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Chamber Podcast

The official podcast of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, getting to the heart of key topics affecting West Midlands businesses.
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Episodes

33: Birmingham Economic Review 2018: Business environment

Our mini-series covering themes arising from the Birmingham Economic Review 2018 continues with a discussion on the business environment. Former Birmingham Chamber president Steve Brittan of BSA Technologies joins Dan Harrison and Emily Stubbs to discuss the region's rich manufacturing history - and what the future holds for this vitally important sector.

Oct 27, 201812 min

32: Birmingham Economic Review 2018: People

Part two of a mini-series covering themes arising from the Birmingham Economic Review 2018 is a discussion on people. University of Birmingham's Professor Anne Green and Asian Business Chamber of Commerce vice president Haseena Lockhart join Dan Harrison and Emily Stubbs from the Chamber to discuss how the region can unlock the full potential of its people and ensure its diversity is reflected in senior leadership.

Oct 19, 201812 min

31: Birmingham Economic Review 2018: Ideas

Part one of a mini-series covering themes arising from the Birmingham Economic Review 2018 is a discussion on ideas. University of Birmingham's Professor Simon Collinson and Curium's Andy Dawson join Dan Harrison and Emily Stubbs from the Chamber to talk about innovation, R&D, artificial intelligence and the role of universities.

Oct 14, 201814 min

30: Mental health in the workplace

To mark World Mental Health Day, Lisa Ingram from Amey and Colin Corrodus from Deutsche Bank join the Chamber's Dan Harrison to discuss work that is being done to address mental health issues in the workplace and the challenges that lie ahead.

Oct 09, 201813 min

29: Impact of HS2's skills strategy

Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner is joined by HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston and LMJV project director Richard Kirkham to discuss the HS2 skills strategy and its impact on the region.

Oct 04, 201818 min

28: Saqib Bhatti, Chamber president

Saqib Bhatti, the new president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, joins chief executive Paul Faulkner and press and PR director John Lamb to discuss his two-year term in the hotseat.

Sep 29, 201815 min

27: Invest to Grow - Technology and machinery

Innovation Birmingham Campus CEO David Hardman, Jim Allen of energy equipment suppliers SIGinside and the Chamber’s director of policy Henrietta Brealey discuss investment in technology and machinery in Greater Birmingham as part of the Invest to Grow campaign.

Sep 09, 201822 min

26: Invest to Grow - Innovation, research & development

Professor Simon Collinson from the University of Birmingham, Nic Young from the NEC Group and the Chamber's director of policy Henrietta Brealey discuss innovation, research and development in Greater Birmingham as part of the Invest to Grow campaign.

Sep 08, 201819 min

25: Wesleyan on Curse of the Nomed book

Dan Harrison is joined by Wesleyan's Jessica Wilkes-Reading to discuss 'Curse of the Nomed' - a new children's book produced by Wesleyan in conjunction with the charity Partnership for Children. The novel addresses the subject of youth mental health and was written to help children who are about to start secondary school.

Aug 29, 20189 min

24: Understanding business rates

Hilary Witts from Colliers International and the Chamber's Raj Kandola discuss controversial changes to the business rates system and what they mean for local firms.

Aug 20, 201814 min

23: Smart cities

How can Birmingham become more efficient, sustainable and create a better quality of life through data and new technologies? Arup's Rick Robinson and Aston University's Sarah Hainsworth join Chamber press & PR executive Dan Harrison to discuss.

Jul 24, 201814 min

22: Wesleyan investment chief on global economic trends

Trump's tariffs, Brexit uncertainty and a deterioration in relations between the US and China have made for a volatile global landscape. But what effect are these factors having on investment decisions? Wesleyan's investments managing director Robert Vaudry joins Chamber CEO Paul Faulkner to discuss the impact on Greater Birmingham.

Jul 16, 201816 min

21: Rob Pollard, Lightbox

Rob Pollard, founder and CEO of Lightbox, joins us to discuss the success of his fast-growing digital firm and the future of Birmingham's thriving tech and digital scene.

Jul 11, 201812 min

20: NHS at 70

As the 70th anniversary of the NHS is celebrated nationally, our special guests give us an insight into healthcare in the West Midlands and what the future holds for the health service. Dr Fiona Reynolds, chief medical officer at Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Richard Samuda, chairman of Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust join us.

Jul 04, 201818 min

19: Transatlantic conference special

Dan Harrison presents a special transatlantic trade episode from the British American Business Council (BABC) conference in Birmingham. We hear from West Midlands mayor Andy Street, Midlands Engine chair Sir John Peace, executive director of BritishAmerican Business Emanuel Adam and the Department for International Trade's capability director Oliver Griffiths.

Jun 08, 201814 min

18: Brexit - A transatlantic view

Joe Brusuelas, chief economist from RSM in the United States, joins Henrietta Brealey and Dan Harrison to provide a transatlantic perspective on Brexit - and discuss what a future UK-USA trade deal might look like. Joe was speaking ahead of his appearance at the British American Business Council conference in Birmingham.

