Commonwealth Greater Birmingham
Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce Contact: Jamila Davis T: 0845 6036650
Games are sure to bring great opportunities
Enjoy the festivities, plan for disruption and maximise opportunities out of the Commonwealth Games. That was the advice from Anne Ledgerwood,
general manager of St. Enoch Centre in Glasgow, which hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014, for Greater Birmingham businesses on what to expect from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She made the comments, alongside other
business leaders from Glasgow, including Glasgow Chamber chief executive Stuart Patrick, during a virtual event hosted by Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce (GBCCC), as part of its first Commonwealth Opportunities Week, sponsored by Intercity Technology. She explained that the event will create great opportunities, but businesses should be prepared for disruption: “It will create disruption, so plan for the disruption, understand that it will be there so you can minimise that. “And it will create fabulous opportunities, so
make sure that you can maximise them and really look at what the opportunities are.” Music was next on the agenda for the themed
week, as leading industry professionals joined the Chamber, and Aston University, in a discussion on diversity in Birmingham’s music scene and how the city’s links to the Commonwealth through the music industry can be capitalised on. Chamber vice-president, and executive director
of business and regional engagement at Aston, Mark Smith was joined by Aston academic, Dr Patrycja Rozbicka, chief executive of Punch
Records, Ammo Talwar, founder of Ifa-Yoruba Arts Trust, Lekan Babolola and director of Aston’s centre for research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship, to discuss diversity, culture and enterprise during the event. Representatives from Singapore and
South Africa, Leon Ayo and Nicole Wharfe, took to the virtual stage in an event taking a closer look at how Greater Birmingham firms can expand their trading potentials with the two lucrative markets. The week ended in a jam-packed
Commonwealth Conference, whereby representatives from a plethora of Commonwealth countries, including Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica and Malta answered business’ questions on trading. Andrew Bacchus, head of the Department
of International Trade’s Sports Economy Team, also discussed how companies could export to sports events and projects taking place around the world, such as the Lions Tour and the FIFA World Cup. Western Union sponsored the ‘Wonder of
Networking’ session as part of the all-day conference. Stef Bowes, international business manager at
the Chamber, said: “Our first Commonwealth Opportunities week has been a resounding, overwhelming success, filled with excellent discussion and positive engagement between Greater Birmingham businesses and Commonwealth countries.”
Some of the speakers at
Commonwealth Opportunities Week
Vice-presidents appointed to the Chamber
Mark Smith, executive director of business engagement at Aston University, and Janie Frampton, executive chair and head of international relations at the International Socca Federation, have been appointed as vice-presidents for Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce (GBCCC). They will serve alongside the Chamber’s president Joel Blake, representing
the Chamber on key Commonwealth trade issues. Mark has been a part of the Commonwealth Chamber council since the
Chamber’s inception in 2018. In his role at Aston, Mark is responsible for the university’s business
engagement activities and oversees the development of degree apprenticeship programmes.
Aston is a patron of GBCCC, the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce
and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. Janie joined the Commonwealth Chamber committee last year. Alongside
her role at the International Socca Federation, Janie also serves as director of the Sports Officials Consultancy, patron of Muslim Women’s Network UK and chair of Games and Sports. She worked for the FA for 10 years as a national referee manager for
education and training and as one of eight worldwide female instructors for FIFA. Commenting on Mark and Janie’s appointments, Joel said: “It is my honour
to welcome both Janie and Mark as vice-presidents of the Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce. “As impactful and inclusive leaders in their own right, they both have
global experience, domain expertise and vast knowledge that will add tremendous value as we increase our support for businesses through bilateral trade. “With the continued support of our formidable committee member team,
Janie Frampton Mark Smith
we all look forward to helping businesses move from a stage of recovery towards growth through our global collaborations and partnership working, alongside preparing for regional opportunities such as the Commonwealth Games and more."
March 2021 CHAMBERLINK 35 Commonwealth Chamber Patron
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