11 minute read
President & People
I begin this column by saying how honoured I was that my Presidency of the Chamber will run until December 2023, and I will be the first President in the Chamber’s history to serve a three-year term.
From the start of my term, I have said that I will endeavour to support and promote not only local businesses of every size, but also assist my Chamber colleagues to the best of my ability.
To this end, I fully support the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber, and indeed the British Chambers of Commerce, call to the Government to do more to help businesses and individuals to combat the ever-increasing costs that continue to spiral at an alarming rate.
The Government need to take action and they need to do it sooner rather than later! However, if you need some light relief from all the bad news that seems to fill our TV screens and our daily newspapers, I can thoroughly recommend heading to the very latest attraction in Coventry, it is called The Reel Store, located next to the Telegraph Hotel, it is truly amazing.
As a Chamber of Commerce, we have supported Coventry’s year as a UK City of Culture right from the bid stage as a bid sponsor, so we are both proud and delighted to be a founding partner of The Reel Store, the UK’s first permanent immersive digital gallery.
It will undoubtedly attract visitors from all over the country and indeed the world, which will be of huge benefit for the regional economy. Coventry’s year in the spotlight may now be drawing to a close but the Chamber will continue to support the longterm legacy, on what has been an amazing year for the whole region; despite the pandemic!
The recent weekend of events – stretching from Friday through to Sunday – that saw a feast of colour, sound and action across the city centre was a fitting celebration of everything that Coventry City of Culture has brought to the region. The drone show, on the Sunday evening, will live long in the memory and you could feel the pride and emotion coming through, even in the days after such a spectacular event.
Talking of spectacular, please don’t forget the “Sanctuary” event at The Miners’ Welfare park in Bedworth, where at sunset on Saturday, May 28, a unique and intricate structure will be ceremonially set alight, offering a moment to remember loved ones we may have lost during the Covid-19 pandemic and hopefully marking the rebirth, recovery and regeneration of the whole community.
Of course, recovery and regeneration will always feature strongly in the Chamber’s ethos and I was pleased to welcome a large delegation of manufacturing and technical innovative companies from Germany, where I also had the opportunity to discuss issues in-depth with their German Minister for Industry and Science.
It was refreshing to hear a Minister who clearly not only had a lot of technical knowledge but also a background in the manufacturing sector, so as a consequence fully understood the challenges we all face. It was also interesting to hear that our German counterparts face the same problems as us. And, of course, Brexit was discussed, although to be fair the Minister had some great ideas to develop trade between our two regions, if only he and I oversaw negotiations there would be far less red tape and paperwork!
Finally, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a fantastic up and coming bank holiday weekend as we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!
Destination Coventry makes four new appointments
Four new appointments have been made to bolster the oversight board of Coventry and Warwickshire’s newest destination management organisation (DMO).
Destination Coventry has expanded its oversight board, which is made up of public and private partners, bringing it to ten members.
Richard Harrison, managing director of No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM); Emma Harrabin, manager of Fargo Village; Dal Dhillon, managing director of Dhillon’s Brewery, and Laura Capraro, product development and distribution manager for VisitEngland have been named as the four new additions to the board.
Harrison heads of up the newly formed NOHM, which includes Coombe Abbey Hotel, St Mary’s Guildhall and a number of other venues in Coventry.
Dhillon’s award-winning micro-brewery was founded in 2015 and continues to grow, with a group of Dhillon’s pubs and bars opening across the city.
Harrabin leads a team of staff at FarGo Village which supports more than 40 independent creative businesses, manages multiple venues and programmes over 100 events per year.
Capraro will be representing the national tourism agency on the board. She supported Discover England Fund projects with their product development and is currently working with DMOs and TXGB on VisitEngland’s Escape the Everyday domestic campaign.
The four appointments join the existing six who have sat on the board since its formation in 2021.
Paul Michael, chairman of the Destination Coventry oversight board, said: “We’re very proud of the oversight board we’ve assembled, and we feel it offers fantastic representation across the region’s tourism, leisure and hospitality sector.
“We have two distinct brands, Conference Coventry and Warwickshire and Visit Coventry, so it’s important that our board is able to advise on the direction of each brand.
“Richard, Dal, Emma and Laura bring their expertise to an already very strong board of industry experts.”
For more information visit www.destinationcoventry.co.uk
Paul Michael, chairman of the Destination Coventry oversight board
As part of its ambitious growth strategy, law firm Shakespeare Martineau has appointed corporate partner Michael Stace.
With more than 25 years’ qualified experience, Michael joins the firm from Browne Jacobson, where he was head of the firm’s Birmingham office.
Specialising in corporate finance, Michael advises public and private companies, individuals and institutions on domestic and international M&A, private equity investments, restructurings, joint ventures and partnership matters.
Shakespeare Martineau
appoints Birmingham corporate partner
Michael, who will be based at Shakespeare Martineau’s Birmingham hub, said: “I’m thrilled to have joined such a forward-thinking and ambitious firm at such an exciting time. I’ve been impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of those within the business, and I’m looking forward to helping the Birmingham corporate team build upon and cement its presence and reputation in the local market.”
Michael qualified in 1995 while at Cole & Cole – which, subsequently, became Morgan Cole and then Blake Morgan – and became a partner in 2004. He was head of corporate at the firm for four years, as well as an executive board member for three years, before joining Browne Jacobson in 2017.
Recently, Michael has acted for the founders and management in connection with the Westbridge-backed management buyout of Smart Capital Technology, as well as for NorthEdge on its acquisition of the global marketing services and consultancy firm ICP.
