Midlands business leaders attending an economic event in Birmingham heard that business confidence remains mixed – according to the results of a recent survey.
The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) held its Quarterly Business Report (QBR) event at Birmingham City University’s Curzon Building, where over 80 guests debated key issues facing businesses in the year ahead.
Leading recruitment firm Katie Bard – winners of the Excellence in People Development Award at the GBCC Awards – was sponsoring its last edition of the QBR, having become the first company to partner with the GBCC back in 2014.
A panel of speakers at the event included Greg Lowson, president of the GBCC, Professor Mark Gilman from Birmingham City University, Professor David Bailey from Aston University and Adrian Maxwell, managing director of cappuccino and expresso coffee machine manufacturers Fracino.
John Mortimer, co-founder and chief executive of the Angela Mortimer group and Katie Bard, also spoke at the event and took the opportunity to brief guests on the Progressive Employers Group – a new series of events set to be launched by the firm in the next month.
He said: “We would like to thank the Chamber for the opportunity to be part of the Quarterly Business Report review.
“Our consistent message from Katie Bard and the global Angela Mortimer Group during the events we’ve worked with the Chamber on, is that the Birmingham workforce has as good a work ethic as those of any of the cities across the world we recruit in.
“We believe there are challenges to be addressed, and that these need to be honestly accounted for. The business community has the power to produce solutions that can lead a world class workforce back to global pre-eminence.
“The structure of work is changing at this moment, presenting a huge opportunity for Birmingham, given everything else that is working in its favour. Right now, the obstacles are predominantly of mind-set and courage.
“Katie Bard is launching a new Progressive Employers Group very shortly which will bring together employers with one of the end goals of establishing Birmingham as the go to location for decision makers, contributors and go-getters.”