Opinion CHAMBER LINK


The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce


Editor’s View


By John Lamb Put in a little, take out a lot


Wise words this month from our new president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (see page 12). Qasim Majid reflects on the changing face of


Sutton Coldfield


Chamber of Commerce


Greater Birmingham


Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce


Birmingham, diversity in business and how the Chamber is enabling its members to access new opportunities. But he also says “you have to be in it to win it”.


How true. And it’s something we have been preaching at the Chamber for many years. Simply joining an organisation is not enough


and most people who resign from a gym or golf club, or even a Chamber of Commerce, do so because they feel they are not getting enough out of it. You really do have to put a little in to gain the


Front cover: Speakers at the BABC transatlantic conference include (top row, from left): Andy Street, Robert Johnson, Emma McClarkin, (bottom row, from left) Priya Guha, Joe Brusuelas and Sir John Peace. The Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox, also pictured, is sending a message of support to the conference. See page 32


Editor John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064 j.lamb@birmingham-chamber.com


Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 607 1887, 0797 1144052 d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com


You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com


real benefits of being a member of any organisation and that is something the Chamber recognises. If fact there is a team at the GBCC headquarters in Edgbaston who are dedicated to doing just that. Clearly, you may join a gym but realise you are


working out once a month and that £80-month- fee is quickly going down the plug hole with no benefits. Common sense will rapidly kick in when you decide to go for an early morning run – much cheaper – as a substitute for pumping iron and pounding the treadmill. But going it alone in business is not quite so


easy and we continually get messages from business who have benefited from attending one of our events, whether it’s a networking breakfast, a formal dinner or a speaker lunch. And those events take place across a rich vein


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of diversity and inclusivity, giving attendees the opportunity to mix and network across all elements of business life in Greater Birmingham and beyond.


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Managing Editor Laura Blake Designer Lloyd Hollingworth


Advertising 0121 765 4144 jon.jones@kempspublishing.co.uk


CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.


4 CHAMBERLINK June 2018


And that inclusivity crosses all boundaries. Government devolution has empowered the


regions with, in our area, the creation of the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. So it’s a pity that you daily get examples of


people being protective about their own parishes. Nothing wrong with local pride, but there comes a time – like now – when those differences have to be put aside.


‘You really do have to put a little in to gain the real benefits of being a member of any organisation’


If Channel 4 comes to Birmingham, it would be


good for the whole region. People who work there would come from the wider region creating wonderful opportunities in the multiplicity of roles needed in the world of TV. For proof, you only have to look at the


sometimes troublesome move of some elements of the BBC to Manchester. Did you know where Salford was before that? Nor me. Also, take the £83m plan to redevelop Coventry


Station. The project has received funding from the Government’s Local Growth Fund through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), the Department for Transport and some borrowing while funding is also being requested from the West Midlands Combined Authority Devolution Deal. Another example of the revolution in regional


government working to the benefit of everyone which, we hope, will one day bury the small- mindedness that still prevails in pockets of the West Midlands.


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