Business Link ambassadors set to give the West Midlands a ‘professional’ edge » Communities » 24dash.com

The business community has received a major boost today, with the launch of the first Ambassadors programme by Business Link in the West Midlands.

Five of the regions emerging business personalities have been invited to take part in the groundbreaking initiative that will showcase the value of advice and specialist support available, encourage greater collaboration between public and private sector organisations and promote the West Midlands Supplier Database.

Nigel Eades (Tri-Ridium), Nick McKay (Strategy NMC), Jagvinder Kang (Technology Law Alliance), Deb Leary (Forensic Pathways) and Andrew Wilkinson (Oakley Wilkinson Bryan) are the first five ambassadors selected to participate.

Kul Sanghera, Head of Supplier Development, was delighted at the progress to date:

The business and professional services sector is the fastest growing industry in the region, with over £222bn being generated in annual GVA. Furthermore, it is also the second largest (behind wholesale and retail) in terms of employment with 362,700 people working in 50,267 companies.

He continued: Over and above the facts and figures, the sector and the support it provides to West Midlands business is crucial to achieving a buoyant economy and we are fortunate that we have one of the most experienced and diverse bases in the region.

Its not just about Birmingham either; there are lots of excellent firms in Coventry, Shropshire, the Black County and rural areas.

It is important that we build on this solid base and we are keen to make sure that we work with the industry to provide the support businesses need and, importantly, make sure their unrivalled expertise can benefit the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

The Business Link Ambassador Programme features business leaders, who are both experts within the field and have been supported by Business Link in setting up or growing their companies.

Their role will be to work together to address current issues, identify trends and to make sure that the business support offer addresses the requirements of growing businesses.

They will also be charged with promoting the service at key events, during best practice visits and in creating specialist forums to boost local performance.

Kul continued: Our first five ambassadors represent a number of different disciplines, including law, accountancy, human resources, payment processing, product storage and fulfilling, marketing and even forensic science.

All of them have started a business from scratch and can empathise with the challenges and opportunities faced by todays entrepreneurs. Better still, they have also been supported by Business Link so can talk about the benefits of external expertise first hand.

Over the next year, further ambassadors will be sought leading up to an Annual Dinner to promote the consultancy and advice available to businesses via Business Link and the West Midlands Supplier Database.

Kul concluded: We are really excited about this new initiative and believe it could pave the way for greater networking and a stronger industry, which has got to be good news for local businesses and local people.

By 2010, Business Link will have helped 70,000 businesses every year with basic information, with a further 16,000 per annum receiving intensive support from experienced advisers.

This level of support is expected to generate a £400m improvement to the economic performance of the West Midlands.