintech End until the end of the 2025/26 season.

The Forest is in Station Approach, Dorridge. It was built in 1870, and was bought

by Mr Eales and Birmingham entrepreneur Russell Martin last May. A percentage of the profits from The Forest Hotel will be donated to the Solihull Moors Charitable Foundation, which works with more than 25 schools in the borough on initiatives ranging from antibullying to healthy eating and encouraging children to capitalise on their education.

Time for British sport to discuss Russian finances A Birmingham-based policing and security expert has said that British sport must now face-up to a serious discussion about where the money comes from that finances Russian sport.

Jonathan Jackson’s comments come after the sporting world acted to sideline Moscow, following its murderous and unprovoked attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

The Russians were kicked out of many sporting events, including football’s World Cup, and oligarch Roman Abramovich saw prize asset Chelsea FC added to a list of sanctions applied by the British government.

Birmingham City University academic Mr Jackson - who specialises in areas including criminal investigation, policing studies, terrorism and security -

said: “Western nations have come to realise that by isolating Russia from global economics, trade and sport, they will in time erode the confidence that the oligarchs have in their leader, and the impact this will have on the Russian people is a price worth paying.

‘Many sports elites have enjoyed lifestyles and success without ever asking any questions’ “The strategy adopted by international sporting bodies in recent weeks has been replicated by many other commercial sectors, with Apple, Google, Meta, and now Netflix, all withdrawing their services from Russia, driving

up costs and leading to market destabilisation within the country.

“This raises a question around the complexity of disentangling Russian money from British business and a reluctance to do so.

“Many sports elites have enjoyed lifestyles and success without ever asking any questions as to where financial investment comes from. It is now time for British and global sports, as well as nation states, to have a credible discussion as to the sources of their income.

“We must also ensure that judicial systems target the business elites who really have influence – and can help determine the future of the terrible conflict in Ukraine rather than those without the ability to enact real change.”

Netted by BMet: Fish

Fish a splash hit as new coach at BMet College Former international Olympian Heather Fisher has joined BMet’s Sutton Coldfield College as its new rugby academy coach.

The 37 year-old is a former rugby union and rugby sevens player, and played for England at the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup. She also represented Great Britain in rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympics.

Heather, known as Fish, is not only a rugby star – she has also tried her handed at bobsledding, and was part of the British bobsleigh team.

She said: “Gaining my new job role as the college’s academy coach is very rewarding to me and seems to have come at the right time in my career journey.

78 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

“It is my goal to bring an allinclusive framework to the academy and to embrace difference. I hope that I will be able to help students achieve their dreams, just like I have been able to.”

BMet’s department manager for sport, fitness and physical activity, Jason Allen, said: “We feel very fortunate to have Heather join our special team and bring her own unique global experience and skills to BMet – which will be beneficial to both our students and staff alike.

“Looking forward to seeing the positive developments that will be brought to our Rugby Academy, as a result of having ‘Fish’ with us.”

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Member Profile

Member Section

Chamber Insight Focus on a member

Name: Noel Ady Company: gravity9 Job Title: Founding partner & lead consultant

What does your company do?

We collaborate with our clients to accelerate their digital journey through the creation of intelligent digital products that can disrupt entire industries.

How did it all start?

I was living and working in the USA as a consultant. When I returned to the UK, these trusted relationships continued and I began to take on senior, highlyskilled people to join me in delivering enterprise scale digital projects.

What’s your greatest achievement so far?

Having the talent that we have within gravity9. Several talented, highly-skilled people joined us early in our journey – enabling us to go from a company that started from nothing to half a million dollars in the first year.

What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken – and did it work out?

Just starting a business is a big risk. It paid off, however, as we now have 50-plus people and growing.

If you could turn the clock back, what would you do differently?

I don’t think I would do anything differently – I don’t think you can.

Business is about putting yourself in the right place at the right time, working hard and using your skills and experience.

This is what gravity9 has done.

What has surprised you most in your job?

The commitment and the hard work from other people.

When you start a business and it’s yours, you are obsessed with

it. But having other people come onboard and share that obsession, passion, dedication and vision pleasantly surprised me.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Treat everything as a learning curve. Maybe that’s obvious but you should follow your instincts – all the standard stuff.

Which business do you most admire?

Those non-profits that are in it for the greater good. They do it for the love of art or technology and they stay true to their values.

It’s what we at gravity9 do.

We could sell cheap resources, but we don’t. We only want the best. We hold true to our beliefs.

