Business News
work very hard over the next few months. Even if there is relatively good news, it will be flopped out so late in the day that I am not sure that complex businesses will be able to deal with it. “Anybody with a Just-in-Time supply chain
will be mightily challenged in the next few months. We pride ourselves as a trading nation but many senior managers have only known free trade in the UK and a lot of people are going to get a rude awakening.”
‘If you are doing business in Atlanta, the model does not necessarily work in San Francisco because of state differences over employment law’
He said firms had to adapt to survive post-
Brexit and Covid-19. “There are businesses that play the victim card but you have to play the hand you are dealt with. It does not matter what size the business is, you need to have taken stock and looked at the various scenarios. “Most businesses should have been looking at
what the future holds for them, either restructuring or reorganising or dropping non- core activities that are not going to come back.” Harry, a stalwart with the Chamber’s
Transatlantic arm and its predecessor the British American Business Council since 2004, said the decision to bring the BABC within the Chamber fold more than a decade ago had paid dividends. “It was not quite like an albatross but we didn’t
have a proper governance and constitution and the Chamber brought that to us.”
He said his experiences dealing with the US
business world while at the helm of Land Rover and Brintons had given him invaluable insights into the nature of corporate America which could help West Midland firms seeking to build transatlantic trade links. “People helped me in the early days and I am
trying to give something back. It is advice and support and I will step in to host things and use my contacts to get senior people in, say, from the US Embassy and the Canadian Embassy. “There is a feeling that the United States is
easy because they speak the same language. They do not speak the same language – people have to realise that you are dealing with 51 states, it is not the United States in terms of the way everything works. “If you are doing business in Chester and in
Ipswich, the model you have in Chester works in Ipswich. But if you are doing business in Atlanta, the model does not necessarily work in San Francisco because of state differences over employment law etc. “It sometimes terrifies me. Young people in
young firms – look at Gymshark – have no fear. Most of them think they will come back with a pot of gold but many come back with arrows shot in them. “But in terms of demographics, GDP etc if you
can crack the market, it can be extremely lucrative.” The 64-year-old father of three, who lives in
Belbroughton, said he had been delighted to be awarded the Chamber's President Medal. “It does mean an awful lot to me, it is peer recognition - I have always believed that it does not matter who scores the goal as long as the team wins. I was very touched and flattered.”
Praised: Aston students Accolade for University
Aston University has been named University of the Year 2020 by The Guardian. The accolade has been awarded after
the university rose to number 30 in the rankings of The Guardian University Guide 2021 – a crucial league table that focuses on student satisfaction, graduate employment and quality of teaching. Professor Alec Cameron, vice-chancellor
of Aston University, said: “Being named ‘University of the Year’ by The Guardian is a fantastic testament to the hard work of all our staff and students here at Aston. I am incredibly proud of our diverse, creative and dynamic community who, particularly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, have proven that we are truly a team. “I’ve been particularly inspired by how our
staff and students have risen to the challenge of the last nine months, as the education and assessment of our students was disrupted and we moved to online education. Our staff have worked tirelessly to enable us to prepare for a blended delivery model of teaching starting in the autumn term.”
December 2020/January 2021 CHAMBERLINK 21
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