CNM Spring Reception (Wednesday 15th March, 5.30pm - 8.30pm)
:
Location:
IET, Austin Court, 80 Cambridge Street, Birmingham, B1 2NP
About:
This invitation only event will provide a regional perspective on what the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget (due to be presented to Parliament earlier that day) means for the West Midlands; its people and its organisations.
This event will feature a panel discussion with leaders from across the West Midlands sharing their insights into the key talking points of the Budget and putting a spotlight on ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of one of the most important days of the political calendar. We are expecting 80-100 people from across the West Midlands to join us for this special occasion which is our first ‘big’ partner event of 2023.
This event is for members of our Reimagining the Region network and has been generously sponsored by Unity Trust Bank and Eastern Holding.
OUR PANEL:
Louise Bennett OBE DL (Chair) - President of Warwickshire College Group and Deputy Lieutenant, West Midlands
Louise Bennett OBE DL is the President of Warwickshire College Group, a group of colleges that, combined, make up one of the largest further and higher education colleges in the UK and one which was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its work in engineering.
Louise is a member of the Council of the High Sheriffs’ Association of England & Wales and held the office of the High Sheriff of the County of the West Midlands in 2021. Louise is a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, working to support the West Midlands' Lord Lieutenant. Louise seeks to focus some of her DL work on promoting the Kings Awards in Enterprise.
Louise was the Chief Executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, a post held from February 2003 to December 2022, and previously a Director of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.
Her career has spanned both the private and public sectors including the NHS and retail. She has also undertaken lecturing on Masters in Business Administration and has run her own small business.
In 2007, Louise was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list for her services to business.
Dr Andy Palmer CMG - former CEO of Aston Martin & Chief Operating Officer, Nissan
Dr Andy Palmer CMG is the former Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin and Chief Operating Officer at Nissan. At Aston Martin, Andy oversaw the launch of four core car models with nine derivatives, including the development and launch of the DBX, the company's first foray into the growing Luxury SUV market. At Nissan, Andy was credited with pioneering ground-breaking technologies, including leading the development of the Nissan LEAF electric car, the world’s first mass-market EV.
Andy left school at 15 and began his career as an apprentice. He founded the Palmer Foundation to provide opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to embark on apprenticeships.
Today, Andy is involved in multiple businesses operating in the electric and clean mobility space.
Mike Owens - Managing Director, Schumacher Packaging
Mike Owens has worked in the packaging manufacturing industry for over 30 years and has held Senior Management roles in Plant Management, Operations and Finance. He has developed effective management teams delivering results within the corporate, private equity owned and family run business sectors. He is passionate about people development, continuous process improvement and the synergies between sustainability and paper-based packaging. Mike holds an MA (Hons) Degree in Economics from Edinburgh University.
Lawrence Barton DL - Chair, Southside District BID and Deputy Lieutenant, West Midlands
A successful entrepreneur and businessman, Lawrence Barton DL is a senior director of a family-owned business portfolio that spans several sectors, ranging from skills and apprenticeships to hospitality and manufacturing.
He is also a passionate community leader. He has been appointed to a number of notable leadership positions, including festival director of Birmingham Pride, leadership commissioner for the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and board director of Birmingham Southside BID, a community regeneration initiative.
In recognition of his community activism, in March 2020 Lawrence was appointed to be a Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the region, John Crabtree OBE.
Deborah Hazell - CEO, Unity Trust Bank plc
Debbie Hazell has 40 years’ experience in financial services, most recently as CEO of HSBC Global Asset Management (USA) and Regional Head of HSBC Global Asset Management, Americas. Previously she was the CEO of FFTW, a fixed income global asset management business operating in five countries. Earlier in her career she had roles in client service and business development responsible for Central Bank clients around the world and for many years was a portfolio manager managing global fixed income investments.
Debbie has just stepped down as Chair of Global Parametrics, a private for-profit social impact company specialising in natural disaster risk mitigation in emerging economies and is currently Treasurer and on the board of the School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA) a not-for-profit boarding school, now located in Rwanda, that provides education for Afghan girls.
Debbie has a BA (Hons) in Social Studies (Economics) from New York University, an MA (Hons) in Organisational Psychology (specialising in Change Leadership) from Columbia University, and an MIS in International Development from American University.
James Hunt, Partner at RSM UK
James Hunt is a Partner at RSM, a leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services globally, with nearly 5,000 people in the UK.
James is a chartered accountant specialising in providing tax advice to private businesses and their owners. He is based in RSM’s Birmingham office on Colmore Row and has worked in the city for over 15 years.
His main area of expertise is providing tax advice on mergers and acquisitions. During his career James has advised on over 200 transactions across a variety of industries.
OUR SPONSORS:
Unity Trust Bank is an award-winning, independent commercial bank that businesses can be proud to bank with. For more than 38 years we have been helping organisations to prosper and contribute to positive, economic, social and environmental change. Put simply, our purpose is to create a better society.
Eastern Holding is a vast investment and business group across the Middle East with significant interests in aviation and support services such as training, catering and duty free retail, as well as industrial equipment, water treatment, security, education and training. Eastern Holding also has interests in the hospitality sector and in 2013 opened its flagship Hilton hotel in the Shmeisani district of Amman, Jordan. The Chairman and CEO of the group is Professor Majid AlSadi who is also the President of the Centre for the New Midlands.
ABOUT THE VENUE:
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) inspires, informs and influences the global engineering community to engineer a better world. As a diverse home across engineering and technology, the IET shares knowledge that helps make better sense of the world in order to solve the challenges that matter.
The IET's Austin Court is a charming, purpose-built events venue, offering cutting edge AV facilities, flexible spaces and more - all with the unique character and appeal of a listed building. The venue is approximately a 15-20 minute walk from Birmingham New Street and located between The ICC and the Utilita Arena.