Jun 06, 201812 min

17: Growth Through People 2018 - The findings

South & City College principal Mike Hopkins joins the Chamber's director of policy and strategic relationships Henrietta Brealey and press & PR executive Dan Harrison to discuss the findings from our 2018 Growth Through People Campaign. The month-long campaign produced some interesting statistics around the impact of investment in leadership and management skills on productivity.

Jun 05, 201814 min

16: Keith Stokes-Smith, Commonwealth Chamber

Keith Stokes-Smith, president of the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce, talks to Dan Harrison about the region's relationship with the Commonwealth. Keith also discusses representing Birmingham at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London and being part of the second city's delegation at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

May 15, 201812 min

15: Sports talk with BBC veteran Pat Murphy

Veteran sports broadcaster Pat Murphy joins Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner and press & PR executive Dan Harrison to discuss the fortunes of the region's teams and to share some anecdotes from his long career as a football and cricket correspondent with BBC Sport.

Apr 24, 201829 min

14: Doug Wright, McDonald's franchisee

The man known as 'Mr McDonald's', Doug Wright, talks to Dan Harrison about his remarkable journey from McDonald's employee to award-winning franchisee. Doug discusses climbing the ladder within the McDonald's empire, his work with the Ronald McDonald House charity, his company's commitment to equality and diversity and the £11m refurbishment programme across his 17 restaurants.

Apr 06, 201824 min

13: Phil Innes, Loki Wine

Dan Harrison catches up with Loki Wine founder Phil Innes. Phil talks about the rise in popularity of Loki's flagship city centre venue, the opening of the second site in Edgbaston and tasting success at the 2017 Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce awards.

Mar 27, 201817 min

12: Episode 12: Unlocking potential

Anita Bhalla, chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Leadership Commission, and Andrew Marcinko, PHD candidate at Aston Business School, provide a fascinating insight into unlocking potential in business, as well as offering thoughts on diversity, inclusion and tackling unconscious bias. They join Dan Harrison and Henrietta Brealey for the discussion, which forms part of the Chamber’s Growth Through People Campaign.

Mar 22, 201815 min

11: Episode 11: Attracting and retaining talent

Aston University's Mark Smith, Jane Jarvis from the NEC Group and Patrick Woodman of the Chartered Management Institute join us to discuss attracting and retaining talent, as part of the Greater Birmingham Chamber's of Commerce's Growth Through People campaign.

Mar 09, 201816 min

10: Episode 10: Understanding apprenticeship reforms

To mark National Apprenticeship Week, Mark Smith from Aston University and Chamber patron & policy advisor Emily Stubbs discuss ongoing apprenticeship reforms, the Apprenticeship Levy and the importance of collaboration between business and education.

Mar 07, 201810 min

9: Episode 9: Responsible leadership

To coincide with the launch of the Chamber's Growth Through People campaign, Professor Ian Thomson from the Lloyds Banking Group Centre for Responsible Business and Deutsche Bank's Paul Anderson join Henrietta Brealey and Dan Harrison to discuss responsible leadership in business. Responsible Leadership is the theme of the first week of Growth Through People 2018.

Mar 01, 201813 min

8: Counting the cost of late payment

Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber president James Blackman and Burton & District Chamber president Simon Chapman join us to discuss the impact late payment has on small and medium-sized businesses. James tells us about a pledge launched by the Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce that encourages businesses to pay their suppliers in 30 days.

Feb 22, 201813 min

7: Episode 7: In Conversation - Tim Pile, GBSLEP chair

Tim Pile, the new chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), joins us to discuss driving economic growth and tackling some of the challenges facing the region.

Feb 15, 20189 min

6: Episode 6: Investment in innovation

RSM tax partner Nick Blundell and Iron Oxide Design's Andy Smythe join Henrietta Brealey and Dan Harrison to discuss innovation in Greater Birmingham - and why businesses are missing out on a range of incentives and tax credits.

Feb 09, 201812 min

5: Episode 5: Diversity in business

Why should diversity matter to business? Asian Business Chamber of Commerce director Anjum Khan, GBCC's director of policy Henrietta Brealey and chief financial officer Helen Bates join us to discuss the topic. We also examine what the Chambers are doing to move the diversity agenda forward.

Feb 01, 201813 min

4: Episode 4: Channel 4 - What are you waiting for?

In this episode, we state the case to bring Channel 4 to the West Midlands. Mayor Andy Street’s campaign to relocate the broadcaster to the region has been gathering momentum over the past few weeks. Chamber president Paul Kehoe and chief executive Paul Faulkner say the West Midlands would be the perfect home for Channel 4. They are joined by press & PR director John Lamb and press & PR executive Dan Harrison to discuss the implications of a potential move.

Jan 23, 201810 min
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