Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) has made three new appointments to its board – including a new vice president.

Saqib Bhatti, who has served as president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce for the last four years, is to become the vice president of Birmingham Chamber.

He will be joined on the board by Steve Allen, head of the Birmingham office of law firm Mills & Reeve, and Liz McKenzie of financial services firm Wesleyan.

Saqib is a director at Younis Bhatti & Co Chartered Accountants. Among other interests, he is also a director of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) with responsibilities for promoting diversity and business support, and joint Secretary General of Muslims for Britain, a non-partisan campaign group set up to engage British Muslims in national debates.

He has also worked with a number of charities in Pakistan and locally, where he is a trustee of the Lord Mayor’s Charity in Birmingham.

Saqib said: “It is a great honour to be the new vice president for the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. I follow in the footsteps of many great people and I look forward to working with the board.

“This is a really exciting time for the region and the Chamber is essential to the future development and success of the region. I look forward to serving our members and helping to guide that journey.”

Steve is former winner of the Birmingham Law Society’s ‘International Solicitor of the Year’ award and is recognised in both the Chambers UK and Legal 500 UK as a ‘Leading Lawyer’ specialising in commercial litigation.

He is also the chairman of the New York-headquartered British American Business Council, which has 22 chapters in the UK, USA and Canada.

Steve said: “I’m delighted to have joined the Chamber board. From working with the city-region's burgeoning SME community to large corporates, the Chamber’s mission to connect, support and grow all local businesses has never been more pertinent.

“I particularly look forward to working with its diverse mix of members to explore and develop new markets and opportunities for their businesses.”

Liz is the chief operating officer of financial services firm Wesleyan in Birmingham.

She joined Wesleyan in October 2010 as head of corporate planning.  Prior to this she spent 19 years at Toyota in a variety of roles in production control and manufacturing.

In 2015 Liz was appointed chief operating officer with responsibility for Wesleyan Financial Services, General Insurance, Practice Plan, Life & Pensions, the Transformation and operational excellence functions and IT.

She is also chair of DPAS, which was acquired by Wesleyan in 2015. In June 2016, Liz won the IoD West Midlands Director of the Year Award for a Large Business.

She said: “The Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has a long history of putting the needs of local businesses first and giving its members a collective voice both locally and further afield.

“I am delighted to have been appointed to the board and look forward to helping the Chamber deliver its ambitious plans on behalf of members and patrons alike.”

Since March of this year, Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the SNP has been leading calls for a second independence referendum, either to be held in mid or late 2018, or the beginning of 2019. This would coincide with the conclusion of Brexit talks, and has been seen by many as Sturgeon’s attempt to bring her agenda to the forefront of political discussion and to ensure her mandate is used to full effect. However, in the SNP manifesto, launched in Perth, Scotland today, it appears that Sturgeon and the SNP are now softening their stance, a little.

The manifesto states: “At the end of the Brexit process, when the final terms of the deal are known, it is right that Scotland should have a choice about our future.” With such phrasing, it is implied that a referendum would likely only be held in late 2019, after talks over Brexit are believed to have finished, or if one were to follow Theresa May’s thinking, several years after this date.

Following her previous adherence to a referendum being held during Brexit talks, this change in opinion has led many to wondering what exactly has brought the change on. Some, are beginning to think the change in stance must have something to do with the declining support for the SNP. Recent polling figures have put support for the SNP at 41%, down from 55% in April, 2015. Support for independence currently stands below 45%, a further indication that perhaps independence is not at the forefront of many Scottish voters’ minds, and therefore, the SNP has had to change pace to stay relevant.

Consequently, during the launch of the SNP manifesto, Nicola Sturgeon stressed repeatedly that the SNP were the only party who could seriously stand up to the Tories, on welfare and NHS funding cuts. Sturgeon also said that the SNP would support a 50p top rate tax, but only if it were applied across the whole of the UK, they would also support protection of the triple lock on pensions.

However, though Sturgeon shifted focus to other issues during the manifesto launch, she concluded proceedings by stating that the elections to Holyrood last year had given the SNP a clear mandate to call for and hold a second independence referendum. Evidently, though the focus is elsewhere, independence is still a clear talking point, and will remain so for the SNP and for Scotland.

The University of Wolverhampton’s International Academy has announced its Summer Programmes for July and August.

