Future eBulletin - August 2010

August 2010  Word from the Chair... Hello and welcome to the August e-bulletin and my first as chair of Birmingham Future. We’ve had a great start to the month so far, with a wonderful turn out for the AGM on Tuesday 10 August where those present heard from entrepreneur and online Dragon Julie Meyer, you can read more below.  On Thursday 12 August we also welcomed a packed house to the City Inn where compere’s Chris Brown and Louise Whitehouse hosted an excellent sports quiz and British BBQ (British as it was hosted in the torrential rain).  It was a great evening of sport and networking, even if my team was robbed by some unavoidable foliage in the paper airplane round. On a more serious note, I am proud to take on the role of chair from my predecessor, Amanda Porter.  Amanda has been a wonderful chair of the organisation over the last 12 months, leading Birmingham Future during a time of achievement in a challenging environment.  Successes such as the 10th BYPY, the development of the mentoring schemes, the Graduate Apprentice and the work of the Community Development Committee have all been made possible by her involvement.  I would therefore like to wish Amanda a big thank you and hope she enjoys her well earned holiday this month. For my time in the chair, I hope to build upon the great things that Birmingham Future does, make them better and ensure that we deliver value to all of our members.  With that in mind, I would urge you all to make the most of your membership fee There are many great events and initiatives that we can all benefit from so please take some time to read the monthly newsletters and visit the website.  In this e-bulletin alone we are providing opportunities through BSeen and the BVSC, as well as the half marathon team and committee vacancies on our excellent mentoring team. You will also note in this e-bulletin that my theme for the year is entrepreneurialism – not just in how the professional services sector can help entrepreneurs, but also in how all of us can learn to think more entrepreneurially.  To support this new way of thinking, Birmingham Future will be tailoring our programme of events to support skills development in idea generation, entrepreneurship and wider strategic thinking.  Whether running your own business or working in a wider professional firm, we must all learn to think smarter and look for new revenue streams where we can add further value. I look forward to working with all of you to ensure another successful year of Birmingham Future. Photo: Darren Walker, Chairman Latest News Darren Sets Out Stall for Year of Entreprenurial Spirit On Tuesday 10 August, Darren Walker – associate at Cobbetts – took over as chair of Birmingham Future.   “There is no doubt that the business landscape has changed – economically, geographically and politically,” he said. “But, while there will be challenges, these changes also give us the opportunity to reshape Birmingham and the business community.” He continued: “Within the Birmingham Future membership, we have a host of skills and knowledge which, if directed towards Birmingham’s entrepreneurs and start-up businesses, will contribute to the overall economic growth of our city – supporting the employers of tomorrow, helping to drive the economy out of recession and developing a source of continued business for Birmingham’s quality professional advisors.” “Birmingham Future will be focusing this year on supporting our city’s entrepreneurs with advice, mentoring and business support services.” “We will be working closely with Birmingham Science Park Aston’s Entrepreneurs for the Future (E4f) project and the Birmingham Skills for Enterprise and Employability Network, also known as the BSEEN programme.  By engaging with these projects, we can deliver value for members, for the business and professional services sector and for Birmingham as a whole.” “Birmingham’s success stories will come from this collaborative approach to business growth.” The Birmingham Future AGM also saw Gareth Morgan of Jones Lang LaSalle and chair of the strategy committee take over the role of deputy chair of Birmingham Future. To find out more about this year’s Chair please visit the Birmingham Future Blog to read Darren’s Future Focus interview. Photo: (Left to right), outgoing chairman Amanda Porter, guest speaker Julie Meyer & incoming chairman Darren Walker. "Today, I don't know a single person under the age of 30 who wants to work for someone else" - says Julie Meyer at Future AGM Speaking at the Birmingham Future AGM on Tuesday 10 August, Julie argued: “These under 30 year olds view themselves as their own P&L, their own brand and are initiated into business through programs like Dragon's Den and The Apprentice.” “The rise of the serial entrepreneur, the micro entrepreneur, the young entrepreneur, the portfolio entrepreneur and the lifestyle entrepreneur has been unmissable over the past decade in the UK.” A passionate advocate of entrepreneurialism and supporter of entrepreneurs through her firm Ariadne Capital, Julie took the opportunity to set out her eight steps to building Britain into an ‘Entrepreneur Country’: 1.    Reduce the size of government to reduce the tax burden on SMEs; 2.    Challenge the media to step out of their comfort zone; 3.    Treat the SME as your corner store; 4.    Educate the young to expect success; 5.    