BUSINESS NEWS LATEST NEWS FROM GREATER BIRMINGHAM CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE
Airport’s record year must capitalise on HS2
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From top L-R: Marc Bailey MBE, Arnie Kaplan MBE and Professor Deidre Kelly CBE
Starting the new year with honour
Among New Year’s Honours recipients associated with the Chamber were Marc Bailey, of Moflash Signalling, who received an MBE for services to international trade, and Arnie Kaplan, former owner of Metro Shipping, who was awarded an MBE for services to charity, particularly through Gentlemen’s Night Out. Professor Deidre Kelly, consultant
paediatric hepatologist at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, received a CBE for services to children and young people with liver disease.
For more New Year’s Honours recipients, please see pages 40/41.
ecord-breaking Birmingham Airport has been urged to play a key role in ‘fuelling the Midlands engine’ by maximising the benefits of HS2. Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce chief
executive Paul Faulkner has issued a New Year plea to the airport to reveal ‘a more concrete plan’ over its proposals for high-speed rail with the launch of building work on the nearby HS2 Interchange station due in 2017. The Chamber’s plea follows the release of figures
showing that Birmingham Airport smashed the ten million passenger barrier in a calendar year for the first time in its 75-year history in 2015. Overall, 10,188,889 passengers travelled through the airport last year, while the airport also enjoyed its busiest December, with a total of 683,291 travellers. Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner said: “It’s
fantastic news to hear Birmingham Airport has had a strong year, reporting 11 months of record passenger numbers.
‘Its record-breaking 2015 included its busiest-ever month last August and its busiest-day ever on August 28 last year’
“While the airport looks forward to a busy 2016, we are conscious of the opportunities beyond 2016. 2017 should see the beginning of construction on the HS2 interchange station, right on the airport’s doorstep. “Although research from York Aviation estimates that
HS2 could bring 750,000 additional passengers to the airport, we have yet to see a concrete strategy for how
Birmingham Airport: record year
HS2 can boost aviation in the centre of the country. “The airport and policy makers need to demonstrate
how they will maximise the benefits of HS2, and optimise the airport’s future contributions to the region.” Airport figures show that its record-breaking 2015 included its busiest-ever month last August and its busiest-day ever on August 28 last year. Birmingham Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe said:
“2015 was a fantastic year for Birmingham Airport as we not only handled more passengers than ever before but we also broke the news that 11 new airlines were bring added to our growing list of carriers. “With brand new services launched to Reykjavik,
New York, Madrid, Warsaw, Budapest and Poznan, we are seeing more airlines realise the huge benefits of Birmingham due to its extensive catchment area and strong economy.”
Welcome to the council
Joanna Mole (pictured) has been appointed as a member of the Chamber Council, which is the elected executive body for the Chamber which influences policy. The Council currently has 28 members,
who come from the ranks of the organisation’s membership as a whole, and represent a wide range of sectors. Joanna is an associate director of global engineering and programme management company, CH2M, which has an office in Birmingham. She leads complex multi-disciplinary
projects for the business and heads up transportation decision making and appraisal for major infrastructure projects. As part of a wider business focus, Joanna
Joanna Mole: newest member of the Chamber Council
6 CHAMBERLINK FEBRUARY 2016
leads on engagement with the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and business community across the city, as well as developing relationships with universities and delivering CH2M’s corporate social
responsibility programme. Joanna, who studied at the University of Birmingham, has worked for both the private and public sectors during the past 20 years. She said: “CH2M worked extensively with
the Chamber throughout 2015, attended business breakfasts, supported the ‘Future Face of Industry’ award and worked closely with the Chamber to host a prestigious Premier Dinner. I welcome this opportunity to represent the business community, identifying key issues, highlighting the opportunities facing the city and shaping the Chamber’s policy. “With Birmingham’s transformation
through projects like HS2 and New Street Station, now is a fantastic time to be fully engaged with the business community to drive change in the city. I look forward to working with the fellow board members in the coming months and years.”
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