Chamberlink Nov 21

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The official publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

CHAMBER November 2021

Free to Members l £5.00 where sold

LINK

Tickets to ride…

Bikers are free to roam Europe thanks to Chamber docs team - See page 5

PLUS: Discover Your Chamber - and how to be greater – Page 12

• Care centre crowned Solihull winners • Top chefs join VAT campaign • My pride, by departing president

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Contents Chamberlink November 2021 Business News

Sector Focus

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Editor’s View The support available for Chamber members

69 Business Travel: Tram expansion is nearing completion

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Business News Chamber helps bikers find fast track to Europe

70 Finance: Short-term planning hinders business growth

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President’s Focus Steve Allen, outgoing president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

73 Technology: Unexpected benefits of social media outage 74 Retail: Positivity ahead of Christmas

18 Where do you fancy?

Mojito Cartel Ltd 20 The Griffin Report James Tait, president of the Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce

76 Legal: Flexible working must work for everyone

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78 Property: Rates relief funds not paid out 81 Manufacturing: JLR trials tracing technology

Chamber Patrons

82 Sport: Sports facilities improved

42 Millennium Point sees surge in events demand

49 ABCC: Strengthening ties with India

1813 Club and Premier Members

51 Burton & District: Growth Hub figures show scale of delivered support

44 Why firms need to prove their green credentials

Chamber Group 46 International Trade: Opportunity to make connections in Dubai

50 Cannock Chase: Loan fund extended

Member Section

52 Lichfield & Tamworth: Digital agency delivers new branding

83 Member Profile Steve Whitmarsh, runyourfleet 84 New Members Chamber welcomes new members

53 Sutton Coldfield: BID seeks backing to continue work

86 …any other business News from Chamber businesses

54 Solihull: Care centre takes home top award 56 Future Faces: Why firms should adopt a culture of sustainability

Events 58 Solihull diner and awards in focus

Features 60 Business Banking & Finance: The use of management buyouts as a tax planning tool 62 M&A and investment landscape 64 Digital Media Services: Paid advertising – after cookies. What does it mean, and how does it impact you?

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66 Digital marketing for small businesses

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

CHAMBER LINK

The official publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Cannock Chase

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

Chamber of Commerce

Sutton Coldfield

Greater Birmingham

Chamber

Commonwealth

of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce

Greater Birmingham

Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce

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

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

November 2021 CHAMBERLINK 3

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Opinion

Editor’s View

By John Lamb

How the Chamber can help t is said that when you join any sort of club you need to put a little bit in to get something out of your membership.

I’ll leave it to our readers to decide whether that is true of Chamber membership but if you simply scratch the surface of this 208-year-old institution you will find a myriad of information, opportunities and camaraderie.

Throughout the Covid-19 crisis and many others, like the Napoleonic Wars which were still raging when the Chamber was founded in 1813, the Chamber has been a constant force for good no matter what political colours have been flying over Westminster, Birmingham City Council House and other Council Houses through the Greater Birmingham region.

In this issue we hope you will gain some clues to what a diverse organisation the Chamber is and that you only have to get in touch to immediately acquire a valuable extension and asset to your business.

Take our documentation team, for instance.

They have maintained a constant presence throughout the pandemic at our Edgbaston headquarters to ensure that any members and others had the correct paperwork to export goods and much more.

They are also a fabulous source of information and knowledge on all matters international, as discovered by the bikers featured on our front page. They have been helped by the docs team to overcome the new restrictions placed on their European touring programme because of Brexit.

But delve a little further into what makes the Chamber tick and you will find the heartbeat of staff dedicated to helping businesses of all shapes and sizes. Many companies have forged lasting contacts and friendships through Chamber staff that have opened up

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FRONT COVER: Tom Snow and his wife Ruth in the Pyrenees on their vintage Rudge Special - See page 5 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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opportunities they would never have thought possible. From my team’s point of view in Press and PR we are proud to have given regional and national media exposure to members through our extensive contacts.

This magazine can be seen by nearly 25,000 people across the region and its online sister ChamberlinkDaily reaches around 15,000 contacts every morning. Both are packed with news and views from across the Chamber’s 10 geographical and themed divisions.

Our live events programme is back and better than ever before - with awards ceremonies, networking opportunities, social meet-ups, professional development sessions and topical policy-led events bringing the business community together again. Our programme of webinars – one of many innovative additions to the Chamber’s services over the past 18 months – is continuing to thrive, allowing the GBCC and its network to be more far-reaching than ever.

The recently-launched Chapter Chat series under the umbrella of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce has already successfully connected West Midlands firms with those in Chicago and Texas.

There has never been a more important time for companies who do business overseas to be exploring new avenues through the Chamber’s international department, an invaluable one-stop hub for international traders.

I’ll leave the last word to our chief executive Henrietta Brealey when she says: “The Chamber has been the leading voice of business in Greater Birmingham since 1813 – but we are far more than just a membership organisation that lobbies for its members.”

• To find out how, turn to page 12

PRIVACY NOTICE: Kemps Publishing Ltd process personal information for certain legitimate interest purposes, which includes the following: • To provide postal copies of this publication to Chamber members and Kemps' customers; and • To offer marketing and promotional opportunities within this publication to Chamber members and prospects.

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

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

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Business News

Business News Latest news from Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

Chamber help bikers find fast track to Europe Motorbiking: Tom Snow and his wife Ruth in the Pyrenees on their vintage Rudge Special – the couple, from Hellingly, East Sussex, have taken out a carnet via the Chamber to go on a biking holiday in Europe with their friends

By Philip Parkin ritain’s bikers are making the most of the ending of lockdown – by invading Europe, thanks to Greater Birmingham Chambers.

The bikers are descending en masse at European racing events, and many are also taking the opportunity to tour the continent.

However, taking motorbikes abroad in the wake of Brexit is not without its problems – anyone doing so may require temporary export documentation to do it.

These documents are called carnets, and they are used for the tax-free temporary export of non-perishable items for up to a year.

So they are widely used to temporarily export commercial samples, exhibition goods or professional equipment to countries that are part of the ATA Carnet system, such as the European Union.

The carnets may also be required for the temporary export of a UK registered motor vehicle to these countries.

The Chamber has a special team which issues the carnets and in September processed a record number of them. Some 397 were issued, compared to around 40 in a pre-Brexit month.

Chamber documentation manager Dave Harris said that most of the carnets had gone to

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motorbike or car racing teams, or companies arranging motorbike tours.

The cost of the carnets includes an administration fee, but also a ‘premium’, which is based on the value of whatever is being temporarily being exported.

The ‘premium’ is either a refundable deposit of 40 per cent of the exported item’s value, or a

‘Some friends club together if they are taking say several bikes in the back of a van’ (non-refundable) insurance fee to cover this cost, again based on its value.

This could be quite expensive, given the high value of some of the vehicles which are being exported – for example, one of the documents issued by the Chamber was for a Lotus Evija ‘hypercar’ valued at a staggering £2m.

The premium for this would be a mindblowing £800,000 – but the owners of cars like these could opt for insurance route instead, although that is still going to cost from about £1,836 for a two-month premium, to £4,512 for a year’s premium.

However, the Chamber is helping out some of the British car and bike enthusiasts who are

being hit by these post-Brexit rules.

Last year, the organisation formed a partnership with UK motorsport body Motorsport UK, and its 60,000 members can take advantage of the Chamber’s expertise and advice at a discounted rate.

As for those who are not able to take advantage of this, Mr Harris said: “The Chamber is still here to help and we are happy to talk to anyone unsure about the temporary movement of goods.

“Some friends club together if they are taking say several bikes in the back of a van, but yes many are prepared to pay for the love of the sport.”

The Chamber is also assisting other membership and trade organisations whose members now need to use carnets, including those whose members are attending European exhibitions.

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Business News Export sales recovery stalls A survey of 2,600 UK exporters has revealed that the recovery in export sales largely stalled in the third quarter of the year.

The proportion of firms reporting increased sales rose only three points (to 30 per cent) from Q2 (27 per cent), whilst the proportion reporting decreased sales fell by two points (Q3:26 per cent/Q2: 28 per cent).

The balance of manufacturers reporting increased export sales was +7 per cent, down from +8 per cent in Q2, and for the service sector, firms saying export sales were up was +6 per cent, up from –7 per cent in Q2.

Respondents cited issues arising from the supply chain crisis, as well as Brexit related problems, as the main causes of difficulties with export sales.

Some said that they had ceased exporting to the EU altogether due to red tape and delays at borders. The surging cost of shipping was also cited, as well as the shortage of lorry drivers as impacting export sales.

William Bain, BCC head of trade policy, said: “This data must act as a warning to take export-boosting measures now.

More focus needs to be given to lowering business costs with trade partners and addressing non-tariff barriers, which present roadblocks to exports.

The government must also acknowledge the scale of the problem in shipping markets.”

Moor the merrier: How a future Moor Street station might look if proposed rail investment was put in place

Leaders back £2.3bn rail hub Business leaders from across Greater Birmingham have written to the Prime Minister calling for commitment to the Midlands Rail Hub - a transformational £2.3bn rail improvement scheme.

The letter, co-ordinated by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, has been signed by more than 80 businesses including professional services firms Mills & Reeve, Browne Jacobson and Geldards LLP, engineering consultancies Aecom, Kier and Mott Macdonald, and the NEC group.

Signatories state that an investment in the Midlands Rail Hub ‘is not only an investment in businesses,

‘Given the pressures of the last 18 months, it’s essential we get started now’ industry and our future success, but will also catalyse additional private sector investment.’

The letter adds: “Given the pressures of the last 18 months, it’s essential we get started now.”

It urges government to deliver on the 2019 Conservative Party Manifesto pledge, where it committed to kickstarting the Midlands Rail Hub and listed the scheme as a key transport priority.

The improvements made as part of the scheme would include the construction of two new rail links

into Birmingham Moor Street station, alongside upgrades to signalling and existing track.

These changes would create space for 20 additional trains to move into and out of central Birmingham every hour, from locations including Bromsgrove, Hereford, Worcester, Bristol, Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. It would also eventually accommodate new services on the Camp Hill line, expected to be popular with inner city commuters.

Businesses also highlighted the importance of the project’s impact on rail freight, with it due to create room for an additional one-million lorries’ worth of cargo to be moved by rail each year.

A decision on the future of the project is anticipated in government’s ‘Integrated Rail Plan’, which is due to be published this month.

Chamber chief executive Henrietta Brealey said: “The Midlands Rail Hub is an infrastructure project, alongside HS2, that will bring huge social, economic and environmental benefits to our region.

“By opening up access to a wider talent pool, encouraging cross-regional trade, and sparking wider investment, it will speed the region’s post-pandemic recovery and give us the room we need to make more sustainable transport choices.

“Government signalled its support for the project in its manifesto. It’s now time that we get on and deliver.”

Travel plan must engage with businesses A massive overhaul of transport in Birmingham city centre is planned to meet the challenges of the next decade.

The Birmingham Transport Plan 2031, based on a 2020 consultation includes limited access for private cars, with no through trips allowed.

The Chamber has now urged the council to ‘constructively engage’ with businesses that have been ‘rocked to the core’ by the pandemic and are only just embarking on the long road to recovery.

The plan is based around four key principles: • Reallocating road space – to support the delivery of public transport and active travel networks; • Transforming the city centre – via the creation of a network of pedestrianised streets and public spaces - integrated with public services and cycling infrastructure. Access to the city centre for private cars will be limited, with no through trips allowed. This includes looking at 6 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

different options for the central section of the A38 Queensway, including re-routing traffic to an upgraded A4540 Ring Road; • Prioritising active travel in local neighbourhoods - Walking, cycling and active travel will become the main priority for people making short journeys in their local neighbourhoods. A limit of 20mph will be standard on all local roads; • Managing demand through parking measures - Parking will be used as a means to manage demand for travel by car through availability, pricing and restrictions. Where development potential exists, land currently occupied by car parking will be put to more productive use.

The GBCC played an active role in consulting its members on the plans and submitted formal feedback to the Council in April 2020.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of the GBCC, said: “The changes proposed in the Council’s

Transport Plan are likely to lead to a huge overhaul of the way we move goods and people around the city.

“It’s clear that the importance of the sustainability agenda has gained even greater traction during the pandemic and our members recognise that action needs to be taken to reduce dangerously high levels of pollution.

“Let’s not forget that many businesses have been rocked to their core by the pandemic and are only just embarking on the long road to recovery and will be concerned about any additional costs they could potentially face.

“We would urge the council to take a pragmatic approach and constructively engage with firms in order to fully appreciate the impact these changes are likely on the wider business community.

"As a Chamber, we will endeavour to work proactively with Birmingham City Council to ensure the views of business are recognised and reflected throughout the plan.”

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Business News

CBSO record victory national anthems All 72 anthems of countries competing in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have been recorded by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).

They were arranged and conducted by Royal Academy of Music professor Philip Sheppard, who specialises in film and television soundtracks.

Recorded over three days at the CBSO centre in Birmingham, it was an epic task for the 50 musicians.

The anthems will be played during the gold medal victory ceremonies and must last between 60 to 90 seconds to ensure they fit into the flag-raising time.

All 72 nations and territories taking part in the Games next summer have agreed in advance which section of their anthem they want played should their athletes be successful in winning gold.

Professor Sheppard said: “I’m thrilled to be working with CBSO having been a life-long fan of the orchestra. This was amplified by Sir Simon Rattle visiting my school when I was younger. What better fit than Birmingham’s own Symphony Orchestra recording the national anthems that will be

In full swing: The CBSO undertake the massive task of recording 72 national anthems.

played at poignant moments in Birmingham 2022.

“I have strived to match the adrenalin and excitement of the Games in my versions of the anthems and hope we get to hear England’s anthem as much as possible.”

If they are successful in winning gold, Team England will hear Jerusalem played as their flag is raised, but there are several nations who have chosen a much more familiar tune as their anthem.

Bermuda, Montserrat, St Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands and Norfolk Island will all hear ‘God Save The Queen’ if their nation celebrates a gold medal.

Stephen Maddock, chief executive of the CBSO, said: “We are honoured and delighted to be part of this fantastic project and the Orchestra has worked hard to make this valuable contribution. We hope the national anthems that we have recorded match the extraordinary achievement of the

world class athletes taking part across the Games.”

Ian Reid, CEO at Birmingham 2022 said: “Nothing tugs at the heart strings harder than a national anthem being belted out in a packed stadium by emotional athletes and thousands of their supporters. “We’re delighted the CBSO are playing such an important part in the victory ceremonies of the Games and I’m really looking forward to hearing these anthems played next year.”

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Business News

President’s Focus Steve Allen this month completes his two-year term as president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce – and he couldn’t have chosen a more tumultuous period to serve in the role. It started in December, 2019, but all of his plans, including helping members through Brexit, had to be torn up three months later. was asked by Chamberlink to write this column to provide some reflections of my two years in office as president of the Chamber. Well, if nothing else it has certainly been eventful.

I stepped into the role earlier than anticipated when my predecessor Saqib Bhatti was elected to parliament in December 2019. I remember looking forward to the New Year with anticipation. Number one on the agenda for me was to help lead business through the trials and tribulations of Brexit.

Our policy team was right on it with our Brexit Hub but using my platform as President to lobby our regional and national stakeholders to support our members operating from a region where over 40 per cent of our exports went to the EU was upper most in my mind.

But in addition I could see the dangers and opportunities that the greentech revolution presented to the West Midlands.

With governmental focus on cutting emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, our manufacturing sector, which is particularly dependent on automotive supply chain, would need to innovate - and fast.

So, innovation was going to be the key theme of my term. Having led my law firm Mills & Reeve’s Innovation 50 campaign for four years I knew that there were many businesses doing exciting things. Just as the industrial revolution had started in the Midlands (no, not the North, Andy Burnham) I felt and still feel confident that our region can lead from the front.

But then everything changed in March, 2020, with the arrival of Covid-19 and our first lockdown. I cannot have been prouder of the

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1 instantaneous response of our then chief executive Paul Faulkner and our policy team then led by Henrietta Brierley.

Within hours of the announcement, the Chamber machine rolled into action, collating information for our members on what government support was available and contacting as many members as we could to analyse what was needed going forward.

For myself, it meant going in front of a camera and through social media providing as much support as I could. We soon learned that keeping communication going was as vital as anything

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Business News ‘Just as the industrial revolution had started in the Midlands (no, not the North, Andy Burnham) I felt and still feel confident that our region can lead from the front’

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else and we were able to maintain this throughout the worst of the crisis.

As the Chamber’s work developed, we were able through consulting with our members to identify gaps in government support and lobby both national and local stakeholders to fill those gaps. “Keep Business Moving” was our priority and our mantra.

As president, I was able to chair online Zoom meetings between our members, Birmingham City Council and local MPs, in order that they could put directly to our local leaders the problems being faced by them, particularly in the conference and hospitality industries.

I could also talk to our members directly through various online platforms. I know that businesses in the West Midlands have really valued the Chamber’s role in helping members through Covid-19 and I’m pleased to have played a small part in our response.

With the resignation of our outstanding Paul Faulkner earlier this year, I must admit to feeling that I may have been an unlucky president for the Chamber. However, in adversity there is

always opportunity and I am proud that in the appointment of Henrietta Brierley we have appointed a leader who will drive the Chamber forward and we can look to its future with confidence.

Many people have asked me whether I’m disappointed that I was not able to host at least one annual dinner at the ICC. I would not be honest if I said that I wasn’t. However, even though the President’s medal has hardly been out of its box, I don’t think that I could have taken office at a more important time.

While, the Chamber recently held its first black tie dinner in Solihull, I have learned that while these events grab the local headlines, it is the phenomenal Chamber team working hard for our members day in and day out that really counts.

In the context of the loss of friends and relatives that many of us all have felt over the last 18 months, being unable to host a dinner at the ICC is entirely trivial.

I’m now looking forward to handing over the baton to Deb Leary at our AGM this month. She will be an amazing president and with the legendary businessman Nasir Awan as her vicepresident, the Chamber can look to the future with confidence.

I have been asked to stay on the Chamber board after I step down and I will continue to chair the Midlands Regional Assembly for the BCC so I’m not leaving the scene completely.

But I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support during my term of office and wish you well for the future.

1. Virtual ceremony: Steve hosts the 2020 Chambers awards - the first to be streamed online – in a far cry from the glittering ceremony normally held at the ICC. 2. Honour: Shelforce’s Howard Trotter (centre) is the proud recipient of the Chamber’s Business of 2021 award from Steve and chief executive Henrietta Brealey.

3. All aboard: Steve and Deb Leary mark the start of their presidential journeys with a trip on Birmingham’s new tram system. But their excursion came off the rails when Covid struck in March 2020.

4. Recognition: Harry Reilly (right), former chairman of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, accepts the President’s Medal from Steve in a 2021 virtual ceremony.

5. Presidential visit: Steve at the Jaguar factory at Castle Bromwich after announcing that he had honoured JLR with his 2020 President’s medal.

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Business News The letter to the Chancellor was signed by:

United: Deb Leary and Andreas Antona in the foreground are joined by (left to right): Glyn Purnell, chef, patron at Purnell’s; Alex Claridge, head chef and owner, The Wilderness; Adam Stokes, chef owner Adam’s and the Oyster Club; Jayne O’Malley, hotel group manager, The Edgbaston; Brad Carter, chef owner, Carters Moseley; and Raj Kandola, head of policy at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

Hospitality sector in fight for Government support

By Dan Harrison and John Lamb eading chefs in the West Midlands have pledged to continue their campaign to get more government support for the beleaguered hospitality sector.

This followed the end of the temporary reduction of VAT in the hospitality, hotel, holiday accommodation and attractions industry at the beginning of October.

The Chancellor raised the rate of VAT to 12.5 per cent from five per cent.

Top chefs and restaurant owners from across the region joined forces with Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) to voice concerns over the reversal of VAT rate reductions.

In a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the Chamber and well-known hospitality industry figures such as

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‘We call on the government to do everything it possibly can to help the sector get back on its feet’ Simpsons’ owner Andreas Antona and TV chef Glynn Purnell, called for an extension to the rates reduction in a bid to drive consumer demand.

The letter – signed by more than 30 representatives from the hospitality and dining sector – also urged the Chancellor to use his Autumn Budget to reform the “outdated” business rates system.

A temporary reduced VAT rate of five per cent that was introduced to help hospitality and tourism firms through the Covid-19 crisis ended at the beginning of October. The Chamber says the pandemic has had “pronounced effect” on the hospitality industry and is still calling for several measures to be implemented: 10 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

• Maintaining a long-term reduction in rates of VAT in a bid to drive consumer demand over the 12 next months • Extending the current business rates relief system beyond March 2022 for an additional six months to ease the huge cost pressures that hospitality firms are facing • Fundamentally reform the outdated business rates system to create a platform which will encourage investment and business growth across the industry Chamber vice-president Deb Leary said: “While we recognise the unparalleled support businesses have received during the pandemic, the damaging impact of the Covid-19 has been particularly pronounced across the hospitality industry.

“As a Chamber we are delighted to be working alongside the hospitality industry across Greater Birmingham as we call on the government to do everything it possibly can to help the sector get back on its feet and firing again as we emerge from the pandemic.”

The move to raise VAT to 12.5 per cent brought an angry response from Mr Antona, who also owns The Cross in Kenilworth. He said: “The decision to put VAT up again will not give us time to get back on to an even keel. It will not allow us time to recover and at the same time pay the support that has been forthcoming through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme and Bounce Back Loans.”

Mr Purnell, proprietor and head chef at Purnell's restaurant in Birmingham, said: “Any re-introduction of restrictions will have a devastating impact on us and we shall continue to campaign to get the government to help the whole hospitality industry.”

Brad Carter, chef owner of Carter’s of Moseley, said: “Even a reduction of a few per cent would help enormously as we face a difficult New Year worsened by possible supply shortages through the haulage problems.”

• Henrietta Brealey, CEO, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce • Andreas Antona, owner, Simpsons in Birmingham and The Cross in Kenilworth • Luke Tipping, executive chef at Simpsons, Edgbaston • Adam Bennett, Chef Director of The Cross, Kenilworth • Adam Stokes, chef owner, Adam’s and The Oyster Club • Paul Halsey, owner, Pure Craft Bar & Kitchen • Jayne O’Malley, hotel group general manager, The Edgbaston • Sarah Parkinson, assistant hotel general manager, The Edgbaston • Darren Insall, owner, The Edgbaston • Stuart Insall, owner, The Edgbaston • Rick Cressman, owner, Nailcote Manor • Aktar Islam, chef director for Opheem, Pulperia & Aktar @ home • Jabbar G. Khan, founder and director, Lasan Group • James Hill, managing director, Hampton Manor • Glynn Purnell, chef patron, Purnell’s • Claire Lisham, PR manager, Purnell’s • Brad Carter, chef owner of Carters of Moseley • Alex Claridge, head chef and owner of The Wilderness • Sam Morgan, owner, Craft at The International Convention Centre • Ajay Kenth, Tap & Tandoor, Zindiya, Vita, Greens, Taste Collective • Ann Tonks, managing director, Chapter Restaurant Ltd • Irene Allan, restaurant director, Chapter Restaurant Ltd • Ben Ternent, chef director, Chapter Restaurant Ltd • Jason Kirsch, operations director, Resorts World Birmingham • Ellie Beattie, group sales and marketing manager, Hogarths Hotels and Restaurants • Byron Carnegie, director, Jamaya • Joe Barber, finance director, The Barn at Berryfields • Emma Morgan, general manager, Malmaison Birmingham • Anne Marie Simpson, Simpsons Gin Bar • Mark Tasker, general manager, Crowne Plaza Birmingham • Harpreet Sian, general manager, IBIS Birmingham New Street Station • Michele Wilby, CEO, Colmore BID • Lawrence Barton, chairman, Southside BID

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Business News

Chapter launches membership packages These include priority booking, invitations to special networking events and discounts on every visit for tables up to eight people.

There are two levels of membership - Founder Club Members will receive 25 per cent off their bills for five years and an introductory five Course Tasting Menu with wines to match.

Premium members receive 15 per cent off their bills for three years as well as an exclusive invitation to a members’ drinks reception and a relaxed Weekend Brunch for two.

Director Ann said: “We can’t wait to open Chapter. This is being made possible thanks to a diverse range of funding, including shareholder investment, personal loans and a limited number of these exclusive club membership opportunities.

“We would love to speak to individuals and organisations from across Birmingham who would benefit from the value offered by these club memberships - the support we receive will help us write this next Chapter.”

A new page will soon be turning in Birmingham as a new club membership package is set to launch for Edgbaston latest restaurant, Chapter.

The leadership team at the new restaurant, opening early December, have revealed the new club membership offering, allowing patrons a range of benefits that can be used for personal or business use.

Chapter is being brought to life by experienced local restaurateurs Ann Tonks, Irene Allan and chef

‘The support we receive will help us write this next Chapter’ director Ben Ternent and is set to become a fresh culinary landmark for Birmingham when it opens.

Open all day, the venue will be ideal for business lunches, evening dinners, family weekend brunches or simply meeting in the front bar for a drink with the option of the bar menu.

The club memberships, limited in number, provide an array of premium benefits.

New Chapter: Ann (right) and Irene and Ben

To register interest and for more info about club membership packages email irene@chapteredgbaston.co.uk

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Business News

Chamber launches new drive to help firms be greater

By Dan Harrison reater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) is helping even more businesses connect, support and grow following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

Having helped many firms weather the storm of the pandemic, the Chamber reported a positive sentiment among the business community in its Quarterly Business Report for the third quarter of 2021.

And while challenges such as labour and supply shortages still exist, the positivity from the QBR data is backed up anecdotally by companies who have taken advantage of the Chamber’s vast array of services in order to grow and develop.

“I made more connections in one hour at a Chamber event than I’d achieved in months of online research,” said Laura Nott, from ovarian cancer charity Ovacome, who has utilised the Chamber’s extensive events programme which now incorporates in-person gatherings and online webinars.

Indeed, the live events programme is back and better than

These are the logos launched by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce to mark a new brand awareness campaign with the theme “Be Greater – Discover Your Chamber”.

Anna Alvi-Assinder, the Chamber’s head of marketing and events, said: “The idea is to inform businesses on all the ways the Chamber can help them ‘be greater’ and the multi-channel campaign will in include Linkedin, Google display advertisements, billboards across city commuter routes, and a partnership with the online news service The Business Desk.

“We’re also in the process of producing a new membership brochure which will be a great tool to explain everything we do.”

G

‘The Chamber has been one of the best sources of support for businesses navigating changes in international trade’ ever before - with awards ceremonies, networking opportunities, social meet-ups, professional development sessions and topical policy-led events bringing the business community together again.

However, the programme of webinars – one of many innovative additions to the Chamber’s services over the past 18 months – is continuing to thrive, allowing the GBCC and its network to be more far-reaching than ever.

For example, the recentlylaunched Chapter Chat series under the umbrella of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce has already successfully connected West Midlands firms with those in Chicago and Texas.

Of course, there has never been a more important time for 12 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Leading voice: Henrietta Brealey

companies who do business overseas to be exploring new avenues and staying aware of changes to international trade that have come into force due to Brexit.

The international department at the Chamber is an invaluable onestop hub for international traders – whether they require support with documentation, training, translation services or in-depth guidance on accessing new markets.

“The Chamber has been one of the best sources of support for businesses navigating changes in international trade,” says Trevor Thorley, director of Lakeside Products, the Solihull-based supplier of high-quality retail packaging.

In addition to making new connections and achieve growth, the Chamber also gives businesses a platform to tell their stories.

The monthly Chamberlink magazine is seen by nearly 10,000 people across the region.

Its online sister ChamberlinkDaily reaches around 15,000 contacts every morning and is packed full of news from across the Chamber’s 10 geographical and themed divisions.

Weekly bulletins for Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Burton, Lichfield and Tamworth and Cannock Chase continue to go from strength to strength, while filling a void created by the demise of local newspapers in some of those towns.

The potential for media exposure is another hidden benefit of Chamber membership. Over the past 18 months, learning provider Creative Alliance and sink manufacturer Teal are among those who have been featured on local

TV news bulletins through opportunities that came via the Chamber’s Press & PR team.

And there are many more services and initiatives that are helping businesses become greater.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of the GBCC, said: “The Chamber has been the leading voice of business in Greater Birmingham since 1813 – but we are far more than just a membership

organisation that lobbies for its members.

“We help companies grow their profile, build connections locally, nationally internationally and adapt to the ever-changing world.

“What’s more, our initiatives have enabled firms to develop their workforces and future leaders too.

“I’d urge any firms with growth ambitions to get in touch and discover your Chamber.”

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Business News

T: 01299 401367 M: 07983 147266 E: enquiries@bewdleycoworking.co.uk W: bewdleycoworking.co.uk

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Business News

Birmingham 2022

‘One stop shop’ to upskill Games workers A ‘one stop shop’ has been launched to give people the skills they need to land thousands of jobs at next summer’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The online portal has been set up by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to offer valuable information on training courses that are matched to Birmingham 2022 jobs.

The Jobs and Skills Academy portal is part of the WMCA’s commitment to train more than 6,000 local people for jobs that are available right now as well as during and after the 11-day sporting spectacle.

The ‘one stop shop’ offers access to a wide range of courses in sectors which are expected to see large numbers of jobs created by the Games such as security, stewarding, logistics, catering and cleaning. Courses are free to West Midlands residents with an annual income of less than £18,135.

Commonwealth Games contractors are also part of the initiative so local people can be

connected directly to those companies helping to stage the Games.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “The Games and the legacy they will leave could create up to 35,000 jobs which is why myself

‘I would urge people to use this ‘one stop shop’ to find out how they can get trained for an exciting new career’ and other leaders were so determined to land this global event for our region.

“That’s why the WMCA, working closely with our partners, is funding this comprehensive training programme ahead of next summer and I would urge people to use this ‘one stop shop’ to find out how they can get trained for an exciting new career.”

Countdown: Birmingham 2022

The Academy was set up by the WMCA in conjunction with Birmingham 2022.

It is working with adult education providers such as colleges, local authorities and independent training companies to ensure that the training delivered aligns to the future needs of the Commonwealth Games contractors.

Ian Reid, chief executive of Birmingham 2022, said: “The Jobs and Skills Academy is a fantastic initiative that will allow local people to gain the skills they need so that they can apply for the thousands of jobs that the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is creating.”

The training courses are the latest of several initiatives underway. Earlier this year the WMCA launched on-going training courses for a further 1,500 residents to gain new, higher level skills to help secure jobs during and after the Games.

