Chamberlink May 2022

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The official publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

CHAMBER May 2022

Free to Members £5.00 where sold

LINK

Patrons power the pride Four pillars of business support ‘beautiful borough’ - See page 5 • Growth Through People focuses on improving productivity • Diplomat’s visit strengthens UK ties with Canada • Biggest networking event is back after two years

Picture: Marc Kirsten

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Contents Chamberlink May 2022 Business News

Features

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Editor’s View Transforming Solihull into a major gateway

51 Communications & Marketing: The keys to business success

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Business News Growth for Solihull Chamber

52 Clear and compelling communications

12 President’s Focus Gill Durkin, president of Cannock Chase Chamber 16 The Griffin Report Karl George partner and head of governance at RSM 20 Where do you fancy?

The Fig & Olive

55 Professional Services: The benefits of business coaching 56 What does your brand say about you?

Sector Focus 58 Business Travel: Flybe takes off from Birmingham

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60 Finance: Growth of food and drink sector

Chamber Patrons

62 Retail: Plans to make city centre greener

32 Venues spearhead safety plan

63 Technology: Potential danger of NFTs

Member Section

64 Legal: National law firm moves to city

71 Member Profile Daniella Genas, She’s the boss

1813 Club and Premier Members 34 EY to treble Birmingham-based operations

66 Property: Record letting at business park 69 Manufacturing: Healthcare company invests in training facilities

Chamber Group 36 International Trade: Strengthening Canadian ties

70 Sport: Recycled Bears shirt revealed

72 New Members Chamber welcomes new members 74 …any other business News from Chamber businesses

39 ABCC: HSBC UK launches enterprise programme 40 Cannock Chase: Firms feel confident about the future 41 Burton & District: Ginho supports Ghana expedition 42 Lichfield & Tamworth: Bid for rail HQ 43 Sutton Coldfield: Return of business fair 44 Solihull: Maximising the benefits of HS2 46 Future Faces: Award sponsor announced

Events 48 The latest comprehensive list of Chamber training courses and events

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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

Chamber of Commerce

Sutton Coldfield

Greater Birmingham

Chamber

Commonwealth

of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce

Greater Birmingham

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

Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce

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

May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 3

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Opinion

Editor’s View

By John Lamb

Transforming Solihull into a major gateway he fact that Solihull features heavily in this month’s magazine underlines its continued importance to the region.

Not only is the borough already the home to Jaguar Land Rover, the NEC, Birmingham Airport and, of course, award-winning Touchwood among others, future development, including the HS2 Interchange Station, will place it literally as a pounding heart of the country.

And now thousands of new jobs and homes are to be created in Solihull up to three years earlier than planned after a set of developments enabling collaboration agreements were completed which will maximise the benefits that HS2 will bring to the region (see page 45).

The Arden Cross development covers 346 acres (about 173 football fields for the uninitiated) and will include the HS2 Interchange.

This will be a huge boon for the creation of a mixed-use development and it means that jobs and homes could be delivered from 2026 onwards. And when HS2 is fully operational, Solihull will be only 38 minutes from London Euston and 37 minutes from Manchester – and visa versa, of course.

This will make Solihull not only a major gateway for the region but for the UK too. It will bring real meaning to a word I have always disliked – connectivity. It will pull major cities closer and attract thousands of people to the region.

They will need transport, beds, food, entertainment – all of which can be provided to the good of the Borough of Solihull.

The Arden Cross development is deeply embedded in the high-speed rail project. That is why 3,000 homes and six million square feet of

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FRONT COVER: Patrons stand tall as pillars of Solihull business community 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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commercial development will be included.

Clearly any of the occupants of those 3,000 homes and many others will want fast and reliable rail links, hopefully free of the delays and frustrations that are frequently experienced by regular commuters – including me in a former life - on the current single track routes.

‘When HS2 is fully operational, Solihull will be only 38 minutes from London Euston and 37 minutes from Manchester’ Critics claim that speed is not an issue for HS2.

In my experience that couldn’t be further from the truth. There can be nothing more guaranteed to get your day off to a wretched start by having to stand for the whole of your journey in a packed train and then feeling the brakes applied as you approach your destination.

My view is that if you are going to build a new railway, why not make it as fast as possible?

Otherwise, we would still be trundling along an average of 12mph in Mr Stephenson’s Rocket.

With such easy access to other parts of the country, property prices in a wide area around the Interchange and Arden Cross will surely soar.

And there will be many Londoners living in expensive areas of the capital who will welcome the opportunity to sell up, move to Arden Cross, still have the same commute time and have some spare change in their back pocket.

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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

Queen’s Award for Chamber patron

Businesses passionate about ‘brilliant borough’ Patrons all (left to right): Huw Thomas, business development director at Wavenet; Angela Sanders, assistant director of sales at Hilton Birmingham Metropole; Nicola Underhill, general manager at Hilton Birmingham Metropole; Samantha Frampton, head of Solihull Chamber; Lori Henebury, marketing, community and business development manager at Birmingham Business Park; Wayne Vickers, general manager at Hogarths Solihull and Stewart Motler, chief operating officer at Wavenet

By Claudia Congrave Solihull Chamber of Commerce is going from strength to strength this year with the growth of their top-tier membership group and the introduction of four new patrons to their evergrowing business network.

Just five months into the year, Solihull Chamber has partnered with businesses from a range of sectors, including hospitality and telecoms, who will play a vital role as leaders of their field and pillars of the Solihull business community.

Birmingham Business Park (BBP) joined the Chamber in January and, as the most established out-of-town business park in the

‘Our Solihull patrons are passionate about this brilliant borough’ Midlands, connects members with over 150 highprofile companies.

Committed to supporting the hospitality sector post-pandemic, the Chamber has also welcomed two high-end hotels including independent hotel and restaurant group, Hogarth’s, and the flagship Hilton Birmingham Metropole, both of whom have recently invested in ambitious relaunch and refurbishment plans.

Wavenet, a telecoms and technology company headquartered in the Midlands, will also join as patrons this month.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “Our Solihull patrons are passionate about this brilliant borough and genuinely committed to seeing the local business community succeed.

“Solihull is already home to many powerful regional, national and international brands and businesses including Birmingham Airport, the NEC Group and Gymshark. Not to mention Solihull Chamber’s existing patrons Arden MultiAcademy Trust, Prime Accountants, Solihull College & University Centre, Touchwood, Hogarths, Hilton Metropole, Birmingham Business Park and Solihull Moors.

“Over the coming months and years it will also welcome many Commonwealth Games events and HS2’s Interchange Station which in turn has catalysed the creation of one of the country’s best-connected investment sites in the shape of Arden Cross. In a nutshell, there’s rather a lot to be excited about in Solihull and I know team Chamber look forward to working with our new Patrons on making the most of every opportunity for local businesses.”

Samantha Frampton, head of Solihull Chamber, said: “We are so proud to be shouting about all the incredible things going on within our Chamber and our borough at the moment.

“Welcoming four new patrons just four months into the year highlights how our Chamber is striving to going from strength to strength and is a true testament to the innovation and resilience of the businesses within our borough.

“After such a strong start to the year I am keen to see where the coming months will take us, particularly as we prepare for the Commonwealth Games and various developments taking shape around HS2.

“I am excited to work with all of our patrons in supporting our members and spreading the word about what Solihull has to offer.”

Flexeserve, the Birmingham Chamber patrons making ground-breaking developments in hot-holding technology, have received royal recognition with a Queen’s Award for Innovation.

The world experts in food-to-go hotholding and a brand of The Alan Nuttall Partnership, has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2022.

Hailed by chief executive Jamie Joyce (pictured) as “Flexeserve’s greatest achievement to date”, the award will be marked with a reception hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace on 12 July.

Recognising and celebrating business excellence across the UK, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses.

Mr Joyce said: “Winning this national award, recognised around the world, is overwhelming – it’s a dream come true for the business.

“This award is won by every single partner in the Flexeserve team, as well as our wider partnership and customers. This

‘This award is won by every single partner in the Flexeserve team’ has been made possible by the belief of all these groups of people in our flagship product, Flexeserve Zone.”

The patented Flexeserve Zone unit creates a consistent air temperature throughout each shelf, which can be individually controlled. This unlocks new opportunities for major operators to expand product ranges, achieve unrivalled hold times and reduce food waste, whilst maintaining excellent food quality – for the best possible customer experience.

The unit can be found in a range of foodservice operators – large and small – in the UK and globally, including Pret A Manger, Greggs, M&S, Sainsburys, Circle K and Amazon Go. Mr Joyce added: “What our customers have achieved with Flexeserve Zone is central to us receiving this award. You can only see the full value of an innovation when it is put into practice, and its potential is realised.”

• More patrons’ news on pages 32 and 33.

• For more Solihull news see pages 11, 44 and 45 May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 5

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Business News Celebrity prenup protects fortune Brooklyn Beckham and fiancée Nicola Peltz’s reported “mother and father of all prenups” is a timely reminder of why such agreements are so important, according to Thursfields Solicitors.

The leading Midlands law firm commented after the couple signed a pre-nuptial agreement to protect what is thought to be £380m Beckham and £1.3 billion Peltz fortunes.

Philip Rea (pictured), a director in the Family law team at Thursfields, said such phenomenal wealth between the families made it “entirely appropriate” that both parties wanted to protect funds should their marriage not last.

Mr Rea said: “You do not have to be a celebrity or have vast wealth to need or benefit from such an agreement.

“With the number of marriage failures in England and Wales said to be around 33 per cent, many couples worried about the prospect of divorce are considering prenuptial agreements.

“For wealthy families, it is often parents who broach the subject first, driven by a desire to protect what they have built up and to ensure their children benefit from their assets rather than an estranged son or daughter-inlaw. The main function of a prenuptial agreement is to establish what happens if the relationship breaks down and this can be done by ‘ring fencing’ certain assets which one or both parties may wish to protect.

“Typically, these assets are usually properties one party owned prior to entering into the relationship or the potential for inherited wealth that someone may be due or expect to receive in the future.”

Mr Rea pointed out that prenups are not legally binding in England and Wales, but that providing they are properly prepared they are persuasive to a court looking at the division of assets in a divorce.

For more information contact Mr Rea or any of Thursfields’ family team via 0345 20 73 72 8 or by emailing info@thursfields.co.uk.

Work together plea on new ‘business normal’

By Dan Harrison Business optimism is building across Greater Birmingham after record-high domestic sales and more firms stepping up recruitment plans during the first quarter of 2022, a new report reveals.

And, with the last remaining Covid-19 restrictions lifted at the beginning of April, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) has urged the business community to “work together to determine what the new ‘business as usual’ looks like.”

The Chamber’s Quarterly Business Report for Q1 revealed that, while businesses are still finding recruitment difficult, 40 per cent of those surveyed grew their workforce over the past three months.

Fifty per cent expect their workforce to grow over the next three months and domestic sales remain at a record high, with 54 per cent of firms reporting an increase.

Export sales have improved for service firms (38 per cent increase) but dropped for manufacturers.

There was a drop in the number of firms reporting recruitment

Optimism building: Henrietta Brealey

difficulties. Thirty-two per cent said they were struggling to fill professional or managerial positions and 27 per cent experienced problems in hiring for manual or technical roles.

Thirty-three per cent were more concerned about inflation than in the previous quarter, while half of those surveyed reported pressure to raise prices - mostly due to overheads (37 per cent) and the price of raw materials (31 per cent).

New branding created

Teamwork, from left: Grace Cunningham (Ark Media), Kate Curry (The Curry Design Studio), Rob Bennett and Clive Poole (both X2 Workspaces) and Judith Hutchinson (Ark Media)

An office design company has undergone a successful transformation with the help of three fellow Chamber members.

X2 Workspaces has rebranded from its previous name, X2 Furniture, in a move which reflects a shift towards the design and fit-out service it now offers.

And, to help tell the story of its rebrand, X2 enlisted the help of graphic design firm The Curry Design Studio, video production agency Ark Media and copywriting service Lexicomm – all members of the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce. The team creatives worked together to develop a marketing strategy, brand, website and social media presence for X2 Workspaces.

Clive Poole, director at X2 Workspaces, said: “We now have a new brand that better reflects how we help clients. It’s been great to work with a local team who understand us and our business.”

• More Sutton Coldfield news on page 43

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Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of the GBCC, said: “ With the relaxing of Covid-19 measures and the removal of free testing and workplace safety guidance coming into force, now is the time for Greater Birmingham businesses to work together to determine what the new ‘business as usual’ looks like.

“It is clear that a shift is happening in terms of working arrangements and expectations, and that the job market is beginning to become livelier after a period of uncertainty for employers and employees alike.”

The Quarterly Business Report is produced by the GBCC in partnership with Birmingham City University, whose deputy vicechancellor Professor Julian Beer said: “It is heartening to see that business confidence has remained buoyant, with anticipated uplifts in turnover and profitability over the next 12 months.

“However, as we are all experiencing, inflationary pressures continue to grow, exacerbated most recently by the impact of the Ukraine crisis - whilst recruitment of staff at all levels remains challenging in what is an increasingly tight labour market.”

Aston Villa appoints PR firm Birmingham-based communications consultancy Liquid has been commissioned by Aston Villa Football Club and Aston Villa Football Club Foundation to support on both the development plans for the club as well as the growth of the foundation.

Currently finalising the redevelopment of the North Stand, Aston Villa FC is aiming to increase both its capacity as well as fan experience.

Liquid will be working on the community engagement and consultation activity over the three year development period.

Activity for the Foundation is around local and national profile raising, highlighting to a wider audience the grass roots community work, impact and opportunities of the charity.

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Business News

MasterChef winner’s second innings ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’ 2021 champion Dan Lee is returning to the kitchens at Edgbaston Stadium to deliver his own catering at one of the biggest fixtures in the 2022 cricketing summer.

Dan, who grew up in Birmingham and worked in the catering team at Edgbaston for three years, will host a special dining experience at the stadium’s 501* Lounge hospitality suite for the England men’s Vitality T20 International versus India on Saturday, 9 July.

Only 80 places are available, with the special 501* Lounge package including a meet and greet with Dan upon arrival, informal street-food dining, complimentary bar and the option of watching the game within the 501 Lounge or the balcony of the 1882 Suite.

“We’re incredibly proud of everything that Dan has achieved in his career,” said Claire Daniel, operations director at Edgbaston.

“Having established himself as one of the brightest young culinary talents in the country, we’re delighted to bring him back to Edgbaston and work with him to develop this new street food menu, which he will showcase at the Vitality T20 International.”

For more details go to: www.edgbaston.com/hospitality • Simpsons launch star-chef dinners – see page 30

Street wise: Dan Lee back at Edgbaston

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Business News

Opportunities for a diverse workforce The Chamber’s Growth Through People conference at Eastside Rooms in Digbeth rounded off a month-long campaign of events, webinars and blogs which focused on improving productivity through better leadership and people management, headed by policy and projects manager Emily Stubbs. Claudia Congrave (pictured) reports as businesses and individuals gathered to hear from industry experts on responsible leadership, accessing and engaging talent, unlocking potential and harnessing resilience. The campaign was delivered in partnership with and sponsored by Aston University, Birmingham City Council, South and City College Birmingham and the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Pictures: Jas Sansi

ttracting, retaining and championing marginalised talent was high on the agenda at the conference – in which important questions were posed about why many businesses see diversity as a challenge, rather than an opportunity.

Reflecting on lessons learnt during pandemic, discussions turned to the region’s position on racial equality, particularly in light of the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Guest speaker Yetunde Dania tackled the topic during an inspiring reflection on her own path to becoming head of office at Trowers & Hamlins, a position she says she still “pinches herself” about as a Nigerian woman raised by white adoptive parents in Great Yarmouth.

Despite her pride, Yetunde admitted that she hasn’t always felt comfortable as a black woman in senior management, commenting that she saw herself as “just a tick box or the black girl in the corner”.

With West Midlands being the most ethnically diverse region in the UK after London, Yetunde explained that she was motivated by the opportunity available to the city to lead by example when it comes to ensuring that ethnic minorities were welcomed and

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Games chat: Birmingham 2022 chief executive Ian Reid in conversation with his Chamber counterpart Henrietta Brealey

visible in management positions across all sectors.

She intends to spearhead this work in her role as chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Race Equalities Taskforce.

She questioned: “If we can still get businesses from A to Z, why does it matter that the journey might look more colourful or more diverse?”

Diversity and inclusion provoked thoughts among attendees and

speakers for the duration of the conference, hearing from some of the region’s most renowned businesses and organisations, including Aston University and St Basils, about their approach to equal opportunity and better representation.

Sian Dhillon, senior business and communities executive at St Basils, was particularly passionate about businesses better serving the communities around them and was vocal about why “reaching out to

under-represented individuals isn’t a ‘challenge’, it’s an opportunity”.

She added: “A lot of companies approach diversity and inclusion as one concept, rather than in tandem.

But they are different, and we should tackle them in that way.

What we should also be doing is treating diversity and inclusion as integral priorities, just like we do with things like health and safety.”

“I often hear people saying ‘isn’t it about who’s the best fit for the job?’ I actually think that businesses who do well don’t have that approach. The approach should be about who you can help develop and give opportunities to out of those who would have otherwise been disadvantaged.

Ultimately, we have to empower people to be able to do the job.”

Embarking on a ‘RACE Equality Code’ assessment with Karl George, head of governance at RSM, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce are already assessing how they can better support and reflect the communities and businesses they represent, both internally and externally.

As Mr George, a Chamber board member, poignantly concluded during his speech at the conference: “We are now in the third generation of diversity.

Diversity has now gone past ‘nice to do’ and ‘tokenism’.”

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Business News

Putting needs of people first in changing world The challenge of navigating the world of work in a time of significant change was on the minds of business leaders at the conference.

The GBCC handed the microphone to leaders across the West Midlands to get their perspective on how ‘good leadership’ is pivotal to business growth and resilience.

A common theme throughout the event was acknowledging that “one size does not fit all”, especially when it comes to assessing employees’

‘The closest we’ve come to this kind of societal disruption is a World War. It’s okay to take time to process the events of the last two years’

Greetings: Sabah Hussain meets Karl George at the conference

needs and preferences for hybrid working or returning to the office.

Sympathising with how people have had to adapt to these changes, Dr Justin Varney, director of Public Health for Birmingham City Council, said: “The closest we’ve come to this kind of societal disruption is a World War. It’s okay to take time to

process the events of the last two years.”

Dr Varney also reinforced the fact that the pandemic is by no means over, and that we now have more opportunity to adapt our working culture in preparation for any future obstacles.

Naturally, conversations around flexible working raised questions about how employers should decide which roles can be done remotely and how important it is for businesses to offer a variety of options going forwards.

During her panel discussion, Claire Wise, head of talent at Air IT, said: “Lack of empathy around flexibility has contributed largely to the issues that we are seeing around the ‘great resignation’.

“Putting people’s needs first is going to be key as the role of leadership changes in the coming years and it comes back to the saying that ‘people leave leaders, not organisations’.”

However, Richard Billingham, executive director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at Aston University, posed the idea that it is not flexibility that employees need or yearn, but rather the autonomy to choose.

Nevertheless, there was a consensus that the responsibility remains with leaders to prioritise team interaction and ‘make time’ to connect with their employees, even as some choose to phase back into ‘old ways’ of working.

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Business News

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Business News

Residency to showcase city dance talent Birmingham Royal Ballet will showcase its world-class dancers, new dance talent and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia in a week-long residency at The Rep. The residency, from 8-14 May, features Dance Track 25, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of BRB’s landmark talent development programme BRB’s world-class dancers and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia will stage An Evening of Music & Dance, an exciting concert hand-picked by BRB’s director Carlos Acosta and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, hosted by television and radio presenter and BRB board member Marverine Cole.

There will be a special introduction to ballet and the orchestra for everyone aged 4+ with a host of interactive fun and games in Family Music & Dance.

On 13-14 May an evening with Carlos Acosta and members of the BRB Company will go behind the scenes from Studio to Stage.

Carlos Acosta said: “Our music and dance events provide the perfect opportunity to showcase our orchestra and dancers as they all take to the stage.

“It’s wonderful to shine a light on our musicians who are usually largely out of sight in the pit.

The interplay of music and dance in these events creates a unique dynamic that also serves to introduce ballet to classical music fans and classical music to fans of ballet, but also it is, purely and simply, a wonderful way to spend an afternoon or evening with young family members and friends.

“We are especially delighted that the residency features the 25th

Helping hand: Carlos helps a member of Dance Track

anniversary celebration of BRB’s Dance Track programme telling the extraordinary story of how Dance Track has been keeping Birmingham’s young people

dancing for 25 years.”

Tickets can be booked at www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/ whats-on/

Summer Expo makes return

By Claudia Congrave

Expo venue: voco St John’s

More choice at your fingertips with F-PACE The Jaguar F-PACE now offers more choice and technology than ever, with the addition of the dynamic new 400 SPORT and 300 SPORT models – and the introduction of Alexa voice control across the range.

Offered exclusively with smooth, refined Ingenium six-cylinder petrol and diesel mild-hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) engines respectively, the 400 SPORT and 300 SPORT are distinguished by their new 21-inch gloss black wheels, black pack, privacy glass and gloss black roof rails.

The F-PACE’s distinctive, sculpted form is further enhanced for the new 400 SPORT and 300 SPORT through a unique combination of exterior design elements which heighten their poised stance and dynamic character.

Adam Hatton, exterior design director at Jaguar, said: “Developing the new 300 SPORT and 400 SPORT models gave us the opportunity to subtly accentuate the F-PACE’s inherently assertive, purposeful design and deliver an even more confident on-road presence, while beautiful, rich materials – including meticulously-crafted veneers – make the interiors even more luxurious. Together with the quiet, effortless performance from the sixcylinder engines, the new F-PACE 300 SPORT and 400 SPORT will make every journey extraordinary.”

The interior of the F-PACE is further enhanced on the 400 SPORT and 300 SPORT with 16-way heated and ventilated electric memory seats.

These are matched to an ebony suedecloth headliner and satin charcoal ash veneers.

The Solihull Summer Expo will return for the first time in three years on 26 May to give West Midlands businesses a platform to showcase their offering and boost their brand visibility.

Hosting and sponsoring this year’s event is voco St. John's Solihull, a hotel based in the heart of Solihull town, who offer space for conferences, events, weddings, and much more.

The Summer Expo will be the Solihull Chamber of Commerce’s biggest event of the year, expecting to welcome over 400 business contacts from a variety of industries all under one roof.

Joe Evans, director of sales at voco St. Johns, said: “voco St. John’s Solihull are thrilled to be the headline sponsor as well as the host venue for Solihull Expo 2022.

