Press Release

After a six month battle with cancer, Richard Brennan – the former Chief Executive of membership and lobbying organisation Birmingham Forward – passed away on the morning of the 19th July with his wife and daughters by his bedside.

Why You Should Invest in Your City

By Richard Brennan, Chief Executive of Birmingham Forward

It’s an often heard adage that community matters. What many fail to recognise is that this echoes just as strongly in the world of business.  Engaging with your local business community can pay dividends, much in the same way as a local neighbourhood watch keeps burglars at bay and brings a community together.

The Science of a Good Deal

By Sue Lewis: Partner at Eversheds and Chairman of Birmingham Forward

With early signs that the deals market may be improving, I thought that now might be a good opportunity to look at the dynamics of exactly what goes into making a deal happen. As is often the case, especially with more material mergers and acquisitions (M&A), some of the details often go unnoticed, despite their relative importance.

It's Not Just the Figures That Keep a Business Ticking

Are Midlands' cities promoting themselves effectively? Andy Coyne Finds Out

A debate is, if not exactly raging, at least bubbling under about the best way to market the region's cities. It started when Clive Dutton left his role as Birmingham City Council’s planning and regeneration director recently and made some comment about the city having an anonymous identity and criticising what he thought was a marketing-by-committee approach.

Insider Solicited informed predictions about the regional economy in the year ahead. Here are the results...

... Graham Nicoll, Regional Centre Head at Barclays Wealth in Birmingham, said: “I spend a lot of time talking to people with my Birmingham Forward (the professional services lobbying group) hat on and there is a mixed bag of feelings. There is still a lot of nervousness and people are re-evaluating to see whether they have done enough. Professional fees have been slashed and it will be a challenge for firms to rebuild that.

A new director will be joining the board of professional services lobbying group Birmingham Forward following the stepping down of fellow director, Adele McDermott.

Dr. Arpinder Bansi, a Chartered Civil Engineer and Senior Group Manager of Atkins, is appointed as a board director by Birmingham Forward as a replacement for fellow director , Adele McDermott,  who stands down following her retirement from BPE Solicitors. to pursue other options outside Birmingham.

Lobbying and networking organisation, Birmingham Forward, has once again enjoyed a successful year with increases in revenue from membership fees and sponsorship. In its statutory accounts for 2008 being received by members this week ahead of its Annual General Meeting to be held on 31st March 2009, Birmingham Forward records a pre-tax surplus of just under £18,000. 2008 has also seen the organisation's turnover exceed half a million pounds for the first time.

Organisations and businesses eligible to vote for or against establishing a business improvement district (BID) in the area surrounding Colmore Row have given a resounding YES to the proposal. Ballot results released by independent election scrutineers, Electoral Reform Services, reveal that 87.3% of all those who voted were in favour of the BID progressing. For the BID to be successful a majority by rateable value was also required. This was achieved with 90.1 % of the total value of those who voted. (£45,205,250.00)

Professional and Financial Services organisation Birmingham Forward is to launch its 2009 Keynote Lunch programme with a timely event that will explore the current economic climate and what's in store for 2009 and beyond. In a wide ranging speech, guest speaker, Michael Dicks who is Head of Research and Investment Strategy at Barclays Wealth, will be offering his view on the banking system and liquidity, as well as his predictions for the future of the economy.