What exciting projects is your business working on?

Loads of things! We are enabling one of our US clients (American Homes for Rent) to disrupt an entire industry – essentially changing the face of home rental.

What made you join Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and how are you making use of your membership?

As a small business local to the area that is growing and expanding internationally, we are keen to support other start-ups and small businesses. We want to grow our local business network and share the skills and expertise in our company with others.

At Pack & Send we pride our reputation for excellent levels of customer service, professional packing and worldwide delivery of fragile, large and awkward items.

We offer a secure packing service combined with our freight solutions including Domestic, Europe & International (Exports/Imports).

Whatever your requirements for packing & shipping of any fragile/valuable item(s), we can provide a one stop solu tion with the widest range of freight and shipping services to include air, sea and road.

From our location in Hall Green, Birmingham we are able to provide a bespoke service to include multi-national corporations, SMEs, art galleries, auction houses and private individuals.

For your requirements contact Pack & Send (Hall Green) for a flexible, tailored package suited to your timescales and budget.

To find out more about gravity9, visit www.gravity9solutions.com

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 79

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Member Section

New Members

New Members

Whatever your business size and requirements, the Chamber has a membership scale to suit your needs.

For more information visit: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/membership

Your guide to new sign-ups

Aurelius Print Media Printing n.e.c.

Indie Sidhu 02477 712290 www.aureliuspm.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Broadleaf Partnership Trust General secondary education Claire Pritchard 0121 362 7310 www.broadleafpt.co.uk Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce 80 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

Colmore Partners Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified Richard Meek 0121 827 6800 www.colmorepartners.co.uk

Cratus Communications Ltd Public relations and communications activities Sean Fleetwood 0203 9290521 www.cratus.co.uk

Evolve Shopfitting Construction of commercial buildings Ailish Whitehouse 0121 326 0850 www.evolveshopfitting.co.uk

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Commercial Services Birmingham Ltd Sale of used cars and light motor vehicles Dale Spears 0121 382 5657 vanology.com

Dunbar Wolf Associates Ltd Management consultancy activities other than financial management John Ford 01785 336202 www.dunbarwolf.co.uk

Groundwork West Midlands Activities of other membership organisations n.e.c Andrew Thompson 0121 236 8565 www.groundwork.org.uk/hubs/west midlands

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

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New Members

Member Section

As the voice of local business since 1813, we strive to help firms across the region

connect, support and grow.

InHouseit Ltd Activities of patent and copyright agents; other legal activities n.e.c.

David Marshall inhouseit.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

inLIFE Web Design & Digital Marketing Other information technology service activities David Whitehouse 01543 675474 www.inlifedesign.com Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce

J M A Group Activities of other holding companies n.e.c.

Sunny Aujla 0753 441 3311 www.jmagroup.co.uk/about-us Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Jatt Life Drinks Retail sale of beverages in

specialised stores Sunny Kooner www.jatt-life.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

LMR Collection Services Ltd Agents specialised in the sale of other particular products Ricardo Hinds 08701 660377 www.lmr-rags.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Makemefitclub Other human health activities Dalbir Kaur 07583 133412 www.makemefiitclubmember.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

OPTYMUM SS (UK) LTD Other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c.

Daniel Mamphey 0121 270 7525 www.optymumss.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

PGA European Tour Other sports activities Harry Chittenden 01344 840 681 www.europeantour.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Pickerings Solicitors Solicitors Sue Hatton 01827 317070 www.pickerings-solicitors.com Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce

Surefire Logistics Solutions Other activities of employment placement agencies Viktoria Tarapanova 07823 910 597

www.smallbusinessbiggrowth.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Taste Collective Take-away food shops and mobile food stands Ajay Kenth 0121 725 8809 www.tastecollectivesolihull.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

The Active Wellbeing Society Other human health activities Susan Keung 0121 728 7030 theaws.co.uk Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Tasha Online Ltd Management consultancy activities other than financial management Bertram Odili-obi 07936 410125

Triton Telecom Limited Other telecommunications activities Dean Billington 0800 8498030 www.tritontelecom.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

HancoxRead Recruitment are a multi-sector award winning independent recruitment consultancy set up in March 2019 and based in Harborne.

We work with Public Sector Departments, Care Homes, Engineering and Industrial businesses across the Midlands and the UK.

• We have access to over 25 million CV’s Nationwide with all skills covered from SIA Security to Care Workers (all levels) to industrial.

• We have access to all the premium job boards – all part of our service.

