Reflecting on 210 years of history and embracing a bright future
We’re on the move over at the Chamber, writes Henrietta Brealey.
Quite literally, by mid-November we’ll have moved to our new HQ. In recent weeks we’ve been clearing out the office.
From every cupboard and corner of the basement we’ve been extracting our history: minute books and journals from the turn of the last century, photo books of Presidents and council members past, unusual gifts from trade missions from Nigeria and New Zealand to Holland and Hong Kong and beyond.
This year, 2023, is the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce’s 210th anniversary. We still have the original record of our first AGM in 1813 where the, then named, Chamber of Manufacturers and Commerce of Birmingham was officially born.
It proudly sets out its purpose of advocating for and representing the manufacturers, merchants and commercial interests of the day (interests it was then felt were often overlooked by Parliament in favour of the landed gentry and shipping industries).
A whole lot has changed since those early days of the Chamber. But we’re still proudly representing the views and needs of the region’s businesses, albeit in new ways. Just earlier this month we launched the Business Commission West Midlands – a powerful group of business leaders who will oversee the production of a roadmap for business growth for the region.
The level and pace of change that the business community has seen in recent years has been extraordinary. In this context, the Commission will offer a fundamental reset of our understanding of what businesses need to fulfil their growth potential.
I’ve got a feeling that if Richard Spooner, our first every president back in 1813, appeared in a Commission meeting, he’d be baffled by a thing or two.
The businesses our Commissioners are leading for one thing; from the 3D printed personalised nutrient stacks of Melissa Snover’s Nourished, to the cyber-forensics and dark-web threat intelligence of Deb Leary’s Forensic Pathways or connected and autonomous vehicles testing and simulation services of Declan Allen’s Horiba Mira.
It’d be a bit of a departure from the horse and carts and steam powered printing press of Spooner’s day.
But what I suspect he would recognise is the need for a strong, clear voice of business.
We are currently in the evidence hearing phase of the Commission. Make sure your business has its voice heard by sharing your perspective at www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/BCWM.
Something else that Richard Spooner might recognise, is one of the partners we have worked with on our move from Chamber House: The Birmingham Midland Institute. This fantastic institution, founded not too long after us in 1854, works to advance science, literature and art in the region. It also safeguards our history through its archives.
After working with some of the wonderful volunteers at the BMI in recent months, we have been delighted to donate the Chambers’ archives so that they can be available for the social and industrial history researchers of the future.
Personally, I love a bit of change. Embracing the latest technologies, adapting to the evolving needs of the business community and new ways of working is very what gets me out of bed in the morning – as you’d probably expect from the youngest CEO in the Chambers’ history.
But I never underestimate what we can learn from the past. If looking through our archives has taught me anything it’s that tech, language and cultural norms may change but people are still people. There’s a lot of commonality in what drives us, our hopes, fears, challenges and solutions across the decades.
One particularly timeless feature is the power of networks. A collective working together to advocate, share insight and best practice and – of course – win business. As we often say at the Chamber, odds are if we don’t have the solution to any given challenge, we know someone that does. I’ve certainly seen that in spades in recent months.
Throughout our move, we’ve been proud to work with Chamber members. The BMI on our archives, Harrow Green and National Hire Solutions on removals, Rhino on the design and build of our new space, Colliers International on project management, Squire Patton Boggs on legal advice, Avison Young on selecting our premises, the list goes on. Even the artwork, my current favourite being a gorgeous print of Burton High Street created by the talented Jackie Roberts at Love2Dream.
So while we are on the move, in more ways than one, we’re proud to be both honouring that long heritage and purpose while evolving at pace. Here's to another 210 years of unleashing the potential of Greater Birmingham’s businesses.
Henrietta Brealey is chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce
This column first appeared in the Birmingham Post