Let successful entrepreneurs loose on deep social problems; 6.    Be alive to ecosystem economics; 7.    Small government = strong individuals; 8.    Britain can handle BIG! The full text of Julie’s speech can be found on the Birmingham Future website. Photo: Julie Meyer speaking at the Birmingham Future AGM Developing Skills in the Community: BSEEN & BVSC BSEEN is funded by Birmingham City Council through Be Birmingham and is delivered in partnership with Aston University, Birmingham City University and the University of Birmingham.   The programme offers graduates a diverse package of funding, support, training, mentoring and career guidance as they look to set up their own businesses.  Over the coming year, Birmingham Future will be working with BSEEN to provide some of that support and guidance. Additionally, and in partnership with BVSC, the Centre for Voluntary Action and CSR network Thrive, we will be growing the ‘Become Richer, Work for Nothing’ campaign.  This programme allows professionals the opportunity to develop new skills and gain rich experiences through volunteering as directors or trustees of community and voluntary enterprises.   Through ‘Become Richer, Work for Nothing’, our members will be given the ongoing training and support to ensure their placement is successful.  The leadership skills and experience of influencing an organisation through holding these strategic positions will provide members with the attributes to go to become the managing partners and chief executives of Birmingham’s future.   Opportunities to get involved can be found on the Birmingham Future website.   One Mile, Two World Class Organisations and an Opportunity to Really Make a Difference The University of Birmingham Sport and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity present a unique evening of enjoyment, fitness, teamwork and camaraderie. Join us for this years Corporate Relay Challenge at Cannon Hill Park and help raise funds for military patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and University sports scholarships. Whatever your age, fitness level or running ability you can enter the Corporate Relay Challenge. Run with a team of friends, sports club, family or part of a corporate team to test teamwork, have fun and boost morale. You do the running – we provide the great team spirit and an evening to remember. You can register your team on the University of Birmingham website. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is the first place in the UK that wounded military patients come back to. Medical advances mean that many more soldiers that would previously have died are now surviving thanks to the world class medical treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Money raised by your efforts will help the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity develop facilities not normally found in a hospital. Small private areas, each one helping military patients and their families during different stages of their difficult journey together. Recreation rooms will enable military patients to leave the ward and relax with their families, friends and fellow soldiers in a ‘home from home’ environment, kitted out with DVD players, PCs, Wi-Fi, pool tables, TVs and the like. We will also be fundraising for The University of Birmingham Sport scholarship scheme. The scheme was established in 1994 with the aim of assisting talented student athletes reach their sporting potential. Since its beginning, the programme has supported over 300 individual athletes from over 25 different sports. With London 2012 just around the corner it is extremely important that we support our athletes. With limited funding, fundraising events such as this are crucial to the continued development of the programme and enable us to offer more scholarships to support the sports stars of the future.   Getting Involved Birmingham Half Marathon 24th October - Details of the '12 for 12' Fund By Paul Fielding - Community Development Committee Following an intense period of badgering we have managed to increase the size of this years team up to an impressive 20 people, which is more than double last years figure. The team (so far) is made up of the following individuals: Paul Fielding (Team Captain) – Brewin Dolphin; Madeleine Edge – Oval Insurance Broking; Stuart Humphries – Personal Trainer (based in Hotel Du Vin); Nicola Fleet-Milne – Fleet Milne; Mark Scandrett – Fleet Milne; Lovana Richards – Fleet Milne; Gemma Darbyshire – Fleet Milne; Matt Taylor – Headline Communications; Gareth Poole – Turner & Townsend; Jason Norris – Deloitte; Adam Colley – Oval Insurance Broking; Peter Meckiff – Brewin Dolphin; Richard Price – Birmingham Future 2010/11 Graduate Apprentice; Ian Burrows – Brewin Dolphin; Rebecca Walker – Deloitte; Martina Fajksova – Hyatt Regency; Claire Greenwood – Mailbox; and Jason Hewitt – Brewin Dolphin. Russell Porter – 3PB Barristers Damian Johnson – Deutsche Bank   As a result of this increase in runners we are aiming to at least double the amount raised last year through both individual and corporate sponsorship of the team. All monies raised this year by the Birmingham Future Half Marathon team will go directly to the “12 for 12” fund. This is a unique fund set up by local athletics club Birchfield Harriers and all monies are being used to help fund the training of 12 local young athletes in their bid to gain a place in the UK ‘London’ Olympics team in 2012. Further information about “12 for 12” including the biographies of the athletes we are hoping to support can be found by visiting the "12 for 12" website. If you are interested in joining the team or sponsoring the team as an individual or a corporate please feel free to contact me via email. Community Development Opportunity of the Month - Birmingham St. Mary's Hospice Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice provides care for over 1,000 people each year suffering from life-limiting illnesses such as cancer, motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis. They are looking for a volunteer project manager to work with them on their £300,000 refurbishment appeal.  