Sector Focus
BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS SCHOOL
20th annual ethnic minority business conference
By Kirsty Smith Marketing Officer, Birmingham Business School
The University of Birmingham’s 20th Annual Ethnic Minority Business Conference took place on 20th October 2016. The conference was organised by the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) and sponsored by Lloyds bank. This conference enabled
delegates including researchers, policy-makers, entrepreneurs and representatives of ethnic minority communities to network and discuss key themes for the future of ethnic minority business within the regional and UK economies. The day was opened by
Professor Monder Ram, Director of CREME who focused his opening speech on the importance of collaboration and engagement and highlighted the need for minority entrepreneurship, particularly post-Brexit. Throughout the event
debates and talks emphasised the requirement for further research to take place on women’s participation in ethnic minority entrepreneurship whilst providing support in this area. It also demonstrated the importance of EMB owners being able to access finance and how this will impact the creation of a functional and productive ecosystem. In addition, talks focused on the ability to maintain collaborative relationships between academics, EMBs and agencies. Future steps will be taken following the conference including more research projects in this area.
A full conference report with further details is available to view via
www.birmingham.ac.uk/Docu ments/college-social- sciences/business/research/c reme/creme20-report.pdf
To find out more about CREME please visit:
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk /schools/business/research/c reme/about/
index.aspx
Finance
Sponsored by: University of Birmingham Sector Focus The latest news from the sectors that matter to business Cash boost aids employment
A £200,000 investment has seen a Birmingham-based charity expand its team and help hundreds of previously unemployed people find jobs. The Jericho Foundation has now
repaid the money provided in 2012 through funds managed by Finance Birmingham, on behalf of Birmingham City Council. The backing enabled Jericho to
create 24 jobs in its core staff team and the firm now employs 70 people. Also as a direct result of the
finance and additional staff, 218 previously unemployed people have been hired by Jericho on paid supported work placements or apprenticeships lasting between six and 24 months. Richard Beard, Jericho chief
executive said: “The Finance Birmingham and Birmingham City Council assistance came at a crucial point in the Foundation’s development. “The loan helped us to significantly scale up some of our social enterprises, create local jobs and provide training and employment opportunities to even more people in real need.”
Jericho Foundation’s client support manager Patrick Masih, chief executive Richard Beard and Finance Birmingham’s portfolio director Clive Broadhurst
The funding was originally
provided by Birmingham City Council’s £10m Business Loan Fund, managed by Finance Birmingham. More recently Finance Birmingham has been working closely with several councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships to support SMEs across the UK. Clive Broadhurst, portfolio
director at Finance Birmingham, said: “As a unique public-private
partnership, Finance Birmingham helps small to medium-sized businesses to realise their ambitions for growth. “We are delighted that with our
support The Jericho Foundation has made such a material difference to the skill base and employment prospects of disadvantaged people across a number of sectors so critical to the growth of the Midlands region.”
Good numbers for accountants
Midlands-based PKF Cooper Parry has reported its strongest ever financial year. Figures show it is the fastest
growing firm of accountants in the UK – and the team has big plans for the future. In the financial year up to 30
June 2016, PKF Cooper Parry generated more than £22m of revenue, a 29 per cent increase in growth on the previous year’s turnover of £17.2m. The team has set a £30m target
for this financial year. And with current year to date performance up by 47 per cent, the firm is set to meet this target and beyond. Earlier this year, the firm merged
with Birmingham-based Clement Keys. PKF Cooper Parry now has an office at East Midlands Airport and in Birmingham. PKF Cooper Parry is currently
the No. 1 accountancy firm in the East Midlands amongst privately
50 CHAMBERLINK December 2016/January 2017
make the Sunday Times List of 100 Best Small Companies to Work for. The firm now has a 400 strong
team of passionate people. Over the past 12 months, 110 new faces have joined the team. They continue to attract the best new people to push the business forward. Other highlights include the
creation of new IT and wealth teams in the West Midlands and the expansion of the corporate finance, IT solutions and tax propositions. CEO Ade Cheatham said: “What
Speedy growth: Ade Cheatham
owned £5m to £50m businesses. It has more than twice the market share of any of its competitors. Over the past year, PKF Cooper
Parry has also been credited with a number of awards, and in 2016 it was the only accountancy firm to
is really remarkable is the size and speed of our growth. Our headline figures are very impressive and represent growth across the board. “We play to our strengths and are
working hard to create the right infrastructure. We have the right team around us, which will enable us achieve our long term aim of creating a £45m turnover firm within the next three years, reaching £150m within the next 10 years.”
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