Women’s sport trailblazer is new Global Chamber president

A trailblazing former football referee who has worked for four decades to advance gender equality in sport is the new president of the Greater Birmingham Global Chamber of Commerce.

Janie Frampton began her career as a football referee at grassroots level and went on to become just the second woman to officiate in the men’s professional game in England.

She is co-founder of Team You, a social enterprise which supports the development of children and young people from underrepresented groups nationally and internationally.

TeamYou provides opportunities for young people to make positive life choices and guide them away from negative anti-social behaviours.

Janie, from Dorset, also co-founded Ref Support UK, a pioneering charity dedicated to the development and advocacy for football referees.

She works with major sports governing bodies, as well as being vice-president of the International Federation for Sports Officials, a patron of the Muslim Women’s Network in the UK and an ambassador for Women in Football.

In January, Janie received an OBE in the New Year Honours list for her services to equality for women in sport.

Janie said: “I am inspired and energised to lead the Greater Birmingham Global Chamber into this new era of potential global collaboration.

“I look forward to working with you as we continue building a prosperous, sustainable, and interconnected world.”

Janie’s appointment was confirmed at the joint annual general meetings of the Greater Birmingham Global and Transatlantic Chambers of Commerce.

She succeeds Mark Smith who took over as president in 2022 and oversaw its evolution from the Commonwealth Chamber to the Global Chamber.

Mark said: “As my term as president ends, I'm delighted to have supported the Chamber and its members in creating new relationships in Australia, Mexico, Pakistan, and Turkey, as well as consolidating well-established opportunities in existing markets such as Germany and Jamaica.

“Looking forward, the future of the Global Chamber under incoming president Janie Frampton and head of international divisions Jayne Hume will be bright.

“The combination of Janie's extensive international connections and Jayne's broad experience in meeting members' needs will ensure that the Global Chamber will thrive and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce will continue to support members' international aspirations.”

Meanwhile, Amina Hussain, the group CEO of accountancy and business advisory firm SME Outsourcing, becomes a vice-president of the Global Chamber, joining fellow vice-president Adam Parker, senior aviation manager at Birmingham Airport.

Robert Lawry (Rohlig), Felix Peter-Thomas (Santander), Fajli Bibi (Global Centre of Excellence in Sustainability) and Gerard Davies (Contended) have been elected to the Global Chamber committee.

Pictured: From left – Adam Parker, Janie Frampton, Mark Smith and Amina Hussain