Cash flow, costs and AI dominate as Chamber award winners gather for roundtable
Cash flow, rising employment costs, AI and the search for talent topped the agenda when winners and sponsors from the 2026 Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Business Awards gathered for an exclusive roundtable.
The session brought together a cross-section of the region’s business community, including overall Greater Birmingham Business of the Year Techcare, family-owned fluid sealing specialists M Barnwell Services, charities Anawim and Birmingham Hospice and tech company B13ai.
Birmingham City University were also represented as headline sponsors of the GBCC Awards.
Among the biggest talking points were access to capital growth – with one business leader describing bootstrapping a firm that took 15 years to reach £1million in turnover, then trebled in 18 months, only to find banks largely uninterested until they passed the £3million mark.
Late payment was another flashpoint. One long-established firm said it puts even its biggest customers on a stop list if they fail to pay within 30 days, while another has moved customers onto 14-day terms with escalating late-payment fees written into contracts.
Rising employer National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage weighed on the room across every sector, including charities.
One business said the National Insurance rise alone had added around £450,000 to its annual bill, with no uplift in its public sector contract to cover it.
AI was hailed as the biggest opportunity in a generation, but no one around the table saw it as a “silver bullet”.
The session was chaired by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce CEO Henrietta Brealey, who said: “The Chamber’s awards are one of the biggest celebrations in the region's business calendar, but they're also just the beginning.
“We continue to connect, champion and support the growth of our award winners long after the day itself, which is why it was such a pleasure to bring winners and sponsors back together for this discussion.
“It gave us the opportunity to share experiences and have honest conversations about the realities of growth, from access to finance and employment costs to skills, visibility and AI.
“Most importantly, the conversations and connections have continued beyond the room.
“From high-growth startups and family businesses to charities changing lives and anchor institutions driving innovation, the group reflected the very best of our business community."
Applications are now being invited for the 2027 Greater Birmingham Business Awards, launched by the Chamber under an innovative new format.
Henrietta Brealey added: “Applications for this year's awards are now open, and I'd encourage businesses to get involved.
“The Greater Birmingham Business Awards are the region's largest and most high-profile awards programme, but the opportunities they create last long after the night itself.”
Pictured: Back row, from left - Darren Barnwell (MS Barnwell Services), Donna Lewis (Anawim), Holly Rackham (Anawim), Henrietta Brealey (GBCC). Front row, from left - Oliver Aleksejuk (Techcare), Lucy Watkins (Birmingham Hospice), Charlotte Bentley (Birmingham Hospice), Heike Schuster-James (Birmingham City University), Amy Bullock (B13)
