ABCC
Updates and useful information from the largest ethnic support organisation in the UK
Contact: Anjum Khan T: 0845 603 6650
Omar launches HR venture
A HR professional with more than a decade of corporate experience has set up his own business offering outsourced services and support to SMEs in north east and south west Birmingham. Omar Rashid
has launched The HR Dept North East and South West Birmingham, which will provide HR services to businesses. He is hoping to
Make jobs at the top more diverse
Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) is launching a major diversity campaign in order to help more underrepresented groups get top jobs in business and industry. The ‘Diversity on Boards’ pilot campaign is
On my own: Omar Rashid
win clients in areas such as Tyseley, Acocks Green, Harborne, Selly Oak and Longbridge. The 34-year-old plans to take on new
staff within the next 18 months before expanding the business further. He said: “I’ve thought long and hard
about this and I’m really excited by the prospects. I’ve got a young family, which gives me the drive, energy and ambition to make this company a real success. “I’ve lived in or near Birmingham all my
life and I know there’s a really strong SME community in my territories of operation. For example in Harborne and the Longbridge Technology Park – these are places I’m keen to get to know better and find those businesses who need help to grow.”
being launched on International Women’s day (8 March), and will work with some of the regions’ biggest employers in order to boost the numbers of women and those from black and minority ethnic (BAME), lesbian gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and disability groups being represented on boards of directors and in leadership roles. The campaign has been launched after a
number of surveys into diversity, which have revealed a major disparity on the numbers of women and BAME individuals on boards of directors. The 2017 Parker Review showed that out of
1,050 director positions at top FTSE 100 companies, only 85 individuals – eight per cent – were from the BAME community. This falls well below the 14 per cent of people in the UK that identify as BAME. The same report also found that more than
half of FTSE 100 companies had no BAME representation of the on their boards of directors. A further lack of representation was found in
the Hampton – Alexander review, conducted in 2017 to investigate the proportion of female leaders in top positions. The report found just 27.7 per cent of women on FTSE 100 boards of directors. Although a marked increase from just
12.5 per cent in 2011, the report highlighted that there was still a problem. ABCC director Anjum Khan said: “The harsh
statistics on representation present a bleak picture for businesses, however these figures have spurred us to take action and redress the balance through this new pilot campaign. “The ABCC are looking to work with a number
of companies who are willing to be honest and open about their diversity of staff in senior positions. We have found that a distinct cultural shift needs to occur in order to drive effective change.” The diversity campaign will tackle this by
calling for businesses to sign up to the ‘Diversity on Boards’ pledge. Companies signed up will agree to review current diversity levels and, if necessary, implement strategies to ensure more BAME and female representation at the top of their organisation. In addition, ABCC will be hosting workshops
to help businesses understand more about under-representation. ABCC president Saqib Bhatti said: “The ABCC
is the biggest Chamber of its kind in the country, so it’s important that we set the precedent for Chambers and businesses in other regions by committing to active change. “Representation and diversity at all levels of
business, particularly in high level jobs, is important for all of our bottom lines. The more diverse our employees are the more agile, competitive and dynamic businesses will be in these pressing economic times.”
Law firm’s commitment to staff is rewarded
A Midlands law firm has won a national award for its ‘outstanding commitment to training’. FBC Manby Bowdler was voted as the winner
of this category at the Modern Law Awards 2017/18. The award recognises a business that goes above and beyond the usual remit for staff development. The firm, which employs more than 200
people at offices in Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury, Telford and Bridgnorth, was named as winner thanks to its approach to learning and development, which uses coaching, mentoring, and formal training for staff at all levels. The Modern Law award is the latest in a string
of awards picked up by the firm. It was voted as the ‘best place to work’ in the
Shropshire Star’s 2017 Excellence in Business awards and named Best Employer at the recent British Excellence in Sales Management Awards (BESMAs)’and scooped the Black Country Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Customer
48 CHAMBERLINK March 2018
Top of the class: sales director Neil Lloyd and marketing manager Laura Jones receive their awards at the Modern Law Awards
Service awards in 2016. It was also crowned as the Wolverhampton Law Society’s Professional Services Firm of the Year that year. The Modern Law Awards celebrates and
identifies ‘sparkling talent and success in entrepreneurship, market development, business management and best practice in the modern legal services arena’. Managing partner Kim Carr said: “We
recognise that our people are our biggest asset and, by committing to a defined training pathway for their personal development, we are cultivating a modern law firm with a clear vision that can deliver the stellar service we are known for. We have developed bespoke learning opportunities and believe our unique approach is, in part, what helps us attract top talent. “We pride ourselves on having an amazing
team and have worked hard to create an environment that nurtures, supports and rewards the best people.”
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