It’s time for a fundamental reset in our understanding of what the region's businesses need to fulfil their growth potential.
The Business Commission West Midlands will provide a roadmap for unlocking business growth across the region. Delivered by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s Insight & Intelligence Unit, in partnership with the Black Country and Coventry & Warwickshire Chambers of Commerce, the commission will undertake detailed conversations and quantitative research with hundreds of businesses across the region. The findings from the Commission will be utilised to directly influence local, regional and national stakeholders.
Partners
University College Birmingham
Based in the heart of Birmingham, the Business School at University College Birmingham is a centre of excellence for the delivery of high-quality higher education, producing skilled graduates succeeding across many sectors, along with breaking into new areas to meet the nation’s skills gap.
Their alumni run multi-million-pound retail businesses, manage top businesses, both large and small, work in companies on a global scale and are leading the way in marketing for big brands and independent ventures.
Winners of the ‘University of the Year’ in the 2022 WhatUni Student Choice Awards, the University specialises in vocational courses in both the higher education and further education sectors and continue to grow their portfolio of apprenticeships.
A wide range of their undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses are accredited and awarded by the University of Warwick; a prestigious Russell Group university ranked 8th in the UK by The Guardian 2023 league table. Their reputation for excellence means the University is popular with international students, who join from more than 60 countries.
University College Birmingham are committed to providing the best facilities for all their students and have invested £160 million in their campuses to enhance the student experience and ensure students have the absolute best environment for their education.
To find out more about the Business School at University College Birmingham, visit their website here: www.ucb.ac.uk
Commissioners
Mark Taylor
“I passionately believe this Business Commission can play a key role in translating the voice of business into a clear and compelling summary of the proactive steps that need to be taken to support future growth and prosperity in the region. The West Midlands is a fantastic place to do business and it is essential that we protect and build on our assets in a fast-changing world.”
Mark has enjoyed a twenty-year career with leading audit, tax and consulting business, RSM UK, and has been a partner since 2007 . He has held various management roles during his time with the business including spending time as a member of the firm’s National Leadership Team. Since 2016, Mark has been Regional Managing Partner for RSM UK in the Central region. Alongside that role, he was Office Managing Partner of the Birmingham office until the end of September this year. A business process improvement advisor by background, and having worked with a very wide variety of clients over his career, Mark is also currently tasked with building the firm’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Consulting group.
Mark began his career in supply chain management with Sainsbury’s Supermarkets before moving into business advisory work with EY and then on to RSM.
He is an elected Council member of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and a Trustee of local charity Sport Birmingham.
Mark holds an MBA from Warwick Business School.
Sandra Wallace CBE
Sandra Wallace is a member of the Executive board and acts as joint Managing Director, UK & Europe for the global business law firm, DLA Piper. She overseas 15 international jurisdictions for the firm as well as significant executive projects. Sandra sits on the firm’s D&I Council. Prior to her Executive role she has served as UK Employment Group Head and UK Managing Partner.
She remains an active employment law Partner and has handled many high profile cases concerning protected disclosures, sex and race discrimination, contract variation exercises and international employee restructures. Sandra continues to manage an enviable employment law client portfolio, with her active practice revolving around the strategic support she gives to her International clients covering business reorganizations, senior executive management and a diversity specialism.
Aside from her legal role, Sandra served as a Social Mobility Commissioner from December 2018 to October 2021. The Social Mobility Commission is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Cabinet Office, which monitors progress towards improving social mobility in the UK and promotes social mobility in England. During her appointment, Sandra also served the Commission as interim Co-Chair.
Sandra is also the Midlands Chair at TheCityUK, a membership body, lobbying on behalf of the financial and related professional services industry. She also Co-Chaired a Government commissioned taskforce, looking at improving socio-economic diversity at senior levels within UK financial and professional services which published its findings in November 2022.
Sandra is also a Trustee at National Numeracy.
Declan Allen
I’ve spent over 30 years in the Automotive industry, holding several senior roles in Engineering Consultancies and Motorsport. For the past 12 years I’ve been leading the development of HORIBA MIRA. HORIBA MIRA is a global provider of automotive engineering, research and test services, with over 75 years of experience in developing some of the world’s most iconic vehicles.
Throughout my career, my focus has been exceptional delivery to customer requirements and building great teams; resulting in strong business performance and growth.
