Business News
Appointments Beverly Lindsay (pictured) has been appointed by The Queen as Her Majesty’s Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands. The announcement follows the appointment of former president of Birmingham Chamber John Crabtree as Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands. In addition, nine new deputy
lieutenants have been appointed by Mr Crabtree, who was the Chamber’s president in 2006/7. Beverly, who is the founder
and general manager of Diamond Travel, one of Birmingham’s leading independent travel agencies, was appointed a deputy lieutenant of the West Midlands in November 2013. The new appointments of
deputy lieutenants include: • Dr Nasir Awan of Little Aston, Sutton Coldfield
• Gurpreet Bhatia of Smethwick • Helen Higson of Rugby, Warwickshire
• Sukhjinder Khera of Walsall • Les Ratcliffe of Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Jonnie Turpie of Moseley, Birmingham
• Nick Venning of Hagley, Stourbridge
• Tom Westley of Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire
• John Wood of Edgbaston, Birmingham
Deborah Cadman (pictured) has been appointed as the first permanent chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Deborah - currently chief
executive at Suffolk County Council - has held a number of senior posts in her career, including chief executive of the East of England Development Agency. She was born and bred in Birmingham and attended the University of Birmingham. Andy Street, mayor of the
West Midlands, said: “I am thrilled that Deborah has agreed to join the WMCA. I was keen that we considered only the very best candidates and Deborah was the strongest candidate in an excellent field. Deborah said: “I am delighted
to have been offered the post of chief executive at the WMCA. This is an irresistible opportunity to work alongside our newly- elected mayor and bring greater prosperity to a region I know so well.”
6 CHAMBERLINK September 2017
Breast cancer choir in bid to reach top of the charts
A choir that are made up of women who are battling breast cancer has released a single in a bid to raise funds for their charity. The charity is Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer (LFBC),
and the ladies are raising money for LFBC House, which is an advice and support centre for women who have been diagnosed with the disease. The choir is 'Surviving Voices & Friends', and the
song they are releasing is a cover of the Bill Withers classic, ‘Lean on Me’.
‘Women are often lost at different stages of their treatment and need the kind of guidance and support our services will offer’
The ladies are releasing their single worldwide on 4
September, when it will go on sale in stores and online streaming services in 55 countries, all major cities and towns, by Music Untapped, a Birmingham-based record producing and publishing house. LFBC was founded by Joan Blaney and Veronica
Kumeta 17 years ago to raise awareness and educate women about breast cancer. Veronica now wants to establish the house to provide after-care support, particularly for women at the start of their treatment. She said: “While medical-care is excellent, there is little
after-care which only adds to the post-operative stress of women surviving breast cancer. Women are often lost at different stages of their treatment and need the kind of guidance and support our services will offer.” The 30-strong choir, made up of women from across the Midlands, are lending their voices to the campaign
Joan Blaney and Veronica Kumeta
and giving hope to other women by sharing their experiences. One, Dee Mattoo, who was diagnosed with breast
cancer at 33, said: “We are mothers, wives, daughters and sisters. We still have responsibilities and through this beautiful song we are saying, lean on me in spite of cancer, lean on me in spite of fear, lean on me in spite of tears, lean on me and let me be there for you - because we will survive this.”
Energy minister holds key talks
The role of the energy sector in the Industrial Strategy came under the microscope when the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce held a roundtable discussion with a key Government minister. Richard Harrington MP,
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, highlighted the importance of seeking business views and ensuring the voices of small and midsized businesses are heard. He also spoke of the
Government’s willingness to listen and learn during while developing the Industrial Strategy. The event was hosted at the new
Colmore Row offices of Chamber patron Pinsent Masons. The discussion focused on
regionalisation, devolution, regulation and overcoming barriers to scaling up innovative start-ups and commercialising new technologies in the energy sector. GBCC vice-president Saqib
Bhatti, who chaired the discussion, said: “The industrial strategy is a
crucial component in ensuring the UK is fit and ready for business, whatever Brexit or other headwinds may throw at us. “There are huge opportunities
for the Government to work with our region’s employers to create an
environment in which they can grow and compete internationally. “I was pleased to see the
Minister’s engagement with Chamber members and look forward to continuing to connect Chamber members into this key agenda.”
Energetic discussion, L-R: Saqib Bhatti, Greg Lowson (head of Pinsent Masons) and Richard Harrington
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