Airport chief helps chamber reach for the sky

THE CEO of Birmingham Airport, Paul Kehoe, has been appointed as the new president of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

He succeeds Greg Lowson, head of Pinsent Masons, who has completed his two-year tenure in the post.

Mr Kehoe told the chamber’s AGM he had a three-point pledge for his two-year term.

“My theme is going to be geography, scale and our place in the world. I took that decision when I was interviewed for the position three years ago and it seems to have been quite prophetic given what has happened with Brexit, the Combined Authority and Midlands Engine,” he said.

“We now have a very different role in the world outside Europe. If you look on a world map you may get four UK cities – London, Edinburgh and Belfast, and possibly Birmingham.

“So we have to look at the best asset we in the Midlands have to sell to the world and that is name Birmingham.”

He said this did not denigrate anywhere else in the region, but what people bought into on a world stage is a place.
 
“What would be really good would be to get people from around the world saying how good we are and stating the Birmingham city region is the place to do business. And getting the city’s name out there is even more important post-Brexit.

“It’s increasingly important connecting ourselves to the world. For me, it’s not just about the airport, it’s about connectivity and promoting Birmingham as the great place to do business,” he added.

With an eye to the combined presence of the region and its new constitution post-Brexit, he added that there was now a great opportunity for Birmingham, Coventry & Warwickshire and the Black Country chambers to all work together.

He also paid tribute to his predecessor.

“Greg’s two years have been full of achievement and enthusiasm for the chamber and one of his outstanding successes has been the creation of CSRCity (Corporate Social Responsibility City), which has forged closer links between business and the education sector to work towards ensuring we are training people with the right skills,” he said.

Paul Faulkner, GBCC chief executive, said: “Paul is already an important figure in the fortunes of the Midlands.

“Paul is a regional business leader with a global perspective, and as such is perfectly positioned to take on the president’s role at the chamber at this moment in time.”