Diversity champion appointed to Games legacy committee An award-winning consultant and trainer, who has dedicated his career to making a lasting change in the areas of diversity and inclusion, has been appointed as an independent member to the Legacy and Benefits (LAB) committee for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Nathan Dennis, founder and director of Wolverhampton-based Legacy Consultants, was selected for the role following an extensive recruitment process.

The committee is tasked with establishing a cross partner legacy strategy which brings together the ambitions of the Games legacy partners - Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, Department of Digital, Cultural, Media and Sport and the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee.

This covers key areas which are led by each partner, such as business and tourism, jobs and skills, education, sustainability, and culture.

Nathan Dennis has previously worked with organisations including KPMG, Mears, HS2 and the Royal Shakespeare Company to develop stakeholder engagement strategies for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups.

He was consulted by former prime minister David Cameron after 14 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan

by London police in 2011 and was named in the Top Ten business heroes in The Barclays Trading Places Awards.

Nathan Dennis is also a cofounder of First Class Foundation, a charity which delivers services on behalf of West Midlands Combined Authority, the Youth Justice Board and youth offending services across the West Midlands, including a new project focused on reducing serious youth violence.

Mr Dennis said: “I’m incredibly proud to have been appointed as a member of the Legacy and Benefits committee. The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is such a huge event for our region and we have a unique opportunity to maximise its benefits.

“I’m really excited by the chance to leave a positive and lasting legacy that will be felt by all facets of our diverse communities in Birmingham and the West Midlands for many years to come.”

John Crabtree, who chairs the LAB committee and Birmingham 2022 board, said: “The independent members of the Legacy and Benefits Committee play an important role in ensuring that Birmingham and the West Midlands take full advantage of this unique moment in the spotlight.”

Lasting legacy: Nathan Dennis with Birmingham 2022 mascot Perry

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Birmingham 2022

Business News

Hewlett Packard to support Games Technology giant Hewlett Packard Enterprise has been appointed as ‘Official Venue Network Infrastructure Supporter’ next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Following a competitive tender process, Hewlett Packard subsidiary Aruba will provide the network infrastructure for the Games, which it hopes will lead to smooth connectivity between the Games headquarters, the technical operations

centre and the various venues.

Hewlett Packard has also committed to leaving behind ‘digital sustainability’ legacy in the West Midlands region and will work with local authorities and the Games organiser to ensure that on-site equipment is made available to the community at the end of the event.

Adrian Corcoran, chief information officer at Birmingham 2022, said: “It is fantastic to have Aruba join us as our ‘Official Venue Network Infrastructure Supporter’ for Birmingham 2022.

“Aruba, using their expertise as part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, are the ideal company to provide a complex and flexible network connection, enabling a seamless experience for our workforce, volunteers and athletes.

“This is such an integral part of Birmingham 2022 and we’re confident Aruba will help us bring the Games to life. Aruba is fully aligned with our sustainability pledge and it’s wonderful to know the company will be working locally to ensure we leave a digital legacy behind.”

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete across 14 competition venues from 28 July until 8 August 2022.

As the biggest event ever to be held in the West Midlands, it is expected to attract more than one million spectators to the city and have a global TV audience of 1.5 billion.

This is the end: The closing ceremony of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

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Business News

Zapaygo secures exclusive NEC Group deal Pioneers in the payment and order app, Zapaygo, has reached new heights in the entertainment and leisure industry, signing a multi-year deal with the NEC Group and its hospitality partner, Amadeus.

The deal sees Zapaygo becoming the exclusive food and beverage pre-purchase partner at NEC Group Venues, including the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), International Convention Centre (ICC) and Birmingham’s two arenas.

Prior to the pandemic, Zapaygo had made strides in this arena by unifying the ordering, serving and payment process by removing the need for dozens of apps a user has to download and thereby enriching the consumer’s experience and changing habits for good.

Post lockdown, the convenience of the app came second to the safety it offered both venues and customers with a recent survey carried out by Zapaygo finding 76 per cent of respondents preferred to order and pay from their table, versus queuing at a bar or counter. Building on this research, Amadeus is using Zapaygo’s technology to ensure event visitors can pick up their pre-ordered items safely and swiftly from designated collection points at venues, reducing unnecessary contact and lengthy waiting times at bars and restaurants.

Kevin Watson, managing director at Amadeus, said: “We are delighted to have preorder app Zapaygo as a longterm partner for Amadeus.

This innovative technology will work seamlessly alongside our cashless strategy throughout all NEC Group venues.

“We look forward to offering our customers greater choice in how they purchase from us, speeding up service times and reducing queues, while keeping our team and customers safe in a post-Covid world.”

Email: info@zapaygo.com Phone: 0333 301 9746 Website: www.zapaygo.com

16 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Sponsored by: Zapaygo

Campaign to help region’s businesses reach net zero Businesses and organisations across the region have taken part in a month-long Chamber campaign aimed at helping them achieve net zero carbon emissions.

The campaign took place just before the government’s ‘net zero’ strategy was unveiled, at the end of last month, prior to the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow.

The Chamber campaign – the ‘Sustainable Business Series’ - was delivered in partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber.

The campaign featured webinars, blogs, podcasts and videos covering four themed weeks: energy, circular economy, transport and sustainable business

‘We have enabled our local business community to begin their own sustainability journey’ management. It ended with a summit event, featuring West Midlands mayor Andy Street and the Conservative MP for Hitchin, Bim Afolami, who is chairman of PRASEG, the cross-party Parliamentary Renewable & Sustainable Energy Group.

Mr Afolami has played a key role in driving activity relating to the UK’s presidency of Cop26.

During the Chamber campaign, businesses were surveyed on their ‘green’ activities, and the information from this will be used in next year’s sustainability campaign.

Chamber members Aston University, Morgan Sindall, Arup and the University of Birmingham are among those who have backed the campaign.

Patricia Thornley, director of the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University said: “Our work on Cop26 is charting a path to net zero emissions using EBRI’s expertise on low carbon energy and products; but that will only be achieved if we work together with businesses towards shared climate goals.”

Arup director Helen Davis said: “We hope by sharing our expertise in infrastructure and climate resilience, our experiences during our own journey to net zero and our knowledge from making transformational step changes to our region’s energy systems, we have enabled our local business community to begin their own sustainability journey.

“Leading them to go on and produce tangible economic, environmental, and social benefits, and ultimately build long-term success.”

Morgan Sindall’s Richard Kirkham said: “We’re proud to have helped the local business community meet the net zero challenge through sharing our learnings.”

Gurmit Kler, director of business engagement, University of Birmingham, said: “Supporting the Chambers’ first sustainable business campaign was a fantastic opportunity to join the region’s green business renaissance.

“The campaign plays an important and timely role for businesses in the lead up to Cop26, boosting the spirit of sustainability for local industries.”

Pop producer visits HS2 tunnel Legendary pop music producer and train enthusiast Pete Waterman has visited the Long Itchington Wood Tunnel construction site in Warwickshire, part of the HS2 high-speed rail project.

Mr Waterman – the man behind Aussie pop sensation Kylie Minogue and others – was not there just for a look round, as he officially named a tunnel boring machine (TBM), the first being used by HS2.

The machine has been named ‘Dorothy’, after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Her discoveries included confirming the structure of penicillin.

As well as being a massively successful music producer, Mr Waterman, originally from Coventry, is a self-confessed railway nut who has been a supporter of HS2 from the early days of the project.

Mr Waterman, who once partowned the most famous steam train in the world, the ‘Flying Scotsman’, has been involved with numerous railway ventures, including rail maintenance business

Rail fan: Pete Waterman (left) with an HS2 construction worker, and the tunnel boring machine in the background

LNWR and Waterman Railways, formerly British Rail’s ‘Special Trains Unit’.

After his visit to the tunnel portal construction site, he said: “All my working life I’ve travelled and commuted by rail. HS2 is a new chapter in rail travel I can only hope that this railway can do for others what railways did for me.

“HS2 is the next generation of travel - with everybody talking

about the environment, we sustain it by having the greenest transport there is.”

Doug Barnett, HS2’s senior project manager for Long Itchington Wood Tunnel, said: “We’re now finalising the preparation for the TBM to start digging the one-mile tunnel under the ancient woodland and look forward to it emerging at the south tunnel portal around five months later.”

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Business News

Truck drivers left feeling undervalued More needs to be done to keep experienced truck drivers behind the wheel and help address the current shortage – with more respect and improved conditions top of the list.

A survey from Pertemps Driving Division - part of the Warwickshirebased Pertemps Network Group showed 91 per cent of truckers believe they do not get enough respect for the job they do.

Many qualified and experienced drivers have left or are planning to leave their roles because they are fed up with the way they are treated, often at point of drop-off for customers and the general public.

Samantha Leleu, general manager at Pertemps Driving Division, which has been offering free LGV training to entice new people into the sector, believes it is only by treating experienced drivers with more respect that the brakes can be put on the skills drain and the economy can begin to get back on the right road.

She said: “There is a known driver shortage, and the noise has mostly been about attracting new talent to the sector – but what about those experienced drivers who have just had enough of difficult working conditions, and disrespect from customers and the public?

Sam Leleu: Let’s respect the truckers

“They deserve better and it is the least we, as employers, can do to try and help as the UK seeks to address a shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers.”

Pertemps surveyed more than 2,500 drivers and the initial results show that 91 per cent of they are treated with disrespect.

In addition, 69 per cent do not think working conditions are good – with experienced truckers more likely to be disillusioned with their roles.

Ms Leleu said: “Things need to change and with the spotlight currently firmly on the sector, and people starting to see the importance of our lorry drivers to their everyday lives, we hope the general public will better consider how they treat these essential workers.”

T: 0121 745 8444 E: sales@midland-fire.co.uk W: midland-fire.co.uk

PM urged to help firms tackle ‘real life issues’ The government must show flexibility and pragmatism to address the ‘real life issues’ facing businesses, business leaders have warned.

The Chamber said that Boris Johnson’s flagship speech at the recent Tory Party Conference was ‘big on rhetoric but light on policy’.

However, the Chamber did welcome the prime minister’s vision for a high-wage and high-skilled economy, but urged him not to lose sight of the supply chain and labour problems facing firms right now.

The main theme of Mr Johnson’s speech was ‘levelling up’, with the PM saying that reducing gaps between regions would ease pressure on south-eastern England, while boosting places that felt left behind.

Mr Johnson also sought to reassure Tories anxious about plans to increase National Insurance to pay for the NHS and social care, despite preelection claims that there would be no tax rises during this government.

Raj Kandola, head of policy at the GBCC, said: “Many will accuse the PM’s speech of being light on policy detail and big on rhetorical flourishes which is perhaps not surprising given the Autumn Budget and Comprehensive Spending Review are just around the corner.

“Many will also back Mr Johnson’s vision for a high wage and high skilled economy – however, the practical reality of reaching this point remains someway off.

“In the short term, we need the government to address these shortages in a pragmatic fashion and that will require some further flexibility on immigration policy over the coming months. In the long term, it was great to hear the PM highlight the need to unleash prosperity across all parts of the country – a good way to bring this vision to life would be to back HS2 in full and to address the crippling cost pressures that firms are facing.”

T: 01384 76662 / 77716 E: sales@dustair.co.uk W: dustair.co.uk November 2021 CHAMBERLINK 17

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Business News

Where do you fancy?

A contemporary new business that provides funky mojitos and tasty fast food within a comfortable atmosphere, Mojito Cartel Ltd is a family-friendly business and the concept is to introduce new and exciting flavours to the menu for each season. Tasty hot drinks and desserts will be introduced soon.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner…

Food and drink

Vegetarian

Mojito Cartel a fast food business that provides a quick service and delicious food. There are fresh burgers, loaded bowls and fruity mojitos. There is a variety of nonalcoholic drinks that are distinctive in taste and are flavoursome. A new range of desserts is coming to the menu soon alongside hot drinks that are exclusive to Mojito Cartel.

Dishes include a spicy bean burger and sweet chilli chips.

Mojito Cartel Ltd

Business facilities

Address 1158 Stratford Road, Hall Green, Birmingham B28 8AF

Lunch All meals are available within the lunchtime period. “The Falcon” meal is the most popular and consists of a bowl loaded with tasty food and any Mojito.

Dinner Different packages are available, like the “Leader”, a combination of a burger, bowl and mojito. This meal allows our customers to try out everything on our menu in one meal.

18 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Deals available, set menu, speedy lunches

Exclusive offer for Chamber members 10 per cent off all instore orders. To redeem this please show your Chamber Member ID.

T: 07711283019 E: hello@mojitocartel.co.uk W: www.mojitocartel.co.uk Owner: Aisha Ali Opening hours Monday-Saturday: 1:30pm–12am, Sunday: 5–11pm

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Business News

November 2021 CHAMBERLINK 19

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Business News

The Griffin Report Firms across the Midlands are raring to resume face-to-face trading with the USA and James Tait, the new president of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, is determined to build those connections. Chamberlink’s award-winning columnist Jon Griffin went to meet the successor to Professor Julian Beer and Chamber international director Mandy Haque.

usinesses throughout the Midlands are ‘crying out’ to resume vital trading with the USA following 18 months of ‘deep frustration’ during the pandemic.

The scale of pent-up demand across a wide variety of regional business sectors was revealed by the new president of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, employment law specialist James Tait.

Meanwhile, a rallying call to firms across the Midlands to tap into the Chamber’s expertise and get on the plane to the USA to earmark potentially lucrative new trading opportunities was issued by Mandy Haque, international director of Greater Birmingham Chambers.

B

James and Mandy said the US was now open for business again after being in deep freeze throughout the Covid emergency – and firms were raring to resume travel to meet existing customers face to face and chase new orders.

Meanwhile, both called for a crucial trade deal between the US and the UK to be agreed with the new Biden administration to smooth the passage for new business deals.

James, who has succeeded Professor Julian Beer as the new Transatlantic Chamber President, said: “It has been a very challenging period. Physically meeting suppliers stopped.

Globally, the whole world was damaged by Covid.

“The Midlands has a lot of great connections with the States and one of my ambitions is to build those connections with other US Chapters and the Transatlantic Chamber.

“I think that now people are raring to go on a personal level – they are keen to pick up their plans and get back out to the US to meet people face to face.

“One of the problems we have at the moment is that we do not have a trade deal with the US – things have stalled and it is in limbo. We are waiting to see how Biden is going to take that forward, we need to make sure that we keep ourselves up the priority list with the US.” Mandy, who is international director at the

‘The Midlands has a lot of great connections with the States and one of my ambitions is to build those connections with other US Chapters and the Transatlantic Chamber’

James Tait: “There’s something for everyone in a trade mission” 20 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

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Business News we get it right, both for the UK and for the US. We have to make sure that we continue to lobby for business to get the best deal.”

James Tait, who is a partner in Birmingham with national law firm Browne Jacobson and assists a number of clients with their transatlantic ambitions, said a trade mission hosted by the Chamber would potentially take place next summer for the first time since 2016 when a 28-strong delegation from the Midlands

Transatlantic talk: Mandy Haque

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “From a Covid perspective, it has really impacted business’s ability to trade. I have been dealing with members who have been setting up businesses who want to source new orders and they have not been able to get out there.

“There were exemptions in the US if it was anything to do with critical infrastructure, say energy, oil, gas. But if you were a new business wanting to go out there and look for new contracts, it was impossible. It put businesses on hold, it has been really difficult for them.

Manufacturers were particularly badly hit.

“Some of them have got some really big contracts. You can service it virtually but you can’t grow relationships. Eighteen months on, businesses are now raring to get out there. Now is a good time – travel restrictions have been relaxed.”

She echoed James’s call for a trade deal to be struck. “At the moment, with regard to the UKUS trade agreement, it is really important that

‘We are linking up with overseas chapters with afternoon sessions where we hear about the benefits of trading and investing in their states’ jetted to Chicago under the auspices of the then British American Business Council.

“We are looking at a trade mission by the summer of next year. There is something for everyone in a trade mission – you can get a real cross-section whether it be a small start-up, an SME or a large corporate.”

Mandy said the Chamber could provide vital expertise for firms seeking to resume trading with the US and elsewhere as the world recovers from Covid.

Because transport has opened up and trade shows and exhibitions are now happening again, we are issuing more documentation.

“We are seeing film crews going out to Europe and people exhibiting, going out to trade shows.”

She said a new initiative hosted by the Transatlantic Chamber called Chapter Chats could help Midlands firms break into new markets in the States. “We are linking up with overseas chapters with afternoon sessions where we hear about the benefits of trading with and investing in their states.

“We have already done Miami, Chicago and Texas and we are going to deliver ones with Washington and Toronto. We host them here and they host them at their place over there.

“Now is a good time to reignite trading with the US, not just to resume but to develop new relationships and get out there and trade, there are opportunities there. Covid has stopped businesses developing anything further. Now, it is more about strategic growth and being able to develop bilateral trading. “People should be mindful when they are going to the US and think about what they are going to need. There is support available here through international trade advisors to navigate via the Transatlantic Chamber Division.”

She said the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber included a team of experts offering a variety of services, from translation to export documentation.

Meanwhile, both James and Mandy were cautious over the implications for business following Biden’s election last year at the expense of Donald Trump.

James said: “It is very different to Trump.

Biden appeals to a very different audience. It is very early days in his Presidency to comment much further.” Mandy said: “It is time for a change – only time will tell.”

• Julian Beer named as honorary chairman – see Page 48

November 2021 CHAMBERLINK 21

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Business News

Sponsored by: The University of Birmingham

Supply shortages hinder full economic recovery The University of Birmingham’s West Midlands Regional Economic Development Institute (WMREDI) in The Exchange.

A national centre of excellence for data and policy analysis in the heart of the West Midlands city-region supporting inclusive growth.

The core aim of City-REDI, since its founding at the University of Birmingham in 2015, has been to provide data, analysis, and policy insights to help the region grow better.

With funding from Research England (UKRI) and a coalition of local partners, we have been able to extend our work by setting up WMREDI in The Exchange, the University’s new presence in Birmingham’s Centenary Square.

What do we do and why does it help?

We have developed a deep understanding of the factors which shape the pace and type of economic growth in city-regions – more productive, sustainable, equal and inclusive. We analyse the complex links between skills availability, industry sector specialisation, the innovation ecosystem, housing and transport infrastructure and much more, providing the evidence to support more precise policy interventions to help city-regions grow, not just faster, but better.

The region has been hit hard by recent shocks, including Brexit and the Covid pandemic.

A rapid recovery and a more resilient regional economy depend on these insights, driven by close partnerships across regional stakeholders.

What are we going to do in The Exchange?

WMREDI will hold workshops and training programmes to build partnerships and local capabilities for greater regional growth.

To find out more, go to: www.birmingham.ac.uk/researc h/city-redi/wm-redi/index.aspx www.birmingham.ac.uk/theexchange/index.aspx

22 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

A full economic recovery could be some way off unless the government delivers a long-term play to tackle supply shortages such as the fuel crisis, business leaders have said.

This follows problems caused by the fuel shortage which sparked panic buying and the issue of temporary visas to address the wider problem of a shortage of HGV drivers.

However, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce say the government must come up with longer-term measures.

Raj Kandola, head of policy at the Chamber, said: “The short-term measures offered some temporary reprieve to the issues that were building for months.

“The fallout from the pandemic, changes to payroll tax and the added border bureaucracy we’re seeing as

a result of Brexit have all played in a part in creating the issues. Data from our latest Quarterly Business Report reiterates the labour and supply shortages many businesses across the region are facing and the knock-on impact this is creating on prices.

“While the changes to tax law and the relaxation of visa requirements will hopefully add capacity in the run up to Christmas, we would urge the Government to formulate a clear plan which sets out how they intend to overcome longer term labour shortages otherwise the prospect of a full economic recovery will remain some way off.”

Go to www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com to read the latest Quarterly Business Report and Brexit-related support and services.

Support package is proposed Energy-intensive industries are expected to be offered a package of help as gas prices soar, according to BBC reports.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has asked the Treasury to support firms hit by rising energy costs and is hopeful of receiving support from the Prime Minister. The proposals could involve loans worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

The Treasury is said to be still analysing the proposal, while Number 10 has declined to comment. High energy costs have been forcing manufacturers to warn of higher prices for their goods as they pass on increases to consumers.

Other firms have said they may be forced to shut down their factories if the rising cost of gas and electricity makes it uneconomic for them to produce their goods.

The formal proposal by Mr Kwarteng follows days of conversations with leaders from affected industries, as well as a dispute with the Treasury about the status of talks between the departments.

There is reluctance to prop up companies which would normally be competitive, so a support package is likely to involve loans rather than grants, reports say.

Demands for support from energy-intensive industries have increased but some have long-term contracts to buy energy at fixed prices, protecting them from shortterm increase.

Will Hargreaves, environmental policy lead at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “Businesses are facing record high inflationary pressure, which many will have to pass onto the customer to

Learning opportunity: Will Hargreaves

remain operational, so this scheme can help prevent further costs to businesses within supply chains.

‘The government must use this as learning opportunity and start driving investment in low-carbon domestic energy generation and storage technology’ “However, further consideration must be made to how SMEs are being affected by the energy crisis.

How the scheme accounts for already high pandemic driven debt, while deciding eligibility for the loans will be crucial.

“The scheme must account for the most vulnerable businesses.

“The government must use this as learning opportunity and start driving investment in low-carbon domestic energy generation and storage technology. Although, the policy frameworks must be developed to protect businesses from potential volatile energy prices associated with some forms of renewable energy.

“For businesses wanting to learn about how to more efficiently manage their energy to save costs and drive down consumption, you can view content in our Energy Week as part of our Sustainable Business Series: Net Zero campaign.”

See Energy Week at www.greater birminghamchambers.com

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Business News

Jersey Boys line-up (left to right): Blair Gibson (Bob Gaudio) Michael Pickering (Frankie Valli) Dalton Wood (Tommy DeVito) Lewis Griffiths (Nick Massi) Darren Bell

The Economic Review panel (from left): Professor Simon Collinson, University of Birmingham vice-chancellor Sir David Eastwood, Birmingham City Council chief executive Deborah Cadman, British Chambers of Commerce’s head of economic Suren Thiru, Arup director Abigaile Bromfield, Chamber CEO Henrietta Brealey and president Steve Allen

Birmingham poised for growth, says major report

By Dan Harrison Birmingham is “on the precipice of exciting opportunities for economic growth” despite the impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit, according to a major economic report.

The Birmingham Economic Review, published by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) and the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI, reveals promising signs for recovery across the city-region even though well-documented challenges such as talent shortages and inequality remain.

The report reviews Birmingham’s economic landscape, before and during the pandemic, as well as what lies ahead for the region.

While the pandemic led to significant falls in output, productivity and employment, the report says

‘The data contained in this year’s Birmingham Economic Review is perhaps the most important to date’ Birmingham continues to be a draw for high-profile business moves and expansions.

Over the past 12 months, banking giants Goldman Sachs announced plans to open their largest office outside of London at 55 Colmore Row, while Arup confirmed it will move 1,000 employees to a new office at One Centenary Way. Furthermore, the economy is bouncing back quicker than expected, with Greater Birmingham businesses reporting increased domestic and international demand.

More than half (52 per cent) of Greater Birmingham firms surveyed during Q3 reported an increase in UK sales and just 13 per cent recorded a fall in domestic activity. Fifty per cent reported an increase in advanced UK orders and 35 per cent experienced an increase in international sales.

As the UK strives to hit net zero targets, the Birmingham Economic review also highlights significant opportunity for firms in Greater Birmingham to get

involved in the low carbon supply chain through a suite of low and zero carbon activities taking place across the wider region.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of the GBCC, said: “The data contained in this year’s Birmingham Economic Review – the fifth annual review of its kind is perhaps the most important to date.

“Following the once in a lifetime social and economic shock precipitated by the coronavirus and subsequent restrictive measures, we are beginning to see positive signs of recovery at both local and national levels.

“While the impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit remain in play, the city stands on the precipice of exciting opportunities for economic growth. “…it is now less than a year to go before the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the city has a unique opportunity to leverage the array of benefits that the once in a generation investment in HS2 and associated local developments will bring.

“Birmingham was on an upward trajectory prior to the pandemic and a lot of the good work done by businesses and stakeholders alike has set us up to come out of this crisis on a relatively surer footing.

“As a Chamber, we are more committed than ever to rebuilding Birmingham and making it the best place to start, grow, move or invest in a business.”

Professor Simon Collinson, deputy pro-vice chancellor for regional engagement and director of WM REDI and City-REDI, University of Birmingham, said: “The pandemic has hit the UK economy harder than most other OECD countries and the West Midlands harder than most other UK regions.

“This economic shock, coupled with Brexit, led to significant falls in output, productivity and employment as well as new levels of inequality.

“Uncertainty remains, but the signs are remarkably promising. The range of indicators we track, presented in this report, show growth and optimism as part of a tentative bounce-back. As we look ahead to regain our growth momentum we need to retain and attract the best talent and investment as a leading global city-region.

“But this new growth pathway will also need to be more sustainable and more inclusive than our trajectory in the pre-pandemic era.”

Jersey Boys are back in town A second company of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning musical JERSEY BOYS will head out on a new tour of the UK and Ireland, stopping off at the Alexandra Birmingham from 7 December to 1 January.

Previous tour alumni Michael Pickering and Lewis Griffiths return as Frankie Valli and Nick Massi respectively, with Blair Gibson as Bob Gaudio and Dalton Wood as Tommy DeVito. Luke Suri will play Frankie Valli at certain performances.

Also in the cast are Dougie Carter (Hank Majewski), Ryan Carter-Wilson (Swing), Emma Crossley (Mary Delgado), Jordan James (Gyp DeCarlo), Norton James (Norm Waxman), Michael Levi (Bob Crewe), Tom O’Brien (Swing), Nathan Routledge (Swing), George Salmon (Joe Pesci), Ellie Seaton (Lorraine), Daisy Steere (Francine), Amy West (Swing), and Damien Winchester (Barry Belson).

While the Jersey Boys’ harmonies were perfect onstage, off stage it was a very different story—a story that has made them an international sensation all over again. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the show is packed with their hits, including Beggin’, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, December, 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got), Bye Bye Baby, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Working My Way Back to You, Fallen Angel, Rag Doll and Who Loves You.

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Business News

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Business News

Adapting to new recruitment trends...

The jobs market is proving difficult for many businesses, with vacancies at an all-time high against well-documented talent shortages. Chamberlink reporters Claudia Congrave and Sophia Corness-Parr spoke to Matt Burling, divisional director of Chamber patron SF Recruitment’s Executive division, about the recruitment climate and what firms can do to attract and retain talent.

In the current job market, fewer candidates are proactively looking for their next career move due to job security risks.

SF Recruitment’s Matt Burling says that the lack of talent is a trend that is trickling through from the executive pipeline and that the demand for quality, skilled workers is an issue to which ‘white collar’ businesses must also learn to adapt.

Where vacancies are high compared to the number of people qualified to fill them, competition has become fierce between both candidates and employers, meaning that businesses must now do much more to attract and retain employees.

This is a trend that candidates have begun to notice, as Matt explains: “Candidates start to negotiate more, they start to demand more, they start to want more.”

Holding all of the bargaining power in a candidate drive market, issues such as a competitive salary, flexibility and culture fit have become deciding factors in a candidate picking one employer over another.

Having seen this first hand, Matt urges businesses to recognise these new expectations and take time to assess the employment market before entering into the recruitment process.

Structurally, he recommended establishing a hiring process which is recognised by all stakeholders to enable a clear picture of what the ideal candidate is before advertising for the role.

He said: “First and foremost, if you’re hiring and are telling someone what your business is like in an interview, make sure you’re delivering that once you’ve hired them.

“Also, when you’ve completed those interview

Matt Burling

stages, make sure you’re acting on securing the talent you want. The phrase we use in this business is ‘time kills’, and it can be the difference between losing the ideal candidate and bringing them on board.”

‘The phrase we use in this business is ‘time kills’, and it can be the difference between losing the ideal candidate and bringing them on board’ While fewer candidates are currently looking for a career move, there is also increasing discussion around the so-called ‘Great Resignation’, a trend that is expected to uptake should employees continue to critique their level

Claudia Congrave and Sophia Corness-Parr

of happiness at work. (See p33 for more on the ‘Great Resignation’.) Despite this, employee behaviour seems to have changed and begun more open conversations about dissatisfaction at work than ever before.

Skills delivery leader Clare Hatton has urged business leaders to help local authorities fix the skills gap preventing businesses across the region from filling job vacancies.

According to the latest Regional Labour Market Statistics, the number of job vacancies in July to September 2021 was a record high of 1,102,000 - an increase of 318,000 from its prepandemic January to March 2020 level.

This was the second consecutive month the three-month average has risen over one million.

During the GBCC’s Quarterly Business Report (QBR) briefing, Clare, head of skills delivery at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), addressed the connection that might be drawn between the number of vacancies and the number of people unemployed.

She said: “The number of universal credit claimants is stubbornly high, but we have to take into consideration those claimants who can’t work due to health concerns and those who are already working but don’t earn enough.

“Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as putting on lots of skills training for those people and there is much more to do collectively at our end in terms of understanding business needs.

“While it is important to train those who are unemployed and get them into the workforce, internal training for our existing workforce is also important when thinking about how we can progress people to roles where we have those skills shortages.”

... as staff shortages remain an issue for firms A ‘positive sentiment’ is coursing through the veins of businesses in the region as they recover from Covid-19 - but challenges remain, including staff shortages, rising prices and supply chain disruptions.

That is the verdict of the Chamber’s latest quarterly business report, which shows that as national restrictions continue to ease, the UK economy remains on track to bounce back as the release of pent-up consumer demand should help to power a surge in activity throughout the rest of the year.

Rising prices and supply chain disruption are likely to have a knock-on impact on any projected recovery and if labour and supply shortages are prolonged there will be a noticeable impact for firms to meet customer demand, the report says.

Chamber chief executive Henrietta Brealey said: “Surveying for our latest Quarterly Business Report took place after the majority of Covid-19 related restrictions had been lifted across the country and it’s great to see positive sentiment coursing through the veins of the Greater Birmingham business community.

“Domestic demand has risen to a level not seen since the end of 2018 and export sales, investment in capital expenditure and recruitment activity all mirror the levels we saw prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Turnover and profitability projections have also continued their upward trajectory as businesses look ahead to the next 12 months.

“Also, a greater number of businesses are facing difficulties in attempting to add to their headcount. ”

The Chamber report is supported by Birmingham City University, whose deputy vicechancellor, Professor Julian Beer, said: “The figures for the third quarter of 2021 indicate a

‘Domestic demand has risen to a level not seen since the end of 2018’ continued recovery of the Greater Birmingham economy, reinforced by anticipated uplifts in turnover and profitability over the next 12 months.