• We offer temporary, fixed term and permanent recruitment options.

• We pride ourselves on our processes and procedures to ensure all workers are fully registered, reference checked and using our advanced biometric ID checking technology.

• We guarantee no illegal workers in your business.

Call Guy Hancox today to discuss your recruitment issues/plans in the strictest of confidence on

07851 489 513 or email guy@hancoxread.co.uk

April 2022 CHAMBERLINK 81

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Member Section

Competition

...any other business A round-up of news from Chamber members

Indian music star visits university Acclaimed Indian singer, musician, actor and poet Sartinder Sartaaj visited Birmingham City University to meet and speak with staff and students ahead of a sell-out UK tour.

Following a tour of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with interim principal Dr Shirley Thompson, the Sufi superstar took part in a special Q&A session with staff and students from the Conservatoire and School of Media along with guests from across the University and the worlds of politics, banking and music.

Led by Brit Asia TV presenter Raj Shoker and Birmingham City University music industries student Corinne Stewart, the session also featured a screening of Sartaaj’s latest music video.

Released to accompany new song ‘Naadan Jehi Aas’, the first ever music video to be filmed at Royal Albert Hall in its 150-year history features the British-Indian model and Vitiligo awareness campaigner Jasroop Singh and has amassed over 1.5million views since its release.

Satinder Sartaaj’s visit formed

Sufi superstar: Satinder Sartaaj with BCU staff and students

part of Birmingham City University’s ongoing work to further develop cultural, business, political and academic links with India.

Corinne Stewart, in her second year of a three-year music industries degree at Birmingham School of Media, said: "Meeting Satinder Sartaaj was a surreal and inspiring experience. Someone at

his level of stardom was so humble and gracious when answering my questions which made me feel extremely comfortable as this was my first in person interview.”

Satinder Sartaaj earned a fiveyear vocal and instrumental diploma at Sangeet Vishard in Jalandhar. Satinder then moved to Chandigarh to pursue his Masters in Musical and M.Phil. as well as a PhD

in Sufi music at Punjab University.

After teaching for a number of years, Sartaaj began a career as a singer, songwriter and poet, making a name for himself in the Punjabi music and film industries.

He has contributed vocals for a number of Bollywood films and made his screen debut as Maharaja Duleep Singh in ‘The Black Prince’ in 2017.

Duo make Pam a special naan!

Two’s company: Pam with her newly-born grandchildren

82 CHAMBERLINK April 2022

It was double joy for Birmingham restaurateur Pam Bassi as her two grandchildren were born within hours of each other – and she even delivered one herself.

Pam, who co-owns Dilbar Restaurant & Cocktail Bar on the city’s ‘golden mile’ of Broad Street, was on hand to deliver her first grandchild when he suddenly arrived at her home in the early hours of 26 February.

And her second grandchild was born just a few hours later in the more traditional setting of City Hospital.

Both mothers and babies, a boy and a girl, are said to be doing well, although first-time grandmother Pam said she was still in a state of shock.

The delighted grandma, who lives in Oldbury, said: “My oldest boy, Sunny, and his wife Nav, had gone to the hospital a few hours earlier thinking the baby was coming.

“They said she wasn’t dilated enough so she came back home.

But Nav started to feel pain, so I rang the midwife who said it must be the baby pressing on the pelvis.

“I rang 999 for help but within seconds the baby’s head and shoulders suddenly started to appear.

“Fortunately, Sunny had already gotten her laid out on the sofa. The baby kept coming really quickly, so I helped him out the rest of the way and then wrapped him up in towels.

“Nav was in shock, as was I, but Sunny was on the phone to the hospital while I was delivering the baby.”

A couple of ambulances arrived a few minutes later and cut the umbilical cord, before mother and baby Kaydan were taken to City Hospital.

But the excitement didn’t end there, for just a few hours later

Pam’s second grandchild was born in the same hospital.

Youngest son Ajay, aged 21, and his wife Natasha produced their first child, daughter Shinyah, in City Hospital at 6.15am on Saturday – less than six hours after Kaydan’s dramatic arrival at 12.45am.

Pam added: “I am still traumatised but very happy as well.

I obviously had the experience of my two sons being born but this was the first time I’ve delivered a baby.”

It is the latest good news for Pam, after Dilbar was judged the Best Restaurant in the Midlands at the recent Asian Food and Restaurant Awards for 2021, held in London.

She opened Dilbar in Birmingham's Westside entertainment district in November 2019 with business partner Salman Tariq.

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