“After what has been a challenging time for so many, it is both encouraging and exciting to be able to provide an opportunity for businesses to network and reconnect. Why not join us on 26 May and take a look at the restored cornerstone of Solihull.”

For sponsorship opportunities email events@birmingham-chamber.com or visit the GBCC website to book.

• More Solihull Chamber news – pages 44 and 45 May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 11

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Business News

President’s Focus This month’s President’s Focus comes from Gill Durkin, president of Cannock Chase Chamber and business development director at Performance Through People. Gill is optimistic that business fortunes will continue to improve as she and the Cannock Chase Chamber board support local firms, schools and the community, giving them the chance to bounce back from the pandemic.

Cannock Chase

Chamber of Commerce

pring is most definitely here thankfully.

While writing this, the sun has started to shine, the hours of day light have increased, and we have so much to look forward to.

Our economy in the most is recovering well, with record job vacancies and unemployment back at pre-crisis levels. However, here at Performance Through People we are pleased to say that although new apprenticeships numbers have increased in line with how they have nationally, they are yet to reach the same levels of pre-crisis levels.

This is despite the additional grants made available over recent months from the government. The additional support provided in Staffordshire through the Staffordshire Means Back to Business scheme has proved invaluable to business and local residents and has exceeded its targets and expectations.

One of the additional streams of funding was to support new apprenticeship jobs and another

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‘Skills and education will always be at the centre of everything we do and now the doors to our training centres are open again’ to provide grants for upskilling the existing workforce. We are delighted to report that the funding support in the Cannock Chase region has created 60 new apprenticeships since October 2021.

Rob Colbourne, my managing director who last year won a national award for his Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Apprenticeships, said: “It is evident that these funds have been a huge help to businesses in our area who like others and ourselves suffered financially due to the pandemic.

“It is encouraging to see that businesses are growing their workforce with the support of apprentices helping them to build the muchneeded skills and providing real jobs for our younger generation.”

In March Rob and I attended the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Awards, celebrating with over 1200 other guests and being extremely proud of Performance Through People reaching the finals in the Excellence in Training & Education category.

Skills and education will always be at the centre of everything we do and now the doors to our training centres are open again and we are welcoming our customers back. We are delighted and relieved that our enquiries have 12 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

increased, the phones are ringing again and training courses that should have run two years ago are now being delivered.

We are thankful that our clients have had the patience to wait.

Celebrations will continue as we have lots to look forward to both nationally and locally to the Queens Jubilee in June and the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. And we are particularly excited to be welcoming the mountain biking event here in Cannock Chase.

We are incredibly fortunate to have the beautiful Cannock Chase on our doorstep with its rich heritage providing jobs, education, and miles of open spaces for us all to enjoy.

I am sure that the games will certainly help us showcase our region giving us the opportunity

to share our AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty). The volume of additional visitors will prove beneficial in particular to our retail and hospitality sectors with many additional attractions being planned.

Together with our Cannock Chase Chamber Board, I will always be a huge supporter of local businesses, schools and the community giving local businesses the chance to bounce back from the pandemic and thrive in our local area.

We want businesses to thrive, innovation to be the norm and to link businesses with partners to meet the local skill demand and providing jobs so that we do not lose our local talent. We must not forget the need to link businesses with schools to ensure we help shape the workforce of the future.

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Business News

May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 13

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Business News 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 14 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

£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

1. Chamberlink May 1-28.qxp_Chamberlink 27/04/2022 12:14 Page 15

Business News

Morningside donates medicines to Ukraine A pharmaceuticals business has donated almost 60,000 packs to provide 1.29 million doses of essential medicines to communities impacted by the war in Ukraine.

The significant donation by Chamber patrons Morningside Pharmaceuticals came about after the company’s founder and chairman, Dr Nik Kotecha, spoke with Vadym Prystaiko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, at a business event in London.

Dr Kotecha said: “The heartbreaking situation in Ukraine has touched us all, and as like so many people in the United Kingdom, we’ve been keen to do everything we can to help the victims of this terrible conflict.

“After speaking to the ambassador, the Ukrainian Embassy identified a range of Morningside manufactured medicines of which their healthcare system is in urgent need. The Embassy and our teams at Morningside then worked closely with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the UK to ensure the medicines could be shipped rapidly as humanitarian Aid. “I would like to thank our International, Supply Chain and Warehousing teams for turning this around in a matter of days, to ensure those in urgent need of their medicines, received them as quickly as possible.”

Ukraine-bound: The Morningside team preparing aid for the Ukraine

The large shipment of medicines has been transported in a secure and temperature controlled environment via Morningside’s logistics partner to the embassy’s distribution hub in Poland. From there the medicines will be supplied to hospitals, healthcare centres and patients throughout Ukraine, including the regions hardest hit by the Russian invasion.

Morningside Pharmaceuticals has also supported the aid effort in Ukraine by storing a large quantity of supportive goods, such as hundreds of packs of nappies, feminine hygiene packs, sleeping

bags and children’s essentials in its Loughborough warehousing.

These goods were donated through Loughborough’s Polish associations and social clubs by members of the public and have now been delivered to support Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Dr Kotecha added: “We all hope for a swift resolution to the war in Ukraine, which brings an end to the suffering and atrocities taking place there.”

To find out more about Morningside Pharmaceuticals visit www.morningsidepharm.com

Games batonbearers are selected The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has confirmed the inspirational people from communities across the West Midlands who will take on the role of Batonbearer in the Queen’s Baton Relay this summer.

The Queen’s Baton will return to the West Midlands on 18-28 July, in the final ten-day countdown to Birmingham 2022. The successful Batonbearers have been specially selected to represent the West Midlands and carry the Baton through local communities.

After a tour of Commonwealth nations and territories, the Queen’s Baton will arrive back in England on 2 June 2022 for a four-day visit to London, coinciding with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend, before resuming the international journey.

It returns to England on 4 July to commence a 25-day tour across all remaining regions. The relay will

Global journey: Batonbearers in Singapore

culminate at the Alexander Stadium on 28 July for the opening ceremony, where the Queen’s Message will be broadcast, signifying the official start of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The confirmation of batonbearers follows the public nomination campaign in January 2022, from which approximately 8,000 nominations were submitted.

The callout was for inspirational people in England who met the selection criteria: • Always willing to take on a challenge and has a unique and inspiring story.

• Has made a meaningful contribution to sport, education, the arts, culture, or charity.

• Is a figure of inspiration that positively challenges others to achieve their best.

• Has taken on a challenge or cause and made a positive impact within their community.

Batonbearers have been selected in all nine regions of England and embody the diversity in communities across the country.

From local heroes to inspirational school children, the batonbearers come from all walks of life, backgrounds and vary in age - with children as young as 12 taking part - and each take on issues that matter most to them.

Apply now for a green grant A scheme offering financial support to help community groups and regional organisations looking to put more people in touch with nature has received dozens of applications.

After launching in late January, the West Midland Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Community Green Grants scheme has already seen more than 40 applications come in from across the region.

Successful bidders will be able to use the grants to improve green spaces and enhance their local environment, especially in deprived communities. This can include a wide range of initiatives including planting trees, growing fruits and vegetables and turning unused land into pocket parks to increase local access.

The fund is a rolling grant and the judging panel has been assessing the bids. They were especially keen to see applications from projects that included creative ways to increase biodiversity and promote behavioural change on accessing green spaces.

Jacqueline Homan, head of environment at WMCA, said: “We’re delighted to see plenty of submissions coming in for our Community Green Grants project which means people are keen to enjoy the benefits of nature on their doorstep.

“I’m really looking forward to when we can start revealing the successful submissions and see how the projects improve our environment and increase the biodiversity of our region.

“Remember there is still time to get involved, so I would encourage as many groups as possible to get their funding applications in.”

The WMCA has set aside £725,000 for community groups, charities, community interest companies and environmental organisations that can show how their planned activities will have a positive impact on the environment.

There are two levels of funding available: small grants of £3,000 - £25,000 and large grants of £25,000 - £100,000.

Priority will be given to projects in communities where there is green deprivation.

May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 15

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Business News

The Griffin Report Karl George has forged a high-profile niche as an expert in corporate governance. The recently-appointed partner and head of governance at business advisers RSM has also joined the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce board.

Jon Griffin talks to the Brummie who has built a career on keeping abreast of the modern world in all its complexities.

Greetings: Mark Taylor (left) welcomes Karl George to RSM

arl George may be softly spoken one to one but his message to the world at large is loud and clear: “Once you think you have cracked it, you have failed.

“You have always got to be looking at what is happening in the external environment, how you are adapting to change.

“I think that we have got that kind of culture at the Chamber, of not being stuck in the past, understanding that there needs to be continuous improvement and responding to needs that are ever-changing.”

In an often bewilderingly, fast-changing world – where the pace of technological progress has spawned debates about the onset of a Fourth Industrial Revolution – Karl has forged a highprofile niche for himself in the very city where Watt, Boulton, Murdoch and others launched the first Industrial Revolution around 250 years ago, kick-starting mechanised production and transforming the workplace.

The former Handsworth Grammar schoolboy is an ex-Birmingham Young Professional of the Year with 25 years’ experience in accountancy, business and strategic development and creator

K

16 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

of the Effective Board Member programmes, nurturing the next boardroom leaders.

He is an honorary doctor and visiting professor at Birmingham City University, an MBE, has worked in the football world with the likes of Les Ferdinand, the late Cyrille Regis, Chris Hughton, Darren Moore and Ian Taylor to help promote the career prospects of black players post-retirement, with the Professional Cricketers Association and with organisations across the UK, the Middle East, the Caribbean and elsewhere delivering his Effective Board Member programmes.

Now Karl, recently appointed as partner and head of governance at business advisers RSM, is bringing his experience to the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce as a recruit to the board. It is a role he is clearly relishing as the city’s premier business organisation adapts to life in a post-pandemic world, where the workplace of the future will be a very different beast to its predecessors.

“I think our Chamber is one of the more innovative and forward-looking. If you look at our leadership now, with our new chief

executive, if you look at the work we are doing, it has a credible voice for the business community which is respected and has a good relationship with the stakeholders.

“The board is where I preach – I have been talking about governance. I reckon that if you want to get the organisation right, you have got to do it right at the top. I have got involved right at the outset with being part of the Chamber board. I have been accepted and included straightaway.

“We have got a really good diversity of skills, expertise and backgrounds which makes us as a collective team a really powerful force. The sum of the individuals is more than each of us on our own, which is what you really want with a board, with everybody able to contribute to the challenge and supervise the executive team.”

Of course, the very phrase corporate governance may well be considered a somewhat abstract notion by the average worker more concerned with putting food on the table for his family – so how does Karl define a concept which clearly has far-reaching implications for future generations of employees?

1. Chamberlink May 1-28.qxp_Chamberlink 27/04/2022 12:14 Page 17

Business News “It is about looking at the leadership of an organisation, how it is structured, how the board and committees are able to improve the performance of the organisation. Good governance is not bureaucracy, it is an enabler to good performance.

“I have trained over 150 young leaders in the last 10 years, so many of the leaders that you see in the city now have probably been on my programme.

“They spend half a day a month with me, on Saturdays, for about five months each year and they take an exam afterwards in corporate governance, how to get a boardroom appointment and be effective in the boardroom.

“One of the reasons why I was recruited to the Chamber board was to make sure that the Chamber reflected on its own governance, ensuring that we are working and performing to the best that we can do, and taking on board some of the challenges that we see affecting all businesses now.”

Meeting those challenges will help determine the very future of workplaces across the postCovid working landscape, according to Karl.

“The challenges the Chamber faces are similar to most businesses – to keep up to date with the challenges of diversity of population. As we have got a new generation of people, new technology – we have got to get that diversity right, and understanding/attracting younger people, understanding new technology and being prepared for a perfect storm war in Ukraine, cost

Expert panel: Karl George (second left) took part in the Chamber’s Growth Through People. He is pictured with (left to right): Sean Dillon, Richard Billingham and David Gaughan

of living crisis and post pandemic considerations.

“We have always got to be working, there isn’t a time when you have cracked it, it is an ongoing development. It is a bit like a thermostat, you set the target that you want, you measure yourself against it and then regularly you try and make sure that you are hitting those targets, and then you move the rate up. You say, right, we have hit that, let’s expand now and get a little bit better.”

Karl cites an intriguing acronym to define the modern world – VUCA, or volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.

‘The challenges the Chamber faces are similar to most businesses – to keep up to date with the challenges of diversity of population’

“It is a military term which gives us an understanding of what we have to deal with. The chief executive of Google said that artificial intelligence is going to have a more profound impact fire, electricity, and the Internet as the next massive change.

“And Professor Klaus Schwab (executive chairman of the World Economic Forum) came up with the term the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is saying the Internet of Things is going to change the way we work, live, play, everything.

That is the environment we are living in.”

In such a fast-changing era, good governance – in other words, effective leadership – will be vital, according to the Brummie who has built a career on keeping abreast of the modern world in all its complexities and nuances.

May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 17

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Business News

Sponsored by: The University of Birmingham

Law Society president Stephanie Perraton with awards host Gemma Hill

Get involved with the Forum for Global Challenges 3-5 May The world faces significant challenges – from living with the devastating impacts of climate change, to the effect of pandemics on jobs and livelihoods – making the need to find and create new solutions to these challenges an urgent priority.

The Forum for Global Challenges is a major, hybrid international conference from 3-5 May, taking place at the Birmingham ICC. It will bring together some of the most influential thinkers and doers, including business leaders, politicians, philanthropists, practitioners and thought leaders from academia and beyond to address global challenges across climate change and gender inequalities.

The Forum has been established by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with UNDP, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the CBI, UKRI and WMCA. Businesses can get involved at a special membership rate, to support your agendas across CSR, public or youth engagement, horizon scan, form new partnerships or strengthen your brand awareness within the international community that will come to Birmingham. Get in touch to receive opportunities.

Topics cover sustainability and healthcare, the economy, the future of cities as well as education and addressing gender inequalities. The Forum also provides exciting youth engagement opportunities for business, such as mentoring sessions as part of the global hackathon in the run up to the Forum.

To find out more, please get in touch businessteam@contacts.bham.ac.uk

We hope to see you there in May! 18 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Spotlight shines on local legal talent at awards The best of the region’s legal talent was recognised at the Birmingham Law Society’s annual awards.

Of the 12 awards distributed at the ICC, Jayne Willetts of Jayne Willetts & Co Solicitors won the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.

Having practised law for almost 40 years, the award recognises Jayne as a leading figure in the profession, noting the many contributions she had made to the legal community throughout her career, including first female President of Birmingham Law Society in 1999.

This year two new categories were introduced. Cleo Stewart of Midland Heart Ltd won the In-House Lawyer Award, while Trowers & Hamlins LLP took home the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Award.

Stephanie Perraton, president of Birmingham Law Society, said: “This year’s awards were pertinent for Birmingham’s legal community as it was the first time since 2019 that we have been able to come together to celebrate our members’ achievements in person. This was reflected in a successful turnout for the event, which saw the legal talents of firms and individuals celebrated for all the hard work they have done.

“The awards also provided the opportunity to reflect on the terrible events happening in Ukraine and highlight some of the projects that have been established to help, such as the Ukrainian Advice Project UK or the Ukrainian Justice Alliance. In addition, we were also able to raise money for my two chosen charities during my Birmingham Law Society presidency: Walk the Walk and SIFA Fireside.

“Birmingham Law Society also wanted to champion those who had taken great steps to make the legal profession a more inclusive industry with the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award. We hope that by celebrating the achievements of firms such as Trowers & Hamlins LLP, we can encourage others to follow in their footsteps, inspiring those who may not have considered the legal profession was for them.”

FULL LIST OF WINNERS: BIRMINGHAM LAW SOCIETY PRO-BONO AWARD Trevor Allsopp – Birmingham Peoples Centre TRAINEE SOLICITOR OF THE YEAR Amelia Bauer – Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP SOLICITOR OF THE YEAR Richard Port MBE – George Green LLP PARTNER OF THE YEAR Steven Allen – Mills & Reeve LLP APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR Samantha Ross – Bevan Brittan LLP PARALEGAL OF THE YEAR Rebecca Chauhan – Anthony Collins Solicitors LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR – SOLE PRACTITIONERS – UP TO 5 PARTNERS Magma Legal Services LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR NATIONAL Bevan Brittan LLP IN-HOUSE LAWYER AWARD Cleo Stewart – Midland Heart Ltd EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD Trowers & Hamlins LLP BARRISTER OF THE YEAR Earl Pinnock – No5 Barristers’ Chambers LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Jayne Willets – Jayne Willets & Co Solicitors

Collaborative approach is praised The Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School (BVGS) Corporate Partnership made a return to inperson meetings – with Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce CEO Henrietta Brealey taking centre stage.

Ms Brealey delivered a keynote at the BVGS Corporate Partnership’s business social event, highlighting a number of exciting business opportunities in the area,

as well as acknowledging Sutton Coldfield’s “collaborative approach” in the town centre redevelopment discussions.

Ms Brealey said: “Judging by the positive turnout, the BVGS Corporate Partnership clearly does a fantastic job of bringing local businesses together, allowing relationships to develop that will enhance the local community.”

Dominic Robson, headteacher at

BVGS, said: “The relationships that have been developed between the school and the corporate partners are mutually beneficial, allowing local businesses to collaborate and thrive, whilst enriching the lives of our students.”

Find out how to become a member of the Corporate Partnership, by contacting Claire Bolton on C.Bolton@bishopveseys.bham.sch.uk

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Business News

LEP acting chief executive appointed Henriette Breukelaar is to become the acting chief executive of Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP).

Current chief executive Katie Trout is stepping down to join the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) as director of policy and partnerships.

Ms Breukelaar is currently director of economic strategy at GBSLEP and has held senior positions in regional economic development in the West Midlands for more than 20 years.

She said: “Katie Trout has been with GBSLEP since its formation in 2010. Under her leadership the LEP has grown from a small body with no resources, to an integral part of Team West Midlands, driving sustainable and inclusive economic growth and investing £1.8bn into the regional economy once all projects are complete.

“She has done a tremendous job and leaves the GBSLEP in a strong financial position and a with a highly motivated, experienced and skilled Board and team.

"I am honoured and excited to take on the role of acting CEO at this critical time. Following the publication of the Levelling Up White Paper, the government has asked LEPs to integrate with combined authorities.

This will involve negotiation and collaboration with our partners and

‘I am hugely proud of what the LEP has achieved over the past decade’ with mayor Andy Street and the West Midlands Combined Authority.”

Ms Trout said: “I have absolutely loved working for GBSLEP but feel that after 11 years at the helm now is the time to move on to the next stage of my career and take on new challenges.”

“I am hugely proud of what the LEP has achieved over the past decade. None of this would have been possible without the support, commitment, passion and expertise of our Board, staff, and partners.

“GBSLEP really has been a partnership of the willing. I am looking forward to continuing to support the region to realise its full potential in my new role.”

As well as appointing Ms Trout, the WMGC, charged with attracting investment, visitors, businesses and

New role: Katie Trout

jobs into the region, has further bolstered its executive team through a number of key appointments.

Helen Lyman Smith is also joining as director of marketing and communications. Her extensive marcomms experience spans 20 years, with her most recent role as part of the National Trust’s marketing and communication’s senior leadership team.

These appointments mark the midway point of WMGC’s delivery of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) – an initiative designed to maximise the Games to build lasting economic legacy in the West Midlands.

Matt Hammond, chairman of the West Midlands Growth Company, said: “We have a great opportunity to harness the expertise of Katie and Helen to strengthen the strategy and delivery of WMGC’s post-Games plans.

“The team at WMGC have been focussed for the last 18 months on the business, capital and visitor attraction benefits that the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games can bring to the West Midlands, and we are poised to capitalise on that for the whole region.”

Neil Rami, chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, added: “Katie and Helen’s distinguished expertise will support our renewed focus on customer centricity, helping to position WMGC as a trusted partner and advisor amongst our longstanding company members and partners.

“Their experience additionally ensures we are steadfast in our engagement with important, new international markets throughout the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which presents an important opportunity to raise the West Midlands’ standing on the global stage.”

T: 0121 745 8444 E: sales@midland-fire.co.uk W: midland-fire.co.uk May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 19

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Business News

Where do you fancy?

Jason Smith and his family discovered a run-down garden centre Coppice in 2012 built on former woodland, originally called Newlands. With roots in construction, they saw a challenge and the chance to build a new lifestyle. The on-site café quickly became the heart of the garden centre. They ploughed all their efforts into creating a warm and luxurious eatery they would be happy to use for all and where their team (an extended family) would feel at home. In 2014, The Fig & Olive was born. It is all about good food and locally-sourced produce.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner…

Food and drink An on-site bakery supplies all speciality pastries and breads daily to the Fig & Olive. A passionate team of bakers are in at 5am everyday to ensure freshness and choice. Master butchers provide a selection of our finest quality meats. Both bakery and butchers personnel can also be found in the on-site foodhall, menus are updated monthly and there is always a range of weekly seasonal specials to compliment the core menu.

Breakfast

The Fig & Olive

Includes all the classics along with some unexpected, tasty twists, like avocado on toast, Eggs Florentine, smoked salmon bagel, homemade granola, ricotta, pancakes, and eggs royale. The full menu is available on the website.

Address Coppice, Coppice Lane, Middleton, near Sutton Coldfield, Staffordshire B78 2BU

Lunch and dinner

Owner: Jason Smith Head Chef: Ben Brown

Menus provide a large variety of seasonal dishes, taking inspiration from around the globe and catering to a wide range of dietary requirements.

Starters Soup of the day, braised pork rib, cauliflower fritters, crispy beef teryiaki, garlic king prawns are some examples.

Main courses Salmon teriyaki, pan roast hake, sweet potato and lentil dahl, ale battered haddock, pizzas, steaks, nachos, duck wrap, bliss bowl to name a few.

Sides include skin on fries, sweet potato fries, harissa cous cous, house salad and onion rings.

Vegetarian, vegan and glutenfree options are available.

T: 0121 308 6102 E: info@thefigandolive.co.uk W: www.coppicegc.com

Opening hours Monday - Saturday Breakfast 9am - 11:30am Lunch 12:15pm - 4:30pm Dinner 6:00pm - 9:30pm Sundays & Bank Holidays Breakfast 9am - 11:30am Lunch 12:30 - 8pm

Pinot Grigio, Italy + Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand + Riscos Viogner, Chile.

Red – Ella’s Ridge Pinot Noir, New Zealand + Chateau Grand Faurie La Rose, Bordeaux + Bread & Butter Cabernet Sauvignon, California.

Business facilities Private dining facilities are being refurbished.

Wines A wide selection includes: White – Le Colline di San Giorgio 20 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

For updates and full details, go to the Fig & Olive website.

