SECTOR FOCUS: FINANCE
New Brum office heralds expansion
Business bank Cambridge & Counties has launched its first Birmingham office as part of plans to grow its customer base in the West Midlands. Cambridge & Counties, which launched in 2012, offers property- based lending and asset finance via brokers and direct to SMEs and property investors. The Birmingham office at
Colmore Plaza is being led by Neil Reddington, director of business development for the West Midlands. Neil joined Cambridge & Counties at the start of 2015 and moves across from its Leicester HQ. He will be joined in Birmingham
by another member of the business development team, Alex Churchill. Neil said: “It’s great for the bank
to be at the centre of the financial district of Birmingham, my home city. We’ll be able to better connect with those at the beating heart of this vibrant commercial region.” Chief executive officer Mike
Kirsopp said: “Being physically close to our key markets complements the bank’s ethos of experienced managers and underwriters providing quick decision making and a personal and straightforward service.”
Growing tech sector brings boost to Midlands
KPMG/Markit Tech Monitor UK Survey. Between 2014 and 2015, growth was at 8.4 per cent.
T
Of all UK regions, the West Midlands is number four on the list of those with the greatest proportion of tech sector enterprises, with them making up 6.8 per cent of businesses within the region. The West Midlands comes in behind London, the South East and the East of England. Warwick had the fastest increase in tech sector
enterprises since 2014 of any UK local authority, with a 28 per cent increase, bringing it up to 18th in local authority rankings.
‘It is important that the UK has a strong tech sector’
The research shows that the West Midlands is particularly strong in advanced manufacturing and automotive tech specialisms. In particular, Warwick leads the way nationally on engineering design activities for industrial process and production, with Nuneaton and Bedworth a UK leader for the manufacture of parts and accessories for the automotive industry. Mike Steventon, KPMG Midlands regional chairman
for KPMG, said: “It is important that the UK has a strong tech sector and vital for the West Midlands to
he number of tech-related enterprises in the West Midlands private sector has risen by 25 per cent since 2010, according to the latest
Top West Midlands tech sector enterprise clusters in 2015
1. Warwick 14% 2. Coventry 12% 3. Solihull 11% 4. Telford and Wrekin 9% 5. Redditch 9%
* per cent of tech enterprises out of all businesses in the area
Mike Steventon: UK needs strong tech sector
be at the forefront of innovation, so it is hugely encouraging to see our region’s tech industry grow by 25 per cent in just five years. “Perhaps more importantly, we are carving out
niches in the West Midlands, building on our region’s heritage in areas such as automotive and manufacturing, but doing so in a modern and innovative way. This creation of tech centres of excellence will create a virtuous circle of attracting global investment and acting as a magnet to the best tech talent.”
52 CHAMBERLINK FEBRUARY 2016
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