First speaker announced for Quarterly Business Report briefing

Catherine Hadfield (pictured), Principal Place Development Lead at Connected Places Catapult, will be joining the panel at the upcoming Q1 Quarterly Business Report launch event on the theme of innovation in Greater Birmingham.

The event is organised by the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC). It will take place on Tuesday, 23 April from 9 to 11 am at Birmingham City University.

Catherine is an innovation, economic development and public policy professional. She is the Connected Places Catapult regional lead for the West Midlands, heading up the multi-million-pound DIATOMIC programme, part of the West Midlands Combined Authority Innovation Accelerator programme.

Catherine's knowledge spans a number of sectors including curating innovation ecosystems, economic development, public policy, public affairs, infrastructure, master planning and strategic advisory. She appeared on the Northern Power Women Future List in 2023.

The QBR offers an up-to-date snapshot of the performance of the Greater Birmingham business community. As the flagship economic publication of the GBCC, it is the most comprehensive regular report of its kind in the city-region.

Underpinning the report is data gathered from quarterly surveys completed by businesses from across the Greater Birmingham area.

GBCC have been committed to keep business moving by helping to connect, support and grow local businesses in Greater Birmingham throughout this uncertain time, and the intelligence gained from the QBR surveys is invaluable to meet this aim.

After a review of the latest GBCC Quarterly Business Report results, this event will explore the theme of innovation in Greater Birmingham. A second keynote speaker will be announced soon.

GBCC Senior Policy and Projects Manager Emily Stubbs said: “We are delighted that Catherine is joining us as a keynote speaker for our upcoming Quarterly Business Report launch event.

“As a Chamber of Commerce, we are passionate about promoting innovation within the Greater Birmingham business community. We look forward to hearing about Connected Places Catapult’s work to provide share cutting-edge research and provide “innovation as a service” to support public and private bodies in improving the way people live, work and travel”.

To find out more about the event and to book your place, please click here.