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Business News

May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 21

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Business News

Wesleyan pays out record bonus to its investors Wesleyan, the specialist financial mutual for doctors, dentists and teachers, distributed its largest ever mutual bonus.

In its financial results for the year ending 31 December 2021, the society revealed it had retained its financial strength over the year, meaning it was in a position to distribute the mutual bonus of £36m among investors in its flagship With Profits Open Fund. That represented a one per cent uplift on investments and the Fund delivered a competitive 12.7 per cent return in 2021.

The Group delivered a £6.1m operating profit as a result of new business volumes and a managed reduction in expenses. This comes on the back of a £18.6m operating loss in 2020 due to the difficult trading conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Assets under management rose by eight per cent to £8.5bn from £7.9n benefitting from new business income and improved investment returns.

The Wesleyan Foundation donated £1m to good causes linked to its professional customers and the UK’s recovery from Covid-19.

Mario Mazzocchi, Wesleyan Group chief executive, said: “2021 was a landmark year for Wesleyan as we celebrated our 180th anniversary. We were pleased to get the business back to profitability after the difficult trading conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We increased our capital strength and shared the benefits of this by distributing excess surplus through a mutual bonus of £36m to Wesleyan investors in our

Landmark year: Mario Mazzocchi

With Profits Open Fund. We also delivered a number of key strategic initiatives that have helped to strengthen our business and should deliver greater value to members.

“We will continue to implement our strategy of sustainable growth over the coming years. As a mutual, with high levels of financial strength, we can continue to take a long-term approach that ensures we deliver the right outcomes for members and customers both today and in the future.”

Energy efficiency measures praised Energy efficiency measures introduced at Burntwood Leisure Centre were highly praised at the West Midlands Energy Efficiency Awards for projects managed and installed by Leisure Energy on behalf of Lichfield District Council and Freedom Leisure.

They were pronounced joint winners of the Large Scale Project at the ceremony with other industry experts in attendance.

The leisure facility in Lichfield was constructed in 2002, and despite some remodelling and previous energy efficiency works having been undertaken in 2018, further measures were needed to reduce carbon emissions and lower energy costs to enable the centre to assist with Lichfield District Council’s net zero ambitions.

Funding of £1,062,575 for the equipment installation was secured via the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

• More patrons’ news – pages 32 and 33.

Cooper Parry moves into Cubo Award-winning business advisory and accountancy firm Cooper Parry is the first business to take space at the exciting new Cubo flex office space at Two Chamberlain Square in Paradise Birmingham.

The firm is relocating from its existing base at Blythe Valley Park in Solihull to Cubo, which is set to open this month.

Cubo was founded in 2020 and is rapidly establishing itself as the leading provider of high-end flex office and co-working space in the Midlands and Yorkshire with a presence in Derby, Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield and now Birmingham.

The company, launched by property investors Marc and Rebecca Brough, is revolutionising the traditional serviced office model to enable increasingly intuitive ways of working.

It provides an experience-led lifestyle offer to meet the changing needs of businesses – from hot desking to a designated desk, private office, or entire floor.

Member benefits include meeting rooms, networking events, private booths, chill-out areas, and a free 22 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Happy arrival (from left): Marc Brough (managing director of Cubo), Ade Cheatham (chief executive of Cooper Parry) and Rebecca Brough (Cubo’s executive director)

barista service.

With an edgy reputation as the ‘rebels of accountancy’, Cooper Parry’s award-winning track record is built on working with fellow

entrepreneurial businesses across the UK. Determined to ‘disrupt, lead and make life count’ at every opportunity, Cooper Parry is one of the fastest growing firms in the UK.

Ade Cheatham, Cooper Parry chief executive, said: “Our move into the super cool Cubo space at the beating heart of Birmingham comes at a brilliant time for Cooper Parry. Building on our strong market presence across the region, we have seriously ambitious plans for growth over the coming few years.

“This stunning new base gives us another perfect platform to keep disrupting the marketplace in the West Midlands and beyond. The central location, creative workspace and energetic vibe are a great fit for our unique culture.”

At almost two million square feet, Paradise Birmingham will feature up to ten new flagship buildings, with offices, shops, bars, cafés, restaurants, a high-quality hotel and Octagon, the world-first 49 storey pure octagonal residential tower, across 17 acres in the heart of the city.

Two Chamberlain Square provides some of the best views in Birmingham with stunning vistas across Chamberlain Square itself and of the city’s impressive Classical and Victorian civic architecture.

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Business News

Network to support events industry An ambitious new Conference Ambassador Network is aiming to drive more global events into the region.

The initiative from the Birmingham and the West Midlands Convention Bureau – which is supported by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) – will bring regional leaders from academia and business together to champion the West Midlands and their own work to win new conferences and events.

Ambassadors will receive support from the Birmingham and the West Midlands Convention Bureau and partners throughout the bidding process, from finding a suitable venue and preparing proposals, to the smooth running of the event itself.

The Conference Ambassador Network launched at Millennium Point, with delegates invited from across the region’s academic, conference and events, leisure tourism and investment sectors.

The event included a keynote speech from Dan Storer, chief investment officer of West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), and a panel debate featuring Paul Black (VisitBritain); Donna Cunningham (NEC Group); Dr Jenny Illingsworth (University of Birmingham); Steve Knight (WMGC) and Laura Shoaf (West Midlands Combined Authority).

Steve Knight, senior business tourism manager at WMGC, which operates the Birmingham and the West Midlands Convention Bureau, said: “Our Conference Ambassador

Global brief (from left): Paul Black (VisitBritain), Dr Jenny Illingsworth (University of Birmingham), Donna Cunningham (NEC Group), Steve Knight and Stephanie Mynett (both West Midlands Growth Company), Martin Fullard (MashMedia), Laura Shoaf (West Midlands Combined Authority) and Dan Storer (West Midlands Growth Company)

Network will be a platform for the West Midlands’ greatest minds and industry leaders to come together to attract major new national and international conferences to the area.

“The West Midlands shows time and again what it can achieve when it collaborates, from hosting high-profile events such as the Conservative Party Conference to successfully bidding for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“By unlocking further contacts within our

academic and business communities through this new network, we are showing that we are open for business after a challenging couple of years, and aiming to leave a Games legacy as a major global events destination.”

The Birmingham and the West Midlands Conference Ambassador Network will showcase the region’s sector expertise in areas such as tech and digital, data-driven healthcare, future mobility and business, professional and financial services.

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Business News

Keeping an eye on the ball as

By Dan Harrison reater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s biggest networking event returned after a two-year absence – with around 700 delegates and 80 exhibitors gathering under one roof to do business.

And a number of firms reported success in gaining new business leads from the Spring Expo, which took place in the Holte Suite at Villa Park – the home of Aston Villa Football Club.

The Community Games – an organisation which operates 12 community sports events across the region – were among the exhibitors.

Founder Dennis Kennedy said the Expo opened the door to potential new sponsors and partners.

He said: “From 9.30am we’ve been involved in non-stop conversations with people who either want to find out more about us, potential business partners who are interested in sponsoring the Games and people who run clubs that can offer sports and activities.

“We’ve even had a conversation with a fellow exhibitor about starting another Community Games event in a new area.”

Right Digital Solutions, a Birmingham-based provider of workplace technology, successfully used the Expo to promote its backto-work initiative – a digital healthcheck for firms who are returning staff to the office following the pandemic.

G

On the ball: One of the Expo’s headline sponsors, runyourfleet, the fleet management company, keep focused Expo flavour: Birmingham Wholesale Markets were popular exhibitors at the Expo

In the spotlight: Motivational speaker Charlie Fogarty poses for photographs after his seminar

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Business News

Expo return is a big success Group sales director Tim Hubbard said: ”This is the first Expo we’ve done and it was great to be getting back out in front of people and meeting like-minded businesses.

“We’ve had a lot of interest in our return-to-work policy. We want to offer Chamber members a digital health check free of charge.”

The Leadership Coaches - a team of experts who help individuals, teams and organisations reach their potential – asked delegates to write down their thoughts on ‘what makes a great leader’, with the answers put on display at the exhibition stand.

Director of coaching Zoe Lewis said: “It’s been a great opportunity to network and meet potential new clients. We’ve also been asking people to share their thoughts on what makes a great leader, which has led to some interesting conversations around topics such as emotional intelligence.”

The Expo – the first of its kind since March 2020 – was sponsored

by Allica Bank, finpoint, Inspired Energy and runyourfleet.

The event also featured the return of Speed Networking, as well as a comprehensive seminar programme.

Cybersecurity experts Nettitude and LogRhythm joined forces for a session on how firms should deal with ransomware attacks – with attendees receiving actionable recommendations on protecting their organisations.

Charlie Fogarty, an aspiring footballer whose life was turned upside down when he suffered a severe brain injury in a traffic

Cake break: Justine Howl, now marketing and marketing and communications manager at change consultancy Entec Si after 20 years as part of the Birmingham Airport media team

accident, shared the inspirational story of his road to recovery.

Charlie has gone on to become a motivational speaker – and his ‘Anything Is Possible’ workshop told of how he got his life back on track after learning to walk, talk, eat and drink again.

Finally, Rebecca Mander of GuruYou Coaching discussed how she has used her past experiences to help leaders navigate setbacks.

Rebecca, the former boss of a global consumer goods company, was motivated to set up GuruYou after experiencing the trauma of losing a child while dealing with the demands of a high-pressured job.

She used her seminar to share tools and techniques for managing anxiety and stress – as well as advice for business leaders on why looking after themselves is “selfless not selfish”.

Applied pressure: Chamber Expo regulars Hands On At Work

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Business News

Kirsty to lead support services for local schools Services For Education – the Birmingham provider of expert training and development to teaching and support staff – has appointed Kirsty Jones as its new head of school support services.

Kirsty joins Services For Education with 20-years’ experience in school leadership in the West Midlands spanning mainstream, special schools and alternative provision settings working with schools with both disadvantaged children and high attaining pupils.

Most recently, she was executive principal at Shaw Education Trust – which has 26 academies including two Institutes of Education. Before that, she was executive school improvement advisor at Wolverhampton University Trust and has been head teacher in two secondary schools in the West Midlands.

Sharon Bell, chief executive of Services For Education, said: “Throughout the pandemic, we continued to deliver support to schools in Birmingham and the

Development: Kirsty Jones

West Midlands but lockdown, and the impact of Covid-19, has had a significant and damaging impact on the provision of education.

“Kirsty will be responsible for further developing our critical work with schools, leadership teams, teachers and support staff as we revolutionise educational learning through evidence-led educational practices utilising technology where appropriate to make best use of everyone’s time. Our ambition is to become the distinctive leader in our sector.”

Services For Education’s School Support Service provides expert training and development to teaching and support staff in nearly 600 schools in the West Midlands and increasingly across England, to improve practice and ensure teachers are best equipped to respond to developments in curriculum and policy.

In addition, it is also well known for its Music Service which works with 93 per cent of Birmingham’s schools – teaching music to nearly 38,000 children.

Study reveals experiences of rough sleepers New research from Birmingham City University has documented the feelings of vulnerability and incidents of exploitation that those living on the streets experience, by gathering first-hand accounts from some of the city’s rough sleepers.

Direct testimonies form the basis of a newly published paper titled ‘Living Rough, An exploratory study on the vulnerabilities of rough sleepers in Birmingham, United Kingdom’.

Findings suggest that rough sleepers’ feelings of exclusion from society and their lack of trust in major institutions can perpetuate their situation.

The academics behind the study hope that the revelations and recommendations will kickstart changes in policy and practice to help those living on the street escape this pattern of mistreatment and manipulation.

Dr Mohammed Rahman, a senior lecturer in criminology at Birmingham City University, led the research. He explained: “While rough sleepers are a minority of the overall homeless population in the UK, they are probably the most visible and certainly the most vulnerable.

We felt it important therefore to give them the opportunity to openly and honestly discuss their lived experience.”

Mohammed and his research colleague Maram Abdulkader were interested in speaking

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to people who had experience of rough sleeping in the city, who either felt vulnerable or criminally exploited or who had witnessed others in a similar situation.

In total, five rough sleepers – three males and two females – agreed to be interviewed for the study, via one of the country’s biggest youth homelessness charities.

They were aged 18 to 30, had been on the streets for a period ranging from one and a half to six years and all were white, which at 84 per cent according to national data, is the most common ethnicity of rough sleepers in the UK. The research team analysed data over several months and identified three key themes that spoke to specific aspects of vulnerability in

rough sleepers: an erosion of trust in mainstream society and its functions; feelings of exclusion from society alongside a sense of community among their peers; and experience of varying degrees of exploitative behaviour.

The authors found that negative attitudes towards rough sleepers, triggered by their appearance, behaviour, reputation or simply their street presence, left them feeling unaccepted and rejected.

Feelings of marginalisation and mistrust also led rough sleepers to turn to each other for comfort and security. This can create a mutual dependency but can also lead to exploitation from criminal gangs preying on the vulnerable and even among the homeless themselves.

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Business News

Exciting public events planned for Westside Birmingham’s busiest entertainment district could soon be hosting night markets, huge New Year’s Eve celebration events and the biggest real ale festival in the UK. Those are just a few of the visionary ideas from Gerald Manton, the new chair of Westside Business Improvement District (BID).

Mr Manton is a real estate developer who owns and runs GNM Developments Ltd, which specialises in the residential, care homes and student accommodation sectors, and has a string of properties on Gas Street on Westside.

He has been a Westside BID director for the past three years, and has now taken over as chair from Dipesh Mistry, a regional director of NatWest Bank.

And his ideas for Westside’s future have been welcomed by Cllr Waseem Zaffar, the cabinet

member for Transport and Environment on Birmingham City Council.

Mr Manton said: “Westside is changing due to the numbers of new residential properties going up, and I strongly feel it needs a better public realm.

“For example, I want Gas Street to look different, to be all lit up and better linked with the canal, so that both people living in the area and visitors feel more comfortable.

“Night markets is another idea I’d like to pursue, as with more residential people in the area we need to add events to keep them here, spending their money with our businesses.”

Mr Manton explained how he had served as chair of the Solihull Round Table in recent years, increasing the charity’s revenues by organising more events.

One example was the Solihull Fireworks Display which he

Businesses are losing skilled staff working at a senior level because they feel there is a lack of support from employers to help them cope with the menopause.

This loss of women will inevitably have an impact on organisations’ performance and will in many cases hit companies’ financial bottom lines.

Another result is that employers’ gender pay gap reporting will suffer, because they are losing senior women who should be earning top salaries at the prime of their careers.

Any serious employer should be concerned that their senior staff feel they have got no choice but to leave because they are not being adequately supported through this important stage of their lives.

The government is currently looking into the possibility of mandating what businesses should do to help staff manage the menopause and whether a change in the existing legal framework needs reform.

Big plans: Gerald Manton (left) with members of the Westside BID team, including general manager Mike Olley (centre)

developed and saw profits surge from around £8,000 to £98,000 over six years, with audiences growing to more than 18,000 people.

He said: “One of the things Westside doesn’t yet do enough of is public events in Centenary Square, and I’d love to see us hosting a huge, annual New Year’s

But before Parliament stipulates what should happen, any smart employer should be taking steps to be on top of the game.

This proactive approach will not only reflect well ethically on the businesses or organisations concerned, but it will also ensure they continue to benefit by retaining some of their best staff.

These are just some of the reasons behind a free training session on the legalities and best practice of managing the effects of menopause at work that Thursfields Solicitors has organised to be held at its Worcester offices on 19 May. This HR Exchange event titled ‘Menopause and the law’ has been specially designed for HR managers and business owners to give them an understanding of some of the issues involved with menopause in the workplace.

We’ll be looking at how the menopause and the law interact with each other and the steps an employer can take to help support those with menopause, ensuring their actions do not breach the law.

Key areas that Thursfields’ free training session will look at includes the following:

Eve celebration event.”

Cllr Zaffar said: “I’d like to welcome Gerald Manton to his new role as chair of Westside BID. “He clearly has a bold inventiveness for positive change in Westside that will further energise the area, and I look forward to working closely with him and the BID team on these exciting ideas.”

• Menopause and the law.

• How to create an open and trusted culture among staff.

• The importance of awareness training for managers to deal with concerns sensitively.

• Considering practical assistance and workplace adjustments.

• Careful sickness absence management.

• The importance of meaningful policies and procedures.

The menopause is a natural occurrence in life that should be understood, considered and acted upon by all employers.

By helping staff to deal with the menopause in the workplace, employers will only increase work rates, quality and loyalty.

But aside from the positive human outcome, employers should take the issue seriously as on top of possible future legislation there are already laws that can be used to protect anyone who feels they are not being treated properly at work.

The free HR Exchange event titled ‘Menopause and the law’ takes place from 10 to 11am on Thursday 19 May at Thursfields’ offices at 9-10 The Tything in Worcester.

HR managers and business owners who want to register for spaces at this event should visit:

eventbrite.co.uk/e/hr-exchange-menopause-and-the-law-tickets-311654044637

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Business News Careers hub seeks advisers Birmingham Careers Hub are looking for business volunteers to become part of the Enterprise Adviser Network and make a lasting difference to the career prospects of young people in Birmingham and meet skills gaps.

Marie Wilkes, senior social value manager at Willmott Dixon, said: “If you want to take your organisation into the classroom, then an enterprise adviser is the easiest way to do it. As an enterprise adviser, you speak directly to the school careers leader, you can put programmes together with them and they want to work with you.”

There are 103 secondary schools and colleges in the Birmingham Careers Hub, funded by the Careers & Enterprise Company, the GBSLEP and Birmingham Education Partnership.

Ruth Broome, strategic hub lead for the Birmingham Careers Hub, said: “Without the vital support of business volunteers to help schools to shape their careers programmes, we can’t ensure the highest quality of careers advice and guidance in our schools, and we want young people to be as prepared as they can be to contribute to society after they leave education.”

Birmingham Careers Hub receives support from a range of organisations where future skills, diversity and inclusion are high on their agenda including HSBC, HS2, Severn Trent, National Grid, the Cabinet Office, NEC Group, Lendlease Construction, University Hospitals Birmingham, Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Trust, Ernst & Young, Network Rail and Aston Villa FC. Jacobs, the engineering consultants based in Colmore Row, are working to grow diversity and inclusion within their business and the broader sector and encouraged employees to take on the role of an enterprise adviser focusing on schools in disadvantaged areas and schools for pupils with special educational needs.

For more information call 0121 285 0924 or email birminghamcareershub@bep. education

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How to manage staff and flexible working requests Small businesses are being warned to carefully manage requests from staff for flexible working as they adapt to the post-pandemic world.

Sara Abbott from the Sutton Coldfield-based HR Dept North Birmingham, has issued the advice at a time when many companies are bringing staff back into the office on a full-time basis or adopting a hybrid working system.

Sara says that employees with 26 weeks’ service have the right to request flexible working.

And, while there is no obligation to grant it, she warned the companies risk being accused of discrimination if they don’t consider requests carefully and fairly.

Sara said: “It is essential to judge any case on its own merits, making sure your decision is underpinned by business reasons and documented in writing.

“Be careful of the discrimination risk. Granting flexible working to one person and not another (without good reason) is one risk.

“A heightened risk is not properly considering a request which is based on a protected characteristic

‘As we (hopefully) enter the post-Covid landscape, it would be advantageous to think proactively and strategically about flexible working’ like sex, age or maternity and pregnancy. One tribunal in 2021 awarded an employee £185,000 for indirect sex discrimination when her flexible working request was not properly considered.

“Reacting appropriately to requests is a minimum. As we (hopefully) enter the post-Covid landscape, it would be advantageous to think proactively and strategically about flexible working.

“If it is something you can offer, create a policy that

Judge on merits: Sara Abbott

describes how it will work for your business. This may include why it is possible for some roles and not others.

“By the same measure, if it simply won’t work for your business, explain the reasons.”

HR expert Sara says firms must also be aware that some staff are likely to be anxious about the issue of Covid-19. She added: “Some people may have acute anxiety about returning to the workplace, for which problem home working is the most practical solution.

“What about when someone tests positive and needs to isolate? Having a Covid isolation aspect to the policy should reassure your healthy staff, while providing a process for people to work remotely if they are able to.

This avoids sick days, boosting your productivity.”

For enquiries on this topic, contact Sara Abbott from The HR Dept, at sara@hrdept.co.uk

Outstanding rating for hospice The Hospice Charity Partnership’s John Taylor site has been awarded the top rating of outstanding following a recent inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Health regulators, who visited the Birmingham-based charity unannounced in January, published their report in which they praise the hospice for going “above and beyond” to provide expert palliative and end of life care for patients, families and carers.

The Hospice Charity Partnership, formed from Birmingham St Mary’s and John Taylor Hospice, provides services for people across the city including Inpatient Units, specialist community services, complementary therapies, day hospices, bereavement services, and wellbeing and spiritual care.

Sarah Dunnett, CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said: “When we inspected John Taylor Hospice, we

Praised: Staff Sarah Mimmack, Michelle Richards, Lyn Hindley, Karen Scandrett, Julie O’Toole and Simon Fuller

were extremely impressed by the level of support people received in its care.”

Simon Fuller, CEO of The Hospice Charity Partnership, said: “We are absolutely delighted with

the CQC’s report. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we are pleased to see that didn’t go unnoticed during our inspection. Our people strive to go the extra mile.”

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Business News

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Business News

App to offer workplace training courses A Birmingham-based outsourced PAYE payroll, employee benefits and engagement has added more than 100 accredited workplace training courses to its employee benefits app.

HIVE360 has made these additions to help clients boost staff recruitment and retention strategies as skills shortages reach an all-time high.

“We know very well the value and cost, of high-quality health and safety and workplace training,” says HIVE360’s chief executive David McCormack.

“We also know that at a time when skills shortages are at a record high and engaging with employees has become an even bigger challenge, workplace training and development is high on the agenda, whether for a team of permanent employees or a temporary workforce.

“In response, we have selected a new training provider, iHasco, to maintain our strategy of supporting our clients with the best resources when they need them.”

HIVE360 chose iHasco after a robust selection and trial process that included a two-month pilot of the new-look training and eLearning platform by HIVE360 clients, including the UKs fastest growing on demand food delivery business Beelivery. iHasco has more than 13 years’ experience in developing and delivering Health & Safety and HR Compliance eLearning with a keen focus on creativity, quality and simplicity.

Users of HIVE360’s mobile employee pay and benefits app Engage now have access to iHasco’s entire suite of training courses via the app’s My Training feature, where they can review information about each course.

David said: “We’ve teamed up with iHasco to provide the best Health & Safety and Compliance training available on the market.

Our partnership with iHasco means our clients can provide their full and part time workforce staff the best training available, while at the same time saving them money – as

Best training: David McCormack

we include this provision at no extra cost as part of our engagement platform.

“The courses help people easily work towards compliance with legislation and can be completed in as little as 20 minutes.