Although, the residential area of the hospice has recently been refurbished, the day hospice is beginning to look a little worn.  The role will involve managing and promoting, with the full support of the BSMH team, at least four high-profile events including a celebrity evening, luncheon, dinner and May Ball. To find out more about this, and many other opportunities, please visit the Birmingham Future website – community pages or email the Community Development Committee. An Exciting Opportunity to be a Part of Birmingham Future's Mentoring Committee Have you been a member of Birmingham Future for a while and thought about getting more involved?  If you would like to join a team of passionate, energetic and dynamic individuals who co-ordinate mentoring opportunities on behalf of the Birmingham Future and the city then you might be in luck... Birmingham Future’s mentoring committee is now recruiting for three new members to join the successful team which is chaired by James Richards of Mills & Reeve LLP. The Birmingham Future Mentoring Scheme launched in 2002 and helps match mentors and mentees from Birmingham's professional community into mutually beneficial relationships. The Committee works closely with Birmingham City University on a downward mentoring scheme with the university's undergraduates. The committee are now working towards accreditation by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation whilst pursuing other mentoring opportunities in the city. The new members would have key responsibilities to help the committee drive forward with these new opportunities. James is joined by Kate Onions, HBJ Gateley Wareing; Richard Hadley, Deloitte; Andrew Bass, Bass Clusker Consulting; Melissa Leong, CW Corporate Communications and Matthew Broomhead CU4 Coaching. To find out more about the committee and how you can become involved, please get in touch with James Richards.   Volunteer Spotlight This month’s Volunteer Spotlight features Hilary Allen of Davis Langdon LLP. Please go to the Birmingham Future website to find out what prompted Hilary to get involved in volunteering, who has been her biggest inspiration and lots more. Photo: Hilary Allen  Forthcoming Events For details of all our forthcoming events please have a look at the Birmingham Future Website. Birmingham Future Event - City Sculpture Hunt Thursday 9th September - starting within City Centre near Victoria Square, ending in Brindleyplace. How often, when you walk through the City Centre either on your way to or from work or during your lunch hour do you stop and appreciate the sculpture on display?  Did you know that Birmingham spends more money per head on sculpture than any other town or City in the UK?  The works within the centre of Birmingham reflect the City's heritage and civic pride and new additions are continually being added. Much of the older sculpture in Birmingham relates to the history of settlement in Birmingham, whilst more recent sculpture explores peoples attitude to living in a multi cultural city.  Could you, for example, identify which iconic landmark in the city draws upon the Indian tradition of worshiping the river Ganges as a goddess because of its life giving properties, but by contrast also represents a Western European tradition of passive female nudes in painting and sculpture.   Do you appreciate the role of Birmingham in key historic developments? For example could you name the Birmingham location from which Tory MP Enoch Powell delivered his controversial speech "Rivers of Blood"? Or could you name the Birmingham location from which Mary Whitehouse delivered her famous "clean up TV" speech which resulted in the setting up of Ofcom?  Birmingham Future's diversity committee invites you to attend the City Sculpture Hunt on 9 September 2010; spend the early evening walking around the central parts of the City, answering questions and learning about the sculptures (with a refreshment break in one of the local pubs and collection of the next set of questions).  The evening will conclude with food and drinks where further questions will be posed and the wining team will be crowned both for the quickest time and the highest score.   Culture Club Don’t forget there are lots of exciting discounts that can be redeemed across the city and beyond by using your Culture Club card! If you are a Birmingham Future member then you will be eligible for a Culture Club card. For more information about the Club or to find out how to join please contact the Birmingham Future office on 0121 632 2200 or visit the Birmingham Future website.
2010 sponsors of BYPY   Joint Sponsors of BYPY
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