At HORIBA MIRA, I specialise in delivering vehicle engineering and testing services which provide our customers with capability – such as technology developments, or capacity – such as a variant programme. Our purpose is to improve lives by making journeys safer, cleaner, and smarter. We are working almost exclusively on green vehicle technology and our aim is to do this through sustainable operations. We also aim to provide our customers with a path to net zero through local advanced manufacturing solutions. Research, development and exploitation all in one location.
Carmen Watson
Carmen is Chairperson of Pertemps Network Group.
She has over 30 years’ experience in recruitment and is responsible for promoting and delivering best practice in the field of attraction, recruitment and retention of talent on behalf of clients ranging from SME’s to Blue Chip organisations, servicing both the public and private sectors across the UK.
She is a strong advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, is a member of the Business in the Community Race for Opportunity Leadership Team, is a Foundation Committee Member of City & Guilds and Advancement Board Member of Aston University.
Carmen received an Honorary Doctorate from Aston University in 2021 and is a Doctor of Business Administration.
She was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands in April 2023.
Dr. Jason Wouhra OBE
Dr. Jason Wouhra OBE is Chief Executive Officer of Lioncroft Wholesale Limited and Lioncroft Holdings Limited. Lioncroft is one of the largest independent Food and Drinks wholesalers in the UK, with current turnover of almost £200 million per annum employing over 200 people.
Jason was previously Director and Company Secretary of family business, East End Foods Plc which sold to Private Equity in 2019. At the time East End Foods was widely considered to be the largest and most respected ethnic food brand in Europe.
During the Covid Pandemic in early 2020, Jason was responsible for buying back three quarters of the East End Foods business, namely its Wholesale division.
The division was rebranded as Lioncroft Wholesale Limited, at its inception the business turned over £137 mill p.a. With a new management team recruited, 70 jobs have been created and the company has grown to a turnover of almost £200 mill since mid 2020. Lioncroft has ambitious growth plans to grow customer base and turnover to threefold by 2028.
Jason holds several prominent positions outside of his Lioncroft role, currently these are Chair of the West Midlands India Partnership, Governing Council Member of Aston University and Patron of the Acorns Charity.
Jeanette McFarland
Jeanette McFarland is Chief Operating Officer UK&I for ASSA ABLOY Limited. She passionate about manufacturing engineering where she has spent majority of her career working in both finance and operations disciplines.
Organic growth is vital to our long term success, so I am excited to be invited to be a Commissioner for the Business Commission West Midlands. ASSA ABLOY is a global leader in access and security product solutions. Everyday, they help billions of people move through a safer, more open world with ease.
Melissa Snover
“As a proud owner of a Birmingham business I’m honoured to join the Commission to help connect and grow other businesses in the region. Birmingham has experienced a thriving start-up scene in recent years and is fast becoming one of Europe’s most influential business hubs thanks to its transport connections, rich supply chain, and diversity. Now is the perfect time to support Birmingham businesses on their growth journey.”
Melissa Snover is an award-winning entrepreneur and visionary in the world of food technology and 3D printing. She is passionate about developing innovations which offer solutions to her customers, challenge her competitors, and disrupt current market offerings. She is currently the founder and CEO of Rem3dy Health which pioneers personalised solutions across preventative and curative health under the brands Nourished (Personalised Nutrition) and Scripted (Personalised Medicine).
From their multifaceted facilities in Birmingham, Melissa and her team are disrupting the nutrition industry with their 3D printed nutrient gummies which are completely tailor made to each individual user. As an agile tech start-up, Nourished is constantly optimizing its current offering and developing new product ranges with its patented technology to stay at the forefront of personalised wellness. Having recently won the King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation Category in 2023, Rem3dy Health is now expanding on a global scale from it’s HQ in Digbeth.
Melissa is a passionate advocate for the startup culture in Birmingham and a visionary for the use of 3D printing in mainstream manufacturing. She recently raised the highest ever female founder seed round in UK history in 2019 for REMEDY, and is an ambassador for women’s equal access to finance, as well as being an avid supporter and mentor; supporting young people of all backgrounds to begin studying in STEM fields.
