Birmingham Economic Review
An in-depth exploration of the economy of England’s second city and a high-quality resource for informing research, policy and investment decisions.
Championing and informing local business
The Chamber policy team exists to research business views, inform businesses of key policy decisions, legislative changes and opportunities that might impact them, and act as the voice of local business, engaging stakeholders on behalf of our members. Our priorities are determined by business, for business, with the support of the Chamber Council, an elected group of representatives from across Birmingham Chamber membership, and other divisional Chamber committees.
Research
The trusted voice of local business since 1813, the Chamber policy team undertakes regular research to produce up to date snapshots of the local economy, and insights and analysis on the opportunities and challenges facing the region.
Quarterly Business Report
An up-to-date snapshot of the performance of the Greater Birmingham business community. It is the most comprehensive regular report of its kind in the city region.
Business Commission West Midlands:
The Business Commission West Midlands provides a roadmap for unlocking business growth across the region.
Campaigns
To support local businesses, the Chamber policy team deliver a number of focussed campaigns throughout the year, which provide a platform to showcase local expertise, facilitate peer to peer learning and share best-practice among the local business community.
Growth Through People
Our Growth Through People campaign aims to help local firms boost productivity by adopting new, best-practice approaches to leadership and people management.
Sustainable Business Series
The Chamber’s Sustainable Business Series aims to share knowledge, best practice and guidance to enable local firms to reduce their environmental impact.
Future In Technology
The Chamber's Future in Technology campaign aims to support local businesses in maximising opportunities related to technological development and digital access.
Get Ready 2 Supply
GR2S aims to support SMEs in East Birmingham & North Solihull to access procurement opportunities with anchor institutions across the region.
Briefings
As part of our role informing businesses of key policy decisions, legislative changes and opportunities which may impact them, the policy team produce regular briefings, translating what the latest policy developments mean for local firms.
The Policy & Strategic Relationships Team
The Chamber policy & strategic relationships team can be contacted about their work, sponsoring reports, commissioning research and participation in GBCC campaigns via the details below:
Raj Kandola
Raj Kandola is the Director of External Affairs at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce tasked with covering the organisation’s research, campaigning, stakeholder engagement and media & communications activity. Specific policy areas of focus include transport & infrastructure, international trade, education and environmental policy. In addition, he is responsible for managing the organisation’s Patronage scheme and the GBCC’s media and news content operations, including external media engagement and production of the organisation’s print and online news material
Prior to joining the Chamber in 2016, Raj worked in Communications for a former Shadow Minister and spent eight years in London recruiting staff across the financial services industry.
JASON SIMPSON
Jason joined the Chamber as Patron Manager in June 2021 from Hampton Manor, home of Solihull’s first Michelin starred restaurant.
After achieving a degree in Hospitality Management at the University of Wolverhampton, Jason held a number of sales, marketing and management positions in the leisure, hospitality and Education sectors.
Jason has worked for TGI Friday’s, Esporta Health Clubs and more recently was introduced to Birmingham as sales manager at Hotel du Vin.
His roles at Hotel du Vin and Hampton Manor allowed Jason to build many strong relationships and connections to Birmingham businesses and was the perfect grounding for his role supporting the top tier of membership at the Greater Birmingham Chamber.
EMILY STUBBS
Emily Stubbs is Senior Policy and Projects Manager at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, tasked with managing the delivery of bespoke research and business engagement projects. Emily’s specific areas of focus include education, employment & skills and business productivity.
Emily has recently co-authored the West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), funded by the Department for Education and produced by Coventry and Warwickshire Chambers of Commerce in partnership with Greater Birmingham and Black Country Chambers. Through collaboration with regional stakeholders, businesses and further education providers, the WMW LSIP aims to support delivery of skills provision to meet employer demand and facilitate regional growth. Emily led the research and analysis underpinning stage 1 of the LSIP, which features insights from over 1,000 engagements with local employers.
Emily also works with colleagues across the Chamber on delivery of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s annual Growth Through People campaign, and the annual Birmingham Economic Review, produced by the Chambers in partnership with the University of Birmingham’s City-Region Economic and Development Institute (City-REDI).
Prior to joining the Chamber in 2017 as a Policy and Patron Adviser, Emily graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Law. Emily is also an alumna of the Uprising Leadership Programme.
GEMMA DILKES
Gemma joined the GBCC in January 2023 as Policy and Projects Officer having recently completed an MA in International Relations and Global Governance and a BSc in French and Spanish at Aston University. At the Chamber, Gemma leads on the research for the Quarterly Business Report and the West Midlands Quarterly Economic Snapshot, as well as involvement in bespoke research projects, such as the West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan, and providing ad hoc support to the international directorate.
Her previous work experience includes working as a research assistant within the Aston Centre for Applied Linguistics, a translation intern at an international law firm in Madrid, and an English language assistant at Air France. She is also an active member of the advisory board to the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Aston University.