“However, while further economic recovery is anticipated, a note of caution also remains following the announcement of the government’s plans of a toolkit of restrictions to counter a potential winter resurgence of the virus.”

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Business News

Trademarks are more important than ever It is unlikely that your business has no comparable venders providing similar products or services, so how do you set yourselves apart from the competition or safeguard your offering against imitation? The answer is trade marking your business’ IP (Intellectual Property).

The latest statistics from the IPO (Intellectual Property Office) shows a growing number of applications as a consequence of business owners understanding the value of having a unique and protected brand, asset, product or service.

• In June 2020 there were 12,576 trademark applications, a 56 per cent increase on June 2019.

• There was a sharp increase in applications starting in April 2020, with a 39 per cent rise over a threemonth period.

• In 2019 95,162 trademarks were successfully registered from 107,527 applications.

The main function of a trademark, and watching search service, is to ensure you retain exclusive rights to the words, branding, designs, letters, numerals, packaging, sounds or smells in question.

However, there are several other advantages to protecting the business’s assets in this way including increasing your business’s value on the balance sheet, building a strong brand and identity and licensing and franchising opportunities.

For further information on how a trademark could help your business contact National Business Register (Start.Biz) today on 0800 069 9090 or email info@start.biz

26 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Sponsored by: National Business Register

EY committed to nurturing talent across Birmingham EY’s Birmingham office has taken on 64 new graduates and apprentices, continuing the firm’s investment and commitment to nurturing early talent.

The new hires are part of the firm’s 1088 student recruits across the UK, which includes 909 graduates and 179 apprentices.

Forty four percent of all the student recruits this year will be based outside of London, with notably

‘Here in Birmingham, we’ve been recruiting across all levels of the business’ large intakes in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Reading.

Of the new student hires in Birmingham, 48 per cent are from an ethnic minority. Across the UK, 38 per cent are ethnic minority, and four per cent are Black.

Simon O’Neill, EY office managing partner in the Midlands, said: “At a time when many students have been facing a challenging jobs market, we believe that it is important for our communities and the long-term success of our business to keep recruiting.

“That is why we have continued to recruit throughout the pandemic and have honoured all the conditional offers we made prior to A-level results for the second year running.

“We also continued to deliver fantastic virtual internship programmes for aspiring students from the local area and through the work of the EY Foundation in the Midlands have been able to support young people into the jobs market more widely.

“Almost half of the students EY has recruited across the UK this year will be based outside of London, which is important in ensuring we bring the best talent to EY. “Here in Birmingham, we’ve been recruiting across all levels of the business, from apprentices through to new associate partners and partners to continue to strengthen our capabilities in the region. It’s an exciting time to be working with and supporting our clients across the Midlands, as they transition out of the pandemic.”

EY adapted its student recruitment programmes over the last 18 months to ensure that graduates and apprentices were still able to receive meaningful client experiences and study for their professional qualifications while working virtually.

Also, EY set out a series of new anti-racism commitments last year, and pledged to offer at least 30 per cent of its work experience places to Black people for the next five years. In addition, the firm has increased the number of places on its ‘Discover EY Black Heritage in Business’ programme for first year undergraduates by 72 per cent.

Final section of city bypass opened The final section of Lichfield’s £17.5m southern bypass has opened.

The new section of road completes an essential part of the city’s infrastructure and support the delivery of new housing and future growth.

It connects the A5127 Birmingham Road with the A5206 London Road and has included building an underpass beneath the Cross City railway line. This phase of the works was carried out with a 100-hour rail possession over Christmas 2019.

The scheme is being funded by Persimmon Homes as part of its St John’s Grange development, and other key contributions have come from the Department for Transport (£5m) and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, which allocated £2.3m of its Growth Deal funding to the project.

The route also enables the future restoration and construction of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal. The project team worked closely with the trust and to deliver elements of the canal construction works which can lead to full restoration in the coming years.

The opening ceremony included representatives from a number of these organisations.

Road open (left to right): Amey’s Richard Harris, GBSLEP’s Satnam RanaGrindley, David Williams, Stephen Cleveley, Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust chair Christine Bull and local county councillor Colin Greatorex

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport David Williams said: “Completion of the final section of the Lichfield Southern Bypass is a significant marker and spur for the future regeneration of the city. It really will make a big difference – reducing city centre congestion, enabling housing development and helping to attract more investment “It’s fantastic to mark the

occasion with our partners and open up to traffic after two-and-ahalf years. Notably this has been done safely through the pandemic period which is a credit to everyone involved.

“Working with partner organisations has been critical to the delivery of this scheme and we’d also like to thank residents and businesses for their patience while work was carried out.”

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Business News

Uni ‘bough-wow’ to save forests A forest ranger robot dog, partly designed by Birmingham City University (BCU), has been unveiled as a project to help protect woodland.

With functionality designed by BCU experts, the prototype, remotely-controlled dog-shaped robot is taking the lead by assessing the health and condition of usually inaccessible areas of Nottinghamshire’s legendary woodland.

Revealed as part of a showcase around the world’s first 5G Connected Forest project spearheaded by Nottinghamshire

‘Our robot dog will support the duties of forest rangers to collect various data’ County Council in partnership with academic researchers and local businesses - the technology is helping to drive a £10m, 25-month programme across the woodland home of English legend Robin Hood.

With funding worth around £5m from the DCMS’s Rural Connected

Barking up the right tree: BCU assistant professor Tauifiq Asyhari with the yetto-named robot dog

Communities programme, matched by the consortium partners, the project focuses on how 5G technology can boost the tourism and environment protection

sectors.

Nottinghamshire school children aged 5-11 will have the chance to officially name the robot dog as part of a new competition launched

by Nottinghamshire County Council. As part of the 5G Connected Forest programme, the ancient woodland – which enjoys a legendary status worldwide thanks to the story of the English folklore hero from the area – will be home to the development and application of smart robotic forest rangers, autonomous vehicles and a supersensitive sensor network for environmental monitoring and management.

BCU associate professor Taufiq Asyhari said: “We are thrilled to be able to showcase some of the highend AI, computing, and other cutting edge network and interactive technologies, which are helping to drive the 5G Connected Forest project.

“Our robot dog will support the duties of forest rangers to collect various data. This will be complemented by our drone and advanced sensing technologies to capture the aerial view of the forest.

“The 5G-enabled forestry data processing could pave a way in understanding the health of the forest close to real time to ensure safe, sustainable interactions between human and forest.”

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Business News

Pet products and patent experts toast 50 years of trading link wo Chamber members are celebrating their continued partnership as one of them marks their 100th anniversary.

With Johnson’s Veterinary Products marking their centenary year, patent and trade mark attorneys at Forresters are joining them in toasting their anniversary, and their continued partnership – which has lasted more than 50 years.

Both businesses have a long history, with Forresters starting in Birmingham more than 130 years ago and Johnson’s Veterinary Products beginning in West Bromwich in 1921.

It was Arthur Guy Johnson who started the business from the family home in Hope Street when he began experimenting with recipes with the idea of selling them to the retail trade. His aim was to make animal care products much easier to purchase for the average consumer and his first three products were for poultry.

T

Enjoyable partnership: Matt Shaw

28 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

By the time Arthur passed away in 1961 at the age of 88, the business had not only relocated its premises to Sutton Coldfield where it remains today, but had expanded its line to 320 products.

Today, Johnson’s is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of pet healthcare products. Chairman David Johnson said the company’s continued success has been helped by their partnership with Forresters. “We have worked with Forresters for more than half a century and they have helped us to protect our important trade marks, enabling us to sell our products in pet stores around the world.”

To mark their centenary, Johnson’s had a number of promotions for stockists and also donated a proportion of profits made on its anniversary, 31 July, to its five chosen charities for 2021: Hounds for Heroes, Dogs for Good, Fat Fluffs, Woodgreen and Fur Babies Cat Rescue.

Origins: The Johnson family when they launched their veterinary products firm 100 years ago

David added: “The wellbeing of animals remains at the heart of all we do. Together with these charitable organisations and those who work across the pet store community, we all share a passion for pets in all shapes, sizes, and species.

“Although the high street is struggling, these organisations remain a beacon of hope and will always have our full support.”

Files at Forresters, dating back to 1964, show details of one of the first trade marks registered for Johnson’s. Securing a trade mark abroad in the 1960s cost £30 to £40 in each country – and to register the business name Johnson’s had to get “a declaration from a customer in each county” to prove that they were well known in the UK. In March, 1965, Forresters wrote to Arthur Howard Johnson, eldest son of the company’s founder, to tell them that “your application is to be allowed to proceed to advertisement in the Trade Marks Journal”.

Also among the files are adverts from the 1960s which show that Johnson’s ‘Gold’ dog shampoo cost one shilling and 11 pence while the ‘Vit-min powder’ started at one shilling and four pence and claimed it “Builds Fine Sturdy Birds.”

Matt Shaw, managing partner at Forresters, said they have greatly enjoyed working with Johnson’s, which continues to develop and produce innovative products for pets ranging from cats and dogs to rats, birds, fish and guinea pigs.

Canine care: Johnson’s first dog product

“Congratulations to Johnson’s on their 100th anniversary, which is testament to the hard work and ingenuity of their brilliant team,” said Matt.

“At Forresters we love working with companies that are at the forefront of innovation – and Johnson’s is no exception. We have enjoyed working with this fantastic business to protect its intellectual property (IP) and ensure they can continue to sell their products both in the UK and overseas.”

Charles Brant, group senior relationship manager at Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, said: “It is fantastic to see these two long-established Chamber members celebrating their long partnership.

At the chamber we are keen to help our members make key connections within the business community, and work together.

“Partnerships like this not only contribute to the growth of those businesses, they also give a boost to the areas they are based in, as well as inspiring others to take that leap and start a successful business. Congratulations to Johnson’s on their anniversary and we wish them many more years of success.”

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Business News

With the Met Office predicting a prolonged cold snap and more snowfall this winter, gritting and snow clearance company AA Salt has been busy behind the scenes over the past few months to help its 500 customers prepare so they are winter-ready.

But aside from what is a huge planning exercise for this winter, the company has also announced that it aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 by making a series of environmental pledges as part of its long-term drive to protect the planet.

To support its green target, the Worcestershire company has developed a unique sustainability programme which is based on four pillars of education, environment, operations and the community.

Under the programme, and aside from using environmentally-friendly spreading salt, the company plans to purchase its

first electric-powered lorry and has undertaken an extensive rainwater harvesting initiative, which is gathering around 50,000 litres of rainwater every year to clean its vehicle fleet.

The company has also been praised for its tree-planting partnerships with local schools, which help offset any carbon usage.

Sales and operations director Ben Tanner said: “It is set to be a busy winter for us but our online tracking and pinpoint weather forecasting technology continues to be a huge help in terms of our preparation.

“Aside from that, we’re known for how serious we take our green credentials and our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030 is not only ambitious, but important for the planet and future generations. We’re delighted that so many of our customers back us.”

Readers and Chamber members can visit AA Salt’s website through: www.aasalt.co.uk or for a further discussion on winter planning, call Ben on: 07967 012586.

Ben Tanner

November 2021 CHAMBERLINK 29

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Business News

Sponsored by: NTS Communications

Hotel sector continues to improve as demand rises Hybrid working and data security When we are talking to clients at the moment the term we are hearing regularly is “hybrid work”. This is the new flexible arrangement that allow employees to split their time between the office and working remotely – often from home.

Hybrid working is likely to have huge benefits for the wellbeing of any workforce, offering employees choice and flexibility in a way that we couldn’t imagine pre-Covid. But very few businesses have the technology in place to truly ensure seamless business operations. Our solutions allow our clients to take advantage of this way of working, introducing effective methods of team collaboration leading to high levels of employee performance and customer satisfaction.

Data security and cybersecurity is a key concern when employees are working routinely from home. Phishing attacks have risen substantially in the last year and according to global insurer Hiscox, one small business in the UK is successfully hacked every 19 seconds. Cisco estimates 53 per cent of small businesses suffered a security breach globally in 2018. When employees are using their own equipment, or working by themselves, the risks are increased. When working with clients we identify any potential data security issues as part of the specification, and we ensure the finished solution builds in data security in as standard.

If you are looking to ensure your hybrid working arrangements keep your data secure, please get in touch: Alan Pallett and Steve Ward Directors, NTS Communications Promoting Growth Through Technology Specialists in Unified Comms, Contact Centres, Cloud T: 0345 450 0333 E: info@nts-comms.co.uk W: nts-comms.co.uk

30 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

After the most volatile trading period since benchmarking began, UK hotel trading performance is set to improve in 2022 as demand continues to return.

According to research from PwC, although there are encouraging signs for hoteliers, trading is still not anticipated to return to prepandemic levels by the end of 2022.

The prediction forms part of PwC’s ‘UK Hotels Forecast 20212022’ analysis into market conditions for hotels over the next 12 months.

The forecast for occupancy rates by the end of 2022, is between 70 per cent and 90 per cent of prepandemic levels in London.

Meanwhile, in the Midlands the forecast is even higher at between 87 per cent and 96 per cent of prepandemic levels.

The speed of recovery will be the major issue in 2022, but will be driven by factors outside of the sector’s control, including the pace and size of the return of tourism, international and domestic business and events.

An encouraging sign for hoteliers, when surveyed, 63 per cent of people said they plan to take either more or the same number of holidays in 2022.

However, a difficult start to 2022 is widely expected, with the end of the majority of government financial support and rent and tax bills due, managing cash flow and operations will be critical.

Meanwhile, rising payroll cost pressures are likely to continue into 2022 as labour shortages in hotels

Sarah Phillips: Mixed fortunes for Midland hotels

are at a critical level, leading to an above inflation increase in wage rates as hoteliers struggle to retain and attract staff.

The Midlands has seen mixed fortunes throughout the pandemic.

‘Hotels that previously focused on the business market should think about how to capture domestic tourism’ Staycations have provided a boost to the sector, with occupancy rates and ADR in August 2021 significantly outperforming prepandemic August 2019.

Sarah Phillips, Midlands retail and consumer markets leader, PwC said: “In the Midlands, we hope to see a real boost to hotel occupancy resulting from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and generally from business tourism.

“Hotels must continue to innovate and adapt to the markets available to them. Hotels that previously focused on the business market should think about how to capture domestic tourism, looking at this as a real opportunity and, as it returns, the international tourism market.

“Recovery will not be easy or straightforward, but with the right planning and strategy, hotels across the UK can look forward to significantly better trading over the next 12 months.”

Recognition for Clarke Willmott National law firm Clarke Willmott has been recognised as a ‘Top Tier’ firm in the latest edition of Legal 500, which is considered to be the lawyer’s ‘bible’ in the UK. The Legal 500 ranks the UK’s top lawyers and legal firms, and this year’s lists Clarke Willmott – which has an office in Birmingham – in 10 of its specialist practice listings.

The firm’s Birmingham office is ranked in: corporate and commercial; commercial litigation; insolvency and corporate recovery; family; personal tax, trusts and probate; commercial property and had new rankings in construction, and personal injury.

This year also saw several individuals from the Birmingham office appearing on the guide’s list of outstanding lawyers, including three named as ‘Leading Individuals’ – Rayner Grice, Philip Edwards

and Stephanie Slinn, and also Caroline Young, who was listed as a ‘Rising Star’.

Rayner Grice, who is head of the Clarke Willmott Birmingham office, said: “We are delighted with our numerous rankings in the Legal 500 again this year both for our specialist practice areas and for individual lawyers.

“It is especially pleasing to see our recently established construction team receive recognition for its exceptional work along with three of our lawyers being recognized as Leading Individuals in the city.

“This is a prestigious industry guide and gives credence to the quality of the work that we carry out as the rankings are based on client feedback.

“The recognition across the office and the firm as a whole reflects the time we invest in developing relationships with our clients, our high level of service and our great people.”

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Business News

UK haulers in ‘cabotage’ row The Road Haulage Association (RHA) says it is shocked and disappointed by the government’s proposal to allow foreign haulage companies to undertake unlimited work in the UK in two-week blocks.

The RHA believes more effective measures can be taken to deal with the shortage of lorry drivers.

In simple terms, ‘cabotage’ allows non-UK haulage companies to work in the UK while being based outside the UK. The companies and employees will pay no tax in the UK. The RHA said this issue was not about drivers from outside the country working for UK companies. It said the proposal outsources the whole haulage activity, with tax, safety regulation, national insurance obligations all controlled from outside the UK, when cabotage

is unfettered in the way proposed by government.

It will help deal with the crisis in haulage availability, for supermarkets especially, but it will undermine the work being done to provide long-term solutions to deal with problems of lorry driver availability, pay and conditions, the organisation said.

‘It will help deal with the crisis in haulage availability’ RHA MD for policy and public affairs, Rod McKenzie, said: “This proposal undermines the good work done already on training, testing of drivers and the improved pay and conditions we have started to see for drivers.

“It is a shame the government has decided to offshore haulage work to unaccountable operators from outside the UK.”

Rugby legend to join Sportsman’s Lunch Rugby star Jason Robinson (pictured) is to be guest speaker at the Midland’s Sportsman’s Lunch later this year.

The event at the Burlington Hotel in Birmingham city centre on 8 December is being organised

by Eventmasters.

Robinson was an England winger/full back who helped inspire his team to victory in the 2003 World Cup final.

Nicknamed Billy Whizz after a character in the ‘Beano’, an extremely fast runner, he was an international at both rugby league and union, known for his acceleration, sidestep and ability to beat defenders.

During his rugby league career he played 281 games, scoring 171 tries.

At Wigan, the Yorkshireman’s honours included a Super League title, four Championships, three Challenge Cups, three Regal Trophy wins, and four premiership titles.

He received 12 caps for Great Britain and seven for England.

Switching to union, he managed 28 tries in 51 England games, the highlight of which was a memorable one in that 2003 final.

He was appointed captain in 2004, the first mixed-race player and the first former professional rugby league footballer to do so.

Tempted out of retirement, he was part of England’s 2007 World Cup campaign in France, selected for his leadership and winning mentality.

Denise Sheasby, managing director of St Paul’s Square-based sports hospitality agency Eventmasters, who put the luncheon together, said: “The word legend is used excessively in sport, however in Jason Robinson it is true to say that we have a real legend of the game joining us.”

The event will be hosted and compered by Tim Stimpson who has become the resident MC having himself being a leading player for Leicester Tigers and England.

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Tackling the ‘Great Resignation’ Businesses risk losing employees if they fail to find ways to engage with them properly, according to a corporate training expert.

Zoe Lewis, director of coaching of Stratford based The Leadership Coaches, said that a recent survey by IT giant Microsoft had found that 40 per cent of employees around the world were looking to leave their current job by the end of the year.

The Microsoft report was ominously titled ‘The Great Resignation’, and Ms Lewis said it was the result of people re-evaluating their relationship with work post-coronavirus, and was also evidence of how employee engagement had grown in importance in the workplace.

She added that one way in which employers could tackle this was to embrace what is known as ‘a coaching culture’.

She said: “The easiest way to describe a coaching culture is one where people are asked not told, they are empowered to solve the organisation’s problems and achieve goals through a supportive and enabling leadership and management structure.”

She added that the other side of the coin were organisations which operated on ‘traditional’ lines, and could be identified by managers spending most of the time telling people what to do and how to do it.

Other signs of this type of culture were organisations which were closed to new ideas

Zoe Lewis, director at The Leadership Coaches

and had a blame culture attitude, where people feared making mistakes. She said organisations operating in this way were ‘missing a trick’, and should adopt a ‘coaching culture’, in order to boost business performance.

She said: “Developing a coaching culture isn’t just a nice thing to do as a way to make employees feel good but is increasingly shown to be essential to drive high performance.

“A coaching culture should include asking what others think about a situation and be open to hearing their ideas, listening to understand others’ opinions more than telling people what to do and empowering employees to take accountability and learn through experimentation.

“As has been borne out in this last year like no other before, organisations need to be able to adapt quickly if they are to stay competitive.

“This requires employees to be able to think creatively to make decisions and solve problems.

Empowering employees to identify their own solutions through coaching helps build their confidence and competence to manage a wider range of day-to-day situations, allowing leaders to focus more of their time on strategic activities that drive the business forwards.

“A coaching culture fosters employee engagement, trust and motivation and encourages creativity and improves problemsolving.

“It allows leaders to focus more on strategic work, increases retention and attraction of talent, supports delivery of core business strategy and enhances business performance “The final two are the dealbreakers here for most executive teams – who wouldn’t want to create a coaching culture that supports the delivery of the core business strategy and enhances business performance?”

Fun in the sun: A pop-up urban park was created at Birmingham’s Brindleyplace

Sampad partnership to host music events Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage is linking up with a music charity to put on a programme of events at Symphony Hall.

The charity is B:Music, which stages on events at the Town Hall, as well as Symphony Hall.

The partnership will mark the return to the venue of Sampad’s popular ‘Mid-day Mantra’, a free event for audiences which will take place in Symphony Hall’s brand-new ‘Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space’.

The opening concert featured songwriter and musician Navin Kundra, who has had a number of hit singles, and has just complete his first ever Bollywood movie, ‘Operation Cobra’.

He recently performed at Wembley Stadium in front of 60,000 people. Navin has currently been touring with his sold out, smash hit concert tour, ‘Voice Of Legends’.

Sampad director Piali Ray said: “Previously, and over a period of four years, Sampad presented 37 free ‘Mid-day Mantras’ in Symphony Hall’s foyer space which attracted an audience of over 6,000.

“We are therefore delighted to partner with B:Music and look forward to welcoming audiences to our opening which will be a joyous, celebratory event ahead of Diwali, one of the major religious festivals.”

B:Music chief Nick Reed, said: “We’re so proud to be partnering with Sampad to present some of the best South Asian artists from the UK and the Indian subcontinent in our brand-new spaces.

“Mid-day Mantra is a chance for Symphony Hall to showcase some of the many exciting voices that form part of the region's cultural heritage in one of its iconic buildings.”

The second ‘Mid-day Mantra’ takes place on 27 November and features Sanchita Pal and musicians. Sanchita is one of the most accomplished Hindustani (North Indian) classical and semi-classical singers.

Sampad is planning a special ‘Mid-day Mantra’ in recognition of Bangladesh@50 on 18 December featuring music and spoken word.

Bringing life back to towns Real estate advisor Avison Young helped clients across the UK to attract more than 125,000 people back to their destinations this summer.

Demonstrating strong demand from communities to return to events post-pandemic, the results are more than four times that of Avison Young’s last summer programme in 2019, which achieved 30,000 attendees across the same period.

Briefed to inject life and safely welcome people back into town centres, shopping centres and mixeduse developments, the results represent a renewed focus on engagement and communications, coupled with the property sector’s strong d esire for events.

Avison Young’s Engage team delivered a range of events and installations for clients with retail, office and high street assets, in

areas including the West Midlands, Portsmouth and Manchester.

Initiatives spanned installing temporary urban parks, competitive socialising event series, charity driven arts and culture programmes and strategic multi-channel recovery campaigns for local authorities.

Highlights included a three-month pop-up ‘urban park’ at Birmingham’s Brindleyplace to enable office workers and visitors to enjoy more open, green space.

Lydia Ellis, head of Engage at Avison Young, said: “People are the lifeblood of places, and it has been very important to our clients to find ways to encourage people back both responsibly and sensitively.

“Building on a successful summer, we are continuing to develop strategies for clients over the Christmas period as well as for 2022 and beyond.”

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Business News

Region drives cleantech FDI Midland cities Birmingham and Coventry both feature on a list of top UK locations for ‘cleantech’ foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2020, according to new analysis by EY. The firm’s research found that the UK was Europe’s second most popular location for FDI-backed clean technology projects in 2020.

Topping the table for UK cities was London with 11 projects, Europe’s single biggest city for cleantech project numbers in 2020.

However, Birmingham and Coventry attracted two projects apiece, along with Grimsby and Scarborough. Only Aberdeen (four) was home to more projects.

The UK as a whole attracted 59 cleantech projects in 2020, which was 17.1 per cent of all such European projects, and behind only Germany’s 67 projects (19.4 per cent of the European cleantech market).

Cleantech accounted for 6.1 per cent of all UK foreign direct investment (FDI) supported projects in 2020, in line with the equivalent European figure of 6.2 per cent.

Cleantech projects included in the survey are those which include investment in energy transition, biodiversity, sustainability and the pursuit of net zero targets.

Simon O’Neill, office managing partner at EY in the Midlands, said: “Clean technology and sustainability are important economic drivers in the Midlands and it’s welcomed news that both Birmingham and Coventry have attracted cleantech investment projects.

“Earlier this year, the Midlands Engine set out its ‘Ten Point Plan for Green Growth’, with a unified voice and a collective plan to accelerate the Midlands’ pathway to Net Zero. The region’s businesses have a significant part to play in this process, driving investment and strategy and supporting job creation in this area.

Simon O’Neill: UK doing well with green investment

“The UK is in an encouraging place on green investment, with cleantech project numbers keeping pace with the UK’s overall FDI performance.

“The UK is also performing better on cleantech than perceptions might imply – our regular UK Attractiveness Survey has shown that while investor support for UK cleantech has grown significantly in recent years, Europe is still more likely to be perceived as a leader in this area.

“With scope to improve investor perceptions, the UK has a solid foundation from which to accelerate its cleantech performance. The government has the opportunity to set out how it will do this with its forthcoming ‘Net Zero Strategy’.

“Crucially, our research also suggests cleantech investment can also help level-up the UK economy.”

Recognising inspirational firms An initiative has been launched to help identify the firms who are the best at developing engineering apprentices.

It is hoped that this will encourage more students to take up engineering as a career when they leave school or college.

The initiative has been developed by private sector organisation Next Gen Makers, whose remit is to ‘make it easier for engineering and manufacturing firms to proactively inspire the next generation of engineers in local colleges and secondary schools and recruit engineering apprentices’.

Next Gen Makers has linked up with Make UK – the former Engineering Employers Federation - to create a new way of rating engineering companies who provide apprenticeships, the Kitemark.

Kitemark will identify those engineering businesses that have developed good practices with their apprentices, and will help students choose what businesses they should apply to.

To gain the best practices Kitemark, companies must be part of the recently launched ‘Engineering Apprenticeships: Best Practice Programme’, a Make UK 34 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Adam Tipper (left) with Stephen Mitchel and Fiona McGarry from Make UK

backed initiative designed to help manufacturers to overcome the current skills challenges.

Adam Tipper, managing director of Next Gen Makers, said: “We at Next Gen Makers are determined to help engineering and manufacturing firms get the recognition they

deserve as employers of choice and also get behind and support those companies that aspire to reach that level.

“By helping those companies get the recognition they deserve, we really are tackling the skills gap head on.”

Partnership to tackle wellbeing Solihull Moors Football Club has linked up with a mental health charity to improve the wellbeing of its home town.

The charity, Living Well UK, has become a shirt sponsor for Moors, but will also be working with players, coaches, and Moors fans on a series of programmes and initiatives to boost people’s mental health.

Ben Howells, CEO of Living Well UK, said: “It’s fantastic to be working with Solihull Moors FC on this collaboration and we’re truly excited to get the ball rolling with the plans we have in mind.

“The work that the club and the Solihull Moors Foundation already do for the region is phenomenal and we truly believe that by joining forces, we can help raise awareness of the support available to those who are struggling.”

Chairman Darryl Eales from Solihull Moors FC says: “We are so pleased to welcome Living Well UK to the team and are looking forward to working with their experts in the coming season and beyond.”

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Business News

Content agency strengthens team with senior hires Content marketing agency HDY Agency has strengthened its operational team with the appointment of its first growth director and project director.

Bringing 20 years of marketing and advertising experience, Deborah Green joins the fast-growing agency as a growth director to support its visions of client growth and international expansion.

Project director Angharad Bray also joins the team as an established project management professional with 13 years of experience in various roles spanning client services, events and procurement.

HDY was co-founded by Global broadcaster Ed James and accomplished marketeer Angel Gaskell in 2018.

The agency has moved to a larger office in the heart of Birmingham’s creative quarter in Digbeth, tripling its previous size, and has created six new roles in the past three months alone.

Angel Gaskell, HDY co-founder, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome both Deborah and Angharad to the agency. With their keen eye for growth opportunities and out-of-the-box thinking, they’re going to be amazing assets to our team.

“Our people are the beating heart of our business, which is why hiring the very best talent is vital to our future growth ambitions.

“We’re a regional-born agency with our sights firmly set on international growth. Having the very best people on board is integral to helping us achieve that vision.”

Growing together: Angharad Bray (left) and Deborah Green

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Business News ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

What is OSCE? - and why overseas nurses must take it to become registered nurses in the UK Overseas nurses in the UK

Article by Neha Awashti

When an overseas health professional joins the UK health workforce, to work legally as a registered nurse, they must pass few crucial tests before obtaining the nursing registration. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is a regulatory body which overseas this process. It has approved two tests of competence against which the suitable candidates are measured with. The first is Computer Based Test (CBT) followed by an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as the second part of the assessment, where candidates must prove that their clinical and communication skills are on the required level.

THE ACTUAL EXAM The nurses trained abroad are required to undertake this exam of ten stations; six of which are skill stations, and each last about fifteen minutes. Every element of the test is important as the trainee needs to perform each of them in a satisfactory manner. The test starts with the patient’s assessment (Assessment station), followed by the planning of nursing care (Planning station); safely administration of medication (Implementation station) and the evaluation of the care planned in the hospital or the community setting (Evaluation station).

The key element of this test is the risk management – candidates’ ability to ensure the safety of the patient and candidates themselves. Upon successful completion of this examination and fulfilling all the essential criteria, the nurse obtains the registration pin number which concludes the registration process.

WHAT IS OET? The occupational language test is an English language test for healthcare professionals recognised by various regulatory healthcare bodies. The test assesses all four English skills using test materials that reflect typical real work places and relevant language skills.

THE TRAINING PROCESSES Our practice shows that the vast majority of the overseas nurses coming to obtain the training for OSCE with QAQF, are experienced and well -prepared, requiring little guidance to adopt to the local process and work standards. For many of them who come from hard working environments the technology available in the UK is a great advantage. They are eager to learn and have very high participation during the online classes even though the majority are full time workers in care and nursing homes. In August we restarted our live classes with a two-day course in London, but the main work is still done online. At this point our trainees have 99% exam success, which is not surprising as the candidates are highly motivated and come after a rigid selection of four consecutive interviews before landing in the UK. 36 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

First Aid training

Neha Awashti (pictured) is the QAQF OSCE Head instructor – an experienced nurse, who was on the frontline as part of the emergency units during the pandemic. Probably that is why she is famous for her ‘no non-sense approach’, and she really invests in her students but expects always one hundred percent commitment.

