Boost for top teams at business groups
SEVERAL West Midlands business bodies have boosted their senior teams.
West Midlands Growth Company, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and Black Country Chamber of Commerce have all welcomed new faces to their management teams.
The growth company, which is charged with attracting investment, visitors, businesses and jobs into the region, has hired Dan Storer as its new chief investment officer.
Mr Storer was previously business development director at Manchester’s inward investment promotion agency Midas and will be responsible for overseeing the growth company’s Business Attraction and Business Growth programmes.
Joining him is programme director Michelle Inkpen who will target overseas markets for investment into the West Midlands.
Completing the new appointments are four new members of the growth company’s board: Sir David Eastwood and Geoff Layer, vice-chancellors of University of Birmingham and University of Wolverhampton respectively, Advanced’s chief marketing officer, Sally Scott, and Bruntwood’s director, Rob Valentine. Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP has appointed four new directors to its board: Louise Brook-Smith, Ewa Truchanowicz, Christine Oates and Ian Tandy. Pat Hanlon and Simon Marks will be stepping down from its board at the end of their terms. Ms Brook-Smith has more than 35 years of working in construction, land and property and runs city centre agency Brooke Smith Planning.
Ms Truchanowicz is managing director of Dignio UK, which connects patients and healthcare professionals through a digital platform.
Ms Oates is an experienced tax partner at Deloitte, while Mr Tandy is managing director for global trade and receivables finance at HSBC UK in Birmingham.
Completing the new appointments is Calum Nisbet, who has joined Black Country Chamber of Commerce as commercial director.
He will oversee a range of strategies to enhance existing training services and partnerships to ensure business leaders and their boards are supported.