Dan Barlow
Dan Barlow is the founder and Group CEO of Kagool, a UK headquartered, Global IT Consultancy company with operations in the USA, LATAM, Mainland Europe and APAC with group revenues +£20m. He has over 20 years experience delivering IT solutions across a variety of industry domains including Manufacturing, Logistics & Supply Chain, Retail, Financial Services and Public Sector.
He has led the continued 100% year-on-year company growth, which repeated unabated through the global pandemic, helping global enterprise clients accelerate their digital transformational objectives to retain their dominant market positions through IT modernisation strategies.
Dan has a strong focus on developing collaborative partnerships (with clients and SIs) where joint propositions deliver improved value to end-clients and local communities and supports involvement in shaping strategy on a much larger scale, where the Centre for the New Midlands partnership facilitates.
His focus has always been on employee training & development, producing high performing consultants in technologies, business processes and emotional intelligence. As a result, Kagool provides a differentiating consultancy service to end clients which is currently unrivalled in the enterprise IT sector and is evidenced in the growth story.
Dan has a constant eye on emerging technology trends and invests heavily ensuring Kagool is well positioned as a tech leader when mainstream adoption picks up for example Industry 4.0, Metaverse etc.
Whilst Kagool is focussed on expanding globally, Dan ensures Kagool retains the integration into local connected communities, which is supported through a range of charitable engagements that Kagool is passionate about supporting.
Eleanor Deeley
Eleanor Deeley is Joint Managing Director at the Deeley Group, a Coventry headquartered construction and development firm that has been establishing trust across the Midlands for over 85 years.
Eleanor has over 20 years of experience in the property industry having previously held roles as a Director at CBRE and Partner at Cushman & Wakefield.
She joined Deeley Group in 2019 and has led the business on a new strategy for the growth of the development arm of the business, which focuses on commercial, retail, roadside and mixed use developments.
Deeley Group has delivered nearly 450,000 sq. ft of commercial space over the last seven years - from small starter units to developments of around 100,000 sq. ft and currently has a million sq. ft of commercial space in the pipeline.
Eleanor also leads the business in its target of being Net Zero Carbon by 2036.
Deborah Leary OBE
Deborah is CEO and Founder of Forensic Pathways an international consultancy and technology design company specialising in the development of innovative technologies for the criminal, threat intelligence and reputation/risk management arena. Over the past 22 years Forensic Pathways has been at the forefront of innovation with the Company being successful in a range of innovation funding bids, including Innovate UK Funding in May 2022 for their LEADS-Engine: Linguistically Enabled Analytic Dark Search Engine with academic partners Aston University and prior. Loquitur: Bringing the field of ballistics forensics to DNA-type standards, a Innovate UK funded project with academic partners Huddersfield University. Just two of the successful government backed funded successes.
From crime scene through to digital forensics, ballistics, cyber, online investigation and reputation management, Deborah has been at the forefront of innovation.
Deborah is an international motivational speaker and consultant on entrepreneurship and innovation, international trade and corporate social responsibility. In 2022 she was made a Visiting Professor of Aston University and in addition holds an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University. In 2008 she was presented with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Entrepreneurship and the Community.
Vicki Wilkes
“I am joining the BCWM to represent SMEs, the region has a high number of amazing, but unknown, smaller businesses, if these can be understood, supported and leveraged more effectively this will have a greater impact than just supporting larger businesses, 500 SMEs taking on 1 extra person each is bigger than one business employing an extra 250 people. It is traditionally harder to engage with SMEs as they are often owner / managed, so I am hoping to represent these businesses and our needs.”
With a BEng (hons) in Materials Science and Engineering Vicki’s career has been focussed in and around the world of Materials Testing Technology.
After being made redundant in 2003, Vicki started her own business with her husband, designing, building and maintaining bespoke materials testing machines for customers around the world. This business (Phoenix Materials Testing Ltd) was successfully sold in 2016 after growing to over 25 staff, and Vicki left in 2019.
After an interim adventure setting up a brand-new Live Entertainment Venue in Brierley Hill (Red by Night), in 2021 Vicki and her husband set up a new engineering business, Darvick Ltd where a chance discussion led to them designing, building and operating the hydraulic system for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony adjustable stage.
Darvick is based in Brierley Hill, specialising in developing equipment and services for mechanical testing under extreme environments, supporting R&D of product and materials technology in high value sectors such as Aerospace, Automotive, Pharmaceutical and Nuclear, with a focus on “first in class” testing to support the aerospace sector move towards ultra efficient and zero-carbon emission aircraft technologies.
