Business News In Brief


Bus and coach firm National Express has joined forces with technology campus Innovation Birmingham to create NXIS. The new business will


encourage companies to create products and services specifically aimed at the transport sector. National Express chief digital


officer Rob Muir said: “With our infrastructure, networks, expertise and contacts, we are urging businesses to grasp this opportunity with both hands. “The purpose of innovation in


this context is to disrupt the market, enhance products and streamline processes.”


HSBC has appointed David Arthur (pictured) as relationship director for its Birmingham corporate team. Mr Arthur


has been at HSBC since 2006 and has held a number of roles across retail and commercial banking. He said: “The West Midlands


boasts some of the most innovative and ambition companies in the UK and I look forward to working with new and existing customers to help them grow and achieve their ambitions.”


Law firm VWV has been named 'Legal Firm of the Year' award at the City of Birmingham Business Awards 2018. The firm opened its Birmingham office five years ago, and has achieved growth of more than 50 per cent in each of the last two financial years. The firm has also taken on


ten new staff during the past 12 months, most recently charity specialist Shivaji Shiva, who has joined as a partner.


Games village nets £165m Government funding boost


A £165m Government funding deal to build an athletes’ village for the 2022 Commonwealth Games has been announced. The village will be built on the site of the former Birmingham City University campus in Perry Barr. The funding will also fund further new homes, a new


rail station and road and bus improvements, all of which will help the regeneration of the Perry Barr area. Thanks to the funding, more than 5,000 quality,


sustainable homes will eventually be built. The first 1,400 homes will be converted from the Commonwealth Games village, which will house up to 6,500 athletes and officials. Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward said:


“These projects will help us to deliver sustainable growth and investment into areas of the city that have been requiring it for some time – and through the Perry Barr scheme in particular, a magnificent legacy from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games when the Athletes’ Village is handed over post-event to be converted into residential use.” West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “The funding announcement supports a once-in-a-generation opportunity to regenerate and transform the Perry Barr area and will ensure the Games leave a lasting legacy for local communities for decades to come. “Yet this is just the start and we are continuing to working with government on delivering all aspects of


New housing: Station Square, one of the planned improvements for Perry Barr


the Housing Deal to help bring hundreds of hectares of derelict land across the region back into life, providing decent and affordable housing for local people.” The Athletes’ Village will include permanent


accommodation and a range of temporary facilities for the Games such as a dining hub, a transport mall, medical facilities and a number of other essential services for athletes and team officials to use. It will be built on a 24-hectare site and is just one


mile from Alexander Stadium, which will play a major role during the Games.


Recyclable packaging for Mondelez


Cadbury-owner Mondelez International has announced that all its packaging will be recyclable by 2025. The company says that its


packaging will be collected and recycled in all of its markets around the world. This new commitment is part of


the company’s long-term vision for ‘zero-net waste packaging’. Mondelez executive vice-


president Rob Hargrove said: “As the global snacking leader, we’re


committing to using sustainably- sourced materials and recyclable packaging as part of our active contribution to reduce packaging waste and establish a circular economy for packaging. “Plastic waste and its


impact on the planet is a broad, systemic issue that our consumers care deeply about, and which requires a holistic response.


Together with partners from across the industry, as well as public and private entities, we can help to develop practical solutions that result in a positive environmental impact.”


Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner


said: “It’s great to see Mondelez’s pledge that all of its paper based packaging will be


sustainably sourced by the end of the decade.”


Video brings Broad St Metro extension to life


A computer generated video shows how the West Midlands Metro will soon be taking passengers to Centenary Square. It shows the blue tram whizzing


past a series of landmarks including Victoria Square, the Town Hall and the Library of Birmingham before it arrives at the new Centenary Square terminus. The clip also demonstrates how


the tram will merge with traffic at the remodelled Paradise Circus/ Queensway/Paradise Street junction. There are also no unsightly


overhead wires on view, as trams running on the Westside extension will be battery powered – a UK first.


14 CHAMBERLINK November 2018


(TfWM) part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Roger Lawrence, leader of City


of Wolverhampton Council and WMCA portfolio holder for transport, said: “The Birmingham Westside extension is just part of the wider investment in the Midland Metro we have planned. “The Wolverhampton city centre


The Centenary Square extension


is currently under construction and is due to open next year. A further extension will take the Metro to


Hagley Road, Edgbaston, and this will be completed in 2021. The tram system is owned by Transport for West Midlands


extension is currently under construction and we are planning new lines between Wednesbury and Brierley Hill and between Birmingham city centre and Solihull. “There is unprecedented


investment in public transport which will support the economic growth of the region.”


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