QAQF are specialists in the healthcare education, training overseas professionals for work in the UK and helping them pass professional nursing exams as CBT, OSCE and OET.

For more information on how to enrol on our online preparation OET course, email QAQF at: info@qaqf.co.uk

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Business News

Accountability needed to protect the disabled People with disabilities are being put at risk by the lack of clarity over where responsibility lies for escaping from a building in an emergency, a Birmingham safety and evacuation specialist has warned.

Tyseley based Evac+Chair International is urging lawmakers to close what it says is a legislative gap, to encourage ‘more accountability and transparency’ where fire safety was concerned.

At the same time, the firm is looking to educate those responsible for fire safety about their responsibilities in emergency situations.

Evac+Chair said that there were 14.1 million disabled people in the UK, and more than 4.4 million of them were in work.

But the firm said that current fire safety regulations did not specify evacuation systems or equipment for people with disabilities or mobility issues, as a legal requirement in buildings.

It said that although there was a legal responsibility for the person responsible for fire safety to have in place a risk assessment and measures to support the safe evacuation of people from a building, this did not specify what should be in place to help disabled people.

Now, Birmingham-based Evac+Chair International wants a rethink of the law and is calling on businesses to make sure they

Gerard Wallace: More clarity needed over the evacuation of the disabled from buildings in an emergency

have the right risk assessments and measures in place to keep people safe in an emergency.

‘We need to make sure that everyone, whether able-bodied or not, can escape from a building in an emergency situation’ Gerard Wallace, managing director of Evac+Chair, said: “It is vital that businesses know their

responsibilities and people with disabilities - whether lifelong or temporary - know their rights around safely getting out of a building in an emergency.

“There is great confusion, a legislative gap and lack of clarity around what business owners and building managers responsible for fire safety need to have in place to properly protect staff, visitors and the public.

“The emphasis has always been on giving disabled people access into buildings, but little thought and planning is paid on how to support people to get out in an emergency.

“We also see a lack of awareness amongst building owners and managers around their responsibilities for people with temporary disabilities or impairments - such as a broken leg or pregnancy. The fact is, they are responsible and could be liable in a worst-case scenario.

“We need to make sure that everyone, whether able-bodied or not, can escape from a building in an emergency situation.”

Evac+Chair International is joining forces with other businesses, national advocacy groups and charities to highlight the issue with the government, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and fire safety body BAFE.

.Monumental period: Ade Cheetham

Record revenue for Cooper Parry Accountant Cooper Parry has seen revenue for the year pass £34m, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The firm’s first quarter results saw record-breaking revenue growth of 48 per cent and all teams are delivering year-on-year growth – with corporate finance registering its biggest ever deal and audit (up 22 per cent), tax (up 17 per cent) and wealth (up 30 per cent) driving the firm-wide success.

The news follows hard on the heels of the successful launch of a new tech and high growth team by two ex-Grant Thornton partners, Steve Leith and James Peck.

As part of its post-pandemic reopening, Cooper Parry has also taken new office space in Shoreditch to house its 45-strong London team.

Cooper Parry CEO Ade Cheatham said: “The past 18 months have been monumental for Cooper Parry. At the start, we acted super fast, pivoting swiftly to deliver our clients the right experience for the strangest of times.

“We then took the brakes off equally quickly to turbo charge our growth. Attracting top talent and only focusing on key areas where we can lead is the key driver.”

Social media ‘likes’ influence food choices Social media users who view images of healthy foods that have been heavily endorsed with ‘likes’ are more likely to make healthier food choices, a new study has found.

The research, by psychologists from Aston University’s College of Health and Life Sciences, found that study participants who viewed ‘highly liked’ mock Instagram posts of fruit and vegetables ate a significantly higher proportion of grapes than cookies, with consumption of grapes increasing by 14 per cent more calories, compared to those

who viewed ‘highly liked’ high calorie foods.

The study, which is published in the scientific journal ‘Appetite’, investigated the effect of socially endorsed social media posts on participants’ eating behaviour.

The 169 participants, who had an average age of 21, were asked to look at mock Instagram posts of different types of food, that either had a few or a lot of ‘likes’, and later given access to grapes and cookies to consume.

As well as viewing images of fruit and vegetables, participants also looked at less nutritious

foods such as cakes and biscuits, and non-food images such as stylish interior designs. However, the researchers found that the participants went on to consume a larger proportion of grapes after viewing highly liked images of fruit and vegetables, compared to the other images.

Aston University psychology PhD student Lily Hawkins, who led the study alongside supervisor Dr Jason Thomas, said: “The findings of the study suggest that not only exposure to healthy food images on social media, but those that are also heavily endorsed with

‘likes’, may nudge people to choose to eat more healthy foods, in place of less nutritious foods.”

“What we see others approve of eating and post about eating on social media can affect our actual eating behaviour and could result in a greater consumption of healthier meals and snacks.”

“One reason for this may be because thinking that others ‘like’ and eat fruit and vegetables nudges participants to alter their behaviour in order to fit in with what they perceive to be the norm.”

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Business News

Decade of success: Yetunde Dania (centre of pic, in red) with Trowers’ Birmingham staff

Anniversary for law firm’s office Law firm Trowers & Hamlins is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Birmingham office.

Since opening in July 2011, the firm now employs more than 100 in the city. The Birmingham office has been recognised for its commitment to innovation in the West Midlands, having advised on pioneering 5G technology that has helped to establish the region as a hub for technology in the UK.

Entertainment sector seeks staff New confidence following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions has resulted in around 20 new jobs being offered by entertainment businesses across Broad Street.

The opportunities are for roles ranging from events management and finance to media technicians, as well as jobs in shops, bars and cafes.

The jobs are being advertised on Westside BID's own jobs site, which was launched earlier this summer, with vacancies already 50 per cent higher than the previous month.

Several jobs are being sought at The REP theatre, The Ikon Gallery and The NEC Group.

And, reflecting next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, applicants are sought for a project coordinator.

Luisa Huggins, media manager at Westside BID, said the job applications demonstrated how the hospitality sector was returning to normal.

She added: “We are pleased to support members by hosting a jobs page that has been well received.”

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The head of the Birmingham office, Yetunde Dania, said: "It has been wonderful to see how much the Birmingham office has grown and developed over the last 10 years.

“When we first moved to Colmore Row, we did so with the intention of establishing ourselves not only in the legal sector but also in the community itself.

“I take great pride in saying that ethos is still at the core of what we

do at the office as we continue to establish ourselves further across many different platforms.

“We have maintained a strong growth in number of new hires, celebrating true diversity and inclusion, alongside many promotions, most recently welcoming Moad Giebaly into the partnership.

“Our growth over the course of the last 10 years is a testament to the

hard work and dedication of all the teams and I'd like to thank everybody for their commitment as we continue on our journey of expanding.”

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary, the firm has developed a YouTube campaign and a podcast series that focuses on future innovation, highlights key moments along the journey and experiences shared by those from the office as well as showcasing client success stories.

Living Space team bolstered by new commercial manager Living Space Housing has appointed Steve Oldacre as its new commercial manager. Steve will play a key role in driving the commercial function of the business, both pre and post contract.

Solihull-based Living Space Housing launched to the market in 2019 as a specialist in affordable homes. The company has grown at such a pace, it has been able to respond to the industry-wide issues of low output caused by the Covid-19 pandemic by ramping up production.

Great opportunity: Steve Oldacre

Living Space has a total of 674 residential plots under control, representing a combined value in excess of £113m. The company is on track to deliver 12 developments over the next two years.

Mr Oldacre has joined Living Space from PLC housebuilder Vistry Group, where he held the position of group senior surveyor. Before that he was employed as United Living’s regional commercial manager for eight years, and by Mansell Construction as a Commercial Manager for 13 years. He brings a total of 35 years’ industry experience to his new role at Living Space.

He said: “This role at Living Space presents a great opportunity to work for a young and progressive affordable housing specialist. I have 35 years’ experience in the housebuilding and construction industry. Living Space is doing something really innovative and I am excited to take up this position and help drive the commercial department, as the business continues to expand.”

Living Space’s live developments comprise 51 homes at Malvern Oaks in Cradley, on the outskirts of Malvern, Herefordshire, which is in conjunction with affordable housing provider Stonewater.

In Telford, 38 homes located off Park Road in the Malinslee ward of the town, and 39 homes on former Homes England land at Majestic Way are being delivered for The Wrekin Housing Group.

Forty affordable eco-friendly homes are being constructed for housing provider Paradigm on a site off Oak Farm Drive in the Oxfordshire village of Milcombe, while 36 homes are being delivered in conjunction with Hightown Housing Association in the Bedfordshire village of Moggerhanger.

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Business News

Brindleyplace appoints brand ambassador Property adviser Matt Long has been appointed as a brand ambassador for Birmingham business and leisure destination, Brindleyplace, in a newly-created role.

As head of tenant engagement and placemaking, Matt will be an advocate for everyone who works and visits Brindleyplace.

Matt is a highly respected former property agent and adviser with over 20 years’ experience in the local commercial property marketplace.

He joins Brindleyplace from Calthorpe Estates, where he headed up customer and community relationships. Matt has also worked at Colliers International where, as a director, he was involved in the Office Agency activity in Birmingham, working as part of the National Offices team.

Before that, Matt worked at DTZ, now part of Cushman & Wakefield.

Matt was also previously a senior figure and player at both Moseley and Birmingham & Solihull Bees rugby club. His focus at Brindleyplace will be on developing existing, and creating new, relationships and partnerships with occupiers, tenants, and visitors.

This work will bring him into contact with staff and the public in equal measure with the aim of improving the customer experience for everyone who comes to the estate.

Brindleyplace is a premier business and leisure address with large office occupiers like NatWest, Deutsche Bank, Deloitte, Avison Young, X&Y, Lloyds Bank, and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. In total there is more than 1.1 million sq ft of commercial space across the estate.

Leisure operators include more than 20 bars, cafes and restaurants including Bank, Las Iguanas, Alchemist, Lulu Wild, Cosy Club, Perios, Pulperia and more.

New placement: Matt Long (centre) with Gary Hawkswood (left), both of Brindleyplace, and Jonathan Aspinall of Avison Young

Attractions like the National Sea Life Centre, Ikon gallery and Crescent Theatre also provide great family-friendly days out.

Matt said: “I firmly believe that building strong relationships is the best and most effective way to do business. Brindleyplace has always been a special place and I can’t wait to get stuck into developing the customer experience across the estate.

“The Covid pandemic has shown the value of relationships, of reaching out and working together, and I want to develop that through my role.

“I want everyone who comes here to go away with happy memories and a recommendation for others. By working closely with all occupiers, visitors, and neighbours, we can maximise opportunities for all and contribute towards the success of the city and the region.”

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Business News

Arup apprentice up for national award

Strong platform: Lauryn Jayes

Lauryn Jayes, building services engineering apprentice at Arup, has been shortlisted for the Institute of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2021.

Lauryn, who specialises in mechanical engineering, dedicates her time to promoting women in STEM careers, ensuring the universal access to strong female mentors within the industry. Her work involves designing and coordinating building services systems for both commercial and residential buildings. Lauryn’s role puts her on track to becoming an assistant mechanical engineer post-graduation.

Lauryn joined Arup in 2016 and went on to win the Nottingham Post Women in Business Apprentice of the Year in 2018.

The IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2021 celebrate women working in modern

In Brief A Midlands lawyer is urging employers to settle flexible working requests with their staff as soon as they start work, amid concerns changes to the law could lead to a surge in claims.

Darryll Thomas of Mfg Solicitors said the switch to home-working for many during the coronavirus pandemic has left employees seeking to keep hold of an improved work-life balance and not return to sitting in traffic or on crowded public transport at rush hour.

But the employment expert said Whitehall proposals to extend the right to request flexible working were a ‘double-edged sword’ and may lead employees to tribunal claims if they are refused.

He said refusal could be made for valid business reasons, but disgruntled employees could appeal this.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has secured more than half a million pounds to help tackle violence against women and girls.

The £549,000 will come from the government’s ‘Safer Streets’ fund and will be spent on a raft of projects including a wide-reaching public campaign designed to raise awareness of violence against women and girls and change attitudes amongst men and boys.

There will also be an educational programme led by specialist workers in schools to promote healthy relationships and respect, and a training programme to raise awareness of the harm faced by sex workers and homeless women.

Birmingham law firm Stone King has received top rankings in three areas in a new legal guide published by Chambers.

Charities, education and crime have all received ‘Band 1’ ratings in the guide, and in addition, 18 of the firm’s lawyers have been recognised in it.

Stone King managing director Steven Greenwood said: “I am very proud of our people for their efforts on behalf of clients which have again seen both our lawyers and the firm recognised.”

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engineering. They aim to help change the perception that engineering is predominantly a male orientated career.

‘I am thrilled to be announced as a finalist at the Young Woman of the Year awards’ Lauryn’s work promoting female role models within the engineering industry, and becoming a role model herself, reflects the aim of the IET who seek to highlight female talent and promote a career in engineering to more girls and women.

Lauryn says: “I am thrilled to be announced as a finalist at the Young Woman of the Year awards. This recognition gives me a strong platform to continue raising the profile of STEM as a career and inspire the next generation of young women to join our industry.”

The winner of the award will be announced at the IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards ceremony on Thursday, 2 December, 2021.

Legacy programme to help young people Common Purpose have launched the Legacy programme, Birmingham 150, aimed at helping young people shape Birmingham’s future by challenging them to think through what their generation’s legacy will be.

Legacy is a global campaign by Common Purpose that invests in young people across the world so they can become a connected generation of leaders.

Common Purpose is delivering the Legacy programme, for people between 18-25 living, working, not working, or studying in Birmingham.

In this powerful online programme, participants will work together to tackle a ‘green’ challenge for the city. Given the annual UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow later this year, all UK Legacy programmes have a green challenge at their heart.

Legacy programme participants will investigate the issues, collaborate, question and have difficult conversations.

Louise Teboul, operations director for Common Purpose UK, said: “Our Legacy programmes pre-dated the pandemic but they are coming into their own now, given how important it is that we invest in young people after the year they’ve had.

“Equally, we need to involve young people in shaping the recovery plans for the future of their communities and to let them know that their perspectives are valued and their voices are heard.”

The programme is made possible by the support of Aston University, RSM, Wesleyan, National Zakat Foundation and Birmingham Children’s Trust.

Mark Smith, executive director of business engagement at the university said: “The programme perfectly aligns with the University’s core values of community engagement, collaboration, leadership and providing opportunities for professional development.”

Mark Taylor, region and Birmingham office managing partner of RSM, said: “This is a terrific initiative to engage and enthuse future leaders in the key challenges of our time and we are proud to support it.”

Birmingham150 takes place over four days, from 11-12 to 15-16 November.

People aged between 18-25 living, working, not working, caring, volunteering or studying in Birmingham can apply at: commonpurpose.org/birmingham150

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Business News

Greenway study near complete A study looking at how a ‘greenway’ between Brownhills and Lichfield might be developed is nearing completion.

During the summer Lichfield District Council commissioned Sustrans, the national walking and cycling charity, to carry out a feasibility study on the creation of a greenway for walkers and cyclists on the mothballed South Staffordshire Railway line from Brownhills to Lichfield.

Sustrans has updated the council on the progress it has made on the study so far. This includes engineers visiting access points along the track to see how the greenway would interact with residential areas, community facilities and proposed development, including the Lichfield and Hatherton Canal restoration project.

The engineers are working on the designs for the greenway, which will feature a minimum three metre wide surface that is accessible to everyone.

Extra leisure elements, such as a new play space at the Lichfield end overlooking the city and pockets for artwork and seating, are also being added to the plans.

Work has also started to explore how to involve local communities in the project, mapping out where the council will need to engage as the greenway progresses.

Sustrans is now working with Network Rail to allow their ecologists to gain access to the old rail track, so they can analyse the potential ecological impact of the traffic-free route and how biodiversity can be protected and encouraged along the length of the greenway.

Cllr Doug Pullen with (left) Joss Winter and (centre) Edward Healey of Sustrans

South Staffordshire Railway initially opened in 1849 and was used for passenger travel and to transport coal and oil. The branch line has since been closed to passenger and freight services, but much of the track still remains.

Council leader Doug Pullen said: "I’m really pleased to hear about all the progress being made on the feasibility study, which is very positive. The sooner we have an overall idea of what the project will involve, from the designs through to local engagement, the sooner we can work in partnership to make it happen.

“Greenways are amazing as they encourage walking and cycling in safe spaces away from traffic and connect communities.

“To have an old railway line fenced off and unused is such a shame, and so bringing it back as a greenway for the good of all our local communities would be a real achievement.”

Joss Winter, network development manager for Sustrans, said: “It would provide a key connection between two areas, providing a traffic-free route for school travel, commuting and leisure.”

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Chamber Patrons

Chamber Patrons Greater Birmingham Chambers’ leading supporters

Contact: Henrietta Brealey T: 0121 274 3266

Millennium Point sees surge in events demand Green credentials: The ICC in Birmingham city centre

ICC praised for sustainability The ICC has been recognised for its green credentials for a 10th year in a row.

The venue has once again received the ISO14001:2015 certification, designed to help organisations manage their environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner and contribute to a clear sustainability policy.

Allan Boyle, general manager, NEC Group Conventions said: “Our sustainability policy is an integral part of event delivery - it’s not just a tick box exercise for us.”

The ICC’s steering group, labelled ‘the green team’, oversee the venue’s environmental performance and have helped to ensure that areas like energy consumption and waste management are achieving the required targets.

This has helped the ICC achieve zero waste to landfill and a consistent 80 per cent recycling target.

Other initiatives include an onsite CHP generator that generates heat and power and has the capacity to reduce carbon emissions by up to 30 per cent and a sustainable packaging policy which ensures that 100 per cent of in-house caterers Amadeus’ disposable packaging spend is on sustainable products.

Allan Boyle added: “On the ground, they are the people making this work for our business, our events, our industry and our planet and I am proud of all the staff in our venue who place our sustainability policy at the heart of everything we do.”

42 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Growing demand: Millennium Point’s auditorium which has received an upgrade

Events and conference venue Millennium Point has reported a surge in enquiries as in-person events steadily make a comeback to the business calendar.

Since fully reopening its 17 events spaces in July, Millennium Point has reported a 26 per cent increase in enquiries each month for corporate events taking place in

2021 and 2022, with an increase in overall enquiries of 96 per cent between April 2021 and July 2021.

The city centre venue has invested more than £350,000 to upgrade its 354-seater auditorium to support the delivery of hybrid events.

It has become a popular destination for large-scale events, conferences, esports tournaments

and screenings. The venue has also announced its Christmas packages for December 2021.

Rebecca Delmore, commercial director at Millennium Point, said: “We are delighted to see the increase in enquiries from event bookers over the last six months.

“We think this demonstrates a real appetite for in-person events and a strong commitment to business activity resuming in the region.

“The surge in enquiries has come following a significant investment in Millennium Point’s facilities, particularly in our auditorium, events, and meeting spaces.

“We have a really exciting events schedule coming up and can’t wait to kick-start the festive season with the return of our much-loved Christmas party packages. And in early 2022, we’re thrilled to be unveiling a brand-new installation at Millennium Point which will create an unbelievable experience and talking point for on-site events.”

Alternative fuel trial to help HS2 reduce carbon Results from a trial carried out to test the potential air quality benefits of alternative fuels look set to help HS2’s push to cut the use of diesel and introduce lowcarbon solutions on construction sites.

The trial, part of HS2’s Innovation programme, was carried out in partnership with Imperial College London and Balfour Beatty VINCI at an HS2 construction site near Coventry.

It measured tail-pipe emissions to determine the potential emission benefits of using alternative fuels when compared to red diesel.

The ‘real-world’ emission measurements tests were carried out on two 20-tonne excavators - a Liebherr R920 compact excavator (Stage IIIB) and a Komatsu PC210 excavator (Stage IV).

The fuels tested included standard red diesel (EN590) to provide a baseline for comparative purposes, red diesel with F18 fuel additive and two biofuels - hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) and Enhanced HVO. While the results showed limited air quality benefits when compared to red diesel, the trial demonstrated the potential carbon reduction opportunities through the sustainable sourcing of alternative fuels.

Cutting carbon: Thorough tests were carried out on machinery used at HS2 sites

Both machines used during the trial had exhaust gas after-treatment technology installed to reduce nitrogen dioxide and particle emissions.

The study also recognises that older machines with no after-treatment technology may have a greater potential for reducing emissions through the use of alternative fuels.

Neil Wait, head of environmental sciences at HS2 Ltd, said: “The research findings support steps taken by HS2 contractors to exploit the potential of biofuels to reduce carbon impacts on our construction sites.

“We continue to work closely with our supply chain and research organisations to develop far-reaching sustainable alternatives which will change the way the construction industry operates and support Britain’s move to a zero-carbon future.”

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Chamber Patrons Premium appeal: The Metropolitan Edition of the Discovery

Special edition Discovery revealed

Pain relief: Students are helping professionals ease lockdown lethargy

Sports therapy students get to work in new clinic Final year sports therapy students at University College Birmingham are inviting business professionals to beat lockdown lethargy at a new clinic designed to support their studies.

Face-to-face sessions at the student-led Sports Therapy and Exercise Medicine (STEM) clinic take place at the university's Summer Row and Moss House campuses, while virtual sessions are also available.

‘We know that people are feeling the brunt of lockdown lethargy’ Services the clinic offers include injury assessment and advice, injury rehabilitation, health and physical activity assessment and advice, movement and posture guidance for working from home and exercise plans.

Lecturer Lee Young, who oversees the clinic and supports the student practitioners along with the rest of the sports therapy teaching team, said: “The clinic is,

ultimately, designed to give students the opportunity to get real-life experience with helping patients to manage their health, wellness and recovery from pain and injury.

“They are, however, final year undergraduates already working out in industry and are supported by our experienced teaching team, many of whom have worked with top-flight teams and athletes.

“We know that people are feeling the brunt of lockdown lethargy and suffering the effects of a makeshift office, and these highly-skilled students can help support professionals in achieving more active and pain-free lifestyles.”

The STEM sessions will take place in the University’s purpose-built sports injury and massage clinics, part of a wider investment of £130m into facilities.

To book an appointment and to find out more about how both physical and virtual sessions work, email stemclinic@ucb.ac.uk

Land Rover has strengthened the appeal of the Discovery with the introduction of a new special edition.

The Metropolitan Edition features a suite of technologies to enhance the comfort and convenience provided by Land Rover’s sevenseat family SUV. It provides a host of exterior upgrades and a generous standard specification.

It is available with a choice of electrified powertrains, with the efficient RDE2-certified, Euro 6dFinal-compliant D300 Ingenium diesel or the powerful P360 Ingenium petrol both featuring 48V Mild-Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology.

Alongside the arrival of the Metropolitan Edition, the Discovery Commercial is also now available in purposeful R-Dynamic specification for the first time, enhancing the appeal of Land Rover’s premium utility vehicle.

Finbar McFall, Land Rover brand director, said: “The introduction of the Metropolitan Edition brings a new level of premium appeal to the Land Rover Discovery.

“The special edition model represents the flagship of the line-up and builds on the appeal of the RDynamic specification with exterior design enhancements and a suite of convenience-boosting technologies.”

Helping young people with mental health Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s first peer support worker is now in post a year after the charity announced its ambition to fund roles to work with young people in Birmingham experiencing mental health illness.

The ‘Fight For All The Feels’ youth mental health fundraising campaign launched on World Mental Health Day 2020 in response to an uptick of referrals to Forward Thinking Birmingham, the city’s youth mental health partnership for under-25s.

The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the youth mental health challenge in Birmingham and help tackle the stigma which still surrounds it.

Each peer support worker will have experienced mental health illness, therefore not only aiding with a young person’s medical recovery, but their personal recovery too.

Miski Hussein, 24, from Birmingham, is the

first peer support worker to be appointed.

Miski was at university when she started to experience problems with her mental health.

While her peers were out socialising and enjoying the typical university experience, it wasn’t a scene she wanted to be a part of, largely due to her religious upbringing.

It meant she struggled to build friendships and the important support network around her.

Miski started to demonstrate manic traits.

She had increased energy and ploughed that into her university work, but became obsessed about it.

Her family had noticed the change in her, as she was completely different to the outgoing and happy girl they knew.

Instead, she was paranoid and suspicious of them.

She would have episodes of crying for hours or then talking non-stop.

Her mum then took her to hospital where

they were told she was experiencing psychosis.

Miski was sectioned for two months.

It was the first of her two episodes of psychosis.

Despite getting better and going on to complete her university degree, Miski struggled to accept what had happened.

She said: “I just felt complete and utter shame – the fact I had experienced psychosis.

Mental health isn’t something that’s openly talked about in my culture and I was concerned about the stigma, so I kept quiet.”

Now Miski wants want to talk about her experience so she can help others.

She said: “I know people from a similar background to mine will be struggling to accept and be open about their illness.

“So, if they can talk to me, someone who understands what they’re going through – the fear and shame they’re experiencing – then that interaction could make all the difference.”

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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

Why firms need to prove their green credentials

Kirstin Roberts: Businesses need to think ‘green’

Nexus leads full rebrand Marketing agency Nexus Creative Ltd has won contracts with Coventry firms Sherbourne Recycling Ltd and Tom White Waste Ltd. The former is building a state-of-the-art materials recycling facility in Coventry, and the latter is a waste management provider.

Nexus, which is based in Worcestershire, will deliver a full rebrand and a long-term marketing strategy for Tom White Waste.

Nigel Harte from Nexus said: “Currently, we deliver expertise in communications for hundreds of clients.

“These two contracts are for Midlands-based organisations, but they will be delivered nationally. They example very well the scale and scope of our work, and we’re very pleased to build these new, prestigious partnership.”

44 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Saving the planet is all over the news these days – and businesses will have to play their part, according to a Midlands ‘green’ expert.

Kirstin Roberts, a lawyer who is part of the energy, waste and sustainability team at Freeths, which has an office in Birmingham, said some sectors were already having to prove their green credentials, such as the construction industry and those bidding for local authority contracts.

And this will soon be extended to all other businesses, who will have to come up with a sustainability plan.

She said: “Sustainability means activities that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, including the conservation of resources, all of which are assumed to be finite.

“A sustainability policy needs to go further than addressing only environmental issues, as the three pillars of a Sustainability Policy will be environmental, social and governance (ESG).

“ESG means environmental, social and governance factors and standards forming a published or unpublished policy, framework, strategy or objective of a business. Examples of what might be addressed in such a policy are: environmental – aims to reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions; social: employee welfare, health and safety; and governance: modern slavery and reporting on energy usage.”

Ms Roberts said that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had developed the ‘Green Claims Code’, setting out six key points for businesses to check that their environmental claims were genuinely green.

She added: “In other words, guidance to help businesses selling to consumers to understand and comply with their existing obligations under consumer protection law when making environmental claims about their products or services.

“From a financial perspective, sustainability is not only about your impact as a business on the environment - it’s about how your business will perform in a changing environment. It is this that your stakeholders such as investors, insurance companies and banks are looking at.”

Arboretum awarded Green Flag The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire has been awarded its first Green Flag Award.

Green Flag is an international quality mark for parks and green spaces, and is run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

The 150-acre Arboretum, home to 400 memorials commemorating the service of the Armed Forces, emergency services and community and voluntary groups, has been recognised by Green Flag alongside 2126 other locations across the UK. Earlier this year, the Arboretum declared a climate emergency alongside making a series of ambitious pledges on sustainability to help safeguard the Nation’s yearround place to remember for future generations.

These pledges, covering all aspects of the site's operations, were made as part of a programme marking 20 years since the Arboretum opened to the public.

“Our staff and volunteers work incredibly hard to keep our grounds

Flying the Flag: Arboretum staff celebrate Green Flag recognition

in excellent condition, providing a world-class inspirational setting for hundreds of thousands of people to explore each year,” said Andy Ansell, Head of Estates.

“We are incredibly proud that our collective efforts have been recognised by this prestigious scheme.”

Paul Todd, Green Flag Award

scheme manage, said: “To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure that the Arboretum has high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives.”

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1813 Club and Premier Members

Courts crack down on parental alienation Britain’s courts are clamping down on an offence that many people may not have heard of, parental alienation.

Parental alienation refers to a situation in which a parent acts or speaks in a way, without legitimate justification, that causes a child to not want to maintain a relationship with the other parent.

Rayner Grice, partner and family law specialist at national law firm Clarke Willmott, says that a recent judgement has shown that courts are not taking the matter lightly and are unafraid to take action against offenders.

The case saw Mr Justice Keehan rule that the accused would lose custody of their children and they would be placed with the other parent, so as to prevent further emotional damage.

Ms Grice said: “The Family Court and family practitioners have seen a rapid increase in cases with alienation as a theme in recent years.

“It is exceptionally important that prompt findings are made as to whether alienation has taken place but more importantly, in the event that it has, that swift action is taken before the impact on the child leaves the relationship with the other parent irreparable.

“This latest judgement is important and highlights, not only the prevalence of the issue, but also the fact that courts will take extreme action, including changing a child’s residence.”

The case concerned two children. The mother was born in Armenia and the father was born in Russia. The parties married in Moscow and subsequently moved to London.

The couple separated in 2012 and the father moved out of the family home.

Following a series of allegations by the mother, the children began to become estranged from their father.

Expert evidence was obtained from a child psychiatrist and psychologist found that the mother had alienated the children from the father, and that the children were at risk of physical and emotional harm if they continued to suffer parental alienation. Mr Justice Keehan decided that children should live with the father and contact with the mother should be restricted.

Ms Grice said: “This judgement shows that the Courts are not reluctant to change a child’s residence to ensure their longerRayner Grice term wellbeing.”

Canalside homes: An artist’s impression of how the new student housing will look

Qatar Airways is voted top airline

Green light for canal side student housing A Birmingham property developer has won planning permission for new student housing in Selly Oak. The new housing is on Elliott Road and will provide accommodation for 523 students.

The building will be adjacent to a canal, allowing the students to cycle to the University of Birmingham in just 10 minutes.

As part of the scheme, Watkins Jones has agreed to make a number of improvements to the towpath between the site and Bristol Road.

Alex Pease, chief investment officer at Watkin Jones Group, said: “This is a superb scheme that will create new homes for students, reduce pressure on local housing, boost local businesses and transform the canal side for everyone to enjoy, creating long

term value for the local community.

“Residents will be able to cycle along the canal to the University of Birmingham in under ten minutes and centre of Birmingham in under 25 minutes, adding to the sustainability of a development that is designed to minimise its impact on the environment.

“Developments like this are a great example of how to use brownfield land to make sustainable urban living attractive and meet the growing need for new homes.