“Training is a key benefit included as standard for all employees and PAYE temps registered to use the HIVE360 Engage App, and our clients now have access to more than 100 highquality eLearning accredited training courses.”

As part of the partnership, existing and new HIVE360 client employees registered on their

company’s customised app, are eligible for two free online courses.

The HIVE360 Engage app is provided as standard to businesses that outsource payroll and employment administration to the company.

As well as My Training, the app includes My Health, My Money, My Discounts and My Work features.

The app delivers resources such as 24/7 access to a personal doctor and mental health counsellors, gym memberships, high-street and online discounts, mobile phone savings, online training resources, and GDPR-compliant pay and pension information.

Homeless youth help inspire change Thirty young people from across the UK who have all experienced homelessness came together to influence positive change as they took part in national Youth Homeless Parliament.

An idea inspired by the late Erdington MP Jack Dromey, the Youth Homeless Parliament (YHP) aims to ensure that the voices and lived experiences of young people who have suffered homelessness are heard.

It also seeks to ensure that government has the information it needs when making policy that impacts young people across the country.

Almost 10 years later, YHP continues to support decision-makers with a list of recommendations that come directly from those with lived experience.

This year’s report focused on a variety of topics, including the impact of Covid-19 on young people, the importance of early interventions and why teaching people about equality and inclusion is so vital for society as a whole.

Jean Templeton, chief executive of St Basils and chair of the YHP, said: “For the last 10 years, young people with lived experience of homelessness, from around the country, have consulted and supported each other to turn their lived experience into advice and recommendations which help government and those with power to improve responses and ultimately prevent other young people from experiencing homelessness.

“This contribution is unique and invaluable, and I am hugely grateful to young people for their commitment and to government for providing the mechanism that is Youth Homeless Parliament.”

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Star chefs cook up a treat Simpsons restaurant in Edgbaston is using a star-studded line-up of chefs to launch Simpsons & Friends, a series of dinners throughout 2022.

The first, on Wednesday, 11 May, features Galton Blackiston (right), a regular on ‘James Martin’s Saturday Morning’ on ITV and owner and chef patron of Michelin-starred Morston Hall in Blakeney on the Norfolk coast.

He will cook alongside Simpsons’ chef director Luke Tipping (left) by serving six courses, including Norfolk asparagus, raw Aberdeenshire beef and pigeon encroute.

Simpsons’ chef patron Andreas Antona said: “Mortson Hall received its first Michelin star 23 years ago, so combined with our 22 years at Simpsons, we have a total of 48 years of Michelin-starred experience under our collective belts.”

Full details available at info@simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk

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Business News In step: Members of the newly-merged dance company in rehearsal

Dance organisations in merger Two Midlands dance organisations, DanceXchange and Dance4, have merged to form a new organisation called FABRIC. FABRIC will strive to inspire, increase and diversify engagement, co-create with the extraordinary people of the region, encourage creative leadership, develop talent, and celebrate the impact of dance and its place in public life.

To do this, the organisation will make full use of Dance4 and DanceXchange’s collective teams, relationships, resources, knowledge and experience.

Debbie Jardine, interim chief executive at DanceXchange, said: “We are driven by a desire to positively disrupt, to bring about change that ensures a more sustainable and resilient future

for dance. For dance to play a greater civic role in the lives of communities across the Midlands.

Together, we are creating the new possible for dance.”

The companies believe this formal merger will produce economic and strategic benefits for the art form, and both organisations.

By taking responsible, radical action, FABRIC aim to free up and attract new resources to actively invest in artists, the development of the art form, and programmes that increase engagement.

Backed by its respective board, FABRIC will operate as one new organisation from mid-April.

Paul Russ, chief executive of Dance4 said: “This new approach will breathe new life into dance, creating unique, thrilling and ambitious

programmes, contributing to the international arts offer through a rich and diverse programme grown in the Midlands.

“I look forward to working with the team, partners and the people of the region to realise the opportunity to create a renewed platform for dance and cultural offer for the people of the Midlands.

“We’re taking a bold step to a new future.

Seizing the moment to build on our collective knowledge and success, and the legacy of major events in the region to realise new opportunities and growth for dance.”

FABRIC will operate and grow from the existing sites in Nottingham and Birmingham Visit: www.fabric.dance

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Chamber Patrons

Chamber Patrons Greater Birmingham Chambers’ leading supporters

Contact: Raj Kandola T: 07815 952462

Venues spearhead safety plan Utilita Arena Birmingham and Resorts World Arena – both NEC Group venues – have launched a safeguarding campaign as part of their commitment to providing safe and secure environments for customers.

The ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign aims to help people who find themselves in a difficult or intimidating situation by allowing them to discreetly communicate the ‘Angela’ codeword to staff during a night out.

It is hoped the campaign will help combat the ongoing issue of drink spiking across the UK’s live events and entertainment industry.

The ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign will sit alongside ‘Ask for Clive’, an antihomophobia campaign introduced by Utilita Arena Birmingham and Resorts World Arena in 2019.

As well as being able to verbally communicate the ‘Angela’ and ‘Clive’ codewords to arena staff, customers will have the option to alert staff using their mobile phones.

Available via Zapaygo – NEC Group’s food and beverage pre-purchase app partner – the digital feature not only ensures an additional layer of safeguarding measures to help build public confidence, but also provides greater accessibility for disabled customers.

Guy Dunstan, managing director of ticketing and arenas at the NEC Group, said: “It goes without saying, ensuring the health, safety and security of our customers is our top priority.

"By implementing this initiative across both our venues, arena staff will be on hand to act quickly and discreetly to support customers who ask for Angela, either verbally or via the Zapaygo app.

“We hope this new measure – together with our Ask for Clive initiative – creates a safer, more enjoyable experience for everyone.”

Creating a safe space: The Resorts World Arena is one of the participating venues

University honours Gymshark founder Honoured: Gymshark founder Ben Francis received an honorary degree

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Spring graduation ceremonies have take place at Aston University to celebrate the achievements students - including those from the class of 2020 who were unable to collect their awards in person during the pandemic.

Just over 3,000 graduands received their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at The Eastside Rooms hotel and conference centre in Birmingham.

And the university also awarded honorary degrees to public figures and individuals who have distinguished themselves in a particular field or profession – including Gymshark founder Ben Francis, leading surgeon Professor Sir Bruce Edward Keogh, KPMG partner Fiona Fry, and Chung Ying managing director James B Wong.

The graduands were processed in the presence of Aston University’s Chancellor, Sir John Sunderland and interim vice-chancellor, Saskia Loer Hansen during 15 ceremonies held over the course of a week.

Saskia Loer Hansen said: “Graduation day is an important milestone in the life of every one of our students.

“It is a time to look back on the achievements and experiences gained over the course of their studies, but also an occasion to appreciate the wealth of opportunity that now lies before them as Aston University graduates.

“But this year it is particularly important that our graduates of 2020 can come back and receive their honour in person, following the restrictions imposed on us by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

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Chamber Patrons

IT services firm names new CEO Managed IT services provider Air IT has appointed James Steventon as its new CEO. Mr Steventon brings a wealth of experience in the sector, as Air IT looks to continue its growth and acquisition strategy.

He is hoping to lead Air IT to its next level of growth, having previously help to scale up several other businesses.

‘I want Air IT to be the go-to partner for managed IT services’ Mr Steventon said: “Air IT has proven that the right solutions and passionate support are more valuable to UK businesses than ever.

“I’m excited to be taking the business forward and continuing to

build the team, expand our footprint and enhance our offering.

“I want Air IT to be the go-to partner for managed IT services in the UK for the SME community.”

Backed by August Equity, Air IT provides a range of services and solutions across IT, communications and cyber security to SME clients.

The firm, based at Birmingham Business Park is the only SMEfocused managed service provider worldwide to the 4-Star Service Desk Institute (SDI) certification.

Ian Brown, chairman of Air IT, said: “We’re delighted that James has joined Air IT. “He brings extensive leadership experience and a strong track record of growth and clientfocused excellence in private equity-backed technology businesses like ours.”

James Steventon: Growth ambitions

JLR appoints technical lead

Climate change board game to help raise awareness CLIMANIA: The boardgame raising climate change awareness

A group of young people have joined forces with researchers at Birmingham City University to create a new boardgame which helps raise awareness of key issues surrounding climate change.

The Climate Action Game project, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), brought together 13 young people aged 14-18 from Balsall Heath in the south of Birmingham.

Over a two-month period they collaborated with researchers and other partners to create a free resource for families and communities to learn about the impact of the built environment on climate change – known as CLIMANIA. CLIMANIA is available to download, print and play for free.

It tasks participants with retrofitting properties – the process of adding additional technology to their homes - while facing different environmental challenges and opportunities.

Players take turns to answer questions about climate and built environment issues, building up their climate change knowledge to win retrofit components and race against time to reach the

centre of the board, reinforcing the message of rising global temperatures.

The game was produced using a series of creative workshops to share climate change facts and to discuss how the built environment currently impacts on climate change.

The young people interviewed more than 30 people from within their communities to find out about their climate concerns.

Four external professionals helped to produce the game and testing was held with over 50 people ranging from teenagers to pensioners.

Simeon Shtebunaev, doctoral researcher at Birmingham City University and principal investigator, said: “The boardgame can spark discussions at home, in boardrooms and in the public realm about the need to retrofit our dilapidated homes and pay attention to the built environment when it comes to climate mitigation!”

Anam, one of the young researchers from Balsall Heath said: “The project helped me understand the amount of energy humans use and waste on a daily basis and reducing this could help our climate.”

Jaguar Land Rover has made a key appointment to take responsibility for the technical development of all new vehicles.

Thomas Müller, the firm’s new executive director of product engineering, has more than 20 years’ experience in the automotive industry – with an extensive background in research and development.

Mr Müller joins Jaguar Land Rover from the Volkswagen Group, where he held a variety of engineering leadership positions at Audi.

He said: “By fully implementing agile principles, automating engineering processes and applying innovative product development methods, we will bring to life a new generation of electrified Jaguar and Land Rover models that embody our modern luxury philosophy.

“I’m looking forward to further contributing to the success of these amazing brands and products as we pioneer a new era of electric power and digitalisation.”

Thierry Bolloré, chief executive officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Not only is Thomas a highly skilled, experienced engineering leader; he also brings a humble and approachable quality and we’re delighted to welcome him to Jaguar Land Rover.”

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1813 Club and Premier Members

1813 Club and Premier Members

Premier Membership Contact: Gary Birch T: 0845 6036650

Greater Birmingham’s leading companies

EY to treble team in Birmingham EY is trebling the size of its Birmingham-based consulting practice over the next four years – as part of a £75m investment across the UK and Ireland.

This is in addition to the £95m that the firm has already invested in its consulting practice since 2020.

EY Consulting in the UK & Ireland is to increase its headcount from 5,100 to around 10,200 people by 2026. The Birmingham practice will expand from around 160 people to more than 500 by 2026.

More than half of the new roles will be based outside of London, in cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The expansion is being fuelled by increasing demand from clients implementing large scale, strategic transformation programmes, enabled by technology, data, and people.

Simon O’Neill, office managing partner at EY in the Midlands, said: “This represents a significant investment in our Midlands-based Consulting practice and is part of our ambition to increase our business in the Midlands. Creating new jobs and expanding our existing capabilities across technology, transformation and strategy are all critical in supporting the success of our Midlands-based clients as well as playing our part in contributing to the growth of the regional economy and its competitiveness.

“Attracting and retaining the right skills and experience across all levels of the business, including graduates, apprentices, and partners is absolutely critical, helping us to continue to deliver an exceptional client experience, as well as deliver on our people priorities, facilitating new opportunities and exploring new ways of working.”

Simon O’Neill: Playing a part in regional growth

Raft of promotions at accountancy firm PKF Smith Cooper has promoted four partners across their tax and VAT and indirect taxes teams to partner.

The newly promoted are Gavin West, Gary Devonshire, Natasha Scott and Adam Rollason.

Gavin West, head of VAT and indirect taxes, has over 20 years’ experience working on VAT and other indirect tax issues, including for HMRC. Gary Devonshire, based in the Derby office, heads up the innovation and property taxes offering.

Natasha Scott, with the firm for 13 years after joining the Nottingham office as a tax apprentice, has a particular focus on corporation tax and tax advisory work.

Adam Rollason joined the Birmingham office in September 2020 and heads up the firm’s transactional tax offering.

James Bagley, managing partner said: “We are extremely pleased to 34 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

announce these promotions which reflect our ongoing commitment to recognising success in our team and the continued growth of our business. It is hugely rewarding and incredibly important to see our

team continuing to develop and progress and I, and everyone at PKF Smith Cooper, look forward to working closely with Gavin, Gary, Natasha and Adam in their new roles, as we look to build on recent

successes and continue to grow and develop the firm, our teams and our offering.”

PKF Smith Cooper now has 17 partners based across their four main offices.

Promoted partners: Gary Devonshire, Natasha Scott, Gavin West and Adam Rollason

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1813 Club and Premier Members

Hat-trick of deals aid strong first quarter results Automotive specialists at Harrison Clark Rickerbys (HCR) have completed three deals in the first quarter of the year - supporting business expansion and development in the Midlands, South West and Wales.

Tim Ward help Gloucestershire-based motor group Baylis acquire Southern Vauxhall in Merthyr Tydfil.

The deal takes Baylis to more than 350 staff across nine dealerships in the three counties, as well as two standalone accident repair centres and a used car centre in Worcester.

In the second deal, Startin acquired Cresser Vauxhall in Redditch, where the group already represents Peugeot, Kia and Suzuki from its Far Moor Lane dealership. HCR’s Tom Bartley-Smith advised Startin.

Tim Freeman, managing director of Startin said: “This was a strategic acquisition for Startin, adding another Stellantis brand to our portfolio and giving us further representation in Redditch. Naturally, HCR were involved right from the beginning.

“Their motor trade expertise proved invaluable both in structuring the deal and driving it through to completion.”

HCR also acted on behalf on Andrew Hockedy and Nigel White in the sale of Trust Group UK to Johnsons Cars.

Trust Group UK operates Volkswagen and Skoda dealerships in Redditch, Stourbridge and Wolverhampton, alongside three Trade Parts Specialist franchises covering the whole of the West Midlands.

Tom Bartley-Smith said: “There really is no substitute for experience in the automotive sector, and this year so far has demonstrated how much pent-up demand there is for that experience to support business progression.”

Tom Bartley Smith: ‘pent-up’ demand in the automotive sector

Eco-friendly deal completed National law firm Clarke Willmott LLP has acted on a deal between household cleaning giant HG and a family-run eco-friendly cleaning product manufacturer.

Netherlands brand HG acquired UK-based Ecozone for an undisclosed sum in a deal led by Clarke Willmott corporate partner Richard Swain (pictured), who acted for the selling shareholder Simeon Van der Molen.

Ecozone, which specialises in cleaning products made using a combination of plant-based and natural ingredients, has a range of over 100 products including cleaning, laundry and dishwashing lines while HG has a

cleaning portfolio covering 300 different products sold in supermarkets and DIY outlets across Europe.

Mr Swain said: “We are delighted to have completed on this deal for Ecozone. I know how much this deal meant to Simeon Van der Molen and we were glad to have guided him through the process.

“It’s fantastic to help companies like Ecozone, with an important environmental focus, to expand and grow and the deal also aligned with HG’s ambition to become a leading household cleaning brand in Europe through organic growth and acquisitions, while strengthening its environmental credentials.”

PwC staff sign up to help deliver Games Ten volunteers from PwC UK will join the Commonwealth Collective, a 13,000 strong team of volunteers helping to deliver this year’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The group’s members represent several of PwC’s offices including Birmingham, London, Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow.

The group applied through a PwC volunteering pathway and were then invited to PwC’s Birmingham office to meet Andrew

Newman, director of workforce and volunteering at Birmingham 2022.

The Commonwealth Collective will support more than a million spectators, as well as athletes and officials at the Games.

Volunteers will cover a variety of duties, including driving, first aid, meet and greet, venue preparation, kit carrying and courtside assistance.

Matt Hammond, PwC UK Midlands region leader and Birmingham senior partner, said:

Members of the volunteering group with Andrew Newman, director of workforce & volunteering at Birmingham 2022, PwC UK senior partner and chairman, Kevin Ellis, PwC UK Midlands region leader & Birmingham senior partner, Matt Hammond and PwC UK head of community engagement, David Adair.

“We’re delighted for our 10 successful volunteers who will have the chance to give back, inspire a generation and be part of something truly special by

supporting this year’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“The Games will be a fantastic celebration of culture, sport and community.”

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International Trade

International Trade

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

Keeping Canadian ties strong Canada talk: Warwick Wakefield (Flexeserve), James Tait (president of Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce), Elisabeth Lewis-Jones (Liquid PR), Ralph Goodale, Paul Faulkner (RCL Partners), Mandy Haque (international director, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce); Joel Blake (president, Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce) and Colin Barker.

By Sophia Corness-Parr A top Canadian diplomat has told delegates at a UK-Canada trade conference in Birmingham that continuing the relationship between the two countries is more important now than ever.

The Greater Birmingham Transatlantic and Commonwealth Chambers of Commerce welcomed the High Commissioner for Canada in the UK, The Honourable Ralph Goodale, and senior trade commissioner, Colin Barker, to Conference Aston where UK-Canada ties, and trade opportunities for UK businesses, were discussed.

Ralph Goodale, who was selected as High Commissioner last year, spoke about the “abundant ties between governments” and trusts in the two countries, as well as the cultural likeness between them.

Mr Goodale said: “Canada and the UK together are in more international groupings than any other two nations worldwide.”

This includes the likes of NATO, G7 and the Commonwealth.

He said that continuing this relationship was “important now more than ever” and businesses should look to “diversify beyond Europe”.

Mr Goodale also acknowledged the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

He said: “The brutal actions [of Russia] undermines the sovereignty of all nations.

“In a troubled world we need allies, partners and friends.”

36 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

He spoke about the need for nations to accelerate their reliance away from Russia for energy, saying: “The world has to come to grips with food and energy markets.”

Negotiating a comprehensive free trade deal between Canada and the UK will provide opportunities for Birmingham-based businesses, particularly SMEs - as it was noted at the event that there are currently 10,000 UK SMEs trading with Canada. Mr Goodale said he would like to see an “ambitious and inclusive” trade deal to expand gender equality, labour fairness and environmental integrity.

Three guest speakers then talked about their experiences trading with Canada.

The first, Elisabeth Lewis-Jones, CEO of Liquid PR, spoke about the agency’s partnership with

Close links: Ralph Goodale says UK-Canada relations are more important than ever Picture credit: Jas Sansi

Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, the province responsible for supplying 72 per cent of maple syrup globally.

She said engaging with the high commission had produced a “fountain of knowledge” for her business.Ms Lewis-Jones added that they were “incredibly honest to deal with”.

Paul Faulkner, chief of staff and operations at RCL partners, discussed the business’ real estate developments in Canada.

He said: “Canada is one of [Richardson’s] five core key investment markets.”

The former Chamber CEO also noted that investment into cities such as Toronto was also “a great sweep into the US east coast.”

Mr Faulkner added: “The team at Canada House is second to none. The ability to get off a plane, feel at home and get on and do business is the fact that this relationship has worked.”

Flexeserve’s Warwick Wakefield discussed the growth of the hot food-to-go solutions company into North America and the appeal of the Canadian market. Flexeserve, who have had £27m worth of revenue so far with 76 per cent coming from exports, have already tapped into the food industry in the US, collaborating with the likes of Amazon and Starbucks.

According to Flexeserve’s research, 39 per cent of the Canadian population are “foodies”.

Mr Wakefield said the Hinckley-based firm are looking to take advantage by branching out into Canadian supermarkets, bakeries and fast-food stores.

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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

Amira Graham: Translating success

Textile translations sewn up by Chamber

By Sophia Corness-Parr The Chamber’s Translation team has translated terms used for the labelling of packaging of clothes for the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) in 11 languages in just four days.

The project was for the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT), and the labelling will be used for products being sold by their members, who include designers, manufacturers, suppliers, agents and retailers both in the UK and globally.

For one of the UKFT’s members, the linguists transcribed garment descriptions into: Croatian, Czech, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Slovakian, Slovenian and Swedish.

Noleen Willis, business support export, skills & training from the UK Fashion & Textile association, said: “I love that the translation team is so easy to deal with.

“The team is so responsive and flexible in their approach – no translation or language request

Researchers seek insight into Games preparations

has proved to be a barrier. Great proof reading for the English too! On one occasion, I duplicated an English term and this was also picked up by the team.”

The translation team is comprised of highly qualified linguists who translate to their own native language and specialise in their own field.

This ranges from legal and financial contracts to marketing materials.

Amira Graham, head of the Chamber’s translation department, said: “Multi-lingual projects are handled professionally and smoothly by all team members - we deliver on time every time regardless of the number of languages required or complexity of the subject matter.”

As well as translations and interpreting, the translations team also offer language training.

The Chamber’s translation team is accredited by the British Chambers of Commerce and is a corporate member of the Institute of Translators and Interpreters (ITI).

Erin Henwood: Golden Games opportunity

Researchers from Griffith University Australia are calling for input from businesses in Greater Birmingham for a new study into how businesses in the area are preparing for the 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 2022.

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 2018 Games.

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 Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “This is a great opportunity for businesses in Greater Birmingham to have their say ahead of this summer, enabling researchers to identify key issues that firms are facing and where more support may be needed.

“I would encourage members to get involved and share their valuable insights with Griffith University’s researchers.”

If you would like to take part in this research or like more information please contact Dr Joan Carlini on J.Carlini@griffith.edu.au or Erin Henwood e.henwood@birmingham-chamber.com May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 37

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International Trade

Expert offers advice on trading with Ireland post-Brexit

By Sophia Corness-Parr An expert who provides training and support for firms looking to develop their international trade has issued new advice on doing business with Ireland, following changes that have arisen since Brexit.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, which was negotiated as part of the UK’s withdrawal agreement from the EU, has led to significant changes in the way British firms trade with those in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

As the Republic of Ireland remains part of the EU, buying and selling from or to suppliers and customers involves Customs Declarations and other associated documents, just as it would when dealing with other EU member states post-Brexit.

British traders selling to customers in Northern Ireland also need to be aware of the changes brought about by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The new rules particularly impact on businesses in Northern Ireland buying from suppliers in other parts of the UK, as UK goods now require inspection and documentation checks along the Northern Irish border.

Prior to Brexit, goods could be delivered between the UK and Northern Ireland without this paperwork.

With more than 30 years’ experience dealing with trading businesses, David Reader, director of DKR Trade Training and Support Ltd, has a comprehensive knowledge of the potential challenges businesses face in international markets.

