Chamber Podcast

Many businesses over the last year have asked themselves what they can do to boost equality, diversity and inclusion. In this Growth Through People special episode of the Chamber Podcast, chief executive of the Chamber, Paul Faulkner, discusses unlocking potential and the RACE Equality Code with Karl George, managing director of the Governance Forum. 

The Covid crisis has presented a number of challenges for business when attracting and engaging talent.  In this episode of the Chamber podcast, policy and campaigns manager Emily Stubbs discusses remote employee engagement and attracting talent to the technology sector with Chamber vice-president and chief executive of Forensic Pathways, Deb Leary. This episode is part of a mini-series for the Chamber's 2021 Growth Through People productivity and leadership campaign. 

With the Covid-19 pandemic bringing about the rapid adoption of flexible and remote working, this podcast assesses whether leaders and managers can trust their teams.The Chamber's policy and campaigns manager Emily Stubbs is joined by Mark Saunders, Professor of Business Research Methods at University of Birmingham.This episode is part of a mini-series for the Chamber's 2021 Growth Through People productivity and leadership campaign. 

After picking up a business card at an apprenticeship fair, and an enticing LinkedIn exchange, University College Birmingham (UCB) and Shell Energy have formed a new partnership to boost Shell Energy's apprenticeship offering. In a special episode as part of National Apprenticeship Week, David New, business development manager at University College Birmingham (UCB), and Ross McPherson, learning and development consultant at Shell Energy, discuss their apprenticeship partnership with the Chamber's policy and campaigns manager, Emily Stubbs. 

The Chamber's Paul Faulkner and Henrietta Brealey are joined by Professor Simon Collinson from the University of Birmingham/City-REDI to discuss the key themes from this year's Birmingham Economic Review.

Dr Tariq Ali, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships at University of Birmingham and Neil Rawlinson, Strategic Development Director, Manufacturing Technology Centre chat to Chamber Press and PR executive Jess Brookes about the ambitious Speed to Scale Region (SSR) Programme, a bid for funding from Government to harness the innovation and strength of the West Midlands region to develop, manufacture and deliver new products at speed and at scale. To find out more about the programme, visit www.ssr-wm.org.uk

With Brexit back on the agenda, the Chamber's Henrietta Brealey gets the latest insights from David Hearne from Birmingham City University's Centre for Brexit Studies, and Clare Francis, head of Brexit advisory at law firm Pinsent Masons. 

Digital Glue's Greta Geoghegan and Chamber press and PR manager Dan Harrison discuss all things PR, digital and branding, ahead of the Digbeth-based agency's upcoming webinar series 'The Power of Messaging'.  For more information visit https://digitalglue.agency/professional-services/

Daniel Aston on his rapid career rise at Access Bookings and being crowned Young Professional of the Year 2020 at the Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce annual dinner and awards.

EiB Group chief executive Scott Brown joins Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner to provide an insight into the process of bidding for work on major projects such as HS2 and the Commonwealth Games. 

The Chamber's director of policy Henrietta Brealey and press and PR manager Dan Harrison discuss the coronavirus support available to businesses - and some of the gaps that still need addressing.

With organisations responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Government mandating home working where possible, the number of people working from home has rapidly increased - many for the first time. As a result, many companies are finding it challenging to manage their workforce. During this episode, Chamber press and PR assistant Jess Brookes chats to Jo Rix from Curium Solutions and Mark Saunders from Birmingham Business School, on how to maintain trust in a virtual workplace, and how businesses can get the best out of their teams during this time. 

Ex-Royal Marines and founders of Find Your Edge Coaching, Ben Williams and Antony Thompson, join Lisa Powney from Curium Solutions to discuss the impact of stress on work performance - and how leaders can support staff by building a resilient organisational culture. 

In the third instalment of the Growth Through People 2020 podcast mini-series, press and PR assistant at the Chamber, Jess Brookes, talks to Professor Gina Rippon about plastic brains.  This podcast will focus on The Potential of our Plastic Brains, discussing, in particular, Gina's insights on unlocking potential, the idea of the gendered brain and the significance of brain plasticity in the workplace. You can listen to the podcast below. Find us on iTunes or audioboom, Spotify, Deezer and Google Podcasts to gain access to more episodes.

In this special episode of the podcast for International Women’s Day, as part of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s Growth Through People campaign, The Apprentice 2020 finalist Scarlett Allen-Horton discusses diversity and women in business. Scarlett, also senior partner at Harper Fox Partners, discusses her personal journey, how representation at senior levels is changing and why businesses across all sectors can better support and develop female talent. For more information on Growth Through People click here.

McDonald's franchisee and Chamber patron Doug Wright and NatWest's head of large corporate and institutions in the West Midlands, Kim Paterson, discuss creating a comprehensive people development plan for employees in their respective businesses. This episode is part of the Chamber's 2020 Growth Through People campaign.

Small and medium-sized businesses across the West Midlands are being encouraged to utilise the West Midlands Combined Authority's Levy Transfer Fund to help fund their apprentices.In this episode, Jess Brookes, press and PR assistant at the Chambers, talks to Jose Lopes, head of business engagement at the Combined Authority, to discuss what the levy fund is and how local businesses can tap into it. 

Why should your business apply for a Queen's Award for Enterprise? West Midlands Deputy Lieutenant Simon Topman, Kate Canty from the West Midlands Lieutenancy office and Rowan Crozier from past winner C. Brandauer discuss the benefits and the application process.

In the second part of our exclusive interview with Andy Street, the West Midlands mayor discusses the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the region's skills agenda and the forthcoming mayoral election.

In the first episode of a two-part interview, West Midlands mayor Andy Street talks to Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner about HS2, his ambitious transport plans for the region, the bid to build a gigafactory battery plant and 5G technology.