Business News
Time to address SME export gap
Small and medium-sized businesses are still not grasping the potential of entering export markets, says Saqib Bhatti, president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. Writing in the GBCC annual
report, he says: “Our small and medium businesses, however, were still not grasping the opportunities that are out there. With all that the GBCC can now offer internationally through the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce, I believe we are well positioned to start addressing this gap.” Chairman David Waller said
that the Chamber’s membership team richly deserved the British Chamber’s accolade of Excellence in Membership Services, recognising their stellar work in recruiting and then connecting businesses to opportunities. He added: “Another key area
of success has been a robust financial performance, underlined by the fact that 74 per cent of our income is self- generated and only 26 per cent is from publically-funded contracts. This is partly due to a reorganisation we have undertaken which gives the Chamber greater independence.” Helen Bates, the Chamber’s
chief financial officer, reported a surplus for the year of £36,000 with total reserves going up by £366,000 to £2,812,000 at the annual meeting, held at the Edgbaston Park Hotel.
Annual meeting reports
President recognises Roy’s world-wide achievements
Well-known Midland businessman Roy Richardson has received the Chamber President’s Medal for 2019, in recognition of a lifetime of achievements. Roy is best known for his work
with his twin brother, Don, when they transformed the landscape of Birmingham and the Black Country in the 1980s. The award, presented by
president Saqib Bhatti at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce annual meeting, is also recognition of the Richardson family’s contribution to the economic growth of the region during the past 70 years. Mr Bhatti said: “Roy and his
family’s contribution to not only in the Midlands but world-wide has been immense and I am delighted to recognise this by awarding Roy the Chamber President’s Medal.” Roy was born in Brierley Hill in
1930 and the twins had their first taste of business when they left school at the age of 14 to work with their father. The pair transformed the former
Round Oak Steelworks in their home town, turning it into the now famous Merry Hill shopping centre, completed in 1989. It brought new prosperity and,
most importantly, thousands of jobs to the area. This was an ideal replacement for Round Oak, which at its height employed 3,000 people and closed in 1982. After Merry Hill’s completion the
brothers went on to stamp their mark on the redevelopment of neighbouring Birmingham city centre, with the transformation of the former Lewis’s department store into offices. The Richardsons also built the
Saqib true to pledge
Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner has praised the efforts of the organisation’s current president, Saqib Bhatti, to encourage small to medium enterprises to export more. He said that Mr Bhatti – the Chamber’s youngest ever president – also
used his position to promote business as a force for good. He said: “It has been a pleasure working alongside Saqib. He is not only
the youngest-ever president in our 206-year history, but he also had a tough act to follow in succeeding Paul Kehoe. “Saqib has worked diligently and been true to the pledge he made at
last year’s annual meeting to encourage businesses, particularly SMEs, to export more and to promote business as a force for good. Mr Faulkner also praised Mr Bhatti for managing to overcome his fear of
heights to undertake a parachute jump, which raised more than £25,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. The Chamber chief said that 2018/19 had been another ‘very successful’ year for the organisation and added: “We continued to grow and develop as an organisation and provide an ever- increasing and improving range of support and services to our members and the regional business community as a whole.”
14 CHAMBERLINK October 2019
Recognition: Roy Richardson (centre) with Saqib Bhatti and Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner
£90m Star City leisure complex in Birmingham Heartlands on the site of the old Nechells Power Station, the Fort retail park beside Fort Dunlop and two major leisure schemes on Broad Street. In all, they redeveloped more
than two million square feet of property in the Birmingham area. Roy and Don’s grew and developments were undertaken across the UK. Today, the business is run by
Roy’s sons Martyn, Lee and Carl. The family remain active developers and investors, not only in the UK, but also in Europe, North America, Singapore and Australasia. Current projects include 25
logistical hubs around the country to supply the rapidly expanding ‘click and collect’ market and a 750,000 square foot office development in central Manchester.
The family’s long established
partnership with Europe’s retail outlet operator McArthurGlen has seen them establish schemes stretching from Vancouver to Rome and Salzburg. Additionally, the family continues
to supplement and diversify their investments via an international growth capital portfolio, focusing on small to medium enterprises across a range of sectors through a direct and co-investment programme. Their string of consumer brands
range from King Avocado, New Zealand’s largest avocado estate, to Plenish who are at the forefront of the UK’s burgeoning healthy drink market. The President’s Medal was made at the city’s famous Acme works.
• See page 31 for news on the Richardson New Ventures initiative
Members are honoured
Each year, the Chamber celebrates a few of the longstanding members who have been with the organisation through a significant part of its 206 year history. This year, the companies
recognised are Howden UK Group, a member for more than 46 years, and BHSF, who have been on board for more than 40 years. Howden, and previously
Perkins Slade, has a large presence in Birmingham, and provides a wide range of insurance solutions, helping to protect and grow much of the
business community in the region and beyond. BHSF is a not-for-profit health
and wellbeing provider with a proud history dating back to 1873. BHSF puts employee wellbeing at the heart of everything it does. Services range from occupational health to employee benefits, employee support and health insurances. The commemorative awards
were produced by Acme Whistles. The company is also a longstanding Chamber member and managing director Simon Topman is a past-president.
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