‘British traders selling to customers in Northern Ireland also need to be aware of the changes brought about by the Northern Ireland Protocol’ Speaking on the different routing options available to businesses in the UK trading with Northern Ireland, he said: “Different documentary processes are likely to apply depending on the routing chosen.

“Routing goods to Northern Ireland can be done directly, straight to Northern Ireland, or via Southern Ireland by way of Customs Declaration, from the UK to the EU, or using Common Transit.

“This may be particularly challenging for those who have no experience of complying with administration associated with international trade.

“UK traders will almost certainly now require a separate Economic Operators Registration

David Reader: Post-Brexit changes to trade with Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

and Identification (EORI) number to trade with Northern Ireland. This needs to be applied for from HMRC.” The Chamber offer businesses support on trading with Northern Ireland, among a portfolio of international training courses.

To see and book-on to this month’s training courses visit: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/ international/training-courses-we-offer/ upcoming-training-courses

Chamber delivers training courses Barbara Culwick, export sales executive at Flexeserve, has gained the Foundation Award in International Trade as part of a Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce training course.

The course is a nationally recognised qualification issued by the British Chambers of Commerce.

Barbara completed six of the available 11 modules on the course, spanning across international trade subjects including customs procedures and documentation, understanding export and understanding commodity codes.

Flexeserve designs and manufactures a range of hot-holding units and food-to-gosolutions. The business exports all over the world, including across Europe, the US and Australia.

In her role, Barbara oversees export admin for Europe and the rest of the world (excluding the US). This involves handling distributor orders and completing all the export documentation including specialised documentation such as certificates of origin.

38 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Commenting on her completion of the course, Ms Culwick said: “The courses are good for a beginner in export or as a fresher course; it’s a good way for keeping up to date with current changes and export documentation.

“The course I found most interesting for me was incoterms. This helped me understand all the different incoterms, which was really useful for my export documentation, especially since recent changes from Brexit and exporting to Ireland.

“I would definitely recommend the BCC courses to my colleagues, some of them are already booked on!”

Birmingham Chamber offer the full range of module options available by the British Chamber which allowed Barbara to choose the modules most appropriate to her role.

Individuals interested in completing the Foundation Award, can enquire by emailing training@birmingham-chamber.com

Enhancing export knowledge: Barbara gains nationally recognised qualification

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

Samantha Frampton: Proud to be acknowledged

HSBC UK launches enterprise programme Aston University and HSBC UK have teamed up for a pilot programme to help black and ethnic minority students start new businesses.

It is one of five universities in the country working in collaboration with HSBC UK to pilot an enterprise programme that will target aspiring entrepreneurs from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds to bring their business ideas to reality.

The programme supports students of black and minority ethnic backgrounds from Aston University, University of Bedfordshire, De Montfort University, University of East London and Kingston University.

Successful candidates from each university have embarked on a 12-week course run by Start Up Discovery School.

The programme will culminate in a finals day at HSBC UK’s Birmingham head office in June.

The successful candidates receive one-to-one HSBC

UK mentoring from commercial banking relationship directors, alongside guidance from the Start Up Discovery School, access to HSBC UK customer webinars and some financial support to enable them to bring their commercial ambitions to fruition.

Peter McIntyre, head of small business banking, HSBC UK said: “We are committed to ensuring that access to finance is fair and open to all entrepreneurs and are delighted to be able to further enable these students to start their businesses and to nurture their entrepreneurial talent.”

Paula Whitehouse, associate dean for enterprise in the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University, said: “We were delighted to be invited by HSBC to help shape this exciting initiative which will support Aston University’s mission to promote inclusive growth in our region and give our innovative students a unique opportunity.”

Paula Whitehouse: on a mission to promote inclusive growth

Indian festival honours Solihull Chamber head A festival celebrating Indian culture in Birmingham has recognised a key member of the Chamber team as one of the region’s most inspiring women.

Samantha Frampton, head of the Solihull Chamber of Commerce, was honoured at the Birmingham Thyagaraja Festival (BTF).

The event, now in its eighth year, is the annual festival of Indian classical/folk music and dance, held in honour of South Indian saint and composer Thyagaraja.

Every year, in lieu of International Women’s Day, BTF honours female achievers and outstanding women who have made a positive impact and contribution to the society.

Among those was Samantha Frampton, who said: “It is amazing to gain recognition for my role as head of Solihull Chamber of Commerce. Our region has an overflowing pool of talented, female leaders and it is through acknowledgments such as these that we can continue to inspire the future generation.”

• More Solihull Chamber news on pages 44 and 45

Scoping out a role for Shani

Shani Dhanda: Ambassadorial role

ABCC Patrons

Award-winning disability campaigner and social entrepreneur Shani Dhanda has been named as an ambassador for the charity Scope.

Shani, a champion of disability inclusion and one of the most high-profile disabled women of colour in the UK, has agreed to work with the disability equality charity.

As well as regularly appearing on television screens - including on LinkedIn’s first TV campaign and as a pannelist on ITV’s ‘Loose Women’ and Channel 5’s ‘Jeremy Vine Show’ Shani is also an Asian Business Chamber of Commerce executive committee member.

Shani has taken change into her own hands, founding organisations to improve representation and challenge social inequality.

Mark Hodgkinson, chief executive of Scope, said: “With Shani’s support, social influence and passion for promoting diversity in all its forms, she will help Scope fight injustice and help us to create an inclusive world for disabled people.”

Shani added: “It was actually getting involved in Scope’s campaigns and programmes which really ignited and nurtured my disability activism. I really look forward to continuing to support Scope’s amazing work.”

Premier+ Partners

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Cannock Chase Chase Chamber Patrons

Cannock Chase

Chamber of Commerce

Contact: Steve Mattin T: 07971 144056

Firms feel confident about the future Staffordshire-based businesses have reported slow and considered growth, as well as stability and optimism for the future, despite the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis, according to Stokeon-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s (SSLEP) Situation Report (SITREP) and business insights survey conducted through January to March 2022.

The survey gathered intelligence from almost 800 local businesses of different sizes and sectors, gathering 'real time' insights to remain in-touch with the issues that businesses are facing and work with partners to find solutions to business challenges. Although challenges posed by wider issues including inflation, global politics and post-pandemic recovery were acknowledged by many recipients, business owners on average said that they were largely confident for the year ahead, scoring a seven on a scale from one to 10.

Further to this, 74 per cent of businesses said they had cash reserves to last for at least six months, signalling a stable approach to the coming months.

One of the main challenges identified in the survey was rising inflation rates.

Recruitment and staff development remain a significant challenge for business owners. While 37 per cent of businesses said they were currently hiring – a statistic demonstrative of growth and optimism – 39 per cent reported that their vacancies had been difficult to fill. This is particularly prevalent in sectors such as digital and healthcare, where highly skilled workers are required.

There is a wealth of training and resources available for businesses from the SSLEP, including guidance on money management, recruitment, upskilling and training over a wide range of sectors and specialisms.

Alun Rogers, chair of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP, said: “At a difficult time for many, it’s heartening to see a vote of confidence from our resilient local business network. While we understand there’s an air of uncertainty, most SMEs are putting their best foot forward and continuing to scale up slowly and carefully. It’s a time of optimism for our region.

Alun Rogers: A vote of confidence from a resilient business network

‘There is a wealth of training and resources available for businesses from the SSLEP’ “This business survey provides us with an invaluable and unparalleled level of insights into the needs of our business community. As the voice of business, we are using this data to work with local stakeholders and our national Government partners to help provide the business support that is needed most. And while there are challenges facing businesses, we are here to help however we can. SMEs can contact the LEP or the Growth Hub for assistance with a myriad of potential challenges. “ If you have a business in Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire and you think you would benefit from some support, please do pick up the phone to the LEP.”

Partnership offers more support to locals Cannock Chase Council and Rugeley Community Centre have worked in partnership to bring support organisations together and create a hub that has helped the community in Rugeley and Brereton.

Andy Smith, the neighbourhood officer for Cannock Chase Council for Rugeley, has worked tirelessly over the last two years, alongside Chris Fielding, Rugeley Community Centre manager, to make the centre on Burnthill Lane a focal point for residents who needed support.

The centre allows the council to use office space for meetings and one to one crisis chats, making it more convenient and easily accessible for tenants.

Chris Fielding from Rugeley Community Church said: “Rugeley Community Church have been working with Andy for over a year to provide vital help and support for people across the Rugeley area. Andy has been a regular 40 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

(Left to Right): Head of service at Cannock Chase Council, Nirmal Samrai, Rugeley Foodbank manager Dave Webb, Chris Fielding Rugeley Community Church, Andy Smith Cannock Chase Council and volunteers from the Rugeley Foodbank.

presence in the Community Centre and alongside our Foodbank team, enabling us to work in partnership in a number of ways.

"Without Andy, so many more people would be in crisis right now. Working in partnership with Andy has allowed us to help more people, pooling our resources and contacts to make a difference to our town.”

Rugeley Foodbank manager Dave Webb said: “It is a privilege to be working alongside Andy Smith. He oversees council properties in the Rugeley area and his pro-active approach ensures that tenants in need of assistance are identified and either helped directly by in-house Council Services or signposted to other appropriate support agencies for help.

“Andy also holds a regular fortnightly drop-in surgery at the Foodbank where he makes himself available for a friendly chat and offers advice where appropriate.”

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Burton & District Burton & District Chamber Patrons

Contact: Steve Mattin T: 07971 144056

Vaccination centre scores top award

Ginho lends support to Ghana expedition (L to R) Paul Gaskin, community engagement manager at the Burton Albion Community Trust; Mandy Farrow, HR, Ginho Europe and Suzi Alliss met up before the trip to Ghana in April.

Burton-based Ginho Europe will support Burton Albion Community Trust (BACT)’s expedition to Ghana by sponsoring a higher-level teaching assistant (HLTA) who is taking part in the challenge.

Ginho Europe is sponsoring the shirt of Suzi Alliss, who works at Eton Park Junior School in Burton on Trent.

She is part of the 15-strong group travelling to Ghana which includes young people from BACT’s NCS programme, BACT volunteers, local Community Trust partners and members of the community.

The trip aims to raise funds for BACT, while supporting African Adventures’ partner projects in Ghana and providing local people with a lifechanging experience.

In Ghana, BACT will be supporting Tegbi E.P School – a government-administered primary school which was founded in 1946 in Woe with renovations to their facilities.

The school provides education to 550 young people between the ages of four and 20, from kindergarten up to the third and final year of junior high school.

Suzi said: “I’m looking forward to enhancing the facilities at the local school and am grateful to Ginho for their financial support.”

Shaun Gray, Ginho Europe managing director and Burton Chamber president, said: “We are delighted to support Suzi and the team.

“We wish everyone all the best with the Ghana expedition and look forward to hearing all about their travels and achievements.”

Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium is set to receive an award from the English Football League (EFL) after playing a vital role as a vaccination centre.

More than 250,000 life-saving Covid jabs were delivered to the people of East Staffordshire when the stadium was turned into a vaccination site.

The EFL Awards are the most coveted football awards for clubs outside the Premier League.

Burton Albion has won the EFL Community Project of the Year Award for League One for 2021-22, beating entries from the other 23 teams in the division.

The Brewers will now go forward with the Championship and League Two winners to see which club wins the overall prize.

The Pirelli Stadium vaccination centre opened in December 2020 and delivered a quarter of a million doses by the end of March 2002.

The football club donated the stadium and provided facilities such as power and lighting free of charge to the NHS. Burton Albion Community Trust staff worked with NHS colleagues to establish the centre and recruited dozens of volunteers to ensure the operation ran smoothly.

Ben Robinson, Burton Albion chairman, said: “This is a thoroughly deserved award for the remarkable effort put in by so many people.

“We were able to achieve all this because of the club’s place at the heart of the community and the partnerships we already had in place.”

Arboretum to commemorate lockdown On the second anniversary of the first lockdown in the UK, the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire has launched Lockdown Landscapes – a nationwide programme commemorating the heroic key workers who served the nation during the pandemic.

The 20-month programme also remembers those who lost their lives during the crisis.

It is led by the Arboretum in partnership with the National Forest Company, Westminster Abbey and ArtReach, and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Schools, care homes and community groups are being invited to take part in activities and share how they experienced local heritage

places in the pandemic, when everyone was restricted to travelling within their local area.

Chris Ansell, head of participation and learning at the National Memorial Arboretum, said: “Being the nation’s year-round place to remember, we are working with our partners to give communities a way to remember those that we tragically lost, support those living with the impacts of the pandemic and to learn about each other’s experiences through a nationally significant archive of community stories.”

Artists will be working with four communities heavily hit by Covid-19, to understand their experiences of lockdowns and encourage creativity in the wake of the pandemic. New artworks will go on display in the grounds in summer 2023.

Lockdown Landscapes: Commemorating key workers

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

Call for rail HQ to come to Tamworth A bid for national body Great British Railways (GBR) to locate its headquarters in Tamworth would boost work to regenerate the town and attract further investment, according to the county council’s economy leader.

Deputy leader of the county council and cabinet member for economy and skills, Philip White, said he endorsed the expression of interest by the borough council, which would create jobs and lever in additional investment.

Towns and cities across the country are making bids, with GBR shortlisting applications this month.

An online public vote will be held after the shortlisting.

Philip said: “Great British Rail choosing Tamworth as a base for its HQ would be great news for the borough and for Staffordshire, further enhancing the county’s standing as a

location for national businesses and attractions, from football to brewing.

“It would complement the work which has already been carried out to regenerate the town, including its enterprise centre and improvements to the railway station connections.

This is in addition to ambitious plans drawn up to secure investment from the Government’s Future High Street Fund.

“This move would bring skilled job creation, additional investment and be a boost to existing town centre businesses.

“As a county council one of the priorities set out in our long-term economic strategy is town centre revitalisation so we support this bid wholeheartedly.”

The bid is also supported by the town’s MP Christopher Pincher.

Phillip White: Ambitious bid to support Tamworth’s regeneration

In the same boat: Liam Dillon and Mike West

Qualification boost: Sue Hatton and Hannah Naughton

Pickerings trainee qualifies as solicitor Pickerings Solicitors has announced that Hannah Naughton has completed her training contract, making her a qualified solicitor.

Hannah has been with the firm since 2018.

She grew up in Tamworth, attending Rawlett School and Tamworth Sixth Form prior to studying at Nottingham Trent University.

Having completed her qualification, Hannah has taken up a role as a solicitor within Pickerings’ family law team, specialising in children law.

Sue Hatton, managing director of Pickerings said: “We are always proud and excited to see people progressing in their careers.

“We congratulate Hannah on her hard work and achievement to date and look forward to her continued success with Pickerings.”

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Mike sinks teeth into role Lichfield restaurant The Boat Inn has promoted Mike West to the role of head chef.

Mike West joined the Walsall Road venue in 2019 with a background at some of the best restaurants in the Midlands.

He has been promoted after showing his skill as a chef, particularly during the various Covid lockdowns when The Boat Inn diversified to offer ‘heat at home’ dishes.

The 25-year-old has previously worked at venues such as The Moathouse in Stafford and Adams in Birmingham. Mike joined owner Liam Dillon three years ago and, in that time, the 25year-old has invested professionally and emotionally in The Boat Inn.

Owner Liam Dillon said: “Mike is constantly at the forefront, thinking and creating dishes and I know there is a lot more to come.

“When Covid hit, we all bonded as a team and hatched a plan to get through it including heat at home dishes and the outdoor terrace menu. Mike was one of the leaders who helped the business.”

Mike said: “Thanks to Liam for guiding me and to the team for simply being excellent chefs.

“Being a chef is more than just a job, it’s a vocation and I’m looking forward to leading the team and making more delicious food.”

To book visit www.theboatinnlichfield.com or call 01543 361692

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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

Back to business: Ark Media were among the exhibitors at the last Royal Business Fair

Welcome return of Royal Business Fair The Sutton Coldfield Chamber’s Royal Business Fair is returning after a three-year absence.

And the event – which will feature 40 exhibition stands and a comprehensive seminar programme – is moving to a new venue. Sutton Coldfield Town Hall is hosting the event on Friday 17 June and more than 400 delegates are expected to attend.

The Royal Business Fair is the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce’s biggest networking event.

It was last held at the Ramada Hotel in June 2019 but the pandemic meant the 2020 and 2021 events couldn’t take place.

Phil Arkinstall, president of the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce and CEO of video production firm Ark Media, said: “The Royal Business Fair was created to showcase the very best of Sutton Coldfield businesses and I’m really excited for the return of the event after a three-year absence. It is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about businesses in the town, network and make new contacts.”

The Royal Business Fair begins at 10am and will feature three seminars, as well as opportunities to network.

A new Adventure for Dan Graphic design and web agency Adventure Graphics has welcomed a new recruit to its team.

Dan Birch has joined as a graphic and web designer, having previously worked at a Birmingham-based infrastructure company.

He will work alongside creative director Warwick Kay, project manager Penny Kay and graphic and web designer Sam Vere.

A new adventure: Dan (left) with Warwick and Penny Kay and Sam Vere

Dan said: “My wife and I have been following Adventure on Instagram for a while.

“My wife worked at Greens Estate Agents when they did the rebrand for them and we’ve loved their work and them as a company since then.

“When the job opportunity arose, it was just perfect timing and I was thrilled to be offered the role and join the Adventure team.”

Warwick Kay said: “We have needed an extra pair of hands for a while but the fit as well as the skills are really important to us.

“We are known for our responsive, professional service and also for our friendly, personable, helpful approach. We think our clients will love Dan’s work and him, so it’s a win-win!”

Warwick took over Adventure in 2006 and began working in his converted garage office at home before moving to an office on Coleshill Street in 2011, and then the firm’s current home in the old train station on Midland Drive in 2017.

Sepsis support: The charity’s founder Dr Ron Daniels

Chamber members pick charity to back The UK Sepsis Trust has been chosen as Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce’s charity for the next two years.

It follows a vote among Chamber members during an event at the Brewhouse & Kitchen.

Three shortlisted charities made presentations to members, before the UK Sepsis Trust was chosen ahead of the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Acacia Family Support.

Sutton Coldfield Chamber president Phil Arkinstall said: “The quality of this year's applicants was extremely high.

“The three shortlisted charities put together strong and emotional presentations.

“We are delighted to be working with the UK Sepsis Trust as our charity for the next two years.

“We hope the Chamber can support them in fundraising and getting their message across over the coming year.”

Founded in Sutton Coldfield by CEO Dr Ron Daniels a decade ago, the UK Sepsis Trust’s mission is to save lives from sepsis and severe infection - as well as improving outcomes for survivors.

This is achieved through providing resources for health professionals, raising awareness and offering support for those affected.

Brian Davies, the charity’s corporate fundraising manager, said: “We are excited to raise awareness with the businesses and educational establishments of Sutton Coldfield by delivering staff training through our Sepsis Savvy campaign, by sharing free PSHE lesson plans and teaching resources with all local schools and by engaging with Chamber members on a host of exciting fundraising opportunities.”

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Solihull All the latest news, advice and events for the Solihull business community Contact: Samantha Frampton T: 0121 678 7488

Maximising the benefits of HS2 On site (left to right): Nick Brown (UGC), Andy Street (mayor), Sarah Ridley (DfT), Andrew Stephenson (HS2 minister), Bill Price (HS2), Cllr Courts (SMBC), Ben Gary (Arden Cross Ltd), Paul Kitson (Birmingham City Council)

Thousands of new jobs and homes are set to be created in Solihull up to three years earlier than originally planned after a set of developments enabling collaboration agreements were completed, maximising the benefits HS2 will bring to the region.

The agreements have been signed by the public and private sector organisations working on the 140-hectare (346-acre) Arden Cross development site in Solihull which includes the location of the new HS2 Interchange Station.

The signatories are Arden Cross Ltd (the landowners), the Department for Transport, HS2 Ltd, Solihull Council and the Urban Growth Company, who have committed to a shared objective to seek to release land around the station for development as early as possible.

The negotiations have been supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority, which has confirmed it is providing a £45m loan facility to help fund infrastructure at the site.

The potential for comprehensive development of the site paves the way to attract new investment and create a new and vibrant mixed-use destination with the station at its heart.

From summer 2023, subject to the conditions being met, the Urban Growth Company will be able to draw down against a £50m grant commitment from the government which was made in March 2021, along with the regional £45m loan facility, to progress construction work.

HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson was joined by regional partners at the Arden Cross site to mark the signing of the agreements. He said: “This agreement is a landmark moment for regeneration plans around the new Interchange Station.”

Building on the £50m funding we have already pledged to support the wider area growth plans, we’re helping to reinvigorate the local economy and boost connectivity even sooner with the potential of 3,000 new homes and 27,000 jobs from 2026.”

Self-driving shuttles in action A self-driving shuttle has taken to the roads around Birmingham Airport as part of the latest phase in a Council-led project which aims to test out how Connected Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) might be integrated into the borough’s transport network in the future.

Last year, Solihull Council became the first local authority in the country to purchase its own fully electric autonomous shuttle using a grant from the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP).

Designed and manufactured by Coventry’s Aurrigo, the futuristic looking Auto-ShuttleÒ can carry up to 10 passengers and uses a suite of sensors to understand its surroundings and move around safely. In this instance, the airport shuttle carried passengers along a pre-mapped section of Pendio Way and provided airport staff with a new temporary service linking the 44 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Departures entrance and Diamond House to Car Park 5.

The trial was aimed at providing further knowledge and experience of self-driving vehicles in a real-world environment, providing the evidence to support the technology being rolled out in the future across Solihull.

Councillor Ian Courts, leader of Solihull Council, said: “CAV technology has the potential to revolutionise the way we get around our towns, cities and rural areas as well as transport goods. I’m excited to be the first Council in the country to purchase our very own zero-emission, road-legal, shared use Connected Autonomous Vehicle and we are keen to put it to use. This project is all about looking at how we can practically and safely start to incorporate autonomous vehicles into our future transport infrastructure.”

Birmingham Airport’s trial shuttle: Self-driving vehicles in a real-world environment

Nick Barton, chief executive, Birmingham Airport, said: “We are really excited to be working with Solihull Council on this trial, which will provide us with invaluable insight into how we can start to safely incorporate CAVs into our vehicle fleet. This trial is making sure we are working towards our net zero carbon target by 2033.”

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Solihull Solihull Chamber Patrons

Principal appointed at Solihull College Solihull College & University Centre and Stratford-upon-Avon College have announced that Dr Rebecca Gater, currently vice principal for Curriculum & Quality at the college, will be their new principal.

Rebecca will take the helm from September 2022, following the retirement of acting principal Lindsey Stewart and the sudden death of former principal John Callaghan in October 2021.