“We always receive a lot of interest from institutions that want to invest in Birmingham. The strength of the market here speaks to the continued success of the city as an powerhouse economic and cultural centre, as well as its attraction for students.”

Qatar Airways has been announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax.

The airline also secured five additional awards including ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’.

Qatar has now won the main prize a record six times - 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and now 2021.

Known as the Oscars of the Aviation Industry, the 2021 Skytrax awards covered the period from September 2019 to July 2021 with the results reflecting a mix of more normal travel times combined with travel during the pandemic.

The extended period demonstrated the resilience and flexibility of Qatar Airways, as it not only delivered continued excellence during normal times, but steadfastly continued flights and offered a lifeline to its customers across the globe during the coronavirus pandemic.

Qatar Airways also became the first global airline to receive the Skytrax ‘Covid-19 Safety Rating’ in January 2021 while its home and hub, Hamad International Airport, was voted the ‘World’s Best Airport 2021’ in August.

In addition, the airline also received recognition for its luxurious Al Mourjan Lounge, which was voted the ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “Being recognised as the World’s Best Airline for the sixth time is an incredible achievement for our airline and I want to thank our loyal passengers for this award.

“Having gone through one of the most challenging years in aviation history, this award is fitting recognition for all the hard work by the entire Qatar Airways family to take care of our passengers.

“We never abandoned them when they needed us the most, we kept flying to get people home, focused on biosafety to provide customer and employee reassurance and continued to innovate during this period.”

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International Trade

International Trade

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

Opportunity to make connections in Dubai Dr Ulrich Hoppe: Brexit and coronavirus are still causing economic problems

Germany links still strong after Brexit The German-British business community is upbeat about its activities in the UK, according to a new survey, despite concerns about Britain’s overall economic prospects.

The survey – carried out by the GermanBritish Chamber of Industry and Commerce – says that its members are worried about the ongoing shortages of supplies and skills which are the result of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.

The main note of optimism in the survey is that far fewer firms with an AngloGerman relationship are now thinking of pulling out of the UK in the wake of Brexit.

Today, only one third of companies are still threatening to relocate activities as a result of Brexit - last autumn a massive 70 per cent said they were intending to go down this route.

In addition, more than 50 per cent of companies surveyed said they were ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ about their own current and expected future performance in the UK. However, the overall development of the UK economy is viewed more cautiously, as only 27 per cent expect it to perform better or significantly better over the coming nine months.

This assessment is to some extent due to the Coronavirus pandemic, as 52 per cent of companies think that a full recovery from it is still at least nine months off.

Dr Ulrich Hoppe, director general of the German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce, said: “The survey results suggest that, despite the German-British business community being upbeat about their own operations, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit continue to somewhat weigh on the UK’s overall economic performance.”

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West Midlands businesses with an interest in the Middle East are being encouraged to find out more about the Dubai Expo, which runs from now until next March.

The Expo – originally due to be held in 2020 – is taking place at a 1,000 acre site located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The overall theme of the Expo is ‘connecting minds, creating the future’, and the organisers are keen for businesses to get involved as much as possible with what’s going on.

The country pavilions each take a sub-theme, either ‘opportunity’, ‘mobility’ and ‘sustainability’.

The UK’s pavilion is ‘opportunity’.

Among those involved with the Expo is The Corporate Group (TCG), which has multiple roles at the event.

The organisation is an official ticket reseller for Expo 2020, and is also engaged with a number of strategic partners at the site, such as Dubai FDI (part of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai), Dubai Chamber, Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation (MOAFIC) for its role in bringing foreign direct investment opportunities into UAE.

Dubai: A good place to do business

In addition, the organisation is supporting business delegations from different countries in bringing them to the UAE, and showing them to the huge opportunities that the Expo presents.

TCG is also working on business matching and 1-2-1 meetings for the country pavilions.

TCG group managing director Ayman Al Awadhi said: “With 192 country pavilions participating, There are immense business opportunities ready to be tapped into for startups, SMEs and corporates across all industries.

“It can't get better to meet your clients, business partners and stakeholders in single site and gain a futuristic outlook on what the global market would look like by adopting new technologies.”

Uni in partnership with UAE National policymakers are joining the University of Birmingham in a major new research and evaluation partnership that will harness the university’s expertise supporting the economic growth of the UK’s West Midlands region.

The Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the University of

Partnership: Professor Sir David Eastwood and H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Mari sign the collaboration agreement

Birmingham have signed an agreement that will develop ways of using economic data and analytics to help develop policies that support the UAE’s growth.

The agreement will strengthen UK-UAE links and supporting UK-UAE Business Council’s aspirations. The UK-UAE Business Council is a forum which exists to resolve any trade barriers between the UK and the Middle East.

As part of the collaboration agreement, the Ministry and the University will set up a senior joint working group to identify priorities areas for projects and work to deepen and expand the partnership. During the agreement signing Minister of Economy H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Mari met Professor Sir David Eastwood, vicechancellor of the University.

H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Mari said: “As the UAE prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, this partnership forms part of our vision for the next 50 years. It brings the UAE and UK closer together in our support of excellence in education and global prosperity.”

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International Trade Greater Birmingham

Commonwealth

Commonwealth Chamber Patrons

Chamber of Commerce

Greater Birmingham

Transatlantic Chamber Patrons

Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce

Contact: Mandy Haque T: 0121 725 8994

Opportunity: Dallas, one of the four major cities in Texas

Texas: a gateway into the US

By Dan Harrison Texas offers UK firms a great landing base in the US as well as a gateway for cross-border trade opportunities with Mexico, delegates at a Chamber webinar heard.

The webinar was the latest in the Chapter Chat series hosted by the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce alongside other members of the British American Business Council (BABC) network.

The latest event in the series focused on Texas, the second largest US state in terms of GDP and home to four of the country’s 11 largest cities – Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

Boasting strong technology, clean energy, life sciences and healthcare sectors, Texas has also been voted the number one state to business 16 years in a row.

In 2019, $15bn of bilateral trade took place between Texas and the UK, supporting more than 52,000 jobs.

While its low taxes and competitive cost of living were cited as a good location to set up shop, Jonathan Marrs from the Department for International Trade, based in Houston, said having a Texas base also provides a gateway into Mexico.

“I really want UK companies to look at Texas not just as a landing platform into the US but also to consider cross-border opportunities into Mexico,” he said.

“We now have the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA) that opens up a wealth of opportunities in the whole TexasMexico region.

“We’re seeing and forecasting a lot of nearshoring and on-shoring – manufacturers

UK poised to join trade bloc A trade deal between the UK and New Zealand is on the brink of being signed (at time of writing), it has been reported.

The deal could signal cheaper wine, food and drink for the UK, and will also see tariffs removed from British exports to New Zealand, including gin, chocolate and clothes.

Total trade in goods and services between the UK and New Zealand - worth £2.3bn last year - is likely to increase after a trade deal.

However, the biggest bonus from this latest trade deal is that it could open the door to the UK joining the Comprehensive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade bloc which includes Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam.

The 11 countries that form the CPTPP have economies that, when combined, represent more than 13 per cent of global gross domestic product, worth around £9 tn. This makes the CPTPP one of the largest free trade

areas in the world, and the UK is in talks to join the bloc.

The UK first applied to join the bloc last February, and if accepted, would be the first non-founding country to join the agreement.

Talks between the UK and the CPTPP began at the end of September, which new International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan described as a ‘milestone’.

She said: “Joining this high-standards partnership will provide real opportunities for UK exporters and service providers and help our innovators open up new, diverse markets.”

Ms Trevelyan’s predecessor, Liz Truss, had said that a trade deal with New Zealand would be important step towards joining the CPTPP. She said: “It would also be an important step towards our accession to CPTPP, helping the UK gain access to 11 of the world’s biggest and fastest-growing economies across the Pacific region and opening doors to dynamic markets across the world.”

bringing supply chains back to the US and that particular region is very attractive because of the low cost of living and the incentives are there for manufacturing companies.

“We also have, on the border, El Paso. El Paso in itself is a huge city and is just dwarfed by the other four we’ve got in the state - but if it was a standalone city anywhere else it would be a significant player.”

Delegates also heard from Birmingham City Council’s head of international affairs, Lloyd Broad, who spelled out Birmingham’s attractiveness for foreign director investment.

He also highlighted similarities between Birmingham and Texas – namely strengths in life sciences, technology and low carbon energy.

The next Chapter Chat will be The Carolinas at the end of November and Toronto in December.

Funding to develop energy innovation Businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who are looking to develop innovative technology in the energy sector can now bid for a share of up to £60m in grant funding through the IETF Phase 2: Autumn 2021 competition window.

The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, launched by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, is targeted at feasibility and engineering studies, as well as the deployment of industrial energy efficiency and deep decarbonisation projects. Applications are open until 6 December.

BEIS has launched a IETF networking platform where businesses can find out more about the fund.

Chamber members are invited to get in contact with the in-house innovation specialists in the Innovate UK Edge team.

Email sunny.claire@innovateukedge.ukri.org

November 2021 CHAMBERLINK 47

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International Trade

Employment expert takes the reins as sector president An employment law specialist who has experience in helping firms realise their transatlantic ambitions is the new president of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce (GBTCC).

James Tait (pictured), a partner at national law firm Browne Jacobson, was confirmed as successor to Professor Julian Beer during the Transatlantic Chamber’s virtual AGM. Mr Tait became vice-president of the Chamber in 2018, having already been on the committee for three years.

Although Mr Tait is an employment law specialist, he assists a number of clients with their transatlantic ambitions and also sits on Browne Jacobson’s international committee.

He has been heavily involved in cross-border deals, collaborating with lawyers from across the world, including the United States and Canada.

Mr Tait has written for the local and national press on legal matters affecting businesses following Brexit.

He said: “I am delighted to take over the reins from Julian who has worked very hard with the Chamber over many years now and I thank him for all that he has done for the Transatlantic Chamber. His will be a tough act to follow.

“During my term I intend to build on the support that our committee can give to its

members by collaborating more closely with them, work with them to get our membership up and give our members real value for their membership fee, and, travel permitting, work towards a trade mission for a Midlands delegation to the US, following on from our last hugely successful mission to Chicago. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Professor Beer will now move into the role of honorary chair. After succeeding Harry Reilly as president in 2016, Professor Beer led the organisation through its rebrand from the British American Business Council (BABC) Midlands Chapter to the GBTCC.

‘During my term I intend to build on the support that our committee can give to its members’ He was also instrumental in Birmingham hosting two transatlantic trade conferences at Birmingham City University’s Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Professor Beer said: “It has been a pleasure being the inaugural president of the Transatlantic Chamber and being the president of its predecessor, the BABC .

Setting up a US bank account So you’ve established business links with the USA, and may even have opened an office there – well that’s the hard part. What about the easy bit, like setting up a bank account?

Well, it is easy – isn’t it? Actually, there’s a few differences between the banking system in the USA when compared to the UK and elsewhere, and in this article, Rob Whittall, managing partner of Dyke Yaxley LLC, an accountancy firm specialising in providing UK/US tax and business advisory services to clients in the UK and US, takes an in-depth look at the situation.

Unlike the UK, American banks do not have a BACS facility where a payment can be sent instantaneously to a receiver.

Rather, an ACH, or wire transfer facility, is used to make electronic payments so you’ll need to have your bank’s required platform and recognise the quickest a payment can be sent is the next business day.

There are other US banking nuances that may surprise you, including the fact that Americans still use paper cheques! If you prefer to

48 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

receive electronic payments from your clients, you must agree on this from the beginning of your relationship. They can use an ACH or wire platform to send you payments, but you cannot require electronic payment. If they insist on paying you in paper form, it will have to be banked.

Because fraud protection is a major challenge and focus for US banks, be prepared for differing authorisation and transaction requirements.

When identifying a bank to use in the USA, first speak with your current UK banking relationship manager as many UK banks have facilities in the US. Contact a colleague or ask your legal or accountancy advisor for recommendations. Not all banks are able to open an account for a non-US resident but there are several banks that have the ability and international expertise to assist.

In summary, banking can be another one of the challenges in your expansion plan.

But, when one understands the situation and options Rob Whittall: There are available, there differences between the UK will be fewer and USA where banking is concerned surprises.

“Although the last few years have not been easy in the role and, indeed, for anyone, we have still managed to undertake our Global Trade Conferences and keep relationships with both the US and Canada going, albeit remotely.

“I would like to thank my fellow council and board members for their unswerving contribution and I wish the new president all the best as we open up society and the economy post-pandemic.”

Former president and honorary chair Harry Reilly is stepping down from the committee, having been involved with the BABC and GBTCC since 2004.

The ex-Land Rover UK managing director played a key role in bringing the transatlantic trade body into the Chamber network.

Millennium Cargo celebrates milestone Birmingham-based freight forwarder Millennium Cargo is celebrating its 25th birthday.

The firm’s chief executive, Chadd Blunt, said: “After a quarter-century of moving goods around the world, despite the huge impact the pandemic and the blockage of the Suez Canal had on the industry, Millennium Cargo is stronger than ever and excited for the future.

“It’s all about the people. We’ve been blessed with some incredible staff, some super-supportive customers and incredible freight partners all around the world. I’m truly grateful for each and every one of them. Millennium wouldn’t be what it is today without them.”

The firm is now growing its team, with two additional members of staff joining, and is moving into new offices in Sutton Coldfield.

Millennium Cargo is also rebranding itself and revamping its website. At the same time, it is launching a digital platform, to make moving goods easier than ever.

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

Strengthening ties with India A new strategy aimed at strengthening links between the West Midlands and India has been unveiled by the West Midlands India Partnership (WMIP), the region’s official engagement body.

Developed in collaboration with the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), PwC and the UK India Business Council, the ‘Stronger Together’ strategy identifies a five-year programme of activity to unlock mutually beneficial and sustainable economic opportunities between the region and India, as both territories look to rebuild from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

An official event held at PwC’s Midlands office One Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, launched the strategy to market, hosted by WMIP chair, local businessman and president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), Dr Jason Wouhra.

More than 70 delegates attended as well as hundreds across the globe who tuned in to a live stream online.

The strategy outlines five key priorities for establishing closer links with India.

These include: • Promoting the West Midlands’ pivotal role at the beating heart of the UK’s living bridge with India; • Accelerating research and development innovation through enhanced science and education collaboration;

Partnership (standing, left to right): Ghansyham Nabar, Prof Robin Mason, Stephen Page, Dan Storer, Ninder Johal and Sanjay Pandey and (seated, left to right): Trevor Ivory, Prof Julian Beer, Dr Jason Wouhra, Dr Shashank Vikram and Anil Puri

• Increasing two-way trade and investment within the existing West Midlands-India corridor; • Further investing in WMIP to boost engagement between the region and India; and • Maximising the economic potential of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Senior officials from the UK and international trade community and regional business leaders were among those to endorse the strategy and its

Shani takes the spotlight Asian Business Chamber of Commerce vicepresident Shani Dhanda swapped the business world for the soap spotlight with a cameo in ‘EastEnders’.

Shani, a disability rights activist, surprised viewers with a guest appearance during a recent episode.

She played an estate agent who is helping Sheree Trueman (Suzette Llewellyn) put her house on the market following her decision to move back to Trinidad.

Shani – pictured on the EastEnders set - said: “I was beyond excited to feature in BBC’s EastEnders.

"I auditioned for the part via my agent and it was filmed in July. I didn't think the casting directors would choose me, and I was in complete shock when they did.

“It is a programme I have watched since a child and being on set and behind the camera was an incredible experience, and one that I’ll never forget.”

ABCC Patrons

aims, including Dr Shashank Vikram, Consul General of India in Birmingham, and Gerry Grimstone, Minister for Investment.

Mr Grimstone said: “The West Midlands India Partnership has seen fantastic success since launching in 2020, bringing together the most promising growth areas and delivering results for communities, and I’ve no doubt that its work supporting a vibrant business environment will continue our mission to increase exports, investment and jobs between the UK and India.”

Beatfreaks founder wins women’s award Anisa Morridadi, founder of Birminghambased youth agency Beatfreeks, has taken home the Arts and Culture Award at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards.

The awards celebrate the achievements of Asian women across the UK. Anisa founded Beatfreeks in 2013 as a way to bridge the growing divide between young people and institutions.

Outside of Beatfreeks, Anisa is also a speaker, consultant, and non-executive director at Clore Leadership.

She said: “Winning the ‘Arts and Culture’ award is a massive honour.

“To be around incredible women from scientists, to artists, to human rights lawyers, to entrepreneurs - all celebrating each other was an absolute pleasure.”

Premier+ Partners

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Cannock Chase Chase Chamber Patrons

Cannock Chase

Chamber of Commerce

Get involved with healthy lifestyle app Local community groups, organisations and businesses are being encouraged to get involved in the final development stages of Cannock’s new health improvement mobile app.

Cannock Chase Council and Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles (IHL) have been developing the ‘Cannock Chase Can’ programme, which aims to encourage people to lead healthier lives.

The new app will provide information about healthy eating, physical activity, healthier lifestyle choices as well as how to budget and manage emotional wellbeing.

Councillor Valerie Jones said: “The council is committed to improving the health of its local residents.

“We are keen for the community of Cannock Chase to get involved and take up this exclusive offer to help us ensure the new and unique app is fit for purpose, accessible and functions correctly.

“When you have expressed an interest in being part of this exciting development, you will be given direct access to the demo version of the app where users will be asked to look at the design, content and accessibility of the user journey. This feedback will be used to develop and improve the app prior to its official release.”

Chris Derbyshire, managing director at IHL, said: “This is a really exciting project recognising the importance of wellbeing and provides support in an innovative way.”

Contact: Chris Plant T: 0845 6036650

Loan fund is extended A campaign to support small businesses across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent that are unable to access finance from traditional lenders has been extended.

The Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Business Loan Fund is set to deliver a further £2m to businesses over the next three years, with loans from £10,000 to £50,000 available.

The fund is delivered by BCRS Business Loans, in partnership with Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and has already delivered £15m to 400 businesses in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent since being established.

Janine Bridges, cabinet member for education and economy at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “The Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Business Loan Fund has made a significant contribution to the local economy by supporting viable small businesses across Staffordshire and Financial backing: Stephen Deakin

Outlet tackles textile waste The McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Cannock has launched a new sustainability initiative to help its visitors tackle textile waste and dispose of unwanted clothes responsibly.

The brand has partnered with CTR Group to deliver a recycling scheme with 100 per cent of the donations reused, re-worn or re-cycled.

The ‘Recycle Your Fashion’ initiative is part of a larger corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitment for the business, which aims to

Making a difference: McArthurGlen Designer Outlet

50 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

recycle 25 tons of clothing by 2022/23.

All of the proceeds from each bag of recycled garments are donated to the centre’s chosen local causes.

People wishing to participate in the scheme are invited to bring a bag of unwanted clothes into McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands to receive a 10 per cent voucher, with a maximum of two bags per person, per day.

The voucher can be used across selected brands in the centre and encourages guests to shop consciously, opting for investment pieces with longer product lifetimes instead of fast fashion trend-led items.

‘Recycle Your Fashion’ is the latest step the outlet has taken towards becoming more environmentally conscious.

Other examples include electric car charging points and the implementation of a centre-wide sustainable landscaping policy to ensure the protection of green spaces, with over 400 newly planted trees and the introduction of beehives to support biodiversity and protect the world’s bee population.

Stoke-on-Trent, with the provision of loans from £10,000 to £50,000. In the last phase of the loan, the fund supported 44 small businesses to access finance, to help them to create new jobs while developing and progressing their growth and expansion plans.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s never been before more important for businesses to have access to the finance they need to help their business establish and grow. With one of the fastest growing economies outside of London, we want to build on this and do all we can to support businesses and safeguard jobs.

"These loans are quicker for businesses to process and obtain than those from traditional lenders. We know from the previous success of the scheme that this is hugely appreciated by businesses and I’m looking forward to seeing the difference it’s going to make.”

BCRS chief executive Stephen Deakin said: “We think differently about business finance and are delighted to be supporting the growth of small businesses in Staffordshire and Stoke-onTrent with this fund.

“If you don’t tick all of the boxes with other lenders, we can help. Because we’re a non-profit organisation, we can take a human approach to business finance. We have made our application process as easy as possible, with hands-on support from a dedicated lending manager throughout. This means that, on average, businesses receive funds in just two weeks.

“So whether you require a loan for growth capital, employing new staff, purchasing stock, diversifying or much more, get in touch to secure the backing you deserve.”

Open invitation to join Chamber AGM Local businesses are being invited to join the Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce for their annual AGM and Networking Lunch to discuss what the region's future prospects look like.

The event will be held on 11 November at the Roman Way Hotel in Cannock Chase from 11:30am.

Businesses will join Cannock Chase Chamber president, Gill Durkin, to discuss the highlights of her presidency during the past 12 months.

In addition, there will be a report on the past year’s activities and confirmation of the current Chamber executive committee members.

From 12pm - 2pm will also be a networking opportunity with guest speaker, Councillor Olivia Lyons, leader of Cannock Chase Council.

Members and non-members are invited to the event.

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Burton & District Burton & District Chamber Patrons

Contact: Chris Plant T: 0845 6036650

Growth Hub figures show scale of delivered support Figures from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub have revealed the scale of support delivered to businesses across the region during the pandemic.

SMEs from across the area approached the Growth Hub for urgent guidance to navigate through Covid-19 on more than 18,000 occasions.

The team received almost 10,000 calls to its helpline, as well as nearly 7,000 emails from business leaders looking for advice.

Individual diagnostics were also carried out across 550 organisations and 1,425 contacts made.

Alun Rogers, chair of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The Growth Hub team has drawn on all its resources to manage the challenges, and to allocate advice, grant support and other activities to businesses across our area. The scope and scale of the enquiries has been exceptional.

“Our message now, as we move out of Covid19 restrictions, is that we are still here to help businesses as they focus on taking advantage of the renewed momentum in the economy to move to thrive rather than survive, and take on the new challenges and opportunities ahead.”

To help Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire SMEs to stabilise and plot a growth curve, the Growth Hub has developed a package of support services, under its new ‘#EvolvingEnterprise’ initiative.

This gives SMEs up to 12 hours of business expertise, which can be tailored to meet their exact needs. Specialist support available includes funding and finance, HR, marketing, international trade, recovery and growth, with a further 120

Queen of conversation: Wendy Harris

Unparalleled levels of support: Alun Rogers

Honorary fellow: Nik Hardy

Fellowship awarded to Hardy Signs’ director

referral partners across the country able to support the most specific requests from businesses.

The three-stage process starts for all businesses across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire with an initial triage session, via the Growth Hub’s Business Helpline.

This is followed by a one-to-one diagnostic with an experienced business advisor, to establish the specific needs for their company to grow.

From there, eligible businesses can then go onto access a package of specialist support, tapping into the depth of knowledge and advice from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub, to help power their ambitious growth plans.

Nik Hardy, founder and managing director of Hardy Signs, has received an Honorary Fellowship from Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC).

Mr Hardy received the award in a graduation ceremony at The Hilton, St. George’s Park and he has been recognised for his significant contribution to the college.

He said: “I am genuinely honoured to have been awarded an Honorary Fellowship and join other individuals whose work has made an impact at BSDC. “The college plays a key role in the development of the young learners and apprentices of our town and provides fantastic facilities that shape their future careers. They lead the way in representing our town across the midlands and beyond.’’

In partnership with BSDC, Mr Hardy founded the Hardy Signs ‘Sign and Print’ academy in 2016, aiming to train the sign makers of the future.

Since October 2020, Mr Hardy has been a voluntary advisor for BSDC, meeting frequently with the careers team to expand student opportunities.

Top prize for telemarketer Yoxall-based telemarketing consultancy WAG Associates has been crowned winner of the Lloyds Bank Small Business of 2021 award.

WAG Associates is a ‘no-nonsense’ telemarketing training expert, providing the training and skills needed for businesses to make more sales over the phone and make conversations count.

Wendy Harris has been running the consultancy since 2005 and is known widely as the ‘conversation queen’ for her ability to have successful and influential conversations with customers.

Like many business owners in the UK last year, Ms Harris was busier than ever, picking up the phone to clients and delivering masterclass workshops for SMEs regionally.

On the verge of hitting her best financial quarter yet, the pandemic hit and her business halted to zero.

Waiting for a return to normality, Ms Harris released her own book, ‘Making Conversations Count - How to sell over the phone’, and later formed a podcast inviting experts in the field to share the important conversations of their careers.

It was when Ms Harris received an email asking for nominations of resilient and creative businesses for the Lloyds Bank Business Awards that she saw an opportunity. As part of her prize, she will receive a mentoring session with entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.

She said: “When I saw the advertisement inviting businesses to enter it was the photo of Steven Bartlett that caught my attention. I’d been following him for a long time and admired his story.

“The questions to enter where great to reflect and really recognise the extreme work I’d done to stay relevant. This award has given me a fresh impetus to continue and stretch the dreams into reality.”

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

Digital agency gets branding on the road A leading logistics company’s new look is now on display all over the South West thanks to Lichfield-based design agency, Cocoonfxmedia.

Digital marketing and design specialists, Cocoonfxmedia, helped Exeter-based STR Logistics get their fresh company image on the road, complete with logo, website, marketing material, building signage, banners, business cards, and of course, vehicle livery.

Like many projects nowadays, the whole process was undertaken remotely, from initial concept meeting to production of the final materials.

The only time the Cocoonfxmedia team met the STR team in person was when they were invited to the official launch of the new branding

at a special event at STR Logistics’ new offices in Exeter, with the Lord Mayor of Exeter.

James Blackman, Cocoonfxmedia managing partner, said: “This was a really successful project, carried out entirely remotely. While it was of course possible to undertake projects without meeting online before the pandemic, there were always those elements which were easier in person, such as building the relationships and those initial concept meetings.

But thanks to the advances in online meeting capabilities, even this can now be done just as successfully from a distance. We really don’t have to be confined to geographic locations. We also had the advantage of our extensive experience in the logistics sector.”

Grand reveal: Building signage is unveiled at STR Logistics

STR Logistics needed an image refresh after it was purchased by former Kuehne + Nagel executives Anthony Quinn and Peter Adams earlier this year.

Anthony Quinn, managing director of STR Logistics, said: “Following our acquisition of STR Logistics, part of our ongoing plan was to refresh the company look and feel.

“Cocoonfxmedia were our ideal partners with their knowledge of the logistics industry, as well as their professional and enthusiastic approach.”

Support for theatre’s community project The Lichfield Garrick Theatre has announced a new partnership with Central England Co-operative who are sponsoring their latest Community Musical project.

The Co-op are providing vital support for the Theatre’s flagship community project taking place in the summer of 2022.

The Lichfield Garrick will be bringing their own community musical to the stage – a production that has been devised, written, composed, and developed by participants from the community.

For the first time, the Garrick will be composing and writing the musical themselves.

Jonny McClean, community musical director, said: “It’s always intimidating when starting an ambitious project like this one, so it’s

fabulous to have the support of places such as the Co-op that hold such a significant place in the local community. We look forward to what comes next and developing our relationship further as the project progresses.”

Paul Reece, marketing lead - local for the Co-op, said: “We’re delighted to be able to support the talented local people working towards The Garrick’s 2022 Community production. It’s an exciting project that’s an important part of Lichfield’s cultural offering, and also brings new skills, relationships and smiles to so many people.”

Businesses are invited to support Lichfield Garrick in all sorts of ways.

Contact Matt Clay, development manager matthew.clay@lichfieldgarrick.com for more details.

Party in a Winter Wonderland

In lights: A view from inside Tamworth Assembly Rooms 52 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

The newly refurbished Tamworth Assembly Rooms is preparing to host the perfect Christmas party evening for friends, family or work colleagues, as it is transformed into a Winter Wonderland.

Their party offering includes a three-course meal prepared by the in-house catering team, live music and entertainment, plus a DJ to dance the night away.

On Saturday 11 October, Soul and Motown artists Soul Junction will accompany the evening with authentic classics from their seven-piece band. Tickets are priced at £45 On Thursday, 16 December, the original local Belfry Hotel and Bel-Air resident band, Goat On A Trolley, will entertain. The ensemble will get the room bouncing with their live covers show full of sing-along hits and Christmas favourites.

Tickets are priced at £35 and this is inclusive of a two-course meal.

On Friday, 17 December, retro 80s-themed live entertainment from Born In The 80’s, one of the UK’s finest 80s tribute bands, who will perform top tunes from this iconic era. Tickets are priced at £45.

On Saturday 18 December dancing queen legends, Bootleg Abba, are back with their spectacular Abba Tribute Christmas Party, ready to dazzle the dancefloor and Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, a night to remember. Tickets are priced at £45.

Adey Ramsel, Tamworth Assembly Rooms Theatre artistic and events manager, said: “We are delighted to offer our brand-new Christmas extravaganzas evening programme, along with our special dining menu, guaranteed to create the perfect joyous atmosphere for a night to remember.”

Call the box office on 01827 709618, or book via www.tamworthassemblyrooms.co.uk

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Sutton Coldfield

Sponsored by: Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council

Sutton Coldfield Chamber Patrons

Sutton Coldfield

Charity of the Year

Chamber of Commerce

Contact: Chris Brewerton T: 0845 6036650

President completes marathon challenge

BID seeks backing to continue vital work Backing the BID: Angela Henderson, Cllr Keith Ward, Cllr Simon Ward and BID manager Mike Bushell

Sutton Coldfield Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) has launched its renewal proposal and business plan.

The launch also included as a new video, encouraging local businesses to vote ‘Yes’ to extend investment and direct business support in the town centre for another five years.

Town Council leader Simon Ward - who also chairs the Town Centre Regeneration Partnership - and fellow town councillor Keith Ward joined Gracechurch Centre manager and BID chair Angela Henderson and Burley Browne director David Hemming for the launch.

The current Sutton Coldfield Town Centre BID term runs until the end of this year, and the renewal process will culminate in a vote by businesses in a ballot.

Funded by a levy paid by businesses in the town centre, the BID uses the £250,000 raised

annually for a range of improvements and campaigns including funding Christmas lights, family events such as food festivals, deep cleaning and floral displays in the centre, marketing and promoting the town’s Restaurant Quarter and night life.

The BID also provided business recovery support during the pandemic and created What’s On Sutton Coldfield – a free listings and offers website designed to help increase footfall across all sectors.

Angela Henderson said: “By collaborating with Sutton Coldfield Town Council and Birmingham City Council on delivering and promoting the town’s masterplan we have a unique opportunity to survive huge changes. This is why voters need to vote “yes” to ensure that the business people in the town have a voice and ensure that we end up with a town fit for purpose.”

New staff at EDGE Creative Marketing agency EDGE Creative is celebrating business growth after securing a raft of new client wins and appointing a trio of new recruits.