He said: “I really enjoy helping key decision-makers deliver on their business strategies and balancing risk and commercial objectives. I’m excited to begin working with the Birmingham corporate team to strengthen its community ties and expand the firm’s client base in the West Midlands.”
Victoria Tester, partner and managing director of life and business at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “There’s a lot of opportunity in the corporate market across the whole of the Midlands and beyond. With a wealth of experience and a strong local reputation, Michael’s appointment consolidates our commitment to providing clients with top-quality consultancy from the very best legal minds that Birmingham has to offer.”
Glued consultancy partner appointed to FSB England Policy Unit
Rob Harrison, director at Glued based near Alcester, Coventry and in Leamington Spa, has been appointed to the FSB England Policy Unit.
The appointments are voluntary, with the aim to help shape policy plans across all English regions and flag up issues from those regions.
Rob’s recent appointment plays to his strengths as a director and successful business owner. He runs and supports a plethora of diverse creatives and entrepreneurs across the region, which is especially important in view of the recent challenges businesses face in and after the pandemic.
Glued specialises in research, design and marketing. Rob said: “I’m delighted to have been selected for the role and I’m determined to support businesses in their efforts to become more robust and successful across the region. I have significant experience of working with business owners across various sectors locally and regionally so I very much welcome the opportunity to dig deeper and help influence change from a grassroots level.”
Law firm announces raft of
promotions
(l-r) Perveen Dhami, Gemma Macintyre, Anna Sutcliffe, Hollie Deacon, Luke Moulton, Carol O’Leary, Rebecca Crossfield, Georgia Wood, Sophie Wahba
A Midlands law firm has announced nine promotions across the business as part of growth plans to launch its new financial year.
Leamington-based Wright Hassall has appointed two new partners, a legal director, a senior associate, two associates, two senior paralegals and a probate caseworker.
Carol O’Leary (conveyancing) and Luke Moulton (commercial litigation) have both been promoted to partner, while Anna Sutcliffe (contentious probate) becomes a legal director.
Wright Hassall’s property litigation team has seen Perveen Dhami appointed as senior associate, Hollie Deacon promoted to associate and Gemma Macintyre as senior paralegal.
Elsewhere, in the employment team, Sophie Wahba has been promoted to associate, while Georgia Wood has become senior paralegal & HR assistant. Rebecca Crossfield (private client) has also been promoted to the position of probate caseworker.
Phil Wilding, managing partner at Wright Hassall, said: “I’d like to extend my congratulations to all of those in our latest round of promotions.
“The continuing prosperity of the firm depends on recruiting and retaining talented lawyers and these latest promotions underpin our commitment to our staff’s career development.
“I’m pleased we’ve been able to recognise their contributions.”
New MD appointed at event management specialist Stadium
A leading national event management specialist based in the Midlands has appointed a new managing director to accelerate the firm’s UK expansion.
Carl Taylor will lead the UK operations of Stadium, which is headquartered on Bodmin Road, Coventry, but operates globally, and employs more than 1,000 staff.
He brings with him a wealth of experience having worked in the events industry for the past 18 years and will play a crucial role in Stadium’s involvement in the summer games.
He joins at a key time for the firm, which recently launched one of the biggest recruitment drives in its history with almost 300 jobs available in the West Midlands.
Carl said: “I’m delighted to be joining Stadium and working alongside such a respected team, which has developed an excellent reputation within the events industry.
“It is also a company which has seen a tremendous amount of growth in recent years, and I feel that ambition – and the core values of honesty and integrity – align perfectly with me.
“I’m looking forward to getting out there, meeting our clients, and getting on the ground with all of our teams.”
Carl, who is from Northampton, joins from OCS Group where he helped support preparations for the summer games.
Prior to that he was Head of Events at Carlisle Support Services, working alongside organisations including The All-England Club, Lord’s Cricket Group, and Cheltenham Racecourse.
Stadium Founder and Executive Chairman David McAtamney, who continues to lead their global operations, said: “It’s great to have someone of Carl’s experience on board.
“I have no doubt his industry knowledge and contacts will be a great asset for us and our clients, during what is already shaping up to be a busy year.”
Stadium was formed in 2009 and provides traffic management, event services and training, as well as rental of security barriers, the hiring of stewards and Security Industry Authority (SIA) security staff for events.
The firm supports events ranging from the Olympic Games to Premier League football matches, and sell-out concerts to high-profile conferences.
Glide Group makes senior appointment
Glide Group, a specialist in ultrafast broadband connectivity and bill splitting for utilities in student shared houses, has appointed Danny Wyrwoll as sales director of shared living.
Wyrwoll joins Glide with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the utility space having previously worked at SSE and Spark Energy selling to estate agents and commercial markets for over ten years. Over the course of his career, Wyrwoll has achieved several recognised sales training courses and national sales awards, including runner-up in the National Sales Person of the Year Awards in 2019.
In his new role at Glide, Wyrwoll’s main objective is to drive the sales activity in the estate agency and shared living space. The company hopes the appointment will supercharge the sales activities in this space.
Danny Wyrwoll said: “Glide is a company that has shown strong growth and progression over the last few years. Glide has a great brand, great product and a focus on the hard-to-reach markets that I’ve operated in over the last 10 or so years – so it’s a perfect fit!
Tim Pilcher, CEO of Glide Group, said: “We’re thrilled to have Danny join the Glide team during a challenging and volatile time within the utility industry. With an extensive background in the industry, Danny will add extraordinary knowledge and expertise. His appointment marks a significant step in our growth plans and objectives as a business.”
