Business News i-Centrum
Former president Ray was leading industrialist
i-Centrum to hold Brexit conference
A Birmingham-based Brexit research centre holds its first annual conference this year. The facility, part of Birmingham City University, opened a year ago and is aimed at conducting Brexit-based research on a local and national scale to understand the impact that exiting the EU may have on businesses and the economy. The conference, on Friday 16
and Saturday 17 March at i- Centrum at Aston Science Park, has a line-up of experts from business, academia and politics. Tickets are on sale through Birmingham City University’s Eventbrite page and Chamber members can receive a 30 per cent discount on all standard tickets.
For further information go to:
www.bcu.ac.uk/centre-for- brexit-studies
A former Chamber president who was also a leading industrialist has died. Raymond Way (pictured), who
was Chamber president in 1986, was latterly the chairman of Brierley Hill- based Hampson Industries for nine years, until his retirement in 2003. Before that, he was chief
executive of Barrow Hepburn Group, a diverse group of businesses ranging from engineering to knitwear. He was also chairman of well-known Potteries-based ceramics manufacturer Denby. Mr Way was originally from
Wales, and after gaining a degree in mechanical engineering, he moved on to live in the West Midlands for many years. Former Chamber chief executive
Sue Battle said that Mr Way was dedicated to ‘making sure the voice of business was heard’, particularly by those in Westminster. She said that he chaired the Chamber’s industrial affairs committee for many years and added: “He had a wealth of business experience – he was very
Mr Way also chaired the Chamber’s pension fund for many years and was well-known among the organisation’s staff at the time. Mr Way, who lived in Astley,
Worcestershire, was also a trustee of Birmingham Hippodrome between 1999 and 2008. From 2005 he was deputy chairman of the theatre trust. Former Chamber president John
‘It was important we had people of his calibre who could talk about the business issues of the day’
important in getting our voice heard by civil servants and anyone who shaped business. “He was very good at talking to permanent secretaries and ministers – it was important we had people of his calibre who could talk about the business issues of the day. He was one of the best I knew at doing that.”
Crabtree, who worked closely with Mr Way at the Hippodrome, said: “I had the good fortune of having Ray as my deputy chairman at the Hippodrome for many years and I had the highest regard and affection for him. He was very special. “Ray was hugely talented in all
aspects of a director’s roles and duties, but more to the point, he was wonderfully generous with his time. Always calm and always with a delightfully light-hearted manner. His contribution was immense.” Mr Way’s funeral was held on 4
January, and included a commemoration service at St Peter’s Church, Astley.
8 CHAMBERLINK February 2018
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