The Good Business Forum

Johnny Shah

Head of Your Trust Charity, SWBH Trust

Johnny will be sharing the community, social and health impact of the brand-new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, which is set to open its doors later this year. Johnny has worked almost entirely within the charity sector for 20 years, beginning as a volunteer for a regional blind charity, before undertaking fundraising and senior business development roles with charities supporting young people, reducing domestic abuse and homelessness, and providing charity financial services.

Since becoming Head of the Trust Charity at Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS in June 2016, total charity income has quadrupled, and the team has been nominated for Not-For-Profit Finance Team of the Year, and Outstanding Charity of the Year. Johnny was founding chair of the West Midlands members group of NHS Charities Together and currently co-chairs their Finance & Governance members group.

He is also an Independent Director at University Hospitals Birmingham CIC, and a qualified executive coach.

Tom Proverbs-Garbett

Associate Director, ESG, RSM

Tom will be exploring “what should you board be asking you about ESG?”. He is a fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute (formerly ICSA), whose consultancy practice focusses on corporate governance matters and issues surrounding directors' duties.

Previously a lawyer at a top-20 law firm, Tom led its UK governance and company secretarial function. He works closely with our clients on their governance needs, including in the context of wider ESG matters. He provides training for boards and individual directors and their executive reports. Tom also publishes regularly on governance matters. He is a chartered manager and holds an MBA.

Ruth Power

Director of People & Culture, Birmingham Hippodrome

Ruth will be sharing a case study of Birmingham Hippodrome’s approach to attracting, retaining & developing talent as winners of the Excellence in Inclusive People Development award at the 2024 GBCC Awards.

Ruth is a Human Resources specialist with over a decade of experience working across charities and education covering all aspects of the people profession. She is currently Director of People & Culture at Birmingham Hippodrome, where she leads on the vision and strategic direction to drive organisational culture, people development and employee engagement. Since joining in 2022, she has developed the organisation’s first People Strategy to transform the development of the Hippodrome’s teams whilst ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion are central to all decision making.

Ruth is a committee member of the Women In Leadership Network powered by TAG Network West Midlands and is working with inspiring leaders across the region to support and uplift women in the workplace. Birmingham Hippodrome was a MBCC Awards finalist for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion and recently received the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce award for Excellence in People Development. Ruth holds strong values in equity and is a firm believer that people are what make an organisation and are a company’s most important asset.

Giles Knox

Managing Director, Firmin & Sons Ltd

Giles Knox is the Managing Director of Firmin and Sons, which as part of the Kashket Group of Companies supplies military and civic regalia and uniforms to forty-two countries worldwide. Passionately devoted to promoting and improving British manufacturing he has worked in UK industry for twenty years in County Durham and Birmingham. At Firmin and Sons since 2018 he has had a special brief to maintain its centuries-old tradition of fine manufacture whilst blending it with the best of the new to create a globally competitive company manufacturing in the heart of Birmingham.