Sarah John and Shenell Lewinson have joined the Sutton Coldfield agency as social media account managers to manage social campaigns for existing and new EDGE clients, while digital marketing apprentice Sophie Horrocks will

New recruits: Ellena Yapp, Shenell Lewinson, Sarah John and Sophie Horrocks

provide support on campaign analysis and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

EDGE agency also hired apprentice Ellena Yapp earlier this year.

Sarah, who holds a master’s degree in marketing from Durham University, is working on new account The Forest Hotel, incorporating The Butcher’s Social, the Dorridge-based independent hotel and restaurant offering.

In addition to The Forest, other new account wins for the business include Parkview Care, a young person’s residential care home for which EDGE has developed a new website and video, and chartered accountancy firm Edwards.

EDGE creative director Louise Panayides said: “These new hires will help us meet the content creation requirement that’s abundant right now.

“The demand for marketing services also indicates that the economy is bouncing back.

“It’s also a privilege to be able to nurture new talent, which is something we’re really passionate about at EDGE.”

The president of Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce has achieved his goal of running the London Marathon, to raise funds for a charity based in the Royal Town.

Phil Arkinstall, who is also the CEO of video production firm Ark Media, originally planned to run the marathon last April to mark his 40th birthday.

But the 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic and the rearranged race in October was only open to professional athletes.

He completed the 2021 race last month in a time of five hours, 32 minutes and 26 seconds.

Phil said: “I’m thrilled to have completed the London marathon. It was a fantastic occasion to see the amazing camaraderie among the runners and such a vibrant and jubilant atmosphere created by the spectators. An amazing day I’ll never forget.”

Phil chose to run the marathon in aid of YMCA Sutton Coldfield – a charity he has developed close ties with both through the Chamber and his own business.

YMCA Sutton Coldfield – which is the Chamber’s chosen charity for the year provides support to vulnerable and deprived young people in the local community, including the homeless.

Phil added: “I’ve worked with the YMCA for a few years providing video production support including making a documentary about an exchange programme they did in Israel and Palestine.

“The documentary was nominated for a Midlands Royal Television Society Award.”

Marathon man: Phil Arkinstall completes the London Marathon

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

We won it: The victorious Satori staff celebrate

Theatre announces new leadership team Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre has appointed Laura Elliot as its chief executive, and Corey Campbell as creative director.

The pair will lead a restructured senior team of six. Laura Elliot brings significant senior management and leadership experience to the Belgrade.

She is currently programme director of Oxford Playhouse and was formerly programme manager at Warwick Arts Centre.

A resident of Kenilworth for nearly a decade, she combines strong connections to the regional arts scene with a real passion for the importance of culture, particularly as part of Coventry’s UK City of Culture legacy.

‘I look forward to collaborating with the team to build on the Theatre’s plentiful past achievements’ Corey Campbell was previously co-artistic director at the Belgrade and is responsible for ‘SeaView’, a production for the City of Culture year which is a digital television series created, produced, and filmed in the West Midlands using emerging writers from the region.

It celebrates a Black working class aspirational family and all the things they come up against on their journey to achieve great things. ‘SeaView’ will premiere at the Belgrade this month.

Laura Elliot said: “The Belgrade Theatre has been my local producing theatre for nearly a decade. I’m inspired by its deep rooted, nationally renowned commitment to community engagement, diversity, learning, talent development and high quality entertainment.

“I look forward to collaborating with the team to build on the Theatre’s plentiful past achievements, and propel it into an exciting, ambitious future.”

Corey Campbell said bluntly: “Let’s get it in, let’s get it done.”

Chairman of the Belgrade’s board, David Hanson, said: “I’m delighted with the new appointments we’ve made.

“Laura is an exceptional leader, and I have no doubt that she will inspire all those that work with her as she leads a newly refurbished and invigorated Belgrade. Corey has been a huge creative asset to the Theatre during the City of Culture Year and I’m hugely excited to see what he will bring to the post of creative director.”

54 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Care centre takes home top award Special needs day care centre Satori House was crowned winners at the Solihull Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner and awards for its exceptional service to those with disabilities.

The specialist care provider was recognised in the awards held at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel and Country Club and received both the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Community’ award, sponsored by Jask Creative, as well as the prestigious ‘Solihull Business of the Year’ award, sponsored by Glide.

The event’s headline sponsors were Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Touchwood.

Nicola Pellegrini-Homer and Paula Litwinko opened Satori House in 2019 in pursuit of their dream to provide a safe and caring day centre that caters for the needs of adults with complex learning disabilities.

Initially providing their day service care to three young adults, five days a week with a staff of four, Satori House saw significant growth within the first 18 months and now has 15 service users and a staff of 19. Their growth came solely from word of mouth and the testimonials from families about the valuable service they provide to young adults who are not catered for elsewhere.

During the pandemic, Satori House’s staff made personal sacrifices and put their clients ahead of themselves, remaining open when all council-run services were closed to prevent families from going into crisis.

Helen Bates, chief financial officer at the Chamber and chair of the judging panel, said: “The judges were unanimous in their decision to award Satori House Solihull Business of the Year – their achievements in the last year have been inspirational.

“Staff have put the needs of the young people they support ahead of their own and continued to provide a valuable service when others closed their doors. A small business which has its customers’ needs front and centre, we are pleased to make this award to Satori House.”

Other winners included: Outstanding in Customer Service (Sponsored by runyourfleet) Evac+Chair International Outstanding in Charity/Third Sector (Sponsored by Prime Accountants) Gro-Organic Outstanding in Hospitality & Retail (Sponsored by BNP Paribas Personal Finance) The Barn At Berryfields Outstanding in Sales & Marketing (Thursfields Solicitors) Team Telemarketing Outstanding in Technology & Innovation (Sponsored by AirIT) Jumar Technology Outstanding in Training & Education (Sponsored by Arden Multi Academy Trust) Digital Innovators Outstanding Young Talent (Sponsored by Solihull College &University Centre) Sabah Hussain – Correla

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Solihull Solihull Chamber Patrons

Tributes for former president

In memory of John Callaghan, former Solihull Chamber President

The Solihull Chamber and community have paid tribute to John Callaghan, former principal of Solihull College and University Centre and president of Solihull Chamber of Commerce, who sadly has passed away aged 61 last month.

The veteran FE leader handed over the reins at the college last month after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. He was president of Solihull Chamber from 2015 to 2017.

Before becoming principal at Solihull College he had been Principal at North East Worcestershire College until 2010.

He played an active role within local business as a board member of the Solihull Strategic Partnership Board, Solihull Chamber of Commerce and served on the Employment and Skills Boards for Solihull.

He was also chair of the national Further Education Funding Advisory Group and served on a local School Trust.

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “We are incredibly sad to hear of John’s passing. John made a huge impact on all of those that knew him - his students, the region and his sector.

“His dedication, enthusiasm and no-nonsense, straight talking will be missed by many, including our Solihull division committee members with whom he spent many years developing the work of this Chamber.

“Our thoughts and sympathy are with his family, his colleagues at Solihull College and his friends across the business community and beyond.”

Solihull Chamber president Tony Elvin paid tribute to his predecessor in an emotional speech at the Solihull Annual Dinner and Awards and announced the former Solihull College and University Centre principal as the recipient of the 2021 President’s Award, which was collected by his colleague, deputy principal Lindsey Stewart.

Mr Elvin said: “When we learned of John’s illness last month, and his immediate retirement, we knew that we wanted to bestow the honour of this year’s President’s Award to John, to thank him for his service to education, to the Chamber, to Solihull and beyond.

“As you can imagine tributes for John have been pouring in from those across our community. Recurring themes naturally talk about the huge respect we all had for John, for his dedication, his enthusiasm, his kindness and of course for his straight talking.

“Tributes talk about the impact that John had on all of those around him. In the business community, in education and to the students at Solihull College.

“We will all miss John in our own personal way, whether that is as a colleague, peer, mentor, father, husband or friend.

“We are devastated as a community to be losing someone so special but are grateful to have known John.

“We will do our best to uphold his values and are proud to honour him and his far-reaching achievements through the President’s Award.”

New head welcomed to Solihull Chamber Samantha Frampton has been appointed as the new head of Solihull Chamber of Commerce.

Sam joined the Chamber in September 2018 as membership executive for Solihull Chamber.

In her new role, she will continue her active engagement with Solihull members, patrons and the executive committee, as well as supporting the growth of the Solihull business network during the next few years.

She said: “I am really excited to be the new head of Solihull Chamber. Since joining the Chamber in September 2018, I have had the pleasure of getting to know our wonderful members, partners and patrons.

“I love what I do and am privileged to take on the role. I am really looking forward to continuing the great work that Lillian Elekan has done.”

Chamber chief executive Henrietta Brealey said: “Over the past three years, Sam has been

an integral part of developing our Solihull Chamber division in to the influential and dynamic network it is today.

“It is an exciting time ahead of Solihull which is already home to an ever-growing number of high-profile businesses and significant opportunities from major investments such as the Commonwealth Games and HS2 Interchange Station.”

Tony Elvin, president of Solihull Chamber and general manager at Touchwood, said: “Sam has been a wonderful support to me since I was appointed president and the transition between Lillian Elekan and Sam has been seamless, during which time she had been acting head.

“Those that have worked with Sam already know that she is full of energy, good humoured and a great communicator. Furthermore, Sam is driven to deliver on our Chamber commitment to help #keepbusinessmoving.”

New role: Sam Frampton

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Future Faces Future Faces Chamber Patrons Contact: Anna Assinder T: 0845 6036650

The business case for adopting a culture of sustainability Michal Nowinski was crowned the ‘Future Face of Sustainability’ at the recent annual awards ceremony. The 35 year-old Polish-born highways engineer – who works for Arup - explains his views on sustainability, and why it is important for all businesses to make it a priority.

It is known that mindset largely determines our behaviour and actions.

When it comes to sustainability, adopting a common duty of care, which is built into our culture and legal system, is an essential mindset for the good of our environment.

Sustainability is a balanced approach between our environment, society and economy, aimed at reducing the depletion of natural resources.

Within the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, aims such as zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, gender equality, through to environmental goals like clean water and sanitation, climate action, life on land, reasonable consumption and production, decent work, and economic growth are highlighted and used to encourage businesses to act responsibly despite their pursuit of profit.

While businesses have a larger responsibility to strive towards these goals, that is not to say that individuals can’t do their own part in influencing those around them, as well as their employers, to be more conscious about their impact on our environment.

Every day it is possible to make small, but significant, sustainable changes. For instance, choosing biodegradable materials, such as paper and biopolymer, over non-renewable ones, or even thinking about switching from paper to digital altogether, and how this minimises embodied carbon.

Likewise, questioning an organisation on their decarbonisation plan and offset activity, such as tree planting, is a good place to start.

Transformation of thinking like this not only reduces the impact on the planet, but might also reduce operating costs, and is a conversation worth having. Within the workplace, sustainable solutions can be achieved by very minor changes such as switching off electrical appliances for an hour break at lunchtime or lowering the temperature of the office or your home working environment by one degree.

Choosing an energy supplier based on carbon emission can also have an impact.

Michal Nowinski: Young professionals need to prioritise sustainability

Working from home is a large benefit when thinking about the reduction in commuting and emissions, but there are other options like choosing to travel by electric bus or train, rather than a combustion engine car which emits about 600g of carbon dioxide every five miles, that can also improve your carbon footprint.

It is an important time in post-Covid recovery where young professionals can really make a difference. In order to succeed in tomorrow’s world, young professionals need to adapt their mindset in order to prioritise sustainable outcomes in a business’s hierarchy of goals.

First networking event a great success Young professionals from more than 30 businesses across Lichfield, Tamworth, Cannock and Burton gathered at ‘Walkabout’ in Lichfield for a Future Faces networking event, joined by Future Faces president Jaccy Datta and various committee members.

The evening allowed local people to network and meet with fellow members, as well as find out more about the Chamber and its work.

The event was the first of a series of quarterly socials planned across Staffordshire.

Chris Brewerton, divisional director at the Chamber, said: “It was a pleasure to host members of the Staffordshire business community embarking on their careers as graduates, apprentices and junior staff from over 30 businesses.

“The atmosphere in the room was positive

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and friendly, thanks mainly to the welcome of our Future Faces president, Jaccy Datta, members of the executive committees of

Getting to know you (from left): Ashley Kerr, Mills and Reeve; Kiranjit Kaur Shergill, Xoserve; Jaccy Datta and Yung Lau

Future Faces from Burton, Cannock and Lichfield and Tamworth, and the sociable nature of the event.

“With further events planned across the various areas between now and June 2022, we really hope the launch of Future Faces events across Staffordshire provides an opportunity for young professionals to build relationships with their peers.”

Yung Lau, strategic consultant at Jacobs and FF executive committee member, said: “It was absolutely fantastic to meet so many young professionals in Lichfield for the Future Faces Staffordshire launch. It was nice to meet so many diverse and like-minded individuals.”

The next Future Faces social event is set to take place on 25 November. Details will be announced shortly.

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Future Faces

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

New manager is appointed

By Sophia Corness-Parr Future Faces Chamber of Commerce (FF) has appointed a new manager, events expert JodieLee Perks.

Future Faces works to network, develop and recognise young professionals across Greater Birmingham within any business sector.

Jodie takes on the role from Anna Assinder, the Chamber’s head of marketing and events.

Future Face, which merged with networking body BPS Birmingham last January, works to recognise and develop the region’s young professionals.

Jodie has a background in insurance and technology, and in her most recent role helped support an accountancy firm’s clients through the pandemic and Brexit.

Jodie’s experience also includes expertise of Birmingham’s events industry, gained in particular from her work for with Ticket Sellers. This has helped give her a wide-ranging knowledge of the city’s events scene and nightlife.

After graduating from the University of Birmingham in 2014 with a combined degree in modern languages and business, Jodie’s love for the city prompted her to settle here.

She was actually raised in South Wales, before moving to Spain and developing a fondness for the culture and heritage of that country.

She said: “I am honoured to have been hired by the Chamber as the new Future Faces manager.

“Membership of the network is such an asset to any young professional or company in Birmingham, especially in a post-lockdown job market and it is an exciting time to be starting with the world reopening.

“I know I have big shoes to fill, as Anna has grown and nurtured the brand exponentially, but I am so ready to take on this challenge with the added benefit of Anna’s guidance.

“I have been overwhelmed by the support shown to me by the team at the Chamber and I can’t wait to help the young professionals of this amazing city thrive in their careers and take Future Faces from strength to strength.”

Anna Assinder said: “Jodie’s appointment is a huge milestone for Future Faces. Having a dedicated Future Faces Manager will now help take the organisation to the next level after the network has grown so rapidly over the past five years, and after the acquisition of BPS Birmingham at the end of last year.

“The division has so much scope to grow even more and add to the benefits that young professionals across the region receive. I’m really looking forward to supporting Jodie over the next few months and watching her make the division her own.”

Award for vice-president Sabah Hussain, business architect at Corella and vice-president of Future Faces, has been crowned as this year’s ‘Outstanding Young Talent’ by Solihull Chamber of Commerce.

Sabah was presented with the award during the Chamber’s awards celebration at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club last month, where she was recognised as a positive role model and up and coming member of the region’s young professional network.

Winner: Sabah (left) with Future Faces president Jaccy Datta

In addition to sitting on the Future Faces executive committee, Sabah is also a charity board trustee for Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid. She also has her own Youtube channel, ‘SABAHx Talks’, where she shares professional development tips and inspirational content around mindset and productivity.

Sharing the news of her award with her Linkedin network, she said: “Wow - being part of the Chambers has changed my life in so many positive and amazing ways. The atmosphere in the room was unbelievable - so motivating, uplifting, inspiring.

“I loved seeing the business community come together in such a strong way and how sincerely supportive everyone is of one another, wanting to see each other succeed and to celebrate every success.

“Two and a half years ago I nervously went alone to my first Future Faces networking event.

Last night I confidently walked in alone, knowing that I would be surrounded by the friends I've made through this incredible network.”

Jodie-Lee Perks: Big shoes to fill

New Members Katrania Lowers (Colmore Partners) Megan Croker (HancoxRead Recruitment) Sam Stewart (HancoxRead Recruitment) Parris Britton (Crowe UK LLP) Nick Martin (Crowe UK LLP)

Upcoming Events Creating an inclusive environment for neurodiverse thinkers Date: 16/11/21 Online: 17:30 - 18:30 Future Faces AGM and Social Date: 25/11/21 Venue: TBA Future Faces Social in South Staffordshire Date: 15/12/21 Venue: TBA, Cannock For more information and to book a place contact events@birmingham-chamber.com

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Chamber Events

Chamber Events Picture Solihull dinner and awards in focus - Pictures: Mike Baker Real-life events are back… and to prove it here is a selection of images taken at the Solihull Chamber Commerce annual dinner and awards at the Forest of Arden Hotel.

Provided more restrictions are not imposed by the Government, the Chamber is planning to return to its normal extensive programme of in-person events, including the flagship Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce dinner at the ICC next year.

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Chamber Events

Gallery

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1. Business of the Year Staff from Satori House take home the Solihull Business of the Year prize

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2. Outstanding Contribution to Community Satori House collect their award for Outstanding Contribution to Community alongside compere, Phil Oldershaw, and Solihull President Tony Elvin 3.Outstanding in Customer Service Evac+Chair International awarded Outstanding in Customer Service by award sponsors runyourfleet 4.Outstanding in Charity/Third Sector Gro Organic receive the Outstanding in Charity/Third Sector award sponsored by Prime Accountants 5. Outstanding in Hospitality & Retail The Barn at Berryfield receive the Outstanding in Hospitaltiy & Retail award sponsored by BNP Paribas Personal Finance 6. Outstanding in Sales & Marketing Team Telemarketing receive the Outstanding in Salaes & Markeing award sponsored by Thursfields Solicitors 7. Outstanding in Technology & Innovation Jumar Technology receive the Outstanding in Technology & Innovation award sponsored by AirIT 8. Outstanding in Training & Education Digital Innovators receive the Outstanding in Training & education award sponsored by Arden Multi Academy Trust 9. Outstanding Young Talent Business architect at Corella and vice president of Future Faces, Sabah Hussain, proudly receives the Outstanding Young Talent award

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10. President’s Award Deputy principal of Solihull College and University Centre, Lindsey Stewart, collects the late John Callaghan’s President’s Award on behalf of his family.

11. All winners Winners of the Solihull Chamber Awards 2021

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• See pages 54-55 for full coverage of the Solihull Chamber dinner and awards • Go to www.greaterbirminghamchamber.com to check out all of the upcoming events across the Chamber network.

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Feature

Business Banking & Finance

The use of

management buyouts as a tax planning tool

By Nick Wright, corporate tax manager, Jerroms he Coronavirus pandemic has caused a behavioural shift, with many of us taking time to reflect and redefine our priorities.

Perhaps you’re looking to slow down and take a step back from your business or you're looking for a way to reinvigorate and reward your management team who have really gone the distance.

In today’s increasingly volatile job market, retaining highly skilled individuals can be the key to success - and a Management Buyout (MBO) could be the answer.

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Incentivising your team Before we delve into the complexities of MBOs, let’s first consider alternative options for how to reward your management team without relinquishing control of your business.

Bonuses Perhaps the most obvious and by far the simplest method, but almost certainly not the most tax efficient.

Issuing shares Issuing shares under a separate classification can enable the business to pay dividends at lower tax rates. However, this option can be fraught with unwanted tax consequences with no beneficial outcome for the employee unless correctly structured.

Enterprise Management Incentives (EMIs) & Share Option Schemes Issuing tax advantaged share options (for example Enterprise Management Incentives or Share Option Schemes) may be a suitable 60 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

method depending on whether the employee and the company both meet the strict qualifying conditions.

However, if your aim is to wind down or extract cash, an MBO could offer the best solution.

MBO An MBO is one of the most common (and effective) methods for an internal management team to acquire shares in a business.

In its simplest form, an MBO involves the management team setting up a new company and buying the shares from the existing shareholders in exchange for cash, deferred consideration or shares in the new company (often a combination of all three).

Not only does it enable staff to own shares and therefore benefit from the capital growth of the business, but it also allows the company to pay dividends to them at preferential tax rates without the risk of HMRC imposing unwelcome tax charges.

As well as the financial incentive, having a share ownership will help employees feel valued and give them the encouragement they need to reach their full potential.

Planning your exit Integral to an MBO is the dilution of the existing shareholders’ holdings. As this type of transaction ultimately results in the restructure of a business, it is good practice to obtain pretransaction clearance from HMRC to secure Capital Gains Tax (CGT) rates of as low as 10% where Business Asset Disposal Relief can be applied. Without this, HMRC could look

unfavourably on the transaction, instead imposing a dividend tax charge of up to 38.1%.

The crux of the clearance is proving the purpose of the transaction is to benefit the trade (and crucially not the shareholders alone).

Compelling reasons must be given to support how appointing new shareholders will boost the business’ growth trajectory. This is certainly less easy to argue where the existing shareholders are remaining with the business in the shortmedium term, but a full exit is likely to be more readily accepted by HMRC as a new team is of course required to take the business forward.

Cash extraction That’s not to say that MBOs can’t be a means for shareholders to extract cash and retain shares, whilst gradually reducing their involvement, but this scenario is more likely to fall under HMRC’s scrutiny.

It’s therefore important to show a genuine benefit to the trade as part of the request for clearance - for example, where current shareholders must remain in place short-term to ensure a smooth transition.

If HMRC negates the proposed benefit to the trade, the transaction could be disallowed as no more than an attempt to extract cash at lower capital rates.

Where existing shareholders are not ready to relinquish so much control, HMRC may accept the transaction, but only if any cash and/or deferred consideration is not extracted until a more complete exit. Ultimately, it will depend on how compelling the arguments are for how the transaction will benefit the trade and so seeking professional advice is a must.

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Feature

Business Banking & Finance

M&A and investment landscape

By Simon Heath, partner, Heligan Group LLP

021 has been a successful year for corporate transactions and direct company investment across the Midlands. In the first six months, there was a 24 per cent increase in deal volumes and 200% increase in deal value at £8bn (Source: Experian H1 M&A Review).

This trend has continued into the second half of 2021 as the perfect storm of record low-cost corporate debt, ubiquitous private capital for investment and larger corporates seeking bolt-on and strategic acquisitions, has meant there is a healthy demand for corporate transactions. The M&A market also benefited from a spike in activity prior to the anticipated March increase in capital gains tax which ultimately never materialised but remains a potential risk going forward.

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‘Following lockdown, shareholders of SME businesses have re-evaluated their future strategic ambitions’ Simon Heath, partner at Heligan Group, a Birmingham headquartered corporate finance advisor and private equity investor, said: “As a boutique investment bank, we have experienced an unprecedented uplift in demand for corporate transactions – 2021 has been a record year for Heligan Group and reflective of the market as a whole.

Following lockdown, shareholders of SME businesses have reevaluated their future strategic ambitions and are seeking investment to either de-risk personal capital tied up in their business or support growth capital development for the post-Covid macro-economic environment.”

Prominence of technology A rapid expansion and fundamental structural shift in the adoption of technology by consumers and businesses following repetitive lockdowns, has led to the technology sector becoming the most sought after. The appetite of buyers and investors for technology-led businesses is driven by the ability to quickly scale and the high margin, cash generative nature of their models. Within the technology sector, security focused companies, known as SecTech, including cyber security, data, personal and property protection have experienced record volumes and values. Two of the more prominent deals in the region include Freshstream’s investment in the Telford-based Smart Water Group and Synova Capital acquiring a stake in the Birmingham headquartered Orbis Protect.

Maximising value and minimise disruption Despite significant demand drivers for deals, any business seeking investment or a potential sale needs to ensure that it is prepared for a transaction. Buyers and investors have an increased expectation in the preparedness of information to facilitate a smooth and efficient process. The advisory community play a critical role in achieving shareholder aspirations and minimising or eliminating value dilution through investing significant upfront time to understand the business, the market in which it operates and key value drivers through robustly preparing financial data and transaction documents before approaching the market. The key focus areas are financial, legal and tax to ensure that as a deal enters the due diligence phase, nothing untoward suddenly becomes a deal breaker or goes to value.

Dr Tim Grasby, managing partner at Heligan Group, said: “Access to growth capital has never been more freely available. There are a myriad of debt and equity solutions to meet any shareholder requirement, whether that is to fund short-term growth and strategic change or to meet long-term ‘patient’ objectives but investors and buyers expect businesses to be fully prepared ahead of a transaction process and are often turned off or even decline opportunities simply because information is unavailable or inconsistent with their needs.”

Looking ahead

T: 01327 366 900 E: info@fletchbiz.co.uk W: fletchbiz.co.uk

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The M&A market is enjoying consistent growth and the outlook for the next 12 months appears favourable, subject to no economic shocks unravelling the demand drivers of corporates and investors. It is always important to note that the M&A market is cyclical and there are windows of opportunity to undertake transactions. We are fortunate that we are enjoying a prolonged period of deal activity and if businesses are considering undertaking a corporate transaction, now is as good a time as any.

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Business Banking & Finance

Email: info@heligangroup.com

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www.heligangroup.com

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Feature

Telephone: 0121 820 5223

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Savings on indirect spend for all businesses ‘Business’ digital connectivity and a willingness to cooperate enables ‘win-win’ outcomes. The In4Trade Store – a digital self-service indirect spend store – brings this to life’ - says Andrew Boyes-Varley (pictured) of In4Trade Limited.

Spend on items not for resale (‘indirects’) compared to ‘directs’ are typically not as material, less visible and critically usually difficult to address in a cost-effective manner, so are not a focus.

There is, nevertheless, value available in these categories, with the right approach, such as an online store, as it: • Is free to use and is accessible via any browser and no new tech is required

• Presents deals that have already been negotiated with quality suppliers, the business simply compares these with what they can get from their exiting supplier • Makes value available immediately with the minimum of business interruption and internal resource consumption.

The categories available at the In4Trade Store are those that lend themselves to digital consolidation.

The curated suppliers span general business needs to specialist risk management solutions like cyber security and insurance.

Find out more and access the In4Trade Store at: www.in4trade.com Also available for more information Andrew is a managing director at In4trade Limited. In4Trade is a new platform created to unlock value by bundling the indirect spend of 'affiliated' companies, including: Private Equity owned, Industry Association and Chamber of Commerce members.

In4Trade Limited is a member of the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Email: andrew.boyes-varley@in4trade.com November 2021 CHAMBERLINK 63

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Feature

Digital Media Services

Paid advertising – after cookies.

What does it mean, and how does it impact you?

By Heather Horton (pictured), founder of Ecrubox Digital

o understand the difference between a world with cookies and one without, we must first get to grips with what web cookies do.

For years, brands have used third-party cookies to build a profile of you and your interests based on the sites you visit, collecting data that helped them to target ads to the right audiences. Cookies are on millions of websites, feeding tons of information about the sites you visit and your user preferences online. But the public are becoming more aware of privacy issues these days, and regulators are passing more privacy laws.

Ninety-one per cent of people are concerned about the amount of data that companies collect from them, making it increasingly challenging for brands to connect, understand, and honestly speak to their targeted audiences in a digital space.

In the real world, the more background knowledge we know about a person, the more effective our initial conversations are when we try to get to know them.

The past cookie crumbs in the digital maze of the internet helped to navigate the user experience and conjure up something that resonated with the user. It helped to foster somewhat of a connection. But in some ways, it encouraged digital marketers to become lazy and lose the unexpected delight that comes from truly getting to know your customers and speaking to them directly.

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Fast forward to 2021, and Google’s third-party cookie deprecation delay should by no means indicate that now is the time for marketers to put less emphasis on the migration to first-party cookies and data privacy.

It’s the opposite.

The cookie has always been about positive exchange value. Now that it’s gone, this is a massive opportunity to rethink the value agreement between digital and people. This is not an easy task, which is why you need digital experts to help you navigate this ever-evolving world of marketing, but for now, here are a few tips to get you started.

Understanding the consumer is very different from tracking them When digital marketers commit to this concept and deliver strategies that meet this notion, the overall user experience and uplift in brand awareness will take on new heights. Let’s face it - half of us were clicking buttons until the cookie crumbled and we got to exactly what we wanted; the product or service.

Where’s the genius in that? The way you negotiate your first party, shared and compared data will prove your worth in a big business world. The non-cookie world is a better world where we focus again on the bond between humans and how to do very big business. The two are not alien concepts.

‘Ninety-one per cent of people are concerned about the amount of data that companies collect’

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Digital Media Services

Feature

Quick tips that work • Own the network, not just the data: Encourage the brand journey so deeply that a customer would log in. You own everything inside the room • Facebook Lead Ads will unlock excellent data: Use Facebook Lead generation (or email or anything) to buy knowledge in a value exchange - then give them the value • Find relevant potential customers • Reach the right people by combining lead ads with value-based audience targeting (from your CAPI integration) • Customise your forms to request the most important information first • Carry out integration with your CRM/ESP.

Invest in data

Consider server to server integration Sync your Facebook leads, website leads, and any other first-party data you’re collecting straight into your ESP and get it to work for you.

Tap into the minds of clients, creatively A cookie-less world is an opportunity to be more invested and see higher returns. Clients’ relationships with brands have evolved. Now brands must respond by adjusting their strategies accordingly—meaning they must regularly gather, track, and leverage actionable data intelligence. That’s a lot of data to consider.

It’s helpful to remember, though, that ultimately brands want to understand intent fully. They don’t want to rely on many different data points that place a client in a particular segment or assume their intent. By engaging with clients directly or asking people specific questions, the data tells them the answer.

When digital experts talk about data-driven marketing, they focus on strategies and solutions that have been designed with insight, results, and facts in mind. These areas of consumer behaviour need to be uncovered through harnessing a strong connection with the customer. These tools and techniques will advance rapidly over the next few months as the race is on to truly humanise digital content and speak to the consumer directly. For now, filling the gaps with substantial techniques, tools, and strategies that are not quick sugar fixes like cookies, and focusing more on the consumer’s needs is where the opportunity lies.

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Digital Media Services

Digital marketing for small businesses

s a small business, adopting a digital marketing strategy is a vital tool for building a brand, increasing customer engagement and extending your reach. But what are the steps you need to take to developing a winning digital marketing campaign?

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Target audience, target content When considering your digital marketing strategy, it’s important to know your audience. Who are they, what do they do, and how can your product or service help them? To help you understand your audience, create a buyer persona. This could include details such as their age, gender and income, allowing you to determine the kind of content you should create and what kind of social media platforms you should target. Once you know your audience, you will find it much easier to create targeted and relevant content.

Another key factor is reaching your audience on a personal level, which means it’s important to show that you value their needs and appreciate their custom. Tactics such as giveaways, surprise and delight campaigns and rewards schemes will help foster loyal relationships with customers.

Show, don’t tell Visual content is on the rise. Video content platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram Stories and 66 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Facebook Live, have become an increasingly popular way to connect with thousands of potential customers. Best of all, you don’t necessarily need a big budget or expensive equipment to create content, as many smartphones cameras have high-quality video capabilities perfect for shooting short videos and soundbites. Interviews, product demonstrations and advertisements are all good examples of video content.

When making video content, remember that consistency is key. A posting schedule will encourage your audience to tune regularly and anticipate new videos, while consistency in style and voice will help you connect on a much more personal level with your customers.

Focus your social media efforts There’s no denying the power of social media, but there are a multiple of available platforms, and they are all constantly evolving. Therefore it’s important to focus your efforts on the platforms that are most relevant and where your customers are the most active, rather than wasting time on the ones that won’t bring you any new business.

B2B businesses may find such platforms as LinkedIn and Twitter the most helpful, where as Facebook and Instagram might better suit a B2C business model. Whichever platforms you decide

to focus on, remember that it is important to retain a consistent voice across social media (and also your website) to help build a connection with your customers.

A scheduling tool, such as Hootesuite or Buffer, can help you schedule your posts to go live at times that would give you the highest traffic and social media engagement,

Put your website to work As well as making sure your website is easy to use and navigate, make sure it is also mobile friendly and views correctly on small screens. Page speed is also an important factor, as slow load times can deter potential customers.

Your website content is incredibly important, but an easy way to fill your website with useful and entertaining content is to maintain a regular blog. If something interesting is happening in your industry, a blog or ‘vlog’ (video blog) is a great way of capitalising on trending topics and inserting your brand into the narrative.

Your website is also your opportunity to improve your SEO skills, because if search engines can’t find you, you might as well have not bothered investing in a website at all. Create content around the key words and phrases that will put your website directly in front of your target audience.

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Business Travel

Sector Focus

Sector Focus The latest news from the sectors that matter to business En route: Trams will soon be plying their trade between Edgbaston and the city centre

Tram network expansion is nearing completion The finishing touches are being added to the latest extension of the Midland Metro tram network, which will see vehicles travelling along Broad Street up to Five Ways.

The extension further extends the Metro’s reach from its original terminus at Snow Hill, in the city centre. Last summer saw the overhead wiring installed for the extension, and last month a new electrical substation was installed at Five Ways island.

Grass tracks have also been laid near the Hagley Road terminus, and the last few tram stops will shortly be installed outside 54 Hagley Road.

After that, the new line will be tested and commissioned before opening to the public. Cristian

Bostan, MMA’s head of integration, said: “Over the coming weeks, as well as providing the opportunity for the vital testing of tracks, signals and other infrastructure, the extensive commissioning programme.”

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “It was very exciting to see the final pieces of the jigsaw coming together, showing just how close we are to finishing construction on the extension of the West Midlands Metro line to Edgbaston Village.

“This route is part of our incredibly ambitious plans to extend the Metro all across the region, helping to create a world-class public transport system that gives people a genuine alternative to the car.”

Green bus shelters create a buzz Green bus shelters which can improve air quality, generate their own power and even attract bees are being trialled in Halesowen.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has worked with the Halesowen Business Improvement District (BID) and Halesowen in Bloom to bring some plant-topped bus shelters to improve the town centre environment.

The shelters are made from recycled materials and their roofs include plants designed to reduce carbon in the environment as well as filters to catch fine particles and improve air quality.

Wild flowers, which attract bees and other pollinators, will grow from the eaves and roof edges and appear during the Spring.

Further to this are solar panels which will not only generate power for the display screens and lights but also allow people to charge their mobile phones for free while waiting for the bus.

TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), teamed up with

manufacturer Bus Shelters Ltd to develop the new shelters and installed two prototypes in Queensway. If the trial proves successful more of the environmentally friendly stops could be installed as TfWM replaces and renews its 5,000 bus shelters across the region – playing a part in helping the region achieve its #wm2041 net-zero carbon targets.

Cllr Kath Hartley, who chairs TfWM’s transport delivery

committee, said: “It is important we look at new ways of improving our environment. I look forward to seeing more of these shelters on our streets in future.”

She was joined by fellow TDC members and Dudley councillors Alan Taylor and David Stanley.

Cllr Ian Kettle, Dudley Council cabinet member for the WMCA, said: “I wish the trial every success and I hope to see the shelters being rolled out in other locations.”

Gimme Shelter (left to right): Cllr Kath Hartley, Eve O'Connor (Halesowen In Bloom), Cllr Ian Kettle and behind Mark Purnell (BSL) welcome the new shelter

New Paris route announced from Birmingham Birmingham Airport and Vueling have announced a new, three times weekly service to Paris Orly Airport from the beginning of this month.

The IAG member airline is now operating services each Monday, Wednesday and Friday and offer direct connectivity to the central Paris airport, ideal for short city breaks or business trips.

Flights will arrive into Birmingham from Paris Orly at 0715 and depart Birmingham at 0800 using a 220 seat A321 aircraft.

This is Vueling’s second destination from Birmingham, complementing its existing service to Barcelona which operates four times weekly.

Tom Screen, Birmingham Airport’s aviation director, said: “This is a great new route for Birmingham, operating into the heart of Paris with a successful airline that offers affordable prices and great service.

“We are incredibly pleased that Vueling, an IAG member, has committed to this new route, increasing capacity to Paris from Birmingham and adding to its existing Barcelona service.

"We look forward to seeing Midlands’ leisure and business travellers enjoy this new three times weekly service.”

Tickets are being launched at a special campaign price starting at €9.99 on certain days and sectors, and can be booked via vueling.com.

From last month, passengers no longer have to take a pre-departure test if they have been double jabbed and day two PCR arrival Covid tests have been replaced by more affordable lateral flow tests for double vaccinated travellers.

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Sector Focus

Finance

Sponsored by: BOOST&Co

Short-term planning hinders business growth Principal Matt Vincent

The end of state support isn’t the end for growth The amount of money that the Government has spent on helping UK businesses and workers to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic runs into hundreds of billions of pounds – but the end of statebacked recovery schemes doesn’t mean that companies should give up on growth.

Since the closure of the furlough scheme, the end of the VAT deferral initiative and the withdrawal of Business Interruption Payments to cover the first 12 months of interest on CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) loans, the alternative lender BOOST&Co has been speaking to management teams around the Midlands who are thinking about what comes next.

Although these changes need to be factored into companies’ cash flow forecasts, we strongly believe that they don’t have to signal the end of growth. At BOOST&Co, we offer growth loans ranging from £1m to £10m, covering needs such as growth capital, MBOs and MBIs, funding for M&A and refinancing existing debt.

As an alternative lender, we can tailor loans to match your needs, giving you the flexibility to use funds in a way that many traditional lenders cannot. We’re also an accredited provider of the Government’s Recovery Loan Scheme, giving you extra peace of mind. So, with funding available for firms across the Midlands, contact our principal Matt Vincent to learn how we can help you continue to grow.

To find out more, contact Matt on 07761 744755 or matt@boostandco.com

70 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

The region’s businesses are only planning nine months ahead due to lack of confidence in their ‘future proof’ strategy, according to a new report produced by BDO LLP. The firm’s ‘The Ambitious Entrepreneur: Tackling Your Barriers to Growth’ report looks at barriers to growth for entrepreneurial businesses and found that 70 per cent of companies are only planning nine months ahead, despite innovative ambitions to launch new products and services. In addition, two fifths of the companies surveyed are only planning six months ahead, which means they only have visibility until March next year.

More than three quarters of companies said that they’re likely - to some degree - to test out new business ideas or innovate this year and next, but 21 per cent recognise that a lack of planning will prohibit this innovation.

BDO partner Suk Aulak said: “Ambitious, entrepreneurial businesses underpin our regional economy across all sectors. It’s concerning but not surprising to see so many struggling to strategically plan more than six months in advance.

“The last 20 months have demonstrated that plans need to be flexible. For this type of business, it is often their agility which gives them a competitive advantage. However, creativity alone won’t sustain innovation and there needs to be a firm focus on planning and commercialising ideas if businesses are serious about growth.”

BDO’s research found that a third of respondents try to handle operations, growth, funding, talent and compliance internally with their existing team.

Mr Aulak said: “ “I’d urge the entrepreneurial businesses in the region not to get in the way of their own potential by taking a short-term or inward view and seek the support they need to build a longer-term strategy that will allow them innovate and to maintain a competitive advantage.”

Suk Aulak: Don’t take a short-term view

Accountancy firm’s support for St Basil’s Employees at the Birmingham office of accountant and tax specialist Haines Watts have taken up the challenge to raise funds for West Midlands-based charity St Basil’s, a charity working to prevent young people becoming homeless.

After voting for St Basil’s as their chosen charity, the team based at their Edgbaston headquarters have pledged to raise £5,000. The fundraising efforts kick off when the team take part in next month’s ‘Big Birmingham Sleepout’, which will be held at Millennium Point.

Haines Watts partner Andrew Jones said: “Our brief was simple, the team wanted to give back locally, through fundraising, donations, volunteering in terms of time and skills.

“We are really pleased to support St Basils and can’t wait for our team to get involved and really make a difference.”

Based in Digbeth, St Basils targets the 16 to 25 year old age group, and supports 5,000 people every year, 500 of whom are accommodated every night in 42 locations across the West Midlands.

To this end, St Basil’s needs to raise £1.2m per year to maintain its support for young people. Despite forecasting a dramatic drop in income due to the pandemic, the charity still managed to raise £1.1m last year.

Head of fundraising and communication at St Basils, Barrie Hodge, said: “Birmingham, for example, is a very young city with the least experienced workforce, many of whom are on very low wages and zero hours contracts, which means it can be incredibly difficult to meet rent payments.

“The focus is on trying to prevent people becoming homeless. This could be through family mediation where relationships have broken down or working with other providers to find other accommodation if they can’t stay at home, while our outreach teams go out into the community to provide crisis support.”

Acquisition for Quick Self Storage Expanding Midlands-based selfstorage company Quick Self Storage Holdings Ltd has acquired the Darlington site and operations of Dainton Group Services Ltd, a well-established operator with 17 self-storage sites across the South-West and North-East.

Quick Self Storage appointed PKF Smith Cooper to assist with identifying potential acquisition targets, amid a company-wide push to embark on a series of acquisitions that focus on already established storage operations.

The firm’s acquisition strategy will be complemented by the addition of greenfield self-storage sites, located within the Midlands.

Prior to beginning the acquisition process, Quick Self Storage had gained the prestigious status of ‘Peterborough’s only SMART self-storage facility’ by utilising the latest cutting-edge technology and industry-leading security features.

PKF Smith Cooper supported Quick Self Storage in defining the acquisition strategy, identifying key targets, unlocking deal opportunities and project managing the transaction through to completion.

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Finance

Sector Focus

Record-breaking IPO activity Listing activity on the London markets has maintained momentum during the first half of the year, with a record-breaking quarterly performance on both the main market and Alternative Investment Market (AIM), according to EY’s ‘IPO Eye’ report.

An initial public offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance, allowing a company to raise capital from public investors.

Funds raised in the first nine months of the year totalled £13.4bn, exceeding the total IPO proceeds of £9.3bn generated in 2020.

The main market saw 14 IPOs in Q3, raising £2.9bn, with a further 19 companies floated on AIM and raising £1.1bn.

The financial services and healthcare sectors have contributed the largest IPOs in the quarter. The main market also saw the £8bn direct listing of major technology company, Wise plc, signalling a vote of confidence in the UK market by the tech sector.

AIM activity in the third quarter of the year returned to historical quarterly levels, helped by its biggest ever listing, Revolution Beauty Group plc, raising £300m and being admitted to trading with a market capitalisation of £495m.

‘Looking ahead, we expect deal volumes to continue to be strong’ Cross-border listing activity has continued, with eight international issuers seeking to list in London in the first nine months of the year.

Whilst the UK has retained its position as the leading European IPO venue by funds raised, globally it is in third place behind the US and China.

It has also been a strong quarter for follow on fundraising by existing issuers with more than £8bn being raised in the quarter, with over £21bn of equity capital being raised in

London year-to-date.

Dan Salt, leader of BDO’s mergers and aqcuisitions team in Birmingham, said: “The UK markets continue to witness record-breaking IPO activity, with both the Main Market and AIM already generating higher IPO proceeds this year than for the whole of 2020.

“Looking ahead, we expect deal volumes to continue to be strong through the remainder of 2021 as the economy maintains momentum after reopening post-pandemic albeit with a degree of tension as a result of supply chain issues and the reduction in COVID-19 Government stimulus packages.”

Global equity markets have also had another busy quarter, with $106bn being raised in 547 deals across the globe, making this the best nine-month listing performance for over 20 years.

From a sector perspective, technology, healthcare and industrials once again rose to the top of the pack, retaining their firm grasp on investor attention.

Crowe employee named rising star

Key role: Mark Taylor and Claire Spencer

RSM appoints head of corporate tax to strengthen Midlands team Audit, tax and consulting firm RSM has appointed tax partner Claire Spencer to strengthen its corporate tax capability in the Midlands.

Ms Spencer will lead a newlyexpanded team of corporate tax specialists out of Birmingham. She will draw upon her 17 plus years’ experience in Manchester working with large corporates and international groups.

In her new role, she will look to replicate her success in Manchester to grow the Birmingham offering, while driving collaboration between the two offices.

She said: “RSM has a strong team here in Birmingham, and I am very proud to have been asked to lead it and expand our tax capability in the region.

“Given the current uncertainty around the future of the economy, the next few years will present challenges and opportunities in equal measure as local businesses adapt to the evolving environment.

“RSM can support businesses throughout this period to be agile and to take advantage of new opportunities.

“Working more collaboratively across our Birmingham and

Manchester offices, and indeed nationally, will only serve to strengthen our client service in a region that offers so much as a prosperous business community.”

Mark Taylor, regional managing partner for RSM in the Midlands, said: “Claire is someone I have known for several years and I am absolutely delighted that she has agreed to take on this key role here in Birmingham.

“The addition of Claire is the latest in a series of exciting investments in our tax advisory capability in the Midlands over recent times.”

Parris Britton, a manager in the Oldbury office of national audit, tax, advisory and risk firm Crowe, has been recognised as a rising young stars in her sector.

She has achieved national recognition in ‘Eprivateclient 35 under 35 – Women’, which is a listing published by website Eprivateclient, which is a news service for private client practitioners, including lawyers, accountants, trustees and feebased IFAs. Mrs Britton joined Crowe in 2013 after completing an accounting and finance degree at the University of Central Lancashire.

In her role at Crowe, she provides tax advice to various types of clients, ensuring they meet their tax compliance obligations.

She said: “I am extremely grateful to have been chosen as one of the 2021 ‘Eprivateclient Top 35 Under 35 – Women’.

“It is an honour to have my hard work and accomplishments recognised by this organisation. I have always been passionate about the advice I provide and maintaining quality client service, as I genuinely enjoy helping people.”

Rebecca Durrant, Crowe’s national head of private clients, said: “Parris is a very talented tax advisor and an integral part of the Crowe team. Her knowledge and expertise is well known and appreciated throughout our national practice. She can always be relied upon to deliver a project.”

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Sector Focus

72 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Technology

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Technology

Unexpected benefits of social media outage A psychology expert has described the recent sixhour Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram outage as ‘lockdown in reverse’ - but may have brought benefits to those who struggle to multitask.

While Covid-19 lockdowns led to concerns over mental health due to a lack of human connection, Dr Rebecca Semmens-Wheeler, a senior lecturer in Psychology at Birmingham City University, said the explosion of social media platforms over the past 15 years had created a different set of problems.

She said: “During the Covid-19 lockdowns, we realised the value of human contact. People suffered with their mental health, with many feeling isolated and becoming depressed and anxious.

“Now, post-lockdown, another source for connection was temporarily removed. This time, owing to an outage, we could see people face-toface but we weren't able to connect with them via three of the world’s biggest social media and messaging apps.

“The six hours without Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp was a bit like lockdown in reverse.

“Over the past decade and a half, social media has exploded into our lives, generating a new set of mental health issues. The internet is full of articles about how to digitally detox, apps that measure our screen time and services to block us from certain websites and apps, which can help us to become more productive and improve our well-being.

“A growing body of research suggests that while social media can have its benefits, it is addictive to

many and can also be a tenuous source of selfesteem.

“We get a dopamine hit when somebody likes our post. We get a sense of connection when we see that other people share our points of view.

‘During the Covid-19 lockdowns, we realised the value of human contact’ “While having a break from social media can be an excellent thing for some people, this experience will have been a wrench for many, and is likely to have caused anxiety and discomfort for those people, especially without knowing how long this would last.

“Many people turned to other forms of social media, such as Twitter and Telegram, as evidenced by the latter application struggling to function as WhatsApp users looked for an alternative.”

The outage may have had some benefits for some users, Dr Semmens-Wheeler adds.

She said: “There could have been benefits to the outage for those who did not experience anxiety.

“For example, they may have had to multitask less, and might have been able to focus on other tasks.

“We know that social media affects productivity and engaging in another task drastically impairs our performance and fatigues the brain - as it has to work hard to switch between tasks.”

Tech giant to recruit from digital bootcamp Three digital training bootcamps funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will enable up to 40 local people to start a new career with American tech firm UST. The company, which operates worldwide with FTSE 1000 and Fortune 500 companies in areas like software products and platforms, automation and artificial intelligence, has partnered with the WMCA to recruit residents from the region.

This is the first time UST has recruited from digital bootcamps in the UK, and the training has been specially tailored to ensure candidates have the skills needed by the employer.

Those who successfully complete the training will be eligible for a three-month paid internship at UST, with the opportunity to become full time employees.

The training for the three bootcamps is being delivered by Birmingham provider TechTalent Academy, and is part of a £7.5m

investment from the WMCA which has already trained more than 1,500 local people.

Learners on the first two bootcamps have just started virtual classes in coding, with the third bootcamp planned to begin shortly.

Digital skills bootcamps are a key part of the WMCA’s ‘Digital Roadmap’, which is a strategy to digitise the region.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “We know that training in the skills of the future that employers need is a crucial way to help people get back into work quickly as the region recovers from the economic impact of the pandemic.

“This is why retraining and upskilling are a key part of my plan to help 100,000 people into work in the next two years.

“That’s why we have partnered with UST to enable local people to start new, exciting jobs in the tech sector, with everyone who completes the bootcamps also gaining valuable skills to help their current and future careers.”

Andy Street: Skills of the future

Praveen Prabhakaran, chief delivery officer at UST, added: “Our partnership with the WMCA will develop the talent for a wide variety of digital programmes and represents a commitment to the region.

“UST has successfully transformed the lives of underrepresented communities across different geographies with our ‘Step IT Up’ program. Our work with WMCA and Tech Talent Academy paves the way to expand on this initiative across the UK. The local talent we are recruiting bring with them a range of programmes in the data, low code, and RegTech space - and will ultimately enhance our offering to customers.”

Sector Focus Trio to expand skills programme The University of Birmingham, PwC and HSBC are joining forces to encourage young people across Birmingham and beyond to improve their digital skills.

The trio has announced plans to extend their digital skills programmes for Birmingham.

More organisations from different sectors across the West Midlands are expected to join the trio’s efforts to boost the delivery of digital skills programmes in the region.

The project will include skills needed for cyber security and artificial intelligence, among other things.

Professor Tim Jones, provost and vice-principal of the University of Birmingham said: “We continue to broaden our educational offering, ensuring a high-quality student experience and working closely with business to provide appropriate placements and internships, degree apprenticeships and MSc programmes designed with business to focus on sector-specific digital skills gaps.

“Alongside inclusive initiatives to support higher education access for highpotential students who may have been disadvantaged in their education so far, we are committed to regional growth and the skills agenda beyond higher education, offering coding bootcamps and a variety of public engagement and outreach activities.

“We’re delighted to work with PwC and HSBC UK to align and strengthen our capabilities for more impactful delivery of digital skills and to support inclusive, sustainable growth for our region.”

The project comes as demand for digital skills continues to grow. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills and Oxford Economics found that an estimated 1.2 million new technical and digitally skilled people would be needed between 2015 and 2022. to satisfy employer skills needs.

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Sector Focus

Retail

Positivity ahead of Christmas As I write this article, we’re feeling very positive about the future for Touchwood and looking forward to a busy but safe run in to Christmas for our retailers and restaurants.

Whilst other destinations are reporting a 30 per cent shortfall in visitor numbers or worse, we have just experienced three out of the last four weeks at 85 per cent of 2019 footfall levels.

Perhaps, most encouragingly retailers have reported that likefor-like sales are improving month on month where we’ve seen the average across the centre increase from 79 per cent of 2019 levels in June to 94.6 per cent in September. This is great news and there is no way we could have anticipated such an improvement whilst still in the grips of a pandemic.

This improvement in fortune rests in numerous key factors ranging from covid measures enabling us to provide the safest possible environment, a surge in new lettings, ease of vehicle access, the exclusivity of our John Lewis and of course our location in

Retail Therapy

By Tony Elvin president of Solihull Chamber and general manager of Touchwood

Solihull.

As you’ll be aware, Touchwood has taken its Covid safety responsibilities very seriously throughout the pandemic, taking a lead on industry best practice for safe shopping.

We have retained our one-way system despite the relaxation in rules and we continue to encourage the wearing of face coverings indoors. We also continue to monitor live footfall capacities to ensure the centre is never too busy to socially distance.

One glance at the volume of Covid

cases within the country tells you this is a sensible approach and one that we hope gives our guests confidence to visit.

We are also lucky to be in Solihull benefiting from excellent road and rail links and hosting the only John Lewis in the West Midlands. We work in an almost perfect environment of cooperation and collaboration between the Business Improvement District, the council, police, Chamber, and community. You can feel this strength of partnership as a guest or local worker and it must be said, the pandemic has brought us all closer together.

September and October have seen the return of a pre-pandemic vibe across the town centre with lots going on to attract visitors.

We’ve had our food festival, hugely popular visits from the Paw Patrol, a town centre dinosaur takeover (pictured) and the cinema has been very busy with James Bond and the other latest blockbusters.

The sale of Touchwood has also positively impacted the letting picture in our Centre with the new

impetus from a fresh team of letting agents supporting us. Over the past 18 months, we have lost 11 tenants.

‘Fingers crossed, as an industry, we can look forward to some Christmas cheer’ However, during the same period we have now signed leases with 14 new tenants which will take us to a higher percentage of occupancy than before the pandemic and very close to full occupancy. Five of the new leases have begun trading already with the other nine to follow in the coming weeks, including TAG Heuer, Alioli, Dirty Wild Wings, Laser Clinics and Xcelerate Gyms.

Fingers crossed, as an industry, we can look forward to some Christmas cheer and a renewed optimism for the future of bricks and mortar retail.

Bira welcomes election pledge

Andrew Goodacre: Rates burden must be reduced 74 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has welcomed the election pledge of the Labour Party to scrap business rates.

At the Labour Party Conference, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed that a Labour government would immediately cut the business tax, before eventually phasing it out completely.

The reform would look to shift the burden from the high-street to online giants, and end the tax relief afforded to private schools due to their charitable status.

Bira has long campaigned for fairer taxation with a bigger proportion paid by the online giants.

Bira’s CEO Andrew Goodacre

said: “Bira welcomes Labour’s announcement to scrap business rates.

“It is obvious that the rates burden must be reduced to aid the recovery and protect the high street.

“Well done to Labour and I hope that the Chancellor makes a similar pledge.”

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Chamberlink

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Sector Focus

Legal

Flexible working must work for everyone Proposed changes to employee rights to legalise flexible working requests on the first day of a new job must work for businesses and employees alike, says an HR expert.

Sara Abbot, from Sutton-based The HR Dept, has broadly welcomed a government move to speed up the process of giving employees more flexibility around working hours and location.

But the company said the arrangement needed to work for businesses too.

The HR Dept said that smaller businesses in particular may struggle to deal with flexible working. Under the proposals, employees would no

longer have to wait for six months before submitting requests for flexible working.

In turn, employers would have to respond to requests more quickly than the current maximum of three months, and offer reasonable justification for refusing any requests.

The consultation is part of the Government’s Good Work Plan programme, and Ms Abbot said: “My concern is the impact any new rules will have on the smaller businesses.

“Currently, the rules allow for rejection of a flexible working application based on costs, administrative concerns,

productivity or recruitment issues. Will these be seen in future as justifiable reasons for refusing a request?

“Business owners must balance an understanding that flexible working request laws consist of a right to request, not a right for the employee to have whatever they want. At present the onus is on the employee to demonstrate how a change in their employment contract would impact on the company. Hopefully that will remain the Sara Abbot: Small businesses must not be case.” penalised by flexible working arrangements

The importance of discussing the menopause in the workplace Employers must consider introducing a menopause policy to help support women dealing with this sensitive issue.

Helena Morrissey, director and head of the employment law department at Thursfields, said that while menopause had become a more mainstream media topic, discussing its implications was often avoided in the workplace.

She said: “There is still a reluctance to talk openly about menopause at work, which means many women inevitably feel that admitting they are struggling with symptoms is a sign of weakness.

“Pregnant women, quite rightly, have specific protection from workplace detriment and discrimination, yet the mental and physical changes that a woman goes through during menopause can be every bit as disruptive.

“It is important that employers recognise this and provide support

for women who are dealing with such symptoms. A quick and easy way to communicate such support and understanding is to implement a ‘menopause’ policy and ensure that this is widely communicated and supported by training.

“Implementing such a policy is a great way to communicate the

Helena Morrissey: Menopause policies needed

message that menopause is nothing to be ashamed of in the workplace, and that women will be provided with appropriate support and will not be subject to any detriment in terms of the impact on their career and job security.”

Ms Morrissey said menopause could lead to symptoms so extreme that women have even been found to be disabled under the Equality Act 2010 because of them.

She said: “This means there are legal risks for employers if they fail to provide appropriate support for women going through menopause.

“Such adjustments would depend on the nature of the impairment but could include allowing the employee to work at home or adjust her working hours.

“Importantly, employers need to be careful that they don’t treat such an employee unfavourably because of something arising as a consequence of their disability.”

Irwin Mitchell advises on deal The Birmingham office of Irwin Mitchell’s corporate team has advised Motus Aftermarket Parts (MAP) on its acquisition of FAI Automotive plc.

Motus Aftermarket Parts (MAP), which is part of South African listed company Motus, distributes parts and accessories for out of warranty vehicles.

Founded in the 1960s, FAI has expanded to become a brand leader in the automotive parts distribution aftermarket.

The acquisition of FAI provides MAP with access to the key European aftermarket alongside other synergies.

Irwin corporate partner Emma Callow advised Motus Aftermarket Parts on the deal.

She said: “This deal marks a significant step forward for MAP as it looks to expand and grow its international footprint.”

St Ives Chamber judge joins family court Jeremy Weston has left his role as head of St Ives Chambers to become a circuit judge at the Family Court at Wolverhampton.

His Honour Judge Weston had been a member of St Ives for more than 25 years. Deputy head of chambers Greg Rogers said: “We are thrilled with the news of Judge Weston’s appointment.

“It is, however, tinged with sadness. He has been a member of these chambers for over 25 years, and our head for the last six.

“We owe him a considerable debt of gratitude. He has led our chambers with distinction and we will miss him terribly.”

In addition, St Ives has also announced the appointment of Nicholas Allen QC and Ben Douglas-Jones QC as deputy high court judges, pursuant to section 9(4) of the Senior Courts Act 1981.

76 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

The former is a financial remedy practitioner and joined chambers in 2018. He sits as a recorder in London and on the South Eastern Circuit hearing matrimonial finance and children cases and was appointed as an arbitrator in 2018, the same year he took silk. Ben Douglas-Jones is a recorder of the Crown Court and also took silk in 2018. He is also ranked in Tier 1 by Legal 500 for Criminal Fraud, Consumer Law and General Crime.

Former pupils Eloise Marriott, Queenie Djan and Feargus Campbell, have also accepted offers of tenancy at St Ives Chambers following successful completion of their pupillages.

Greg Rogers, said: “Each has demonstrated significant qualities during their pupillages. They have worked incredibly hard. They make very welcome and valuable members of our team.”

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Legal

Lives being lost on smart motorways, warns lawyer A Birmingham motoring lawyer has branded smart motorways ‘a death trap’ after an undercover investigation found a series of lifethreatening safety failures in one of the UK’s smart motorways’ control rooms.

Manjinder Kang, of specialist motoring solicitors Kang and Co Solicitors, based in Victoria Square, is calling for the hard shoulder to be reinstated on Birmingham motorways to save lives after a damning report found that roadside CCTV was not always working correctly.

An investigation by the ‘Daily Mail’, where a reporter spent six weeks undercover at South Mimms regional operations centre, found many footage feeds in the National Highways control room, used to protect motorists by controlling speed limits, setting lane closures and deploying traffic officers to accidents, showed “clouds, the ground or the message ‘no input available’”.

Mr Kang said: “It only confirms my fears that smart motorways are death traps and an accident

Manjinder Kang: Smart motorways are a ‘death trap’

waiting to happen. Technology is not fool proof as it has been proven time and again and cannot replace the safety of the hard shoulder.”

The motoring expert, who has worked on a number of high-profile cases involving smart motorways, including one four years ago where a van driver was killed on the M6 after stopping in live traffic with no hard shoulder, says smart motorways should be put on hold.

He said: “Smart motorways provide limited safe places to stop

for drivers to pull over and get out of the way of fast-moving live traffic.

“The fundamental make-up of the road means that lives are being needlessly lost and the only safe and right thing to do now is to stop their use and reinstate the hard shoulder.

“No amount of cameras or lane closure technology will help as incidents can occur in seconds of a breakdown. Lives need to matter more than congestion on our roads.”

Sector Focus Gateley launch funding facility Legal and professional services group Gateley has signed an agreement to enter into a litigation funding facility to help finance longterm disputes.

The facility provides funding for an initial sum of £20m with room for a further £30m.

The portfolio has been arranged with Bench Walk Advisors LLC (a litigation fund headquartered in Delaware) and will start immediately.

It offers a lifeline to those claimants who would otherwise have been unable/unwilling to bring cases forward, with Gateley and Bench Walk only receiving a share of the payout if a case is successful in effecting a recovery.

Richard Healey, partner and head of Gateley’s dispute resolution group, said: “Our innovative and flexible approach to funding through this facility will result in a single no win, no fee agreement between us and the client. It’s a valuable product that offsets risk to fund litigation cases for clients.”