The International Academy Summer School  is based in Priorslee Hall at the Telford Innovation Campus and offers accommodation, facilities and services for the University’s international students.

The Summer Programmes focus on developing international students’ spoken fluency and confidence through practical activities and project work. Students also take part in a comprehensive social programme which includes visits to places of cultural and historical interest around the UK.

A Science and Engineering Careers Summer Camp will take place from 1^st July until 15^th July and provide an opportunity for international students from all regions to experience Science and Engineering enhancement at the University of Wolverhampton (UK).  Students will be taking part in engineering workshops and activities in Environmental, Mechanical and Chemical engineering as well as studying English language with the International Academy.

From 23^rd July until 6^th August 2017, ‘The Wolverhampton Experience’ offers students from the UoW partner institutions the chance to develop their communication skills and experience English culture as well as taking part in visits to London and places of local historical interest.  Students also have the opportunity to develop business communication skills and take part in interactive workshops.

Nikhil Goyal Agrawal from Nepal, said:  “The Wolverhampton Summer School last year was a great time for me, it was learning with fun. I attended different types of classes which enhanced my skills and personality.  I enjoyed the sports activities with the other international students and also the trips to London and Cambridge as well as the visits to all the different places in the UK.

“London was a beautiful city with lots of attractions.  The staff at the International Academy are amazing and they made me feel very comfortable.  I really enjoyed my stay and I want to come back again soon.”

Academics and industry partners in Birmingham are developing a new device that will ensure newborn babies could survive in the event of a crash in an ambulance at up to 40 miles per hour.

Product design experts at Birmingham City University have teamed up with Evac+Chair International – makers of the world's most popular stairway evacuation chair – to develop the first-ever stretcher interface device (SID) for neonates.

The universal device for neonatal equipment will be securely attached to European Ambulance Loading Stretchers (EALS) and those in other markets worldwide, complementing the existing range of goods and services offered by Evac+Chair International.

With the newborn contained within an incubator, the partners are devising a quick attach/release mechanism that will see the device disengage from oxygen, power and other survival supplies in the event of a road traffic incident, to be then transferred quickly to another ambulance vehicle.

Through Birmingham-based Evac+Chair International’s ParAid brand, the company already produces an award-winning ambulance child restraint (ACR) – a flexible and fully adjustable harnessing system for the safe and effective transport of infants and children. What makes SID unique to previous designs is that it will isolate the baby from sudden accelerations and decelerations to reduce the stress of road transport.

To test the effectiveness of the design, SID will be impact tested at 40 miles per hour in a similar manner to how the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) verifies the fit and protection offered by child restraints in the event of a front or side crash.

More than 78,000 lives have been saved since Euro NCAP’s crash safety tests were launched in 1997, and the Birmingham team hope their SID and related products will achieve a safety rating similar to those given on child restraint systems.

The project has been made possible due to a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) which has been agreed between Birmingham School of Architecture and Design, part of Birmingham City University, and Evac+Chair International. The terms of the programme will see a recent graduate from the University’s Product and Furniture Design course employed to work on the two-year project. Research findings from the collaboration will also be fed in to the University’s curriculum, ensuring that its teaching is informed by industry practice and innovation.

Dr Panch Suntharalingam from Birmingham City University is the lead academic on the partnership programme. He said:

“The major challenge in this project will be the development of a stretcher interface device with impact-resistant fixing points and ports for oxygen, power and other survival supplies situated around what encapsulates the newborn.

“In order for the product to be desirable, it needs to be compatible with any European ambulance trolley, so this adds an additional complication, as the variation in emergency vehicles and their components differs across the continent.

“However, our work is vital in guaranteeing the safety of newborn patients in ambulances and giving their families piece of mind – something that will be at the forefront of all our minds throughout the project.”

There is a lack of research in recent ambulance accidents in Europe but in the USA, between 1992 and 2011, there was an average of 1,500 crashes involving an ambulance that resulted in an injury, with 2,600 incapacitated as a result. 29 per cent of the deaths caused in these incidents were ambulance passengers

Ges Wallace, Managing Director, Evac+Chair International, said: “Working with Birmingham City University will enable us to develop a world-class innovative safety conscious products to complement our existing range of specialist patient and casualty handling equipment.”

There are approximately 16,000 transfers of premature and sick babies each year in Britain, according to the UK Neonatal Transport Group. Many of these transfers are needed so that babies can be cared for in the correct type of neonatal unit.