Vicki is passionate about entrepreneurship, innovation and manufacturing in the Midlands, and the UK manufacturing supply chain as a whole. When she is not working, she is passionate about snowboarding and mountain walking.
Henrietta Brealey
“The level and pace of change that the business community has seen in recent years has been extraordinary. In this context we need a fundamental reset of our understanding of what businesses need to fulfil their growth potential.
“With more change ahead in the form of significant elections, there is an opportunity, and a need, to influence by presenting a strong, clear voice from the region’s businesses.
“I am delighted to be working with talented and influential Commissioners, Advisors and partners to bring their collective knowledge and expertise to this important task.
“I would encourage businesses reading this to get involved and share their perspective on this critical agenda.”
The GBCC exists to Connect, Support & Grow local businesses. It is a mid-sized not for profit business membership and support organisation that has been in business, for business, since 1813. It delivers support and services aimed at helping local firms go global. Henrietta became CEO in 2021 at age 30, making her the youngest CEO in the organisation’s 210 year history. She is a vocal advocate for Greater Birmingham’s businesses, representing Chamber members’ interests through a range of regional and local stakeholder boards and groups.
Prior to becoming CEO, she was Director of Policy & Strategic Relationships leading the GBCC’s research, campaigns and stakeholder engagement activity. She is a governor and honorary fellow of University College Birmingham. She was named Birmingham Live’s Young Business Leader of the Year at their 2022 Business Awards and Young Leader of the Year at Business Desk’s West Midlands Leadership Awards 2023.
Advisory Panel
Professor David Paulson
As Executive Dean of the Business School at University College Birmingham, Dr. David Paulson oversees the departments of Business, Tourism and Hospitality, and Creative Industries. Its 120 academic and professional services staff support 3800 home and international students across a range of apprentice, undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes. Many of those programmes are accredited by the University of Warwick, the university’s strategic partner.
Previously he was Professor of Practice at Queen’s University Belfast, following an earlier career with the US multinational General Electric and as Managing Director of internationally focused SMEs supplying commercial customers. His PhD at Cambridge University, published in 2023 as Family Firms in Postwar Britain and Germany: Competing Approaches to Business, compares the historic performance of West Midlands SMEs and their German Mittelstand counterparts and argues for the importance of supportive ecosystems, particularly in the areas of skills and leadership development.
He looks forward to further developing the range of programmes at University College Birmingham, the Whatuni ‘University of the Year’ in 2022 and winner of the silver award for ‘University of the Year’ in 2023, for all students, including West Midlands business professionals who want to enhance their personal effectiveness and their companies’ competitiveness.
He is therefore particularly excited to participate in the Advisory Panel for the Business Commission West Midlands: “The Business School at University College Birmingham exists to serve the business community of the West Midlands and to educate the next generation of business leaders who will help to grow the region’s productivity and international competitiveness. My engagement with the Advisory Panel will help us to contribute to the development of regional solutions, and in turn to shape our teaching and research to meet the needs of businesses now and in the future.”
Professor Monder Ram
Professor Jun Du
Professor Nigel Driffield
Professor of International Business & Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Regional Engagement at Warwick Business School
Nigel Driffield’s main research interests are economics of international business with a focus on the nexus between firm strategy, such as location decisions, and local responses seeking to influence this in both the home and the host country. He is on several editorial review boards and also works with a number of local and national stakeholders on issues relating to inward investment and economic development.
Raj Kandola
Raj Kandola is the Director of External Affairs at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce tasked with covering the organisation’s research, campaigning, stakeholder engagement and media & communications activity. Specific policy areas of focus include transport & infrastructure, international trade, education and environmental policy. In addition, he is responsible for managing the organisation’s Patronage scheme and the GBCC’s media and news content operations, including external media engagement and production of the organisation’s print and online news material
Prior to joining the Chamber in 2016, Raj worked in Communications for a former Shadow Minister and spent eight years in London recruiting staff across the financial services industry.
Vikki Potts
Vikki is the Interim Director of the Business School and Head of Law at the University of Wolverhampton, Vikki joined Wolverhampton University in 2018 as a Senior lecturer in Employment Law and Human Resource Management. Prior to moving into HE Vikki worked in various roles in banking, the Energy Industry and later worked in Business development in Transport. Her postgraduate studies led her to consulting in Human Resources before moving to Higher Education in 2017.