Thursfields Solicitors has launched a major recruitment drive across the autumn to fill 20 immediate opportunities with more expected to follow.

Jade Linton, Thursfields’ HR director, said: “Despite what has been an uncertain time for businesses in the wake of the pandemic, our ambitions for growth have not waned.

“During the pandemic, we completed a total of 29 deals worth over £125 million and consolidated our position as a leading legal adviser to the ownermanaged business and SME market.

The flexibility and autonomy offered allows me to balance all aspects of life, so that there is no longer a stark and outdated choice between career progression and family life.”

“We used the steadiness of lockdown to refocus, seek feedback, strategise and revisit our corporate aims in areas including internal branding, learning and development, client relationships and growth.

“As we start our new financial year, we look forward with real optimism. The local mergers and acquisitions market is looking increasingly buoyant and we have some fantastic new deals in the pipeline.”

“Our strategies have paid off and we are now well placed to add to our impressive community of lawyers and managers.

Strong growth was also achieved by the commercial property team, and the family and commercial litigation and insolvency divisions.

Harbinder Gosal, a senior associate in the family team, said: “The firm embracing flexibility of agile and hybrid working has been refreshing to those with childcare commitments. As a recently single parent I would not have coped without the support.”

“We seek technically robust lawyers to join our team.

We do not mind if they are not the finished article. We commit to helping them get there with clear and kind feedback with a compassionate tone, mentorship and continuous development.”

Jade added: “Thursfields is increasingly becoming the law firm of choice for ambitious lawyers who appreciate our flexible and considered approach to all aspects of their employment.

Thursfields has recorded double digit growth in the past 12 months with the corporate team leading the way with a record year.

Gareth Burge, head of corporate, said: “The last 12 months have been our busiest-ever, and the team has worked incredibly hard to ensure all projects were finished to our usual high quality.

“They appreciate our approach to agile working – we have a hybrid working policy which addresses the need for flexibility and permits home working.”

Comments from current staff members support the firm’s drive for inclusion at all levels.

Lorna Tipple, director in the family division, said: “I am valued not only as a lawyer, but as a whole person.

Recently qualified, Shoaib Hussain said: “Thursfields’ client-centric approach, staff inclusiveness and a ‘team thinker’ entrepreneurial culture makes Thursfields an excellent firm to undertake a training contract and begin your legal career.”

Jade said: “I would urge anyone, either at the start of their career or contemplating their next move, to put Thursfields at the very top of their wish list and give us a call.”

Jade Linton

Thursfields HR Director

Contact Jade Linton T: 0345 2073728 E: jlinton@thursfields.co.uk W: www.thursfields.co.uk

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Sector Focus

Property

Rates relief funds not paid out Hundreds of thousands of businesses promised rates relief through the £1.5bn Government Business Rates Relief Fund have still not received a penny, despite promises made by the government last Spring.

In March, the government took the unprecedented step of announcing it would legislate that Material Change of Circumstance (MCC) business rates appeals for businesses impacted by Covid-19 would not be valid for the appeals system.

This decision was lambasted by the rating profession at the time as it put paid to the hopes of hundred of thousands of businesses who had started the appeals process against their rates bills, on the grounds of the impact the pandemic had had on them.

In fact, between 1 April 2020, just after the start of the first lockdown, and the of end March 2021, some 409,430 checks (the first stage of the appeals process) were registered by businesses, most of whom had been impacted

by Covid-19.

This dwarfs the 158,910 number of checks registered in the previous three years (April 2017 to March 2020) and shows the total disruption to hundreds and thousands of businesses caused by the pandemic and lockdowns.

As a sweetener, the government announced a £1.5bn New Business Rates Relief fund for businesses affected by the pandemic, outside the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, which would be distributed by local authorities. The relief fund would ‘get cash to affected businesses in the most proportionate and equitable way’, it was claimed.

‘One wonders what state they’ll be in by the time the reliefs are actually paid out’ The government also said: “We’ll work with and support local government to enable ratepayers to apply as soon as possible this year, once the legislation relating to MCC provisions

has passed and local authorities have set up local relief schemes.”

However, the MCC provision has still not passed through Parliament. John Webber, head of business rates at Colliers in Birmingham, said: “As far as we are aware neither the government nor the billing authorities have engaged with the rating industry or set out any guidance for businesses to apply to receive this relief fund.”

He added that by the time the authorities had got their act together on the issue, up to two years could have passed since Covid-19 first began.

He said: “That’s nearly two years for businesses who’ve been adversely impacted by Covid-19 to miss out on the support they need.

“One wonders what state they’ll be in by the time the reliefs are actually paid out. As we said at the time when the government announced this retrospective move to deny MCC appeals, £1.5bn will not even scratch the surface for businesses struggling to pay their rates bills from the last two years. To not even get the scheme started yet is a disgrace to businesses.”

Director promoted at Living Space Solihull-based Living Space Housing has promoted Alex Jones (pictured) to the position of technical director, in recognition of the pivotal role he is playing in the continued expansion of the business.

The 32-year-old joined Living Space 18 months ago from construction company Torsion Group, where he was a design manager.

Mr Jones is leading the technical management of all Living Space’s live and upcoming residential schemes. His remit includes developing drawings at the pre-construction stage, appointing and managing consultants, and being responsible for the day to day running of live developments. He is also skilled in remediating complex and challenging brownfield land.

Living Space was launched two years ago as a specialist in affordable homes. The company has grown at such a pace, it has been able to respond to the industry-wide issues of low output caused by the Covid-19 pandemic by ramping up production.

Living Space has a total of 674 residential plots under control,

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representing a combined value in excess of £113m. The company is on track to deliver 12 developments over the next two years.

Steve Davies, managing director of Living Space Housing said: “Alex Jones has been instrumental to Living Space’s growth, by progressing all of our up-and-coming schemes through the design and pre-contract phases. He then continues to play a pivotal role within the wider team once we break ground and develop out each site.”

Mr Jones said: “I am really pleased that my work and contribution to the company has been recognised with this promotion. Living Space’s solid funding position is enabling a number of new sites to come on stream simultaneously and it will be exciting to be able to announce these to the market as soon as the deals have been confirmed.”

The majority of homes Living Space builds are delivered to Registered Providers (RPs) for affordable rent and shared ownership. Approximately five per cent of the plots currently being delivered are being sold on the open market.

Investor interest in Sutton on the rise Investment opportunity: The Log Cabin in Sutton

Retail properties in a well-heeled West Midlands town are attracting serious investor interest, according to a local property consultant.

The firm – Burley Browne, which has its head office in Sutton - says proof of this comes from the recent sale of a mixed-use investment property, which has sold for ‘well over the asking price’.

The property is a ground floor shop, let and occupied by hardware retailer The Log Cabin, and two apartments above, fronting Lichfield Road in Mere Green in Sutton Coldfield, and has been bought by a private investor for well in excess of the £450,000 asking price. The property was sold off-market on behalf of a family estate investor by Burley Browne director David Hemming.

Mr Hemming said: “There are relatively few opportunities to acquire freehold investments, particularly in and around Sutton Coldfield, so we were confident that there would be strong investor

interest in acquiring this property.

“We were asked to approach a short list of known active investors off market and we were rewarded with high levels of interest which was subsequently reflected in the level of offers and price we attained. It is great to see that, despite the challenges faced over the past 18 months, investors still have a strong appetite to acquire freehold commercial properties.”

Burley Browne, which has an active and fast-growing property management department, has been retained by the new owner to provide various property management services.

The firm provides a comprehensive range of commercial property services to a wide variety of clients. These include private individuals and small businesses, through to pension funds, banks, property investors and developers, multinational companies and national retail and leisure operators.

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Chamberlink

CGI: One of the new homes being built at Eckington

Underway: An artist’s impression of how No.1 BHIC will look when it is built

Medical centre for Selly Oak Construction has begun on a major life sciences project in Selly Oak, Birmingham, the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus (BHIC).

This will provide specialist office and lab space for life science and digital healthcare companies. It will also house the University of Birmingham’s ‘Precision Health Technologies Accelerator’ and Birmingham Precision Medicine Centre.

The development of No.1 BHIC is the first phase of a 10-year masterplan for the Campus scheme, which is being developed by Bruntwood SciTech in partnership with the University of Birmingham.

Bruntwood SciTech is a 50:50 joint venture between property company Bruntwood and Legal & General.

No.1 BHIC is due to be completed in September 2023, and will be first step in creating around 657,000 sq ft of commercial lab and office space.

When complete, BHIC will have created around 10,000 jobs and is expected to contribute some £400m to the local economy each year. No.1 BHIC will incorporate a number of measures to reduce carbon emissions, help to mitigate the effects of climate

change and protect and enhance the local environment.

Kath Mackay, director of life sciences, Bruntwood SciTech, said: “The West Midlands is already home to more than 17,000 jobs in the life sciences sector, supporting 600 companies. What draws these businesses in is the ability to leverage an end-to-end supply chain on their doorstep. This goes right from clinical trials, with the largest healthcare market outside of London alongside a leading cluster of clinical and academic institutions, to the manufacture and logistics of treatments, equipment and technology. Add to this an annual cohort of 11,000 medical sciences graduates and the busiest start-up scene outside of the capital, and the potential future growth the Birmingham Health and Innovation Campus can help to unlock is significant.”

Professor Tim Jones, provost and vice-principal of the University of Birmingham, said: “By creating a state-of-the-art environment for researchers and entrepreneurs to flourish, with a strong emphasis on knowledge sharing and collaboration, we will deliver life-changing benefits to patients and sustainable growth to our region and beyond.”

First look at new Spitfire homes Midlands-based Spitfire Homes is giving homebuyers a first glimpse of the homes it is building in the Worcestershire village of Eckington.

The firm has released a series of computer generated images marking the start of construction work on the 38 homes at its ‘Mirabelle’ development, on Pershore Road, Eckington.

Spitfire started work on the new homes after ‘recognising strong demand’ for more high-quality homes in Worcestershire.

Matt Vincent, sales director at Spitfire Homes, said: “Demand for properties in the area remains high, and we are already seeing strong interest in the homes.

“Nestled between the Malvern Hills and the Cotswolds, this is a prime location for homebuyers looking for a rural situation which is also highly commutable.”

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Sector Focus

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Manufacturing

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Manufacturing

Sector Focus

JLR trials tracing technology Jaguar Land Rover is trying out a new technology which will trace where the leather has come from that is used in its car interiors.

The trial is based on the use of secure blockchain technology, best known for its role in producing crypto currencies. Blockchain is a technology that can create a digital ledger of data that can be shared among a network of independent parties, and has many potential uses.

For its scheme, Jaguar Land Rover has linked up with supply chain traceability provider Circulor, UK leather manufacturer Bridge of Weir Leather and the University of Nottingham.

The point of the initiative is to track the leather from farm to finished article, in order to prove that it has been produced by using the most sustainable methods available throughout the supply chain.

The scheme is part of Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Reimagine’ commitment to reducing the environmental and ethical impact of its products. The company is already doing this in a variety of ways for example using materials in its vehicle interiors which is made from recycled plastic bottles.

‘This is one step in our journey to net zero carbon emissions’ Dave Owen, Jaguar Land Rover executive director of supply chain, said: “We are currently restructuring our supply chain as part of Reimagine, with a focus on transparency and sustainability.

“The outcome from this world-first trial will allow us to further improve the sustainability of the leather supply chain around the globe, ensuring the complete traceability of raw materials from origin to vehicle.

“This is one step in our journey to net zero carbon emissions across our supply chain, products and operations by 2039, enabled by leading edge digital capabilities.”

Dr Warren Bowden, innovation and sustainability director of Scottish Leather Group, said: “In partnership with Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Nottingham, we believe there is a clear opportunity to implement blockchain technology to enhance the existing, world-leading standards of traceability and transparency that exist within UK agriculture and its Cattle Tracing Scheme.”

Funding helps manufacturing firm expand Accountancy firm Azets has helped Shrewsbury-based retailer Turtle Doves secure funding towards further expansion and the creation of up to 70 new jobs.

Turtle Doves, a design and manufacturing company specialising in using textile waste to create new cashmere garments and accessories, employs more than 50 people and has a flagship store on Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury.

The business traded well throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with online orders increasing during successive national lockdowns.

Turtle Doves has secured the working capital finance with a plan to develop additional manufacturing capacity and create up to 70 new jobs through outsourced opportunities in Wolverhampton and Leicester, where there is a high volume of experienced textile workers.

Azets has built a relationship with Turtle Doves over 10 years, with Shrewsbury-based partner James Dawson and funding and strategic partnership director Mark Huddlestone working closely with the firm to secure the funding.

The funding was part-arranged via Azets’ partnership with cashflow forecasting software business Fluidly, which has been funding SMEs since June of this year. This is the first new funding package arranged under the partnership, which aims to help businesses achieve post-pandemic growth.

Turtle Doves CEO Graham Holbrook said: “We’re delighted to have secured this finance, which enables us to capitalise on our recent success and accelerate further expansion.

“Azets has been invaluable in helping us to achieve this.

“It’s an exciting time for Turtle Doves and we look forward to working with Azets as we continue on our growth journey.”

Mark Huddlestone said: “This strategic funding will help Turtle Doves achieve its growth ambition at a crucial time for retailers.

“Having worked closely with Graham over a number of years, it’s been a pleasure to support Turtle Doves. It’s particularly pleasing to support a British business with strong values around sustainability.”

BDO launches initiative to unearth local talent

Jon Gilpin: New initiative

Accountant and business advisor BDO has launched a new initiative aimed at recognising emerging talent in the Midlands manufacturing sector.

The Birmingham-based firm is calling for nominations of people under 40 who are making a real difference, not only to the business they work for but the region as a whole.

They want to unearth young talent who currently work at a Midlands-based manufacturer (with a turnover of £10m-£300m) in a senior role.

Those shortlisted are likely to have strong leadership skills, a minimum of five years’ industry and/or professional experience, advanced qualifications, leading or helping to drive significant projects or initiatives and notable contributions to the business and/or industry.

Jon Gilpin, partner and head of manufacturing in the Midlands, said: “Talent is vital to the success of every business.

“Each and every day, we see examples of young people who are helping to drive the agenda and no more so than in the world of manufacturing – a sector that we are firmly committed to, thanks to the strength of our client base and the in-depth knowledge and expertise of our team.

“Inspired by these stories, we want to uncover the future talent of Midlands manufacturing and gain a real understanding about how they see the market evolving in the next ten years.

“This isn’t a report by numbers - this is an initiative centred around people and the very personalities that are driving change and helping the sector emerge stronger from the global pandemic.”

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Sector Focus

Sport

The Business of Sport Sports facilities improved

Best pedal forward: The Cure Leukaemia charity bike ride team

Bike ride raises funds for charity Geoff Cousins, chairman of blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia and quality management provider G&P, was among the riders to complete a recent London to Paris charity bike ride.

The ride took place during Blood Cancer Awareness Month and the riders covered up to 80 miles a day in the saddle before crossing the finish line in the French capital.

Geoff himself managed to raise £5,000 and is still welcoming donations, while the overall amount raised by the riders for Cure Leukaemia will be in excess of £100,000.

All funds raised will be invested in the national Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP), a network of 12 specialist research nurses in the UK’s biggest hospitals and a Hub based at the Centre for Clinical Haematology in Birmingham.

The Cure Leukaemia funded TAP enables accelerated setup, patient recruitment and delivery of blood cancer clinical trials benefitting patients within a UK catchment area of over 20 million people.

Geoff, himself, has particular reason for supporting the cancer charity Cure Leukaemia as he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2005.

Geoff said: “Truthfully I did not do enough training and it was tough at times but the camaraderie and support from the group pulled me through – it is a Cure Leukaemia family. It was a great experience to share with the other riders.

“More important is the cause that the money raised will go towards – Cure Leukaemia.

“The charity funds groundbreaking work that gives patients access to potentially lifesaving treatments for blood cancer which, unfortunately, still devastates too many lives. The national Trials Accelerated Programme is crucial in helping finding a cure for leukaemia.”

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Solihull Moors Foundation has been awarded a grant from the Premier League, The FA and government’s Football Foundation, to refurbish the main changing rooms at Studley Sports Centre.

The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity, and exists to improve the experience of playing football for everyone, by championing fair access to quality facilities.

This grant will enable hundreds of players at Solihull Moors Foundation and Studley FC the chance to play football each week.

‘It will support people’s ability to play our national game locally’ Players and supporters will be able to enjoy high quality changing room facilities, which will represent a significant improvement on the existing infrastructure.

The Moors Foundation worked with the Football Foundation and the Birmingham County FA to secure a £25,000 grant towards the project.

Moors operations director Richard Blackmore, who headed up the project, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Football Foundation for their help in securing this grant. Over the past couple of years, several other improvements have been made to Studley Sports Centre and the latest will only add

extra value and enhance the experience of players, coaches and supporters who use the facility.

“These changing room improvements will benefit a number of teams at the Solihull Moors Foundation, including the women’s development side, as well as Studley Juniors.”

Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This grant award to Solihull Moors Foundation towards developing the infrastructure at Studley Sports Centre is great news for the local community. It will support people’s ability to play our national game locally and therefore help unlock football’s many benefits to physical and mental wellbeing.

“The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA, government and Sport England – support facility development projects like this across the country over the next decade to transform our grassroots game and unlock the power of pitches.”

In a separate development, Moors have named Bristol-based Piper Electric Vehicles (Piper EV) as their sponsor for the 2021/22 campaign.

Piper EV is a specialised automotive business which manufactures and sells electric-powered replicas of some of the most iconic historic cars of the last 50 years. Their first product, the Piper Sprite, is currently in development.

Games launch recruitment drive With less than a year before the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the official recruiter for the Games – Gi Group UK – is advertising more than 50 roles in the venue management team.

Gi Group’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Team is looking to recruit multiple venue operations co-ordinators and lead venue planners for the Birmingham 2022 venue management team.

These new roles will support the 14 competition venues that will host the Games, including Alexander Stadium, Arena Birmingham, Cannock Chase Forest, Coventry Stadium & Arena, Edgbaston Stadium, Lee Valley VeloPark, The NEC, Sandwell Aquatics Centre, Smithfield, St Nicholas Park, Sutton Park, University of Birmingham Squash and Hockey Centre, Victoria Park and West Park.

Lead venue planners will play a pivotal role in assisting the venue management team in the coordination and delivery of all phases of venue and event planning and are central to the management of operations and overall delivery of the Games.

Wat-er job: Sandwell aquatics centre

Suitable candidates will have experience in planning and delivering venue and event operations with an understanding of delivering quality client service.

Paulo Canoa, CEO of Gi Group UK said: “Successful applicants will work at these iconic venues and play an integral role in the successful delivery of the Games while building transferable skills, collaborating with a large vibrant team and making lasting memories.

“This vast recruitment process is in full swing as the countdown to the Games continues and we would love to speak with residents of the

West Midlands that can bring their skills, expertise and knowledge to the dynamic Commonwealth Games team.”

Dominic Olliff, director of venue management and event services at Birmingham 2022, said: “Working on an international multi-sport event is an incredible opportunity, especially as the venues team is instrumental in the planning, testing and, of course, the delivery of this global event.

“If you’re up for a challenge and want a truly once in a lifetime experience, then these opportunities are for you.”

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Member Profile

Member Section

Chamber Insight Focus on a member

Name: Steve Whitmarsh Company: runyourfleet Job Title: Managing director

What does your company do?

Put simply, we make running a car or van simple. Where businesses can seamlessly order, purchase, subscribe or finance everything they need entirely online or with a single call.

How did it all start?

When heading up fleet and commercial assistance for the RAC, I realised that SME businesses were being underserved by the fleet management and leasing industry.

So we set out to create a fleet management business that catered to the needs of SMEs and large businesses alike.

What’s your greatest achievement so far?

Getting the right team in the business to both launch and grow the business.

What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken – and did it work out?

Leaving a secure career with a large corporate business to start the business shortly after the financial crash. Although the financial crash helped push me in this direction, it led me to question just how secure these businesses were.

What keeps you awake at night?

Myself. I am a real night owl, and I often work late into the evening – it’s when I am most creative.

Luckily Simon, our finance director is similar, and we often have planning/forecasting sessions that run into the early hours.

If you could turn the clock back, what would you do differently?

Simple – manage our expenses better in the early days. We landed a big pre-launch deal and

recruited on the basis of the expected income .The income never came, but the expenses were very real.

What has surprised you most in your job?

How much support is available from peers in our industry. The fleet industry is fiercely competitive, but also very sociable.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Manage your expenses and get that first sale under your belt. It doesn’t matter who you sell your first product/service to, but if someone won’t buy it from you then you need to change what you are doing.

What exciting projects is your business working on?

The first will be the launch of our DVLA licence checking service.

The second exciting project is the launch of runyourcars.com – essentially, we will be offering our services to consumers for the first time.

What made you join Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and how are you making use of your membership?

We have customers all over the UK and we realised that while we had grown nationally we had very few customers in our own area. We are a Midlands based business and it was crazy that we were not dealing with many local businesses.

We are using our membership to grow our network in the greater Birmingham area, and we have had some significant successes to date.

Tel: 07557 036851

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Member Section

New Members

New Members

Whatever your business size and requirements, the Chamber has a membership scale to suit your needs.

For more information visit: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/membership

Your guide to new recent sign-ups Arden MG Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Graeme Sloan 07811 128 426 www.ardenmg.co.uk

Chorus Communications Public relations and communications activities Jenny Holden 07801 649044 www.choruscomms.co.uk

Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Burton and District Chamber of Commerce

Art by Richard Ltd Artistic creation Richard Duffy 0203 886 1536 www.artbyrichard.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Astech Consultants Limited Information technology consultancy activities Jonathan Sheils 01608 665566 www.astech.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Bierkeller Public houses and bars Christina Kruzewski 0845 533 3000 www.thebierkeller.com/birmingham Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Boardrm Other activities of employment placement agencies Louise shade 0121 820 7442 www.boardrm.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Boldmere I.T Solutions Ltd Other retail sale in non-specialised stores Steven Brazier 0121 355 4474 www.boldmereit.co.uk Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Cancer Research UK Other human health activities Zoe O'Connell 0300 123 1022 www.cancerresearchuk.org Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Chapter Restaurant Ltd Licenced restaurants Ann Tonks 0121 200 3020 www.chapteredgbaston.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

CHE Metrology Limited Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Janice Horne 01527 558255 www.che-metrology.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce 84 CHAMBERLINK November 2021

Cleverware Ltd Business and domestic software development Jonathan Marsh 07921854910 www.cleverware.co.uk Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce

Columba Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Jasmine Clarke 0121 517 0690 www.columba.uk

For Media Group Other education n.e.c.

Sara Smith 01332 501661 www.formediagroup.co.uk

Leadership Learning Ltd Other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c.

Alyson Nicholds 07508 126190

Burton and District Chamber of Commerce

Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce

Giambrone and Partners LLP Activities of patent and copyright agents; other legal activities n.e.c.

Sam Groom +44 (0)207 183 9482 www.giambronelaw.com

Linear Contracts Ltd Construction of commercial buildings Philip Dugnall 07402 734 764 www.linearcontracts.co.uk

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Deson Kitchens (Birmingham) Ltd Manufacture of kitchen furniture Viviane Cui 07724753317 www.deson.uk

Halesowen College Other education n.e.c.

Alex Gettings 0121 607 7777 www.halesowen.ac.uk

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Magentis Solutions Other information technology service activities Sarah Burnett 01527 433266 www.magentissolutions.co.uk

EBY Advertising agencies Mark McDonagh 01827 53111 www.ebydesign.co.uk

HooperHyde Legal Advisors Solicitors Catherine Hyde 0121 740 0834 www.hooperhyde.com

Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce

Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

CT Global Freight Audit Ltd Accounting and auditing activities Jeff Field 01675 430451 www.CtGlobal-FreightAudit.com Transatlantic Chamber

Denise Richards. Life Coach Other human health activities Denise Richards 07902553042 www.deniserichardslifecoach.com

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Enterprise Made Simple Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Andrea Clarke 01642 061062 www.enterprisemadesimple.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Jacques Restaurant Licenced restaurants Richard Chiswell 01564 393 333 www.jacquesrestaurant.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

E-Van Guru Ltd Environmental consulting activities Phil Bachelor 07932 228285 www.e-van-guru.co.uk

Kate Hollingsworth Photography Photographic activities not elsewhere classified Kate Hollingsworth 07946 383 085 www.katehollingsworth.co.uk

Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce

Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Prime Sweets Non-specialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco Riyad Ahmed 0121 747 4080 www.primesweets.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

quietnote Other human health activities William Crawford 07875 419 653 www.quiet-note.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Quilter Cheviot Fund management activities Claire Whiteman-Haywood 0121 212 2120 www.quiltercheviot.com Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

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New Members

Member Section

As the voice of local business since 1813, we strive to help firms across the region

connect, support and grow.

Rapid Pack Fulfilment Ltd Operation of warehousing and storage facilities for land transport activities Ben Slater 0121 630 3380 www.rapidpack.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

S Cremins Consulting Limited Management consultancy activities other than financial management Shaun Cremins 07599 293836 www.insight6.com Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Race Car Direct UK Ltd Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles Keith Whalley Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce

Short Steps Ltd Other service activities n.e.c Chris Cortopassi 07590 274881 www.shortsteps.co.uk Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Solihull Media Group Radio broadcasting Jas Rohel

07896 725 467 www.onyourradio.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

Solihull Virtual Assistant Combined office administrative service activities Liz Treadwell 07766 446987 www.solihullva.co.uk Solihull Chamber of Commerce

The Christmas Decorators Other service activities n.e.c.

Kate Tait 0121 790 1040 www.thechristmasdecorators.co.uk Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Ummati Travel and Tourism Other reservation service activities n.e.c.

Wajid Malhotra 07837 991 584 Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

Varanasi Licenced restaurants Mohammed Hussain 0121 633 3700 www.varanasi.uk Asian Business Chamber of Commerce

West Africa Containers AgenciesGhana-Ltd Freight transport by road Rebecca A Armah 00233 327031033 www.wacaltdgh.com GBCCC

The Rhodehouse Public houses and bars Terry Monaghan 07730 584 927 www.pjrhodes.co.uk Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce

Wise Other information technology service activities Michael Leonhardt 07983 288 656 www.withwise.com Solihull Chamber of Commerce

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Member Section

Competition

...any other business A roundup of news from Chamber members Charity gets into the festive spirit Retailers are making a big effort to drum up interest in early Christmas shopping – and they are not the only ones hoping shoppers will open their wallets and support them.

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is also hoping Christmas shoppers will visit its online shop – not only that, the organisation is hoping that its gifts will fly off the shelves.

It’s all for a good cause, of course, as all funds will go towards making the service’s lifesaving missions possible.

Emma Gray, chief operating officer for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, says: “Last year, festive shoppers helped raise in excess of £55,000 for our pre-hospital emergency service by buying through our website.

“From this amount, 46 of our vitally important missions were funded – 13 air missions and 33 in our two critical care cars.

“We hope that shoppers show their support of our lifesaving charity this Christmas and help fund future missions across the Midlands and Gloucestershire.”

The charity expanded its range last year and has now added more items to its Christmas stocklist.

All products in the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s extended festive range for 2021 can be found at midlandsairambulance.com/sh op The new products range from Christmas cards to ‘Mini Medics’, which are models based on some of the charity’s real-life critical care crew.

There’s also the commemorative ‘Air30 30th Anniversary Poetry’ anthology.

This is a book of creative writing and poetry, produced in conjunction with The Word Association.

The book is a reflection of the charity’s 30-year history, and has been funded via a National Lottery project grant from Arts Council England.

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Stourbridge Junction voted favourite station Stourbridge Junction has been named ‘Britain’s favourite station’ after winning the grandly named ‘World Cup of Stations 2021’.

The West Midlands Railway site claimed the accolade ahead of more than 2,500 stations after winning an online vote held by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators.

Having come through a close semi-final, Stourbridge went up against Scottish stations Aviemore and Glasgow Central as well as St Ives in Cornwall in the nail-biting final.

Stourbridge overtook Glasgow Central in the last few minutes of voting, claiming 43.3 per cnet of the votes compared to the Scottish station's 40.9 per cent.

Stourbridge's bid for glory was apparently quite a bit down to popular station cat George, who has amassed a large following on social media site Twitter, where the voting was carried out.

As well as providing passengers with links to Kidderminster, Birmingham and Stratford, the station is popular with rail enthusiasts for being home to Europe's shortest branch line - a 0.8-mile ride to Stourbridge Town.

Top cat: Station supervisor Russell Field with George

Simone Carter, West Midlands Railway’s station manager for Stourbridge, said: “A big thank you to everyone who voted for us. This is a huge honour for everyone who works at the station and we are all celebrating.”

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the RDG, said: “Congratulations to Stourbridge Junction station and all the staff. It was a close-run contest and though there can only be one champion, the groundswell of support for Stourbridge Junction and all stations and rail staff across the country is testament to the

crucial role they play in their areas and how they support local communities and businesses.”

The competition came as stations up and down the country are welcoming more and more passengers back on board.

Research commissioned by RDG, which ran the World Cup of Stations, shows the important role of a thriving railway and estimates that the total spend of rail passengers on things like shops, restaurants and hotels, generates £133bn a year for local businesses nationally, and £6.5bn in the West Midlands.

Memorial services to return Lichfield and Cannock residents will be able to join together once more in December to remember their loved ones at St Giles Hospice’s ‘Light up a Life’ services.

The special services, which traditionally take place across the St Giles Hospice region each year before Christmas, are returning to normal, after being cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Light up a Life offers families the opportunity to remember loved ones they have lost and to celebrate their lives.

The events will include outdoor services at St Giles Hospice in Whittington at 6.30pm on 2 December, Lichfield Cathedral at 8pm on 5 December, and St Luke’s Church, Cannock, at 6pm on the same day.

Everyone is welcome at the Light up a Life services, where the community and those that have made a dedication for a loved one are invited to join

in a moment of reflection, as seasonal Christmas trees are lit up. Dedications can also be viewed online on the Light up a Life virtual Christmas tree.

Jennie Davies and her family support Light up a Life each year after her mum Christine Harrison, from Fisherwick, died of lung cancer at the hospice in 2010, and her auntie Pam died there in 2018, from liver cancer.

Jennie said: “When auntie Pam knew the end was coming it was her last wish to go to St Giles because she remembered how well Mum had been looked after. She had the best care you could possibly get.”

Director of income generation for St Giles Hospice, Elinor Eustace said: “We are delighted that Light up a Life services can return this Christmas because we know that they mean so much to people in our local community, and the services are open to anyone, not just those people who have been supported by St Giles.”

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3. Chamberlink NOV 61-88.qxp_Chamberlink 28/10/2021 16:12 Page 88