Rebecca first joined the college in 2016 as assistant principal and became vice principal for Curriculum and Quality in 2019. She has since made a tremendous impact on the college, organising and implementing a range of innovative development and research programmes, and leading on the first Ofsted inspection as a merged college.

Rebecca said: “This college is a special place, and it has made a huge impact on me personally and professionally in the six years that I have worked here.

“I look forward to leading the college from the solid foundations that John Callaghan laid, to its next chapter where we will aim for outstanding performance across all aspects of our organisation.”

In February 2022, Rebecca received her Doctorate in Education from Newman University.

Chair of governors Barbara Hughes said: “We are looking forward to maintaining the strong reputation, high quality and sound financial position of the College as Rebecca leads us to a new stage of excellence in all that we do. I want to thank Lindsey Stewart, Acting Principal, who has done a magnificent job in preparation for the handover.”

Support: Steve Collins and Jane Hughes (Mental Health Matters) with Councillor Dicicco outside Solihull Methodist Church

Drop-in mental health service is launched

Dr Rebecca Gater: Working among remarkable and talented people

The new Polestar showroom at Touchwood Shopping Centre

Luxury brands for Touchwood Touchwood Shopping Centre is continuing to strengthen its award-winning offering as a multifaceted visitor destination with two new high-end brands – Polestar and TAG Heuer – opening within the centre.

Swedish electric performance brand Polestar is changing the face of automotive retail with noncommissioned product specialists, tailored after-care and a digital-first sales proposition. The space, located on the ground floor of the Touchwood shopping centre, will feature the same minimalist design and digital interactivity as other Polestar spaces around the world. Free of salespeople, customers can explore the cars at their own pace with advice on hand from the Polestar team.

Joining Polestar in the Crescent Arcade is luxury watch brand, TAG Heuer, delivering the only standalone TAG Heuer store in the area.

Tony Elvin, general manager of Touchwood, said: “We are delighted to welcome both Polestar and TAG Heuer to Touchwood.

“Both spaces look fantastic and are already generating lots of interest from visitors. The brands fit perfectly with the rest of our offering and we wish them every success for the future.”

A new mental health drop-in service has been made available for Solihull residents aged 18 and over. Run by Mental Health Matters on behalf of Solihull Council, the service will offer one-to-one support and group sessions, seven days a week, from community locations in north, central and south Solihull.

The drop-in will provide a safe space for people to access support information on a range of topics including wellbeing, housing and employment, as well as socialise with others in a comfortable, non-judgemental environment.

Cllr Tony Dicicco, cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “I want to encourage people to come along and try this drop-in service. You might be coming to terms with a bereavement and need some support for a short period. Or perhaps you’re finding work really stressful and thinking it would be helpful to talk things over with someone. You don’t need to be referred by your GP or another professional and there’s no commitment to come along every week. This service is about helping people with their personal recovery and getting back on their feet.”

Jane Hughes, CEO of Mental Health Matters, added: “We are excited to launch this new service and connect with people from across the borough.

“We believe that by offering a wide range of support and guidance, the drop-in service will provide something for everyone.”

Sessions will be delivered from three community locations: Solihull Methodist Church, LAYCA Community Centre in Shirley and Chelmsley Wood Town Council.

The full drop-in timetable is available directly from the service or online at www.mhm.org.uk/solihull-drop-intimetable

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Future Faces Future Faces Chamber Patrons Contact: Jodie-Lee Perks T: 07951 245985

Common Purpose to sponsor award

Davies Okeowo: Becoming a part of Birmingham’s growing start-up ecosystem

Podcast guest commends city’s start-up ecosystem The latest episode of Future Faces: The Young Professionals Podcast has been released featuring young entrepreneur Davies Okeowo, who focuses on why Birmingham’s start-up ecosystem is the perfect place to get business ideas off the ground.

Davies is an award-winning entrepreneur, public speaker, and recent founder of PitchHub. He has built an impressive career centred on helping businesses grow and has become an active member of the Birmingham business scene.

Davies has also been recognised for his achievements as the ‘Future Face of Entrepreneurship 2021’ at the Future Faces Awards, as well as winning Nigeria's version of ‘The Apprentice’ (‘The Next Titan’) and being named on the Forbes Africa ‘30 Under 30’ list in 2020.

As a city rich in talent and resources, Davies explains why the start-up ecosystem in the West Midlands makes the region the perfect place for budding entrepreneurs looking to get their business ideas off the ground.

With a wealth of experience under his belt, Davies also signposts the best resources available to help them get off to a flying start.

Mr Okeowo said: “Birmingham for me is a city that has all the core ingredients for any successful start-up ecosystem. If you look at all the successful start-up ecosystems in the world and what they are and what makes them up, Birmingham has all of them. The only difference is that Birmingham is in its very early stages. But for me, that made it the right city and the right time because I get to build my leverage in that ecosystem, but I also get to be part of that growth.”

Listen to the full episode at www.anchor.fm/futurefacespodcast and on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 46 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Common Purpose has announced it will sponsor the Ambassador’s Award at this year’s Future Faces annual dinner and awards, offering the winner the chance to embark on a programme for high-potential leaders.

The event takes place on Friday, 26 August, at 7pm when guests will gather to recognise the plethora of young talent across the West Midlands.

In addition to the 13 sectors up for grabs, this year’s awards will feature a President’s award victor crowned by president Jaccy Datta, as well as the Future Faces Ambassador Award.

Common Purpose is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1989 that develops leaders who can cross boundaries, enabling them to solve complex problems both in organisations and in cities.

It delivers face-to-face and online leadership programmes for multiple generations of leaders: from students in universities to senior leaders in organisations and society.

Common Purpose will provide the lucky winner of the Ambassadors Award with a place on The Common Purpose Programme for Emerging Leaders.

It provides participants with an invaluable opportunity to unpick essential aspects of leadership, by exploring them through the eyes of others.

The fully online programme is brought to life through experiential content, inspirational contributors and real-time sessions where participants explore personal leadership challenges within a highly diverse, local peer group. In addition, participants connect with other groups across the UK and there are also life-long alumni benefits as well.

Once completed, participants will have learned how to take on increased responsibility within their role, adapt quickly to ambiguous and changing situations, lead people and teams through challenging times, tackle complex problems involving diverse stakeholders and discover how they can create a wider impact.

Louise Teboul, UK partnerships director at Common Purpose, will also be on this year’s judging panel.

Louise Teboul: “A wonderful opportunity to invest in the region’s future leaders.”

Louise said: “It’s been a tough few years for all of us and I think lots of emerging leaders have missed out on coaching and personal development opportunities through the pandemic.

“So, I’m delighted that one special person is going to have the opportunity to develop their leadership, with our cross-sector, diverse peer group. We’ve worked with Future Faces, for many years now, and the judging process is always tough – there’s so much talent in the region, but it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate that and invest in the region’s future leaders.”

Yung Lau, vice president of Future Faces and former winner of the Common Purpose prize, said: "The Common Purpose Emerging Leader Programme has given me the opportunity to personally develop in a setting I did not realise was possible during a pandemic, providing a platform to connect and build relationships while challenging myself.

"It is an incredibly thought-provoking programme that has allowed me to reflect on my own values and who I am as a leader while providing me tools and the mindset to approach new challenges. I am incredibly privileged to have won this award last year as it is a fantastic, generous prize for the winner this year."

Find out more information on tickets, sponsorship opportunities and how to apply for an award on the GBCC website.

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Future Faces

The Chamber’s ever growing network for young professionals and the leaders of tomorrow.

Alex Bishop, partner and co-head of Shoosmiths Birmingham

Leading lawyers invest in local young talent Shoosmiths LLP, a major UK law firm with offices in Colmore Square, Birmingham, has shown its commitment to developing the company’s young talent by taking out over 30 memberships to the Future Faces Chamber of Commerce (FF).

Experiencing rapid growth in recent years, Shoosmiths has become a £167m+ turnover firm and prides itself on its relationships with clients and delivery of consistent results.

Membership to Future Faces will give young professionals across the firm access to a network of like-minded individuals looking to develop and advance in their careers.

Alex Bishop, partner and co-head of Shoosmiths Birmingham office, said: “I’m very pleased that 31 of our legal advisors at Shoosmiths are currently members of Future Faces. It’s a valuable initiative that helps younger professionals with an amazing array of options including development events, social networking, mentoring, working as part of a committee and an annual awards celebration. It’s wonderful to have a really well-designed programme to help young professional talent grow their careers in our vibrant city of Birmingham.

“As a former chair of Birmingham Future and Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards, both now part of Future Faces, I would wholeheartedly recommend getting involved. They helped me to develop a network and learn invaluable skills to assist in advancing my career – skills you would not necessarily get the opportunity to learn in your day job. I have also built lifelong friendships along the way too!”

Skincare firm launch zero-waste products Sustainable zero waste skincare company Scrubbee held a launch party in Birmingham to celebrate the launch of its new zero-waste products - the Spotless Mother Scrubber and Smooth Scrubbin’ Criminal.

Scrubbee makes skincare from the food and drinks industries’ by-products and turns waste into effective and eco-friendly cosmetics. One of its new scrubs, Spotless Mother Scrubber, contains coffee, cedarwood, and eucalyptus essential oil and is aimed at people struggling with body acne. Smooth Scrubbin’ Criminal is targeted for combating eczema and psoriasis and contains coffee, Himalayan salt, orange, and grapefruit essential oils.

‘It’s been an amazing journey growing Scrubbee and we are so grateful of all the support’ Representatives of Birmingham-based businesses, sustainable lifestyle influencers, and professionals were all present at the launch at

Alpha Tower for an evening of body positivity and female empowerment.

Amy Rose Finley, founder of the Clout model agency, a body positivity activist, and Emily Johnson, the founder of the Anawim women’s help centre, also gathered together to give inspirational speeches to attendees.

The launch event was also raising money for the Anawim charity and managed to raise just under £200 by organising a raffle and selling the newly launched body scrubs. The prizes included £200 for Mama Roux, Scrubbee Self Care Box, a nude painting, and exclusive brews from Attic Brewery.

Guests also enjoyed drinks and food, including vegan dishes inspired by the brand’s friendly and supportive spirit.

Madelaine Booth, founder of Scrubbee, said: "We had an absolutely amazing night celebrating real skin, real bodies and female empowerment.

It’s been an amazing journey growing Scrubbee and we are so grateful of all the support!"

Smooth Scrubbin’ Criminal: Scrubbee’s new zero-waste skincare product

Visit: www.scrubbee.co.uk May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 47

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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.

Here is what our events programme has to offer this month. For further information and to book a place, visit: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/networking-events

High Commissioner for Canada in the UK, Ralph Goodale addressing delegates

Speed Networking Date: 05/05/2022 Time: 8:30 – 10:30 Venue: The Cathedral Hotel Division: Lichfield & Tamworth Cost: Members: Free Future Faces members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Speed Networking 10/05/2022 8:30 – 10:30 TBC Sutton Coldfield Members: Free Future Faces members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT

Date: Time: Venue: Division: Cost:

Speaker Breakfast 12/05/2022 08:30 – 10:30 The Chase Golf & Country Club Division: Cannock Chase Cost: Members: Free Future Faces members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Date: Time: Venue:

48 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Social Networking 17/05/2022 17:30 – 19:30 TBC Birmingham Members: Free Future Faces members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT

Date: Time: Venue: Division: Cost:

Chapter Chat 23/05/2022 17:30 – 19:30 Online Transatlantic Future Faces members: Free Members: Free Non-members: Free

Date: Time: Venue: Division: Cost:

Start-Up Business Surgery 24/05/2022 10:00 – 12:00 TBC Birmingham Members: Free Future Faces members: Free Non-members: £10 +VAT

Date: Time: Venue: Division: Cost:

Networking & Eid Celebration 25/05/2022 18:00 – 21:30 TBC ABCC Members: Free Future Faces members: £30 +VAT Non-members: £30 +VAT

Date: Time: Venue: Division: Cost:

Summer Expo 26/05/2022 10:00 – 15:30 voco st. John’s Solihull an IGH Hotel Division: Solihull Cost: Members: Free Future Faces members: Free Non-members: Free Date: Time: Venue:

Social Networking 26/05/2022 17:30 – 19:30 TBC Lichfield & Tamworth Members: Free Future Faces members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT

Date: Time: Venue: Division: Cost:

Making the most of your Chamber membership Date: 27/05/2022 Time: 08:30 – 10:00 Venue: TBC Division: GBCC Cost: Members: Free Future Faces members: Free Non-members: Free Future Faces Social Networking (Birmingham) Date: 27/05/2022 Time: 17:30 – 19:30 Venue: TBC Division: Future Faces Cost: Future Faces members: Free Members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT Speed Networking 31/05/2022 08:30 – 10:30 Roman Way Hotel Cannock Chase Members: Free Future Faces members: £15 +VAT Non-members: £15 +VAT

Date: Time: Venue: Division: Cost:

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Chamber Events

1

Picture gallery Among the Chamber’s recent events, stand-outs include the Growth Through People (GTP) campaign conference (more on pages 8-9) and the UK – Canada trade event, In Conversation with the Canadian High Commissioner (more on page 36). Here are some of these events’ key moments.

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1. Erica Burker, director, HR Dept addressing delegates at the GTP conference 2. Guests warm-up before the afternoon session begins at the GTP conference 3. Audience listens to panel discussion, chaired by Chamber chief executive, Henrietta Brealey at the GTP conference 4

4. In conversation: Martin Levermore MBE DL, founder and CEO of MDTi, Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner for Canada in the UK and Deepak Pathak, innovation and growth specialist, Innovate UK Edge

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Feature

50 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Communications & Marketing

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Communications & Marketing

Feature

The key to any

business’s success is the ‘3Cs’: collaboration, communication, and co-operation

By Simon Cole, Technical Drive CEO s technology continues to evolve and hybrid working, remote working, and working from home become more popular, we have entered a new era where work is no longer refined to a specific desk, phone, or computer screen. Professionals have the freedom to collaborate, communicate, and cooperate across the globe, all with nothing but the right device, and an internet connection.

Clearly, with the rapid movement to Cloud technology services and hybrid working, your company’s Unified Communications are more important than they have ever been. Connecting staff, companies and clients effectively is often the first aspect of any IT environment to get right.

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What is the Microsoft ecosystem?

Briefly, the Microsoft ecosystem is aimed at corporate customers to a greater extent compared to individual users. Specifically, Microsoft enterprise products and cloud services are effectively tied together, and this generates strong benefits for corporations to use Microsoft products and services.

For example, OneDrive for Business leads into SharePoint, Teams integrates with Outlook and is about to swallow Skype for Business, SQL Server can integrate and pull data from Azure AD. Moreover, there are many Office 365 programs and services that integrate with each other under a single sign-on.

What is Unified Communications?

How will that benefit your company communications?

In short, the term “Unified Communications” refers to the systems that allow companies to access the tools they need for communication through a single application or service.

Unified Communications not only marries your IT and telephony together in perfect harmony, but also is highly cost effective and efficient. It will ensure the maximum integration for any video conferencing, messaging and telephony requirements taking you from multiple suppliers into one seamless, collaborative business communication solution.

We believe that the way forward is the adoption of the Microsoft Ecosystem because of its seamless integration and cost efficiency. The adoption of the Microsoft Teams application allows for unrivalled synergy between IT and Telephony, two subjects that have not enjoyed the best of marriages in the past.

Microsoft Teams can provide a high-quality and extremely flexible telephony solution, with the productivity and support savings from an all-inone communication platform. It will also continually benefit from Microsoft’s commitment to its on-going development, meaning that it will only get better to unify your communications.

If you are currently using Microsoft Office 365 Licences, then Teams can be quickly and efficiently installed to create a ‘work anywhere’ telephone and video call system.

If you are in the process of contemplating your next telephone system, video conferencing system or looking for a way to reduce your telephone costs and you already use Microsoft Technologies, then Microsoft Teams is the next logical step for your telephony requirements.

At Technical Drive we can offer communication assistance to get all of this set up for you.

‘Connecting staff, companies and clients effectively is often the first aspect of any IT environment to get right’

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Feature

Communications & Marketing

Clear and compelling

communications hen marketing spend is tight, your message has to work twice as hard. So how do you create compelling marketing communications that stand out, grab your customers by the eyeballs and persuade them to do business? Try these techniques to amplify your message and incite action.

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Make everything about the customer

By Anita Ellis, Director at Lexicomm

52 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

When you write content for your company, it’s easy to fall into the trap of talking about what you do; your services, your approach, your values.

But your communications should be all about your customers. Their problems, their pain points, their potential clients.

Turn your WEs into YOUs to make your website more What’s In It For Me (WIIFM).

Switch the emphasis and wording to put the customer at the heart of your marketing communications and

your copy will resonate with yo ur customers.

Be more concise Sometimes only a longer sentence will do. But in general, the shorter the better. It's easier to read. It has more impact. It's more memorable.

• Find the last thing you wrote and try to halve it • Take out any unnecessary words • Remove any repeats • Use shorter words • Add punctuation to halve sentence length.

Give your words space White space. Negative space.

Whatever you call it, this ‘nothing’ is everything.

Words need room to breathe.

Whether it's a short social post, a web page or, a meaty brochure, leaving lots of space around your words will make them stand out.

Separate lines of text to make them easier to scan. Give quotes and stats the stark space they need to shine.

Chunk-up longer copy with titles to define ideas.

Feel their pain What was your latest blog or article about? Did the title resolve a pain point for your target audience?

Regular blogs and content are a key part of an effective marketing strategy, but to be really effective and compelling, they need to hook the reader at first glance.

And there’s no better hook than a title that sparks interest and talks directly to your customers.

• It might be a question you know they are grappling with • It might be five things tha t you know will help them right now • It might be an idea that will help them move forward.

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Communications & Marketing

Make it about the customer and make your marketing more compelling.

Ooze your values Every business has a tale to tell. A narrative to nail. A unique personality and plot.

If you can weave your story and personality into your marketing, your communications will compel people to act.

Think about your three key brand values (the things your business really cares about). Make sure your communications radiate these characteristics. I mean, really ooze them. Try rewriting your ‘About Us’ page as a story, revealing why you do what you do and the challenges you have overcome.

Be honest. If you started your career or business from humble beginnings, make it known. If you've had challenges along the

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way and overcome them, celebrate them. If you have a big personality, let it shine. Next time you write anything for your business, think about your values and your story and reflect this in the language you choose.

Ask questions, then ask some more Effective marketing is all about curiosity and good questions. And great copy comes from that golden question that reveals a story or something unique. So ask yourself this: Do I ask enough questions in my marketing?

Whether it’s asking questions in a social post. Or asking for customer feedback. Asking those killer questions that help you get under the skin of your customers.

Or simply asking what problems you can help them solve. The questions have the answer.

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Professional Services

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Professional Services

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The benefits of

business coaching ome businesses use a business coach. Others may be considering the benefits while some may not have any idea what it is all about. So what is business coaching? And how can it help?

Business coaching is a process that can help take a business from where it is, to where it wants to be.

A dedicated business coach will assist and guide the business owner in growing the business, mapping out the best routes towards success and guiding them in the right direction. A business coach differs from a consultant; while a consultant will scope a project, consider alternatives and implement the required actions themselves, a business coach equips the business owner to do it themselves by teaching them new skills and providing knowledge of the market and the journey ahead.

S

The benefits of business coaching Impartial advice – While a business owner no doubt often relies on the support of family, employees and friends, ultimately, they will all have some form of vested interest and so it can be difficult for them to be impartial. That’s where the business coach comes in. A coach can

provide a confidential, impartial sounding board to help you solve the challenges ahead. Additionally, you can rely on them to react to your ideas and methods honestly and tell it straight, especially if you are doing something incorrectly or are working on a process that could be improved.

Focus your attention – A business owner’s time and attention can be stretched in so many directions that it is hard to focus on the key tasks that relate to your business goals. A business coach will help you to organise your tasks and schedule, leaving your business well organised and efficient and giving you ample time to work on the next stage of business growth.

Make you accountable – Sometimes it’s hard to keep promises, especially promises you have made to yourself.

A business coach will challenge you to achieve the objectives agreed and help you to channel your efforts towards achieving them.

Push you outside your comfort zone - When there are difficult decisions to be made or tasks to be completed, it’s easy to fall back into the comfort zone where you feel safe and secure. For many business

owners, this means working in your business when you should be working on your business. A business coach will guide and support you beyond your comfort zone and push you to new heights, while also helping you develop your staff, allowing them to competently stand on the front line in your place while you’re working on growing the business from behind the scenes.

Two heads are better than one Brainstorming ideas with your business coach can add a different perspective to your way of thinking.

We all know that old saying, two heads are better than one, but a business coach can go far beyond that. A good business coach will

explore your ideas from every angle, question your thinking, and provide alternative answers. This can often lead to finding superior or innovative solutions that you may not have previously considered.

Ask any successful athlete what factors contributed to their success, and most - if not all – will cite their coach as a primary influence. So why should you business be any different?

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Professional Services

What does

your brand say about you?

The value of a strong employer brand Whether you know it or not, your company has an employer brand. It’s your reputation as a place of work. In essence, defining your employer brand is finding the answer to this simple question: “Why should somebody choose to work for us as opposed to someone else?”

Why should you want to know?

A reputation as a great employer can increase your ability to attract great people, reduce your recruitment costs, and also help you keep hold of your most talented employees. It is important to remember that an employer brand cannot be created or destroyed. It already exists. But what we can do is influence it.

Where do you begin?

Talking to your current employees is the best place to start. Find out what makes you a great place to work and what your real strengths as an employer. But don’t be afraid to listen and take on board those areas in which you need to improve. Talk to people outside of your business.

Ask them, how do they see you? How do you measure up against their expectations?

It is this insight that can then be used to create specific marketing messages aimed at 56 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

each of the groups of job seekers that you are looking to target. It can help shape your recruitment advertising activity, the messages that you have on your careers website and everything that you share on social media. By championing the things that you do really well and showing how you’re addressing the things you don’t do quite so well, you can start influencing people’s perceptions of you, both internally and externally. Offering an honest and much deeper insight into what life is like in your company.

What are the benefits?

According to LinkedIn, a strong, positive employer brand can lead to a 43 per cent decrease in a company’s cost per hire.

Additionally, organisations with a strong employer brand are also noticing other attractive benefits: • Reduced need to engage recruitment consultancies • Increased quantity and quality of applications • Increased conversion from ‘offer’ to ‘hire’ • Improved quality of hire • Reduced attrition of people within the first six months of employment All of which suggest that those employers

that have a strong employer brand are better placed to attract, engage and retain talented people than those who haven’t.

Your website is your primary employer branding tool Chances are that your website is going to be the first place that a job seeker will be exposed to your employer brand. Which means that not only do you have a fantastic opportunity to make a great first impression, but also to position yourself apart from your competitors for talent.

