The Black Country Chamber of Commerce welcomed Sir John Peace to a lunch on Friday at the Molineux Stadium. Speaking at the event, he called for the Midlands to unite behind a single message to the rest of the UK, and indeed the World. This is his vision as Chair of the Midlands Engine and top of his agenda in the role. He spoke of all the things that make the Midlands a great place to live, work and invest; but felt that as a region we were not good at shouting about them. “We have a great story to tell and we must learn to tell it in a confident and positive way”, he urged.
The world is changing, the pace of technology is moving faster than ever before, which means that we need to think differently. Digital connectivity is of paramount importance to the future of the region. When combined with the expansion of the air hubs at Birmingham and East Midlands and improvements to the road networks, which have suffered from years of under investment, Midlands Connect is striving for a level of connectivity that will put the region on the map for inward investment.
Speaking about the opportunities available, Sir John Peace stressed that we need to reach out to new markets and articulate why this is a good place to invest and do business. “The UK is of particular interest to China, due to its stability, time zones and strong financial services. The Midlands already boasts a positive trade surplus with China, so it is imperative that we make the most of our scale and significance.”
He called for organisations within the region to come together to create an atmosphere of ‘pathological collaboration’ to ensure we speak with ‘one mighty roar, rather than 100 whispers’. He applauded Corin Crane, Chief Executive at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, on his openness and willingness to engage with other business support organisations, to drive for a more collective approach and consistent voice. By working together in this way he believes that we can all strive towards the common goal of ‘Making the Midlands Better’ and delivering greater regional economic growth and productivity improvement. Developing the Midlands Engine brand will allow the region to promote itself to investors and trade partners, in order to generate more growth, investment, exports and jobs.
Corin Crane, Chief Executive at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, commented: “It was fantastic to have such a distinguished guest to our first Leaders’ Lunch, Sir John Peace has a wealth of experience in the business arena and understands the importance of the business voice to the Midlands Engine. We also agree with Sir John Peace, the Midlands is a brilliant place and has something to offer but we need to make sure we shout about the great things we do.
“Repeatedly the key areas that members are highlighting as being top of the agenda are infrastructure, supply chain and productivity. Black Country businesses will continue to grow, create jobs and trade across the world if we can address the issues around congestion and power supply that sometimes hold us back. We will support the Midlands Engine in any way we can to make this happen.”
The event, which was attended by members of the Chamber’s Platinum Groups, the Chamber Patrons and Affinity Partners, is the first of a series of Leaders’ Lunches that the Black Country Chamber of Commerce will be hosting over the next 12 months. They will provide CEOs and MDs with an opportunity to meet with fellow leaders and to hear from influential speakers about issues that are pertinent to the region’s development. The next event is scheduled for 3rd March, when the keynote speaker will be Graeme Chaplin, Regional Agent for the West Midlands at the Bank of England.
