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

Birmingham Development Company (BDC) is set to sponsor Birmingham Young Professional of the Year’s 10th anniversary awards ceremony.

BDC, the current employer of 2008 Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) winner Anthony McCourt, has replaced law firm Cobbetts, which supported the event for two years running, as main sponsor.

Birmingham Future is hoping to find the city’s most exceptional young professional yet as nominations open for the tenth Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY).
 
BYPY was launched in 2001 as Birmingham Future’s flagship awards ceremony and many of its past winners, including Gary Taylor, Victoria Garrad and Chris Robertson, have gone on to enjoy high profile careers in the city.
 

The Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) committee hosted its annual Winners’ Dinner at the Hyatt on Bridge Street for 2009’s crop of successful candidates.
 
Last year’s winning entrants enjoyed an informal drinks reception within the plush setting of the Hyatt’s Pravda bar before adjourning to a private dinner with Birmingham Future chairwoman, Amanda Porter.

During dinner they discussed last year’s event and shared their ideas for BYPY’s 10th anniversary in May 2010.

The team organising Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) has recruited two new members to help plan next year’s tenth anniversary event, one of whom is a former BYPY winner.

Ollie Purdom of Pitch Consultants, who won the BYPY Recruitment and Training category this year, and Hannah Johnson of Willoughby Public Relations, have both joined the committee.

Birmingham Future will be inviting its members to debate the city’s capability to weather the storm caused by the current economic climate in the first of a series of Open Forum Debates for 2009 The event will take place at Bevan Brittan at Interchange Place in Edmund Street, Birmingham on Thursday 28th May commencing at 6.30pm. Representatives of the political, academic and business and media world will be part of the panel assembled by Birmingham Future’s Debates Committee.

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)