Chamber Patrons
Passenger numbers are soaring at airport
Backing female entrepreneurs
RBS has announced £1bn of funding to support female entrepreneurs in the UK, through NatWest. The bank is also setting a
target to support and inspire 500,000 people to consider starting a business – of whom at least 60 per cent will be female – in order to help create at least 50,000 new businesses by 2023. The Female
On the up: The airport posted impressive passenger figures for 2019
Nearly 12.7 million travellers passed through Birmingham Airport last year, latest figures reveal. According to passenger numbers
from the airport, the best performing months in 2019 were January, with a total of 781,282 passengers (up four per cent), April, with 1,002,951 passengers (also up four per cent) and July, with 1,352,392 passengers (up three per cent). The busiest month overall was
August, when over 1.4 million passengers were recorded. The top three routes of the year were Dublin, Dubai and
Amsterdam – with the Irish capital serving almost a million people over the 12 months. Several additional routes were
introduced throughout 2019, including Marsa Alam in Egypt, Krakow in Poland, Burgas in Bulgaria, Bodrum in Turkey, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland and Vienna in Austria.
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays
increased capacity on its network to Antalya, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife and TUI added more capacity to Lanzarote, Hurghada, Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Nick Barton, chief executive at
Birmingham Airport, said: “Despite the loss of Thomas Cook in the latter part of the year, we experienced a 1.6 per cent passenger increase overall and we’ve been delighted to see airlines grow capacity from Birmingham. “We’ve commenced work to
extend our departure lounge by 45 per cent, adding more space, seating, shops and restaurants. “Opening in the early part of next
year, it will provide a spacious and modern environment that helps cater for the forecast growth in passenger numbers, and is the biggest terminal investment we’ve made in 10 years, costing £30m.”
JLR chief executive to step down
Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Sir Ralf Speth is to step down from his role in September. A veteran of the car industry, Mr
Speth held roles at BMW and Ford before joining JLR in 2010. He was awarded a knighthood in
2015 for his services to the automotive industry. Mr Speth – who will remain on
Sir Ralph Speth
the board of JLR’s parent company Tata Motors – has led the car manufacturer through numerous changes, including its multi-million pound investment to build an all- electric version of its XJ luxury
saloon at its Castle Bromwich factory and its commitment to making only electric and hybrid vehicles from 2020. He said: “I feel very honoured to
have worked with so many dedicated and creative people, both inside and outside of Jaguar Land Rover. We have elevated Jaguar and Land Rover. I want to say thank you for all their support and commitment. “We offer our customers multi-
award-winning products and will continue to surprise with the best pipeline of new, innovative products we have ever had.”
Entrepreneurship Funding builds directly on a key finding from The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship that the biggest issue holding female entrepreneurs back is the lack of funding directed towards them.
‘Building a business is often tough and lonely’
According to the Rose
Review, women launch businesses with 53 per cent less capital on average than men, are less aware of funding options and are less likely to take on debt. RBS will increase the level of
support provided through its accelerator programme, and other initiatives and partnerships such as ‘Back Her Business’ and the Prince’s Trust. This support will be open to
anyone who is looking to start-up a business. RBS chief executive Alison
Rose (pictured) said: “The funding and targets will help support anyone who is thinking about starting a business throughout the UK. “Building a business is often
tough and lonely and can be harder than it needs to be. “By tackling the most important issues facing our entrepreneurs, we can make a real difference to those who need it most, especially in female-led businesses.”
March 2020 CHAMBERLINK 41
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