44 per cent of neonatal transfers in 2014/15 were of babies who were moved to a more specialist unit. For example, this happens when a baby needs complex, long term intensive care because they are very premature or sick. Another 44 per cent of transfers were of babies moved to a less specialist unit when their condition improved.

Struggling to find the perfect gift this Father's Day? Why not set your dad and his mates the challenge of stepping up to one of HF Holidays' new for 2017 Outdoor Escapes: and make the outdoors your playground. We all know that dads can be really hard to buy for, so this Father's Day, the leading walking and outdoor activity holiday provider is encouraging you to give your dads an experience they'll never forget.

Outdoor Escapes are HF Holidays new UK guided walking holidays. With fantastic walking, through outstandingly beautiful countryside, exclusive accommodation, good food and the company of a small group of like-minded travelling companions. It's a great opportunity for dads to catch up with their friends, get outdoors and show everyone what they are really made of; all whilst taking in some of the UK's most breath-taking walks.

Whether it's a challenging scramble in the Lake District, scaling the high peaks of Snowdonia or discovering hidden gems in the Yorkshire Dales, HF Holidays offers the chance to push the limits and distinguish the men from the boys! With both guided and self-guided walking holidays at destinations across the UK and Europe, there is plenty to choose from. The holiday will, of course, not just be about the challenging hill walks, as there will always be a bar at the end of the day where your dad can enjoy a well-earned cold beer!

World-leading Swedish engineering group Atlas Copco has started the build of a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at i54 South Staffordshire.

It is the third major business in recent months to begin construction at the advanced manufacturing hub.

The development will be the new headquarters of Tentec Ltd which is one of the leading providers of bolt tensioning solutions globally.

The bespoke facility will provide 46,000 sq ft (4,289 sq m) of high quality production and office space for 80 employees and Tentec expects this number to grow as the operation expands.

Midlands property company Mucklow Group Plc is developing the property on behalf of Atlas Copco and Tentec.

Tentec Ltd, part of the Atlas Copco group, was formed over 28 years ago and the company designs, manufactures and distributes a wide range of class leading hydraulic bolt tensioning tools from their existing site in West Bromwich.

The tools it makes are renowned for their reliability and accuracy and they are used both on land and in deep sea applications.

The Tentec development follows hot on the heels of Eurofins, the food testing company, beginning a £1.5 million major expansion last month. More than 10,000 sq ft of laboratories will be added to its UK headquarters. The Belgian-owned company moved its operations onto i54 five years ago.

ERA, the leading British security hardware and electronics business, are also four months into the construction of a state-of-the-art product development, manufacturing and distribution facility at its new i54 South Staffordshire headquarters. The new purpose built 135,000 sq ft facility will include design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, assembly, warehousing and a customer training centre.

The three councils behind the success of i54 - City of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire County and South Staffordshire - are delighted with progress on the site, which is also home to Jaguar Land Rover, MOOG, and ISP.

Tim Johnson, City of Wolverhampton Strategic Director for Place, speaking on behalf of the i54 South Staffordshire Partnership, said: “Our joint investment in i54 has already secured hundreds of millions of pounds of further investment and brought thousands of jobs to the area. Tentec’s expansion plans come on the back of significant investment by ERA and Eurofins. Most importantly, these are high-end businesses providing skilled local jobs and research and training facilities. All this furthers i54s reputation as a leading regional hub for advanced manufacturing and engineering.”

Tentec Director and General Manager, David Jones, said: “The new Atlas Copco facility will further enhance our UK footprint with a global centre of excellence to support our worldwide client base within the Energy segment business area. It will also provide the platform to further grow the business where our standard products are used extensively in the oil and gas, power generation industries. The company also has the ability to design and manufacture hydraulic tooling for special bespoke applications in most industries where controlled bolt tightening is required. Operations within the facility will encompass R and D development, training and demonstration areas, engineering design, sales and logistics support, extensive manufacturing and assembly processes thus enabling us to provide world class Atlas Copco and Tentec branded products based on sustainable productivity.”

Development Director at Mucklow, Mark Vernon, said: "It has been great to work with the Tentec team to ensure this state-of-the-art production unit meets its exact requirements.  This is the first of up to four manufacturing facilities which we can accommodate on this high-profile site and we are able to offer fast-track delivery to occupiers."