That said, the demands of a job seeker are increasing all the time. They are no longer interested in simply finding a job, they are looking to your website to give them an insight into what it is actually like to work for you. To offer more than a job search engine and online application form, but also information around your culture, values, rewards and benefits, training and development - in fact anything that can position you as an employer of choice.

In fact, your website should never be considered ‘finished’. It should be a continuously evolving piece of communication. Changing to meet the recruitment needs of your business, changing to meet the expectations of job seekers and changing to build on the things that work well.

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Professional Services

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Sector Focus

Business Travel

Sector Focus The latest news from the sectors that matter to business

Flybe takes off from Birmingham Flybe has relaunched from Birmingham Airport with its first flight departing to Belfast City Airport.

The flight marked the beginning of up to four daily flights between Birmingham and Belfast, with additional routes due to start in the coming months.

In November 2021, it was announced that Birmingham Airport would be home to the airline’s headquarters and its first crew base - with plans to create up to 200 new jobs in the region over the next three years.

The official launch of the new airline was celebrated at Birmingham Airport with a ribboncutting ceremony by Flybe’s CEO, Dave Pflieger and Birmingham Airport chief executive, Nick Barton.

Dave Pflieger said: “After a year of incredibly hard work, we are thrilled to have our fast, quiet and fuel/CO2 efficient Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft back in the sky connecting customers to two of the UK’s premier regional cities.

Back in business: Dave Pflieger and Nick Barton join Flybe’s crew to celebrate the first flight

“Over the coming weeks and months our flight schedule will further ramp up as we take delivery of additional aircraft and serve other new destinations from

Birmingham including Amsterdam, Avignon, Brest, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.”

Nick Barton added: “I am thrilled to see Flybe back again. With Covid

travel restrictions lifted and many thousands of Britons taking to the skies once more, I am confident we’ll see strong demand for Flybe’s core UK, Dutch and French routes.”

Airport reveals net zero carbon ambitions Birmingham Airport has published its roadmap to become net zero carbon by 2033.

The roadmap prioritises zero-carbon airport operations while minimising the use of carbon offsets.

The airport says it has already reduced by 33 per cent over the past decade, through the use of solar power, electric vehicles and other energy-efficiency measures.

Its commitment over the next decade includes reducing emissions by 60 per cent through investment in on-site renewable energy generation, energy-efficient lighting and energy management technology.

The airport also plans source up to 40 per cent of its electricity through solar power, extend the number of electric vehicle charging points to 25 and invest in new emerging technologies to generate lowcarbon energy beyond 2030.

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With 0.7 per cent of UK aviation emissions coming from airports, Birmingham Airport has also vowed to support airlines and other third parties using its premises to reduce their emissions.

Birmingham Airport’s chief executive Nick Barton said: “While we have a good track record in achieving low carbon operations, we know that meeting our net zero target will need more impactful and immediate action. Through innovation and partnership cooperation, we can make real change to climate impact by our combined operations.

“We’re proud to have made this commitment and eager to reduce our carbon footprint for emissions within our own control, but also to innovate with our stakeholders to introduce low-carbon operations associated with aircraft and ground movements.”

A greener future: Birmingham Airport has ambitious net zero plans

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Business Travel

Sector Focus

A greener plan for transport Regional Transport body Midlands Connect has launched its Strategic Transport Plan for the Midlands entitled ‘Greener, Fairer, Stronger’.

The plan lays out the key challenges including how a lack of mobility is holding back economic growth and productivity, how levelling up and social exclusion can be addressed with better accessibility and the need to slash carbon emissions.

It identifies requirements for public and private sector investment needed in areas such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure alternative fuels, boosting mobility in rural areas, creating more space for passengers and freight on the rail network and a ‘tap and cap’ smart ticketing solution for passengers across the Midlands.

The document outlines the importance of new technologies in transport, with Midlands Connect committing to publish a ‘Transport Technology Route Map’ later this year which will provide guidance to local authorities and businesses on which

technologies offer the greatest benefits. The plan has focused on what it believes to be the key projects for investment in the next 10-15 years on the road and rail networks.

These include journey time improvements on rail routes linking Birmingham with Derby, Nottingham and Leicester, the reinstatement of platform four at Snow Hill Station and improvements to various other road and rail routes.

Midlands Connect says these projects, if delivered in full, will help provide up to £1.9bn more in regional economic output per year by 2040 in the Midlands.

Midlands Connect chair Sir John Peace said: “Our pledge to this region is simple – we will work behind the scenes to gather evidence, to make plans and bring forward their delivery.

“Most of all, we will not forget the people behind these plans, this grand vision is about giving the Midlands, its businesses and its communities the future they deserve.”

Sir John Peace: A grand vision for the future of transport

New European airline welcomed A European leisure carrier has started flying from Birmingham Airport.

Corendon Airlines and its fleet of new 89-seat B737-800 aircraft are now operating flights to Turkey twice a week to Dalaman and three times a week to Antalya.

The inaugural flight to Antalya took off with a full plane of customers seeking some Turkish sun.

Corendon already plans to extend its Antalya service into winter 2022-23.

Paul Riches, commercial representative of Corendon Airlines, said: “We are very excited to launch our service from Birmingham Airport.

“We plan to increase our Birmingham flights to many other popular holiday destinations in the following seasons.

“We aim to provide holidaymakers direct and comfortable flights to sunny destinations and we are confident our Birmingham flights will be successful in summer 2022 and beyond.”

Tom Screen, aviation director for Birmingham Airport, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Corendon Airlines to Birmingham and are pleased initial sales numbers are strong.

“This bodes well as the aviation sector gets back on its feet and the British public take to the skies once again after a two-year Covid19 layoff.

“We look forward to developing the partnership with Corendon Airlines further in the coming years.”

Turkish delight: Corendon is flying from Birmingham to two destinations in Turkey

Grant fuels new bus fleet A fleet of 124 new hydrogen fuelled buses will be taking to the streets of the West Midlands following the approval of a £30m Department for Transport grant.

It follows a successful bid to the Zero-emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) fund to promote cleaner and greener bus transport and will cover the cost of a refuelling facility as well as the new vehicles.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) will now work with bus company partners and the hydrogen production industry to get the fleet up and running.

Pete Bond, director of integrated transport services with TfWM said: “These hydrogen buses, the All Electric Bus City scheme in Coventry and the roll out of electric vehicle charging facilities we are planning shows how the West Midlands is leading the way on decarbonising our transport and making good progress on achieving our netzero targets.”

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Sector Focus

Finance

Appetite grows for food and drink manufacturing

Roger Buckley: New stage of growth for food and drink manufacturing

The food and drink manufacturing sector has bounced back after a “tumultuous” year – with consumer demand continuing to drive growth in alternative markets.

That’s according to accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP. BDO says the UK market had a “prosperous” return to form, with merger and acquisitions (M&A) activity up by 20 per cent in 2021 – only 10 per cent lower than prepandemic levels.

The BDO Food & Drink Manufacturing Review 2022 also reveals that deals increased in plant-based, free-from, low sugar and alcohol alternative subsectors during the last 12 months.

Audit director joins PKF Smith Cooper Barbara Sims, PKF Smith Cooper’s new audit director

An accountancy firm has strengthened its team with the appointment of a new audit director.

PKF Smith Cooper has welcomed Barbara Sims, who boasts more than 15 years’ practice experience, working with a variety of clients from ownermanaged businesses to charities and academies.

Her role will be primarily internal, focusing on audit quality and providing technical support to the audit team. Barbara spent five years working as chief financial officer for a multi-academy trust.

The audit team at PKF Smith Cooper works with all types of clients from large corporations to SMEs and not-for-profit organisations, across a variety of sectors, providing advice on a broad range of audit, assurance, and advisory matters.

Sarah Flear, partner and head of audit, said: “Barbara brings with her valuable industry experience, including the education sector, and I look forward to working with her as we continue to provide tailored advice and recommendations, helping our clients achieve their objectives.”

Meanwhile, PKF Smith Cooper has also made four partner promotions across its tax, VAT and indirect taxes teams. The four newly-promoted partners are Gavin West, Gary Devonshire, Natasha Scott and Adam Rollason.

Gavin West, head of VAT and indirect taxes, has been with the firm for six years and has more than 20 years’ experience working on VAT and other indirect tax issues.

Gary Devonshire, who joined the firm’s tax advisory team in January 2019, and heads up the innovation and property taxes offering.

Natasha Scott has been with the firm for 13 years and works in the corporate tax advisory team - with a focus on corporation tax and tax advisory work.

Birmingham-based Adam Rollason heads up the transactional tax offering, advising on all types of corporate transactions.

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This included the cross-border acquisition of vegan and free-from brand Gosh! by Portugal-based Sonae for £64m.

Roger Buckley, M&A partner at BDO, said: “The rise in M&A activity in 2021 can be attributed to a number of factors, including improving market sentiment, strategic positioning, pent-up demand following an uncertain year, and also rumoured changes to capital gains tax, driving deal completions.

“While plant-based, free-from and sustainable food and drink have been upward trending for the past few years, it’s clear that this subsector is now entering a new stage of growth with volumes of M&A transactions rocketing in 2021.

“The issue of sustainability remains a priority for businesses,

consumers and governments.

Demand for British produce and environmentally friendly goods is on the rise and the emerging agritech subsector is at the forefront of delivering new technologies.”

The M&A report reveals that agritech is booming, with new investment into the global market soaring in 2021, with a record $10.5bn injected into the subsector, representing a 42 per cent CAGR since 2010.

The UK continues to lead the European region, with the 2021 AgriFoodTech Investment Report reporting $1.1bn of investment and 164 deals recorded in 2020.

There has also been a dramatic increase in private equity investment, which represented 31 per cent of the deal volume last year – up from 19 per cent in 2018.

Finance partner to boost M&A activity RSM UK has appointed a new corporate finance partner to grow the firm’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) capability throughout the Midlands.

John Bryant, who has more than 18 years’ experience in corporate finance to RSM, will be based in RSM’s Nottingham and Leicester offices.

John will support businesses on M&A deals ranging £10m to £150m, as well as coordinating corporate finance activity across the East and West Midlands.

He will also be responsible for launching and developing a new national industrials team.

John previously held senior roles at competing national audit and accounting firms in Nottingham either leading or developing corporate finance teams.

He began his career at NatWest bank handling debt transactions for private equity clients.

John said: “I’m really looking forward to raising the team’s profile across the Midlands, and building the new national industrial team, co-ordinating RSM’s approach to transactions in this sector on a national basis.

“It’s exciting to be joining the firm at this time of growth and investment in our region.”

John Bryant: Raising RSM’s mergers and acquisitions profile

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Finance

Bishop Fleming has seven offices, spanning from the West Midlands to the South West, with 33 partners and over 420 staff. Just last month, 12 employees from its Worcester Office opened the London Stock Exchange, having

been crowned as ‘Business of the Year’ at the British Chamber Awards in 2019.

The firm is currently ranked in the top 30 in the Accountancy Age league table and holds a

Sector Focus

wealth of knowledge and experience across a wide range of sectors. It is a member of Kreston Global, a global network of independent accounting firms in more than 100 countries.

If you're looking for a West Midlands accountancy firm to collaborate with you on your growth strategy, please get in contact with Bishop Fleming on: 01905 732100 Alternatively, you can also find out more via the website: www.bishopfleming.co.uk May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 61

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Sector Focus

Retail

Plans revealed to make city centre greener Birmingham’s city centre Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are aiming to create an attractive, greener and safer city with an ambitious masterplan for green infrastructure (GI).

The Going Green Masterplan outlines an approach to ‘greening’ the city for businesses and residents including improving air quality, better health and wellbeing, and engaging streetscapes.

A ‘toolkit’ will enable local decision makers to implement GI across the city, enhancing existing GI such as planters, to installing wildlife ponds, living lamp posts and city scale parks.

Birmingham’s Colmore and Retail BIDs commissioned UK-based international architects and urban designers Broadway Malyan to create the masterplan (pictured).

Working with both BIDs and local stakeholders including Birmingham City University and University of Birmingham, Broadway Malyan mapped the city’s existing ‘green’ offer.

They found the districts to be heavily urbanised, with low quality biodiversity, potential impact on

health and wellbeing, and potential issues around flooding, air quality and urban ‘heat island’ effects.

Proposals have been developed to demonstrate the benefits of GI in addressing global challenges of the Covid pandemic, high street decline, EU exit, climate change impacts and citizen health and wellbeing.

The Going Green Masterplan received £50,000 funding from Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP).

Michele Wilby, CEO of Colmore BID, said: “Improving sustainability and ‘greening’ the district has been an objective of the BID since its first term.

“We have delivered a number of improvements to the public realm over the years, including the creation of Church Street Square, Colmore Square, our parklets and more recently, work on Cornwall Street and Colmore Row itself.

“The benefits of greening the City Core are many and varied – from improving environmental

Top: Going Green: ‘Queensway’ life belt urban park Inset: Going Green: City’s networking opportunities - existing green open spaces (dark green) with proposed spaces and links.

issues like air quality and overheating, to encouraging footfall and dwell time in the area. With the research conducted by our delivery partners, we have been able to develop a greening wish list of the various possibilities that can be implemented.

“The document is not a list of what we are delivering, but more of what could be delivered across the city with appropriate support.”

To view the masterplan, visit: colmorebusinessdistrict.com/proje cts/going-green-masterplan

App duo pledge to empower retailers Voilo, the business payments app, has pledged to revolutionise transactions by giving SMEs and charities a streamlined, secure and cost-effective way of accepting cashless payments, while saving up to 90 per cent on every transaction.

Voilo was founded by the young entrepreneurial duo Ronan Hynes and Ravi Ranjan. One of them born and raised in Birmingham, the other relocating to the city from the small Indian town of Gaya in 2019, the pair

App entrepreneurs: Ronan Hynes and Ravi Ranjan

came together to create an app that would help bring the UK high street back to life by giving local shops digital power and outreach.

Studies from NatWest have shown that only 20 per cent of British businesses regard themselves as ‘tech savvy’ – even though those organisations who embrace digital transformation are 2.5 times more likely to see their revenues grow 20 per cent or more.

Furthermore, it has been found that 40 per cent of micro-businesses don’t accept any type of card payments, despite accounting for 60 per cent of the UK’s employment and half of its financial turnover. Thus, smaller businesses are at risk of falling behind.

Building on Ronan’s experience in app development, a degree in Computer Science and front-end development with professional services agency GuyKat, in addition to Ravi’s experience as an IT product manager for employee reward platform Xoxoday and an MBA from Aston University, the duo sought to bridge this apparent tech gap for retailers.

Voilo is designed to ease transactions between companies, clients and customers through the use of QR code technology.

Co-founder Ronan Hynes said: “Technology should be accessible for all. Voilo exists not only to attract new customers to local independents, but to retain them as proactive members of the community and encourage sustainable, local economic growth."

Voilo has won a number of awards, including ‘New Business of the Year’ at Birmingham Live Business Awards, ‘Company of the Year’ at the Midlands Service Awards and ‘Highly Commended’ at the Signature Awards.

Visit: voilo.co.uk

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Technology

Potential danger of NFTs A financial expert has urged caution about the volatile nature and unpredictability around the growing phenomenon of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Glen Callow, managing director of Prime Wealth – the financial planning arm of Prime Accountants Group – says it is vital to consider the risks surrounding digital tokens, cryptocurrencies and blockchainbased business models before investing.

Bitcoin, the original cryptocurrency, have growth astronomically over the last decade and have experienced major selloffs at various points in between.

The value of other cryptocurrencies such as Dogecoin have also risen and fallen even more sharply, often based just on Elon Musk’s tweets.

Similarly, NFTs are assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold, but which have no tangible form of their own.

Glen said this volatility, coupled with the lack of intervention of a trusted third party like a central bank or financial institution, means Prime

could not presently recommend them as a viable investment in good conscience.

He said: “Financial planners in the UK tend to avoid these assets due to the fact it is highly speculative in its nature with zero investor protections.

“The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) itself has said those who invest in cryptocurrency should be prepared to lose all their money.

“In reality, the recent craze around NFTs have created potential asset bubbles which are yet to prove if they have any intrinsic worth.”

While Prime Wealth has had some clients who have successfully invested in cryptocurrencies, Glen would still strongly advise that those wishing to participate in this market, should do so only with money they can afford to lose.

Glen added: “At present, investing in digital assets is more akin to gambling or speculation than investing.

“Often the only thing investors really understand about their crypto-assets is that they have gone up or gone down in value.”

Glen Callow: Investing in cryptoassets is a gamble

Boot Camp graduates land teaching jobs at university Two students who completed the University of Birmingham Coding Boot Camp have secured roles as coding tutors at the university, alongside software engineer roles.

The University of Birmingham launched its popular Boot Camps in 2019 and has welcomed more than 200 students to an intensive 24-week Data Analytics and Coding courses.

After completing the Boot Camp, Natasha Mann is now an online tutor for the university, teaching high-demand technological frameworks - including HTML, CSS and JavaScript - to students.

Natasha has also landed a fulltime role as a software developer at technology agency, AND Digital.

Dominika Pietrzak has taken on the role of both tutor and grader for the university, preparing and delivering workshops to aid students’ understanding of vital coding concepts and frameworks.

Dominika also works full time as a software engineer at international media publication, The Economist.

This is a role she was able to secure after graduating from the University of Birmingham’s Coding Boot Camp.

Dominika Pietrzak

Natasha Mann

Natasha said: “Not only did the course provide me with the technical skills I needed to pass through vigorous recruitment processes for developer roles, I was also able to grow my network of contacts in the industry through the university's growing network of partner employers with the help of the incredible course instructors.

“The more you put in, the more value you get out of it, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone looking to move into the tech industry.”

Dominika Pietrzak, added: “Most Master’s degrees can take anywhere from two to three years, which is why the intensive Boot Camp was really attractive to me.

“In just 24 weeks, I developed a strong understanding of how to write efficient and readable code.”

Working with the West Midlands Combined Authority, the University of Birmingham will offer 200 scholarships a year, over three years, of £4,000 each available as ‘Women in Tech’ or ‘Diversity in Tech’ awards.

Sector Focus Repair firm gets technical A furniture repair business has selected a new workforce management software system to optimise its services.

Ecomaster Commercial will use Fast Lean Smart (FLS), a provider of scheduling and mobile workforce management software, for scheduling and route planning across its retail furniture repair service and projectbased refurbishments.

Operating across the UK and Ireland, Ecomaster has two main business functions.

Its furniture repair and restoration services providing home appointments and warranty services for retailers such as John Lewis and IKEA.

‘Our previous operating system faced challenges in supporting our growth’ The commercial division performs project-based refurbishments - planned internal building works such as flooring, electrics, plumbing and redecoration for companies including McDonald’s and David Lloyd.

FLS will provide cost-led appointment booking, realtime scheduling and route optimisation technology, which will allow Ecomaster to respond more intuitively to appointment requests.

The scheduling system will support Ecomaster’s technicians and planning team with AI-powered tools including geo-location, timeof-day driving speeds and skills data – all computed into appointment windows.

Paul Gresty, managing director of Ecomaster, said: “Our previous operating system faced challenges in supporting our growth, and particularly in managing our larger commercial projectbased work.

“FLS gave us confidence their software could provide the automation and intelligent but easy to use features we required.”

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Sector Focus

Legal

Exciting move: James Tait (left) with James Howarth, managing director of Sterling Property Ventures

Helen Bowns: Unmarried homeowners are at risk of losing out

Unmarried couples at risk Unmarried couples do not share the same legal rights as those who are wedlocked – yet two in three people who are looking to buy a house aren’t aware of the rules.

That’s according to new research by Birmingham law firm Shakespeare Martineau.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of those surveyed incorrectly believe a common law spouse exists, with a further 20 per cent unsure of the difference in rights. This means 67 per cent of homeowners are at risk of losing out on what is rightfully theirs.

On behalf of Shakespeare Martineau, Censuswide surveyed more than 500 first and secondtime buyers who are planning to purchase a property within the next 12 months.

Helen Bowns, family partner at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Regardless of what people read or hear, there is no such thing as a common law spouse. Unmarried couples who live together are merely cohabitees and do not have the same rights as married or civil partnered couples. In the event of a relationship breakdown, the less well-off party is at risk as they will not be able to make a claim for either maintenance, capital or pension provision.

“They can only claim their share of joint property and money, but anything held in the sole name of the other party is theirs to keep.”

Of those who were surveyed, men were more likely to both obtain legal advice before moving in with their partner and make a cohabitee agreement during a house purchase (72 per cent of men compared to 65 per cent of women).

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Browne Jacobson move into city centre The Birmingham team at a national law firm has become the latest to sign up for space in a new 26storey city centre office development.

Browne Jacobson – whose head of Birmingham office is Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce president James Tait - has signed a 10-year lease on 12,146 sq ft on the 15th floor of 103 Colmore Row. The firm’s 185-strong team will relocate the short distance from its current home at Victoria Square House.

Mr Tait said: “Birmingham has undergone a major transformation in recent years and, with the Commonwealth Games just around the corner, there is a palpable buzz in the city.

“Against this backdrop, we are thrilled to announce our move to 103 Colmore Row." The law firm is the latest in a string of professional services companies to sign terms at the building at the

corner with Newhall Street which is being developed by joint venture team Sterling Property Ventures and Tristan Capital Partners.

‘Birmingham has undergone a major transformation in recent years’ Among the others relocating to the building are risk management firm Gallagher, law firm Shoosmiths and flexible workspace operator x+why which is opening hubs across four separate floors as well as running a business membership club.

Restaurant group D&D London will have a sky bar and restaurant on the 24th floor and ground floor café.

The office space is being marketed by Colliers International, Cushman & Wakefield and Knight Frank and OBI Property advised Browne Jacobson on the deal.

Law firm welcomes new hires A Birmingham law firm has made two key hires to strengthen its immigration and charity teams.

Stone King has welcomed Sophie Levitt-Hughes to its immigration services team, where she will be responsible for supporting clients with all immigration issues from sponsorship to individual immigration matters.

And top-ranked charity lawyer Rosamund McCarthy Etherington has joined the firm as an equity partner.

Ms McCarthy Etherington spent more than 30 years at Bates Wells and will now join Stone King’s team of more than 50 charity lawyers.

Ms Levitt-Hughes, previously a solicitor at immigration law firm Fragoman, was welcomed to Stone King by head of the Immigration team, Julie Moktadir, who said: “We’re thrilled to have Sophie in the team.

“It’s an extremely busy time for us, with the aftermath of Covid and

Brexit impacting many of our clients and further changes to Right to Work checks on the horizon in April.”

Ms McCarthy Etherington, who is listed in the Legal 500 director’s Hall of Fame and has expertise in areas such as charity registrations, philanthropy and international foundations; governance and board

reviews, said: “It has always been a great privilege to support the incredible work of charities, trustees and philanthropists both nationally and internationally.

