Reflecting over the past 12 months
The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce would like to invite you to join us at our 2023 Annual General Meeting which will be taking place at Edgbaston Park Hotel. The AGM provides a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the work of the Chamber over the past year including the support provided to local businesses throughout this challenging period.
Please find below relevant documents:
Report and Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2023
SPEAKERS:
Prof Deborah Leary, OBE, D.Univ, FRSA, CEO Forensic Pathways Ltd
Deborah is CEO and Founder of Forensic Pathways an international consultancy and technology design company specialising in the development of innovative technologies for the criminal, threat intelligence and business intelligence arena. Over the past 22 years Forensic Pathways has been at the forefront of innovation with the Company being successful in a range of innovation funding bids, including Innovate UK Funding in May 2022 for their LEADS-Engine: Linguistically Enabled Analytic Dark Search Engine with academic partners Aston University.
In addition to developing innovative technologies, the Company provides comprehensive threat intelligence/reputation management services to a range of clients, including background investigations and online investigations. In 2016 the Company developed its Clarifyi platform providing monitoring and alerting capabilities for clients, monitoring for the illegal sale of data/assets being sold on the dark web in addition to ransomware monitoring. This technology is now being combined with social media and OSINT monitoring to provide a full package of brand, risk and reputation management intelligence.
Throughout its 22-year history the Company has won numerous awards for innovation and business; appointed Export Champion in 2017, voted one of the Midlands top 50 innovation companies in 2017 and 2019 and in 2018 was presented with a Board of Trade Award by the Secretary of State for International Trade.
Deborah is an international motivational speaker and consultant on entrepreneurship, international trade, innovation and corporate social responsibility. In 2022 she was made a Visiting Professor of Aston University and in addition holds an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University. In 2008 she was presented with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Entrepreneurship and the Community.
She has won numerous awards for business and innovation including International Businesswoman of the Year, International Women Entrepreneur of the Year, European Woman of Achievement and British Female Inventor of the Year. She has been nominated as Thought Leader of the Year 2023, to be announced in October.
Deborah holds several Board positions outside of her responsibilities as CEO of Forensic Pathways.
- President of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
- Board Member Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce
- Executive Board of the Greater Birmingham Global Chamber of Commerce
- West Midlands Innovation Board Member
- Visiting Professor, Aston University Business School
- Advisory Board – Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics
- Business Advisory Board – Birmingham City University, Business School
- Advisory Board Member of the United Nations Global Compact UK Network
- Honorary Chair for the Organisation for Women in Trade (OWIT)
- Business Board Member - All Parliamentary Party Working Group on Women & Enterprise
- Co-Chair Business Committee, Midland Met Hospital Campaign
- Co-Chair Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, Good Business Forum
- Fundraiser for www.panspandas.org a UK charity established to support children affected by these conditions
Greg Lowson; Chair of the Board
Greg worked in the law for 41 years before retiring in April 2023. For the last 32 years he had been a partner at Pinsent Masons and was the head of it Birmingham Office for the last 21 years. Pinsent Masons is a Patron of GBCC.Greg became a non-executive director of GBCC in 2007; was President in 2014 - 2016 and was appointed Chair in 2022.Greg is a non-executive director of GBCC member, Pertemps, the largest independent UK recruitment company.
Greg has been the Under Sheriff of the West Midlands since 2014.
Previous positions held by Greg include:
• Trustee of Midlands Arts Centre (mac) 2006 – 2021
• CBI West Midlands Council Member 2004 – 2020
• CBI West Midlands Council Chair 2020 – 2022
• Wesleyan Assurance Advisory Board Member 2008 – 2019
• Trustee of Cure Leukaemia 2014 – 2019
• Trustee of The Birmingham Repertory Theatre 2014 - 2020
DR Nasir Awan, MBE DL; Vice President
Nasir is Chief Executive Officer, Awan Marketing Plc; Director of Awan Marketing International Limited; and Director of Awan Property Investments Limited.
Nasir started in the retail business in 1978, joining his late father. In 1980 he set up a consumer electronics wholesale operation, becoming one of UK’s major distributors.
Awan Marketing is now one of the largest wholesalers in the UK. The company is run by the 3rd generation of the family operating from a 45,000 sq ft distribution centre in Hockley, Birmingham. It carries over 30,000 lines, servicing a customer base of over 14,000 throughout the UK and exporting to Europe, Africa and Asia.
Nasir is Vice-President of The Greater Birmingham Chamber Of Commerce group, Chair of Asian Business Chamber Of Commerce and Chair of Trustees Inspire Education Academy at Yew Tree School, Aston. He is a Trustee of Euro Charity Trust; Birmingham Ethnic Education Services; and Sutton Coldfield Muslim Association. He is also a Director of the National Asian Business Association.