Her interests are in Employment Law, Conflict Management, Employee Relations and Human Resource Management. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the HEA.
Why has the Business Commission West Midlands been convened?
The West Midlands is an excellent place to start, grow or invest in a business. The West Midlands saw the country’s highest year on year growth in FDI projects between 2022-23 and 2021-22. The region is home to 12 higher education institutions, educating over 150,000 students and producing over 50,000 graduates each year. It is one of the best-connected places in the country by road, rail and air and set to become even more so with the advent of HS2.
However, fundamental issues remain which continue to impact our long-term growth. Regional GVA fell by 4.9% in 2020 and subsequent recovery has been slower than other UK regions. The region's unemployment rate (5.0%) remains the highest of any region in England. Business growth (in terms of scale up capacity) lags behind other regions. In 2021, the West Midlands region reported the highest business death rate (13.0%) in the UK. Businesses in the West Midlands have a five-year survival rate of 34.6% - compared to the UK average of 38.4% in 2021.
We are in a period of great change as the region’s business community navigate the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, digital industrial revolution and transition to net zero against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty. Nationally and regionally our public sector institutions and leaders are also evolving as an enhanced devolution deal is set to come into force in Autumn 2023 and local elections, a WMCA Mayoral Election and General Election are all expected in 2024.
In this context, we believe that the time has come for a fundamental reset in our understanding of what local businesses need to fulfil their growth potential. There is a need, and opportunity to, present a clear voice to local, regional and national government, drive action and meaningfully shift the dial on the region’s business survival and growth outcomes, and with it, economic growth potential.
What is the Business Commission West Midlands?
The Business Commission West Midlands will provide a roadmap for unlocking business growth across the region.
An apolitical body, the Commission is comprised of leaders in enterprise, supported by an expert advisory panel. It will forensically examine the opportunities on the horizon for the region’s business community and the change or action needed to fully seize them.
Led by an independent Chair and panel of private-sector Commissioners drawn from a range of industries, at heart, the Business Commission West Midlands (BCWM) is a mass engagement and research exercise, giving a meaningful voice to the local business community. Delivered by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s Insight & Intelligence Unit, in partnership with the Black Country and Coventry & Warwickshire Chambers of Commerce, the commission will undertake detailed conversations and quantitative research with hundreds of businesses across the region.
The findings from the Commission will be utilised directly influence local, regional and national stakeholders. It will become the basis of the lobbying messages for the coming years, our bedrock for championing positive change to drive commercial opportunities for local businesses. After formal launch, we will revisit the findings of the Commission one year on to review impact and outcomes.
It will focus on the West Midlands Combined Authority area, broadly mirroring the three Local Enterprise Partnership geography.
What will the Business Commission West Midlands deliver?
The Business Commission West Midlands will deliver the following:
- October-November 2023: Evidence hearing sessions with leading businesses from across the West Midlands, supported by written submissions.
- January 2024: Interim Report summarising emerging themes and observations arising from the evidence
- January-February 2024: Additional quantitative and qualitative research
- March 2024: Final report, providing a roadmap for business growth through observations and recommendations for policy change or prioritisation
Alongside a programme of stakeholder engagement. Success will be measured through media coverage, stakeholder meetings and, critically, recommendations adopted. The impact of the Commission will be formally reviewed one year on from launch of the final report.
How can my organisation contribute to the Business Commission West Midlands?
To submit evidence to the Business Commission West Midlands please complete this form. You will be asked to share:
- Company Name
- Company sector
- Company postcode
- Number of Employees
- Company Turnover for the last financial year
- A short summary of your organisation’s growth aspirations and areas you identify as primary opportunities for growth
- A short summary of what changes to the regional or national environment you believe would better facilitate your growth ambitions and any supporting evidence
- The strengths or assets you see in the region that support business growth and any supporting evidence
- Contact email
By submitting your evidence, you accept that your organisation’s name will be included in the appendices to the report outlining the organisations that contributed to the Commission. This will be a generic reference to your organisation name only, we will not attribute any points or comments made to your organisation without your express permission.
Find out more:
To find out more about the Business Commission West Midlands or how your organisation can get involved, please complete the form below: