Future eBulletin - April 2010

 April 2010

Tickets for BYPY’s 10th anniversary are selling quickly and the committee behind the event is hoping that there will be more guests there than ever before. The organisers are encouraging anyone who wishes to attend to book their place as soon as possible and have promised that this year’s awards ceremony will be more lavish than ever.

Darren Walker, chairman of the BYPY committee and associate in the corporate team at Cobbetts, said:

“We’re thrilled with our ticket sales so far, particularly as it is BYPY’s 10th anniversary and we’re determined to have more people at the event than ever before to enjoy what will be the most spectacular BYPY to date.

“There are still some tickets remaining and we hope that those who haven’t yet bought theirs will join us in celebrating ten years of rewarding the region’s most talented young professionals.

“BYPY is always a fun event and a great networking opportunity. This year it should be bigger and better than ever before, with Suzi Perry from Five’s the Gadget Show compering and luxury goody bags from Brindleyplace for every guest.

“It will be a night to celebrate the fantastic achievements of Birmingham’s young professionals and to show how far the city has come in the past ten years”.

The 18 BYPY finalists will battle it out on Thursday 27 May at the ICC, competing in the Communications, Financial Services, Legal, Recruitment and Training, Property and Construction, and Entrepreneurial categories. This year’s overall BYPY winner will be chosen from the winners of each of the six categories. The Inspiring Leader award, which recognises individuals who have inspired and mentored the city’s young professionals over the years, will also be presented on the night.

Tickets for BYPY are on sale priced £850 + VAT per table (or £85 + VAT per person for single tickets). To reserve your place please contact Claire Hawkins at the Birmingham Future office on 0121 632 2204 or via email claire@birminghamforward.co.uk.

Eighteen of the city’s top young professionals are locked in a fierce battle to become the tenth Birmingham Young Professional of Year.

A panel of judges, chaired by Michelin starred chef Glynn Purnell, has interviewed three finalists for each of the six categories, which include Communications, Financial, Legal, Recruitment and Training, Property and Construction, and Entrepreneurial.

The 18 candidates endured a tough grilling from the panel, which also included Alun Thorne, editor of the Birmingham Post, Paul Thandi, chief executive of the NEC group, last year’s BYPY winner Suzie Branch of BHMG, Trevor Foster of Lockton, Birmingham Forward chairman Sue Lewis of Eversheds and Birmingham Future chairman, Amanda Porter of Mills & Reeve.

The short listed candidates include creative brains Mark Scourse of Birmingham International Airport, second time finalist Rob Langley-Swain of the NEC Group and Katie Banks from the Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham in the Communications category.

In the Financial Services category Heather Griffin of Yorkshire Bank, Simon O’Neill of Ernst & Young and David Neale of JNJ Financial Management have made it through to the final stages of the competition.

Ruth Creed of Mills & Reeve, Matthew Heaton of Pinsent Masons and Lisa Clark of HBJ Gateley Wareing are the contenders for the Legal category, while Joel Graham-Blake of Cultiv8 Solutions, Kaye Thumpston of eNL Legal Recruitment and Kam Vara of Katie Bard are going head to head in the Recruitment and Training sector.

Paul Daulton of MACE Group, Damien Byrne of MCD Developments and Gareth Poole of Turner & Townsend will fight it out in the Property and Construction category, and Chris Unitt of Meshed Media will take on James Villarreal of Glide Utilities and Tim Nutbeam of Moo Moo Youth Marketing in the Entrepreneurial category.

For further information please go to the Birmingham Future Blog.

Photo: The BYPY judging panel deliberates after an interview with one of the finalists.

There is a new Community Development section on the Birmingham Future website. Getting out there and getting involved has never been easier for Birmingham Future’s members.

Our Community Development Committee has established links with local charities and organisations to identify and promote strategic and practical opportunities for our members to volunteer and fundraise for the benefit of the wider Birmingham community. All the voluntary opportunities we signpost are suited to young professionals and provide scope for professional development and networking as well as having a tangible and significant impact on the beneficiaries in the local community. So if you are looking to give something back and for a fantastic way to boost your CV, check out the opportunities board.

The board is regularly updated. However, if you cannot find what you are looking for on there then please contact a member of the Community Development Committee and they will be able to help you find the opportunity that is right for you.

We’re delighted to announce that Aston Business School have offered Birmingham Future members a reduction in fees for the part time MBA course.  The MBA programme, ranked 1st in the UK for career progression by the Financial Times in January, will be reduced by 5% - a saving of over £800.  This offer is for all Future members wishing to undertake the part time course, starting in October 2010, January 2011 and April 2011.  For more information about the course visit the Aston Business School website.

This month’s Volunteer Spotlight features Chloe Edwards an employment solicitor at Bevan Brittan LLP. Please go to the Birmingham Future Blog to find out what prompted Chloe to get involved in volunteering and who has been her biggest inspiration.

Photo: Chloe Edwards

For details of all our forthcoming events please visit the Birmingham Future website.

Monday 10 May  - New Members’ Lunch:  Barclays Wealth, 1 Colmore Square.

Tuesday 11 May - Meet and Mix Lunch.

Monday 17 May  - Personal Skills Development Workshop: The Physiology of Leadership, Aston Business School, Aston University, Aston Triangle.

Thursday 27 May - Birmingham Young Professional of the Year (BYPY) 2010
The ICC, Broad Street. 

On 10 February, Birmingham Future’s City Centre Committee held their highly anticipated Bank of England event at Brewin Dolphin. Deputy Agent Stuart Kelly gave Future members the Bank’s view on the current state of the UK’s economy. If you were not able to attend this event then have a look at Stuart’s 10 question Future Focus interview.

Birmingham is already well-known for its exciting and diverse cultural offering; after all, we are up for UK City of Culture. This month is no exception, as Monday 19th April saw the start of the second International Dance Festival Birmingham (“IDFB”).

The festival will see over 70 performances take place across the region from 19 April – 15 May, with over 25 companies representing 20 countries from around the world.

This year’s festival literally has something for everyone; from ballet and flamenco to contemporary and jazz. There are a number of world premieres and exclusive performances, as well as some public participation events encouraging the city to get on its dancing shoes.

IDFB 2010 is a great example of why Birmingham should win the UK City of Culture, something that would massively benefit us all and prove how great the city is. It also a way for people working in the city to meet new people and experience new things. This year’s corporate sponsor is Brewin Dolphin proving that the professional section is more than aware of how important the city’s culture is.

So, there’s no excuse really, check out www.idfb.co.uk and see if anything takes your fancy. For Tara’s IDFB recommendations and to leave your own comments about the festival go to the Future blog. 

Britain’s most successful female musical export’s first arena tour calls at Birmingham's LG Arena on Tuesday June 8th and we have negotiated a limited number of tickets at an extremely good deal!

Just £20 and £30 pet ticket including booking fee, depending on where you choose to sit! (£18.50+b.fee / £27.50+b.fee).

To book tickets at this rate visit the ticket factory website and quote promo code: BFDISC

This deal is exclusive to Birmingham Future’s Culture Club and there are only a limited number of seats available at this price.

Don’t forget there are lots of other exciting discounts that can be redeemed across the city and beyond by using your 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.