Business News

Business leaders from across the West Midlands and the energy industry have come together to discuss how a new devolution deal with government could give the region far greater security over its future energy supplies and help achieve its ambitious net zero target. The Energy Crisis Roundtable saw leading companies and business bodies discuss their most pressing energy concerns and what could be done regionally to tackle these challenges, including the powers they would like to see transferred from Whitehall to the West Midlands to strengthen industry resilience.

If the pandemic has taught us anything about work, it's that culture has changed, and we are enjoying a newfound freedom; freedom to work in environments that best suit our lives outside of work, and to have meetings how we want them. This has resulted in great rises in productivity (72%) but not without expense, as 34% admit to feeling less creative while working from home, according to new research from HP Inc., which surveyed the feelings of UK office workers on hybrid working environments. 

Loom, the video communication platform for async work, launched all-new video editing tools to its cloud-based platform. Now, users can use the new video stitching capabilities to record at different times, on different devices, or with different people to create one powerful video.

This newly launched video stitching capability unlocks a new level of collaboration and async work.

City of Wolverhampton’s new i9 development has been shortlisted in the net zero category at the Construction Excellence West Midlands Awards - highlighting the council’s environmental sustainability credentials.

It is the second time within a month the eye-catching office development has been named as a contender for a major honour after also making the final cut for the best commercial development in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK awards.

National legal and professional services group Ampa, which has an office hub in Birmingham, has completed its merger with leading Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter. The firm is the group’s South East legal anchor brand and brings Ampa to a turnover above £100m in the next financial year and a group of more than 1,200 people.

The UK’s world-leading insurance industry will be able to invest tens of billions of pounds more in long-term UK infrastructure and green projects under proposals that have been published.

The consultation on reforms to the Solvency II regime capitalises on the UK’s post-Brexit freedoms to spur a vibrant, innovative and internationally competitive insurance industry.

Chelmsford-based Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties has made a donation of £7,700 to CHESS Homeless (Church Homeless Emergency Support Scheme), one of its Charities of the Year for 2022.

CHESS operates 13 properties in Chelmsford that offer temporary accommodation and support services for up to 66 single homeless adults. The charity ensures that people who find themselves homeless are given the support they need to move forward and live a good, independent life.

Full service content marketing agency, HDY Agency, has completed the visual identity and relaunch of the sports and leisure division of Sodexo, the hospitality services and events management brand responsible for major sport, professional and cultural moments and venues across the UK and around the world. 

The major project win saw the fast growing content marketing agency develop a new brand identity and implementation for the global business: Sodexo Live! that encapsulates the excitement, energy and emotion of being able to attend live events with loved ones once again. 

City of Wolverhampton’s Heath Town regeneration scheme has been shortlisted for a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK award.

The ongoing transformation of the housing estate is in the running for the national honour in the Refurbishment/Revitalisation Project category. Winners will be announced across the RICS network on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, and via YouTube.

Maximising on the ‘transformational initiatives’ taking place across Greater Birmingham will be key to putting the city and the business community on the map, according to a speaker at an event hosted by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce last night, writes Claudia Congrave and Sophia Corness-Parr.

Business leaders gathered at Birmingham City University (BCU) to reflect on the performance of the Greater Birmingham business community in Q1, outlined in the Chamber’s Quarterly Business Report (QBR).

Uponor started in Q1 2022 offering PEX pipes, based on renewable raw materials, with a reduced carbon footprint of up to 90 per cent compared to fossil-based PEX pipes currently on the market. The new PEX Pipe Blue products have been launched in Norway, Sweden and Finland so far.

eola, an operating system for experience providers, and Snow Camp, a charity turning young lives around with the power of snowsports, are announcing their new partnership. They will work together over the coming years to raise funds to directly impact the young people Snow Camp supports and promote their life-changing work across the UK.

Gary Imrie has been named as an Avison Young Principal based in the firm’s Birmingham office. Avison Young is a Principal-led, people-first firm with more than 650 Principals across the globe. Principals are industry leaders who exemplify the collaborative culture and client-centric mentality, developing long-standing relationships with clients as partners.  

Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes North Midlands has recently made a £1,000 donation to a Stapleford-based charity which supports young people who have experienced homelessness, and those who are at risk. Broxtowe Youth Homelessness helps people aged between 16 and 25 to not only prevent homelessness in the first instance, but also to provide those already without a home with the help they need to rebuild their lives and empower them to successfully move on.

Midlands planning consultancy Marrons Planning has bolstered its urban design service with the appointment of Jared McQueen-Pullen. Having launched the new service less than a year ago, the consultancy is strengthening the team in response to growing demand for architecture and urban design advice.

Jared joins the team from Dudley Council, where he was responsible for setting the vision and standard for design within in the borough.

Young professionals are being encouraged to submit an application to win an award at the Future Faces Chamber of Commerce’s highly anticipated awards ceremony this summer.

Celebrating the region’s young professionals and their achievements, the Future Faces Annual Dinner & Awards 2022 will take place at the ICC in Birmingham on Friday 26 August from 7pm.