BBC radio presenter announced as red carpet host for young professionals awards

Future Faces have announced that BBC West Midlands Breakfast Show presenter PJ Ellis will be the red carpet host for the Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards 2024.

Well-known in the West Midlands for his entrepreneurial and philanthropic feats, PJ (pictured) is the co-founder of LoveBrum, a local charity that reaches out to Birmingham-based projects that are delivering real change to Birmingham.

LoveBrum has since funded over 300 local charitable projects addressing vital issues and serious challenges the city faces, including homelessness, serious crime, drug addiction, social injustice, art and culture, and education.

The charity has connected hundreds of volunteers and businesses along the way.

PJ has mentored entrepreneurs, helped raise over £1m worth of funding for start-up businesses, and sat on the advisory boards of the Birmingham Law Society, BPS Leaders, TedX, and the English Schools Football Association.
Having taken the stage at TedX to discuss the intricacies of unconscious bias, he is also an Associate Lecturer at Aston University and a visiting guest lecturer at BCU and Warwick Business School.

A school governor at Little Sutton Primary School, he was recently announced as the first-ever Charity Ambassador for the Birmingham Dogs Home.

Having helped raise nearly £1m for charity, PJ received a Points of Light award from the Prime Minister in 2018, which recognises outstanding UK volunteers in their community, and was selected to be a Batonbearer for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

He is currently also working as a roving reporter for BBC Radio WM.

Speaking about being the red carpet host for the awards, PJ said: “BYPY is in my blood. Recognising and then celebrating the future of our great city will always get a massive green tick from me. To be asked to interview all of the finalists and guests on the red carpet before the big event is something I was never going to refuse. Bring it on, I cannot wait.”

It has also been announced that Wesley Foster, founder of Eleven Views, will be filming the awards night.

Based in Redditch, Eleven Views is an award-winning digital marketing agency that helps small to medium-sized businesses create an impact online with their customers.

The Greater Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards 2024 will take place today, Friday 18 October at the ICC, Birmingham.