Business News Business News Latest news from Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Paul Kehoe’s Stinson Reliant AT-19
New president aims for the sky
By John Lamb
It looks like something you would expect Indiana Jones to be piloting around the South China Seas. But the ex-Royal Navy Stinson Reliant, owned by Birmingham
Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe, is only a small hint of his commitment to all things global. As he prepared to succeed Greg Lowson as the Birmingham Chamber president at this month’s annual meeting, it came as no surprise that he intends his two years of office to focus on “geography, scale and our place in the world”. Paul, a self-confessed “Trekkie” with an encyclopaedic knowledge of
Star Trek, joined Birmingham Airport as chief executive officer in October 2008.
‘Paul started his career in aviation as an air traffic controller in the Royal Air Force’
His bright yellow Stinson Reliant AT-19, bought last year, was built in 1943 for the Royal Navy. It was used for communications flying and was returned to the US at the end of 1945 when it was converted for civilian use by the Consolidated Vultee Corporation and re-designated as the Reliant V77. Paul started his career in aviation as an air traffic controller in the
Royal Air Force and has worked for a variety of companies including British Aerospace plc, Serco Aviation and TBI plc. Paul has been CEO/MD of a number of UK airports (including Belfast
International, London Luton and Bristol) and non-executive director of a number of other UK and overseas airports during his career. Paul has been an active member of the
Airport Operators Association, being a director and chair of that organisation 2004-05. Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Paul on board as the new president of the Chamber. “He is a true champion of business in
the region and I have no doubt that his drive, enthusiasm, wide knowledge and experience will see him continue the long-standing tradition of absolute first rate leadership at the helm of the Chamber, and build on the great work done by Greg Lowson over the past two years.”
6 CHAMBERLINK October 2016
Paul Kehoe takes over as president at Birmingham Chamber’s annual meeting on 5 October. He met up with chief executive Paul Faulkner to look at some of his aspirations for his two-year term and the issues they face.
On promoting Birmingham: Paul Kehoe: My theme is going to be geography, scale and our place in the world. I took that decision when I was interviewed for the position three years ago and it seems to have been quite prophetic given what has happened with Brexit, the Combined Authority and Midlands Engine. We now have a very different role in the world outside Europe. If you look on a world map you may get four UK cities – London, Edinburgh and Belfast, and possibly Birmingham. So we have to look at the best asset we in the Midlands have to sell to the
world. Fortunately, whether you like it or not, it’s the Birmingham word itself. That does not mean that Coventry, Wolverhampton or Dudley, or
wherever, are less important than Birmingham but we need to understand that because what people buy on a world stage is a place. What would be really good would be to get people from around the
world saying how good we are and stating the Birmingham city region is the place to do business. And getting the city’s name out there is even more important post-Brexit. It’s increasingly important connecting ourselves to the world. For me, it’s
not just about the airport, it’s about connectivity and promoting Birmingham as the great place to do business. The bigger the conglomeration the greater the success is likely to be. There will be people whose feathers will get ruffled about the B-word. But there is now a great opportunity for Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country Chambers to work together.
Paul Faulkner: That is very important and it is already in place and on a bigger scale – the West Midlands Chambers of Commerce is the six Chambers in the region – Greater Birmingham, Black Country, Coventry & Warwickshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, North Staffordshire and Shropshire.
On The Combined Authority: Paul Kehoe: The Combined Authority will bring all of this together. Some people may argue that there is no accountability in this new authority. However, while business pays an enormous amount of tax it doesn’t get one vote. Ratepayers do, so representation and taxation tax should go together and business should work with the authority to make sure its voice is heard and understood.
PF: This will be felt even more when local authorities take over from the government in collecting business taxes.
PK: Government-supported infrastructure projects unlock billions of pounds from the private sector. Great schools and the hospitals come out of the economy.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64