People: Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce; Harris Lamb; Lanyon Bowdler

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce has announced the appointment of a new head of policy.

Emily Stubbs has been promoted to the role, having been part of the Chamber’s policy team since 2017.

In her new position, Stubbs will have full responsibility for the development of the organisation’s policy, campaigns and research activity.

The University of Birmingham law graduate joined the GBCC in 2017 as a policy and patron advisor and earned a promotion to policy and projects manager four years later.

In her most recent role as senior policy and projects manager, she managed the delivery of research and engagement projects with specific focus areas including education, employment and skills and business productivity.

During her time at the Chamber, Stubbs has also spearheaded the annual Growth Through People campaign, as well as the delivery of the Birmingham Economic Review in partnership with the University of Birmingham’s City-Region Economic and Development Institute (City-REDI).

In the past 12 months, she co-authored the West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), funded by the Department for Education and produced by Coventry and Warwickshire Chambers of Commerce in partnership with Greater Birmingham and Black Country Chambers.

She said: “I’m honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead the GBCC’s policy activities. My predecessors in this role have left big shoes to fill but I am immensely grateful for the support, knowledge and experience they have shared throughout my time at the Chamber.

“The Chamber serves a pivotal role as steadfast advocates and the foremost voice for Greater Birmingham’s businesses. I am committed to maintaining this legacy and look forward to working with my talented team to conduct independent, business-led research, facilitate the sharing of best practice between local businesses, and engage stakeholders on behalf of our members.”

Raj Kandola, director of external affairs at the GBCC, said: “Since joining the Chamber in 2017, Emily has played a crucial role in shaping our policy output, with a particular focus on growing the reach and profile of the Birmingham Economic Review and Growth Through People campaign over the years.

“I’m delighted that she will be stepping up to lead the team that is responsible for our policy, campaigns and research activity. Under Emily’s leadership, I’m excited to see the development of the team as we continue to drive forward the Chamber’s External Affairs activity in the months and years ahead.”

Harris Lamb has announced six promotions within the business to reward the work of team members within its commercial agency, building consultancy, residential land, lease advisory and environment departments.

Marcus Andrew, of the building consultancy department, has been made an associate director, as have Sara Garratt of the Agency team, James Willcock of the residential land department and Carolyn Quinn, of the Lease advisory team.

Craig Greenwell has been promoted to head of the environment department, while his colleague Abigail Lloyd has become a consultant ecologist.

Charles D’Auncey, the director, said:“We have a strong history of bringing on staff and working with them to further their careers, and we have been impressed with how these loyal team members have grown with their roles and adapted to and overcome the challenges presented to the property sector over the past few years. We are particularly proud of the way that all of them have supported and advised clients and are in no doubt that their diligence and hard work mean these promotions are well deserved.

“We are delighted to acknowledge the dedication that each of these people has shown in their roles and to reward the commitment they have demonstrated during their time with the business – huge congratulations and thanks to them all,” Charles added.

Leanne Jones

A Shropshire law firm has welcomed a newly qualified solicitor to its residential property team.

Leanne Jones joined Lanyon Bowdler two years ago and experienced three seats of training with the firm before qualifying as a solicitor in March.

Jones graduated from the University of Chester in 2018 and completed her LPC LMM in 2019.

She worked as a paralegal in a credit hire/personal injury firm before joining Lanyon Bowdler as a trainee in September 2022.

She said: “I have been training and studying for just over 10 years and still can’t believe that I have been able to achieve this amazing milestone of becoming a solicitor, but I am very excited to continue and grow as a lawyer with the help of Lanyon Bowdler.

“I enjoyed being a trainee and experiencing three completely different seats – private client, family and residential. The seat changes exposed me to different areas of law  and have further enabled me to work alongside, assist, and learn from various experienced lawyers across Lanyon Bowdler.”

Praveen Chaudhari, partner and head of Lanyon Bowdler’s residential property team, said: “Leanne has made an important contribution to Lanyon Bowdler since she joined us as a trainee two years ago. She has worked really hard, is always committed to the best interests of our clients and has taken advantage of every opportunity to learn and develop. We congratulate her on qualifying as a solicitor and wish her well for the future.”