“I’m excited to continue assisting not-for-profit organisations to grow and thrive in what are very challenging times, alongside my new colleagues at Stone King.”

Rosamund McCarthy Etherington

Sophie Levitt-Hughes

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Legal

Sector Focus

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Sector Focus

Property

Birmingham Business Park: Out-of-town office boom

Record letting at business park The largest letting in more than two decades has been agreed at Birmingham Business Park.

A total of 37,509 sq ft of Grade A office space has been snapped up by the government on a 10-year lease - marking the largest deal at the park in 22 years.

Real estate advisors Avison Young and Savills acted on behalf of Savills Investment Management to negotiate the deal for the two

self-contained Grade A office buildings -one at 22,235 sq ft and the other 15,274 sq ft.

Adrian Griffith, principal and head of Birmingham office Agency at Avison Young, said: “This sizable deal at Birmingham Business Park is a real post-Covid success story being the largest since 2000 highlighting the strength and resilience of the region’s office market.

“It demonstrates the confidence in Birmingham’s out-of-town market and once again reaffirms the Government’s commitment to the city and region.

“After a strong ending to 2021, Birmingham’s out-of-town market is rallying, and landmark deals like this highlight just how the market is once again improving.

“The fact that we have stand out sites like Birmingham Business Park

is helping to draw businesses back to the workplace, and with its scale, quality and track record, provides a compelling offer for government departments.”

Birmingham Business Park is located off Junction 6 of the M42 and Junction 4 of M6.

It is home to 150 businesses including Rolls Royce, IMI, Fujitsu and GKN employing over 7,000 members of staff.

Burley Browne launches new division An ambitious property consultancy has opened the door to an exciting new phase in its growth with the launch of a division focusing on land and new homes.

Burley Browne Residential – part of Sutton Coldfield-headquartered

Burley Browne - will work with property developers throughout the development process, from sourcing land to marketing new homes schemes.

The company has also appointed Nicola Allen as residential sales manager for land and new homes.

A new phase: Nicola Allen (centre) with joint managing directors David Hemming and James Merrick

66 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Nicola has more than 27 years’ experience in the residential sector, working with national and regional developers including Bloor Homes, Avant Homes, St Modwen Homes and Cameron Homes.

Burley Browne joint managing director David Hemming said: “The

creation of Burley Browne Residential means we now have a new homes division that can work alongside a developer client, from helping them to first identify and acquire suitable development sites, all the way through to marketing the new homes to potential buyers.

“Equally, where a scheme includes a commercial element such as a parade of shops, we have the in-house expertise to advise.”

Services provided by Burley Browne Residential include reaching potential buyers through a slick and stress-free sales process by creating marketing materials, meeting customers on site, and carrying out completion handovers.

It will also match landowners looking to sell to interested developers, provide advice on the sale of land for development purposes, and offer site-finding expertise for those looking for an investment opportunity.

Nicola said: “As a land and new homes specialist, I will be supporting new and current developer clients in terms of their build program, specification of the homes, working with their lawyers, through to sales and marketing.

“We want to create an exciting customer journey for potential buyers and the only way we can do this is to really know the product.”

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Property

Sector Focus

Siddall Jones named region’s top dealmaker

Ed Siddall-Jones: Outstanding result

A commercial property agent has been named as the West Midlands’ top dealmaker.

Birmingham-based Siddall Jones handled almost double the number of deals of its nearest rival in the annual EG Radius On-Demand Rankings.

The firm, founded by Ed SiddallJones in 2012, notched up 156 deals including sales and letting – on average three a week – in 2021.

Siddall Jones has two offices covering the region – at The Mint in Icknield Street, Birmingham, and King Charles House at Castle Hill, Dudley.

Managing director Ed SiddallJones said: “When Covid hit, we just knuckled down and got on with it.

We have a young, energetic team who share an enthusiasm for commercial property and getting deals done for our clients.

“They all share in what is an outstanding result for us against all the big firms in the city and nationally.

“As well as deals done, we have also seen a significant increase in our management portfolio, including Whitehall House, the former Mucklow plc headquarters, which we acquired for £2.6m and have been retained to manage.”

Mr Siddall-Jones also highlighted major deals throughout the year including a 160,000 sq ft sale of a freehold industrial unit in Stockport for £7.2 million, a 70,000 ft2 letting of a new build warehouse in Smethwick at £500,000 per annum, a 42,000 ft2 office sale in Erdington and the former Bogie Shed building off St Pauls Square for £1.6m.

These contributed to the total of 156 transactions.

Developers break ground at newest site Housing developer Living Space has started construction on a 4.45 acre development in Bedfordshire.

The 57 homes – located a mile from Houghton Regis Town centre - are being delivered to housing provider Stonewater for affordable rent and shared ownership.

Central Bedfordshire Council granted Solihull-based Living Space planning permission for the residential development, which has a construction value in excess of £10m.

Designed by Bristol-based Pad Design Ltd, the scheme will feature a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes, to suit single households and families of up to six people.

Paul Breen, managing director of Living Space said: “We are very pleased to have broken ground at this site, which is our third project with Stonewater since 2020.

“A significant number of local jobs will be created and safeg uarded as a result of the high-quality £10m construction programme.

“By working with our local supply chain and Stonewater to deliver these 57 purpose-designed affordable properties, we will be

helping to ensure Houghton Regis’ urban extension caters for all.”

The 57 detached, semidetached, and terraced homes at the Bedford Road site will be constructed in red and orange brick with occasional white render to the top floor.

‘All homes across the 3.4-acre site are being delivered for affordable rent and shared ownership’ Meanwhile, Living Space has handed the first tranche of 44 affordable homes over to Paradigm Housing Group at a £10m scheme in the Oxfordshire village of Milcombe.

All homes across the 3.4-acre site are being delivered for affordable rent and shared ownership.

A proportion are also being constructed to meet wheelchair adaptable Lifetime Home Standards.

The whole scheme is scheduled for completion by the end of August.

Handover: Ian Baggaley, assistant director of development delivery at Paradigm, with Living Space managing director Paul Breen at the Milcombe site

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Sector Focus

68 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Manufacturing

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Manufacturing

Sector Focus

Investment boost: Mireille Hamson (Clinical Research Manager CSSI), Ian Taylor (Salts Healthcare), Henrietta Brealey, Peter Salt, Robert Salt and Angie Perrin (Salts Academy clinical education lead) tour the new facilities

Salts invests in research facilities Family-owned company Salts Healthcare has a £2m investment in new research and education facilities as it continues to grow in its fourth century of operation.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce chief executive Henrietta Brealey joined academics and healthcare professionals for a preview of the Salts Academy and Central Skin Sciences Institute ahead of the official opening.

The Salts Academy is a dedicated facility providing educational courses up to and including masters level for

healthcare professionals specialising in stoma care.

Founded in 2012, it is the only one of its kind in the UK. Salts has now created a purposebuilt space including a lecture theatre, library and clinical skills room for specialist nurses to visit and further their knowledge, skills and understanding of stoma care.

The Salts Academy has partnered with De Montfort University for 10 years, and more recently Birmingham City University, providing stoma care education for healthcare

professionals and other healthcare workers in the form of workshops, study days and courses leading to qualifications at degree and masters level.

The Central Skin Sciences Institute (CSSI) is a new purposebuilt facility that will generate scientific data through research and testing to advance knowledge in the area of skin health and skin adhesives.

These new insights and understanding of skin health will have numerous benefits for people living with a stoma, manufacturers,

and medical professionals.

From improving medical provision to driving innovation in the development of medical adhesives, the knowledge will ultimately help enhance the quality of life for people living with a stoma.

Founded in 1701, Aston based Salts Healthcare designs and manufactures products for people living with a stoma.

The business is run by brothers Peter and Robert Salt, who are the tenth generation of the Salt family to be at the helm.

Jaguar Land Rover sets emissions targets Jaguar Land Rover has vowed to make a 46 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions across its operations by 2030.

The automotive said it will also cut average vehicle emissions by 54 per cent, including a 60 per cent reduction throughout the use phase of its vehicles.

The goals are approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and will set the company on the way to achieving a 1.5°C emissions reduction, in line with the Paris Agreement. To achieve its targets, the company says it will decarbonise across design and materials, manufacturing operations, supply chain, electrification, battery strategy, circular economy processes and up to end-of-life treatment.

To support its mission, JLR has introduced the new role of Sustainability director, appointing Rossella Cardone to drive its transformation and support François Dossa, executive director for Strategy and Sustainability.

Rossella Cardone said: “As we move from climate ambition into action, we are now embedding sustainability into the Jaguar Land Rover DNA to minimise our carbon footprint across our value chain.

“Science-based targets tell us how much and how quickly we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as well as keeping stakeholders informed about our progress.”

Alberto Carrillo Pineda, managing director, Science Based Targets at CDP, one of the Science Based Targets initiative partners, said: “We congratulate Jaguar Land Rover on setting science-based targets consistent with limiting warming to 1.5C, the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement.”

Going green: JLR has reaffirmed its commitment to cutting greenhouse gas emissions May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 69

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Sector Focus

Sport

The Business of Sport Recycled Bears shirt unmuzzled Birmingham Bears have unveiled a striking new shirt for the Vitality Blast - inspired by a local graffiti artist and made using a sustainable material derived from coffee beans.

The new T20 shirt – which will be worn for the next two seasons incorporates the traditional yellow and navy intertwined with an electric blue swash.

It was inspired by a piece of graffiti at Edgbaston created by David ‘Panda’ Brown.

The artwork and shirt, made by PlayerLayer and featuring lead partner Talbots Law, forms part of the Unmuzzled campaign, which encourages players, staff and fans to be bold and brave both on and off-the-field.

As part of the Bears’ commitment to becoming more sustainable, the playing shirts are eco-friendly, made from a mixture of coffee beans and recycled polyester material.

The replica shirts are a made from the recycled polyester mix.

The shirt was unveiled with Bears captain Carlos Brathwaite,

Bold and brave: Bears captain Carlos Brathwaite sports the new shirt

spinner Jake Lintott, batter Sam Hain and all-rounder Dan Mousley, alongside students on the Edgbaston-based Cricket Education Programme with Sandwell College and Edgbaston Foundation volunteer Joel Hales-Waller.

Delegates welcomed ahead of the Games

Warm welcome: Games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir poses with Birmingham 2022 mascot Perry The Bull.

70 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

Chris Airey, head of marketing and brand, said: “From the artwork, we feel we’ve created one of the most striking shirts in our 20-year T20 history. There is a bold new colour scheme, we’ve gone for a round-neck collar and, most

importantly, it is made from a new sustainable material, which we are passionate about and believe is the first of its kind in cricket.

“We can’t wait to see captain Carlos, the team and fans kitted out in it this summer.”

More than 90 delegates representing 58 Commonwealth nations and territories have visited the West Midlands as part of their preparations for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The delegates who represented nations and territories from all six regions of the Commonwealth, were able to tour venues, visit villages and meet with key members of staff from Birmingham 2022 and the Commonwealth Games Federation, to discuss important topics such as sport, village accommodation, accreditation, ceremonies and transport.

Included in the four-day visit was a visit of the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre which will host swimming, Para swimming and diving at the Games, and the newly transformed Alexander Stadium, which will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the athletics and Para athletics events.

The delegates were also taken to three campus villages for the Games at the University of Warwick, the NEC and the University of Birmingham.

The latter two sites are also locations for competition venues and training venues.

Commonwealth Games Federation CEO, Katie Sadleir, said: “After such a difficult period that has prevented us from travelling and being together, the open days have made the 2022 Commonwealth Games feel that bit closer.

“I know all of the CGAs have been impressed with preparations for Birmingham 2022 and alongside our 72 nations and territories, we will deliver an event that will showcase the very best of the city, the country, and the Commonwealth.”

Meanwhile, Birmingham 2022 has announced two more sponsors.

FGH Security will provide stewarding services at Games venues including Cannock Chase, Sutton Park, University of Birmingham, Smithfield, West Park in Wolverhampton and St Nicholas Park in Warwick.

RE:ACT, an official military veteran provider for Birmingham 2022, will be deploying 500 Games Responders across four venues.

The RE:ACT Games Responders will consist predominately of military veterans and emergency service personnel, bringing their skills in public engagement to support the security workforce.

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Member Profile

Member Section

Chamber Insight Focus on a member

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.

Name: Daniella Genas

• We have access to over 25 million CV’s Nationwide with all skills covered from SIA Security to Care Workers (all levels) to industrial.

Company: She’s the Boss International

• We have access to all the premium job boards – all part of our service.

Job Title: Founder and business growth strategist

What does your company do?

We support ambitious entrepreneurs to build and grow profitable systems-driven businesses that are not owner reliant. We combine consultancy, coaching and training to transform client’s businesses. We have a proven track record of helping our clients achieve major business growth.

How did it all start?

I started my first business in 2007 and was forced to sell it in 2015. I had many successes but also made many mistakes. I launched She’s the Boss to help other business owners avoid making the same mistakes that I did.

What’s your greatest achievement so far?

Losing it all, bouncing back and rebuilding. The loss of my first business was incredibly impactful.

But I didn’t give up. I have managed to build another successful business which is having a positive impact on hundreds of other businesses.

What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken – and did it work out?

I have taken many risks, but they are always strategic. Launching She’s the Boss while doing my MBA, with a brand new baby, was risky. People told me not to, but I’ve proven them wrong, as it worked out.

What keeps you awake at night?

Big dreams! I think about the growth of my business, strategies I need to implement and the impact I want to make. I think about the vision I have for my life and all of the people I will help.

If you could turn the clock back, what would you do differently?

I don’t believe in regrets.

Everything that I did or didn’t do has led me to this exact point. I am very happy with my life currently and changing things in the past would change where I am today.

What has surprised you most in your job?

That irrespective of sector, the vast majority of small businesses have the exact same problems.

• 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

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Have a clear plan on where you are trying to get to. Being clear on your destination will help to keep you focused and motivated.

Which business do you most admire?

I really admire my clients Niyo Enterprise. They are a fantastic business making social impact while achieving significant growth.

They have worked really hard and embody Big Thinking, which is something I am passionate about.

What exciting projects is your business working on?

We are currently working on several projects which we are hoping to launch before the end of the year. This includes an online platform, a product range and software.

What made you join Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and how are you making use of your membership?

I joined primarily to help build my network. I am not always the best at networking and felt that the Chambers would be a great, safe environment to build up my networking muscle.

Call: 07751106078

May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 71

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Member Section

New Members

New Members Your guide to new sign-ups 2 Man Home Delivery Limited Freight transport by road Simon Bellinger 01889 597744 www.2mhd.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

CleanCo 'The Builders Clean Specialists' General cleaning of buildings Jessica-tyne Gibbs 0121 443 2657 www.cleancotbcs.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Adventure Graphics Advertising agencies Warwick Kay 0121 354 1010 www.adventuregraphics.co.uk Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Associated Telecom Other telecommunications activities James Bustin 0330 053 5533 www.associated-telecom.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Babb Shoots It Photographic activities not elsewhere classified Laura Babb www.babbshootsit.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Blake Ellis - Independent Financial Adviser Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Blake Ellis 07929 665228 Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Broadway Casino Gambling and betting activities Denis Dowling 0121 456 5557 www.broadwaycasino.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

CXP Consulting Ltd Management consultancy activities other than financial management Claire Claxton 07539 781293 www.claireclaxtoncoaching.com Burton and District Chamber of Commerce

Cybernetics Soteria Ltd Information technology consultancy activities Bernard Giltrap cyberneticssoteria.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Desicity Other retail sale not in stores, stalls or markets Tarnbir Athwal 0800 3213439 www.DesiCity.com Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Dr Homer Divorce Coaching Other education n.e.c.

Lucinda Homer drhomer-divorce-coaching.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Dua Governance Accounting and auditing activities Nasir Rafiq 0121 448 0070 www.duagovernance.com Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Whatever your business size and requirements, the Chamber has a membership scale to suit your needs.

For more information visit: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/membership

Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotels and similar accommodation Angela Sanders 0121 780 4242 www.hilton.com/birmingham metropole Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Interlink Design & Display Other manufacturing n.e.c.

Joanne Manton-Armstrong 01675 467870 www.interlinkdesign.co.uk

SJWC Group Ltd Other service activities n.e.c.

Hieu Tran 01212276276 www.sjwcgroup.com Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Steven Hale Hearing Retail sale of hearing aids Steven Hale 0121 308 2550 www.stevenhalehearing.co.uk Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Invictus Communications Ltd Other telecommunications activities Jonny McPhee 01332 947 827 www.invictuscomms.com Burton and District Chamber of Commerce

Kilby Packaging Manufacture of other paper and paperboard containers Lynn Kilby 01564 823176 www.kilby.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Little Diva Hairdressing and other beauty treatment Aman Bahra 07495 345734 www.littledivabirmingham.com Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Streets Chartered Accountants Activities of financial services holding companies Sarah Williams 01212 710 101 www.streetsweb.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

The Oakley Partnership General medical practice activities an Spare 0121 308 8876 www.topmedicalpractice.co.uk Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Village Funding Solutions Activities of mortgage finance companies Mark Meads 0121 445 1227 www.villagefinancial.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Williams Gordon FM Combined facilities support activities Darren Williams 07734910546 Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

CapEx Tax Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Fraser Powell 0121 272 0801 www.capextax.com

Embley Business Units Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate Mark Embley 07793 988512 www.embleybusinessunits.com

Paradigm Wills and Legal Services Ltd Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Jay Parmar 0800 9997750 www.paradigm-wills.com

Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Central Schools Trust Primary education Howard Rose BEM 07989 515252 centralschoolstrust.co.uk

Eurofridge UK Ltd Manufacture of other food products n.e.c.

Sherin Shibu 01902 302104 eurofridge.co.uk

RepairEco Ltd Other building completion and finishing Sunni Kaur 07773784453 www.repaireco.co.uk

Wytech Limited Business and domestic software development Jon Cowley 01335 670 007 www.wytech.co.uk

Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Chapman and Lewis Commercial Ltd T/A Futura Business Finance Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified Joanne Chapman 07380 811550 www.futurabusinessfinance.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce 72 CHAMBERLINK May 2022

WPA Healthcare Life insurance Rohan Sandhu 07478 678300 www.wpa.org.uk/jeevansandhu

Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Burton and District Chamber of Commerce

George Bain Consulting Management consultancy activities other than financial management George Bain 07795451725 www.georgebainconsulting.co.uk

Santander UK Banks Emilia Jozefowicz 08009123123 santander.co.uk

ZM Mortgage Services Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified Zi Mirza 07876622259

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

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New Members

Member Section

May 2022 CHAMBERLINK 73

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Member Section

...any other business A roundup of news from Chamber members

Charity snap: A fan takes a picture of one of the Peaky Blinders’ mural for raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital

Charity art installation is a blinder The Peaky Blinders are back on the streets of Birmingham thanks to a show-stopping new art installation.

Their triumphant return to the city that inspired the hit TV series is set to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

A 50-metre mural has been created from original oil paintings featuring the notorious gang, transforming a blank concrete wall outside New Street Station in Hill Street.

All the main stars of the smash hit drama, which was created by Birmingham-born writer Steven Knight, appear on the three-metre-high mural – including head of the family Thomas Shelby and Aunt Polly, who was played by the late actress Helen McCrory.

Steven Knight says: “I hope people will come from far and wide to take their photos and help such a deserving Birmingham cause. From now on in Brum, every blank wall should be seen as an opportunity for art.”

The artist responsible is Jon Jones.

Birmingham born and bred, he has long been

fascinated with the city’s history, and previously worked with the West Midlands Police Museum to explore the criminal underworld of 19th century Birmingham.

With the help of a curator, Jones used archival materials, including police records and mug shots, to weave elements of fact and fiction.

The artist, whose work has prompted sell-out shows and appeared at the National Portrait Gallery and Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, says: “I love this city and I am proud to be a Brummie.I have had some amazing moments as an artist but to have my work exhibited on the streets of Birmingham, where it will be seen by so many people, leaves me speechless. Especially as the paintings are based on characters by the unbelievably talented and creative Steven Knight, a fellow proud Birmingham lad who has put Birmingham on the map.

“It also fills me with immense pride that it will raise money for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. An institution that helps and supports so many families in our city.”

Jon Jones is represented by Castle Fine Art, who produced and installed the mural.

The gallery group was founded in the West Midlands over 25 years ago and has nearly 40 galleries across the UK, including the city’s own Mailbox and ICC. Castle Fine Art has pledged to donate £1 for every image of the wall posted on social media tagging @castlegalleries and #Brum4BCH with instructions on the installation encouraging visitors to snap, tag, post and donate.

Ian Weatherby-Blythe, group managing director from Castle Fine Art, said: “It is with pride and pleasure that we bring this art installation to the city of Birmingham, at once showcasing the work of local artist Jon Jones and raising money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.”

Helen Miles, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, says: “We’re incredibly thankful to our great friends at Castle Fine Art and Central BID Birmingham for supporting us in this unique way.”

Owl showpiece flies off with industry award Live events caterer Amadeus is celebrating after one of its chefs received his 25th industry award at the International Salon Culinaire.

Scott O’Hara, deputy head chef at the ICC in Birmingham, scooped gold in the Sugarcraft Showpiece category, with judges praising his striking owl design for its visual impact and wow factor.

The piece, made entirely from sugar dough, took nine weeks to construct at Scott’s base in Birmingham, before travelling to London for the event.

Scott said: “I’m thrilled to have been awarded gold at the International Salon Culinaire. It is an honour to be recognised at such a prestigious event, one which showcases some of the best culinary talent.

“To have brought home a quarter-century of awards for the ICC in Birmingham gives me real pride and I think my owl sugarcraft design may be my favourite yet. It was a real labour of love, taking around nine weeks to design from start to finish.

“I joined the ICC in 1991, working there for 10 years before re-joining in 2019. Both Amadeus and the venue really recognised by flair as an artist, something which I missed in my time away from the business, giving me the tools to develop my skills and hone my passion.”

The sugarcraft section at International Salon Culinaire involved a range of competitions including showpieces, floral arrangements, wedding cakes, novelty cakes and team collaborations, with all exhibits being displayed throughout the three-day show at ExCeL London.

The competition requirements meant Scott’s design had to be larger than 40cms in height and width, with no external supports or non-edible decoration being permitted.

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Happy landings: Scott O’Hara with his award-winning owl

Scott added: “We’re going to be using the owl as a centrepiece at the ICC, but I want to try and incorporate a hatch with shelves in the bark section of the design to help serve cakes and sweet treats.”

Amadeus, as part of the NEC Group, caters for seven million visitors a year at the NEC Group’s five world-class venues and more than 30 venues across the UK.

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