Global tech firm becomes newest Chamber patron
A global technology company which has a strong programme of CSR activity and long-term support for getting unemployed people into work have joined Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) as patrons.
Intercity Technology, based at Holloway Head in Birmingham, have over 35 years ' experience delivering a “people-first ” approach to define and launch technology solutions with the skills and expertise to future-proof a organisations.
Since 1985, Intercity have been giving advice and providing technology-enabled solutions to over 4,000 international customers, including well-known public and private businesses.
Their internal policies are also far-reaching, including that in the past 12 months they have created two additional “bank holidays ” for colleagues to reward them for company results and extra hard work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As well as several socially-distanced events raising money for MIND, with some colleagues taking part in Miles for MIND, Intercity also have plans to again raise money for the Macmillan cancer research charity.
They also ran a “darkness into light ” walk where colleagues started walking in the dark into the sunrise while connected over VC to symbolise that people going through dark times can have hope for a brighter future.
Their other work includes creating six Kickstart placements to support people at risk of long-term unemployment back into work.
The firm currently have seven apprentices because they strongly believe in giving development opportunities and enhancing the skills of young people.
They also have a work experience programme with Ahead Partnership.
Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of the GBCC, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our partnership with this homegrown success story.
“Intercity Technology 's commitment to professional excellence, while making a positive impact on their people and the city-region, aligns perfectly with our ethos at the Chamber.
“We look forward to working with them to help achieve their ambitions as a GBCC patron. ”
Charlie Blakemore (pictured), Intercity 's group managing director, said: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
“We are a family-owned business that was established in Birmingham over 35 years ago. Our headquarters in Birmingham employs over 150 colleagues including our latest intake of apprentices and graduates.
“We are the ideal technology partner to enable organisations to flourish securely in the new age of working from anywhere and we proudly do this for some of the region 's top businesses.
“With our sector-leading customer service and technical expertise, we want to extend our local presence in the West Midlands and continue to deliver our very competitive suite of IT services including communications, managed services, cloud and security solutions to the region. ”
The company was founded in 1985 by Alan Jackson as an independent service provider at the dawn of mobile technology in the UK.
Intercity was one of the first Vodafone partners and was licenced by Cellnet (O2).
In 1994 they expanded operations to have the first mobile licence in the Netherlands and seven years later introduced fixed landlines.
In 2007 the first cloud services were introduced and they had offices located in Birmingham, Manchester and London.
In 2010 the business was rebranded as Intercity Telecom Ltd, facilitating a shift from a mobile focused business to a unified communications provider.
They became the first and only independent telecom service provider in 2014 to be awarded the Service Mark Accreditation from the Institute of Customer Service, putting Intercity on a level with prestigious brands like Waitrose, John Lewis, and Marks and Spencer for their focus on world-class service to clients.
Intercity acquired Gage Networks in 2015 to add depth to its service offering as leading cloud communication specialists.
All Gage Network staff including senior management were retained post-acquisition and in the same year were awarded ICS Engagement Strategy of the Year at the Institute of Customer Service UK Customer Satisfaction Awards, beating large brands such as Marks and Spencer and Carillion.
Intercity also acquired the highly-accredited IT service provider Imerja in 2015. This enhanced its complex and secure communications and IT services and provided access to public sector frameworks to customers.
The business expanded to Birmingham, Bolton, London, Elstree, Oakham and Amsterdam.
After re-branding as Intercity Technology to shift from a telecoms-focused business to holistic technology services, the company launched portal to provide customers with e-billing and self-service capabilities.
In 2017, Intercity were appointed as the sole supplier of managed LAN services into the Virgin Media Business product portfolio.