The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) has appointed Raj Kandola as its permanent deputy chief executive, formalising a role he has held on an interim basis over the past year.<\/p>\n
Kandola, who currently leads the Chamber\u2019s external affairs function, stepped into a joint leadership role alongside chief financial officer Helen Bates during the maternity leave of chief executive Henrietta Brealey.<\/p>\n
The appointment is intended to provide continuity within the senior leadership team as the organisation looks to expand its support for businesses across the region.<\/p>\n
Kandola joined the Chamber in 2016 as a senior policy advisor and was promoted to head of policy in 2021 before becoming director of external affairs in 2023. <\/p>\n
In his new role, he will retain oversight of external affairs and business growth services, while also taking on responsibility for international services.<\/p>\n
Henrietta Brealey said: \u201cI am delighted that Raj is now the GBCC\u2019s permanent deputy CEO. He is a high-impact leader who has consistently driven meaningful change across the organisation – from strengthening the strategic development of our business growth services to deepening our partnerships with patrons and key stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis ability to bring clarity and momentum to complex challenges makes a real difference to the Chamber and the wider business community. This appointment further strengthens our ambitious leadership team as we enter an exciting new phase of growth, expanding the support we provide to – and deliver alongside – local businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raj Kandola said: \u201cI\u2019m delighted to be appointed as the Chamber\u2019s permanent deputy CEO. I\u2019ve really enjoyed stepping up to lead the Chamber alongside Helen since May and it\u2019s an honour to now be recognised with this new role.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to continue my work alongside Henrietta and the senior team to build on the momentum we have created as a Chamber.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Raj Kandola will move into the role after holding it on an interim basis over the past year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":266702,"featured_media":2110234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"coauthors":[127717],"class_list":["post-2110233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-featured-story","tag-greater-birmingham"],"yoast_head":"\n