Chamber Patrons Chamber Patrons Greater Birmingham Chambers’ leading supporters


Fifty chairs for celebration


As part of Aston University’s 50th Anniversary this year, the University is to award fifty 50th Anniversary Chairs to leading academics in recognition of their work. The 50 recipients will have


demonstrated outstanding scholarship in their field - advancing their subjects nationally and internationally - and a continued commitment to the University and its reputation. These named Chairs will be


awarded over the next ten years. In the University’s anniversary year the first 22 of Aston’s 50th Anniversary Chairs have been selected. They are:


• Professor Asif Ahmed • Professor Sahar Al-Malaika • Professor Tim Baines • Professor Pawan Budhwar • Professor Richard Crisp • Professor Andrew Ellis • Professor John Gaffney • Professor Tim Grant • Professor Mark Hart • Professor Helen Higson • Professor Anthony Hilton • Professor Tomas Mickiewicz • Professor Ian Nabney • Professor Yvonne Perrie • Professor Jill Poole • Professor Gertrud Reershemius • Professor David Saad • Professor Ian Stanford • Professor Brian Tighe • Professor Sergei Turitsyn • Professor David Webb • Professor James Wolffsohn


Vice-Chancellor of Aston University, Professor Julia King, the Baroness Brown of Cambridge, said: “Aston’s 50th Anniversary Chairs have all made a significant contribution to furthering scholarship. “Their impact is not only wide-


reaching externally, but they all make a huge difference within the university through their willingness to do things differently and their commitment to Aston.” All Chairs will receive a 50th


Anniversary commemorative medal and a small bursary.


To find out more about Aston University’s 50th Anniversary and planned celebrations, visit: www.aston.ac.uk/50


22 CHAMBERLINK May 2016


Contact: Stephanie Wall T: 0121 607 1783


Forces welcomed to Chamber ranks


By Fred Bromwich


Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce lined up the Army in its sights – as it welcomed the West Midlands Reserve Forces’ & Cadets’ Association as its latest Patron. The Harborne-based organisation, which provides an


essential representative link between the military forces and the local community, has signed a three-year partnership agreement with the Chamber. West Midlands RFCA chief executive Col Tim Weeks


said: “We are delighted to be joining the ranks of an august body of businesses and organisations already supporting the Chamber through their patronage.” GBCC chief executive Paul Faulkner, welcoming the


Welcome L-R: Col Tim Weeks, Paul Faulkner and Col Richard Maybery


association on board, said that WMRFCA was fulfilling a vital role in raising awareness of the benefits and skills gained though part-time military service. WMRFCA provides advice and support on behalf of


the UK’s volunteer reserve forces and cadets as well as maintaining links with the community and delivering employer engagement on behalf of defence. It is also responsible for the upkeep of 460 reserve forces’ sites and 2,300 cadet centres. Only last month, the Chamber became the first


organisation of its kind in the UK to sign up to The Armed Forces Covenant. Organisations and companies which sign the covenant are asked to make a range of promises demonstrating their support to members of the Armed Forces community who work in their business.


Bus driver with a view to do good


A Birmingham bus driver is ‘going the extra mile’ – as he keeps an eye open for homeless people in need of help. While driving around busy city streets, Glenn Coltman (pictured) has


come to recognise the faces of many of those who sleep in doorways along bus routes 2 and 3 in Yardley Wood, Sparkbrook, Shirley and Birmingham City Centre. So now he uses a website called StreetLink at the end of each shift to tell the relevant authorities where the homeless people are. StreetLink is a website that enables the public to


alert local authorities in England and Wales about people sleeping rough in their area, so they can be


offered the help they need. Glenn, who is employed by National Express, also


encourages other drivers to use StreetLink at the end of their shift. Helen Mathie, head of policy at Homeless


Link, which manages the Streetlink service overall in partnership with St Mungos, said: “The action that Glenn and other Streetlink users take can make all the difference to helping people who are homeless into local services and off the streets for good.”


Authority update is in progress


An update on the progress of the West Midlands Combined Authority was given by Bob Sleigh, the chairman of its shadow board to patrons of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. Cllr Sleigh, who is also leader of


Solihull Council, was speaking at a lunch hosted by Deutsche Bank at their offices in Brindleyplace. Pictured (left to right): Paul


Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, Bob Sleigh and Paul Anderson, managing director of Deutsche Bank Birmingham.


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