Ambassadors
The West Midlands Ambassadors group harnesses the skills and influence of some of the region's most respected individuals to lobby and promote the West Midlands Region as a world-class location in which to invest, work, learn, visit and live in.
The Ambassadors have been hand picked for their national and international influence, and enthusiasm for the region. They have been recruited to address the audiences of Business, Government and the Media.
West Midlands Ambassadors
| Nick Paul | President of the West Midlands Ambassadors Programme |
| Lord Corbett | Lord of Castle Vale |
| Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham | Minister of State for Trade Promotion and Investment |
| Paul Bassi | Executive Chairman, Bond Wolfe |
| Mike Beasley CBE | Chair West Midlands Regional Skills Partnership Board |
| Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya | Chair of Warwick Manufacturing Group |
| David Bintley CBE | Creative Director, Birmingham Royal Ballet |
| Karren Brady | Managing Director, Birmingham City FC |
| Sir Adrian Cadbury | Former Chairman, Cadbury Schweppes PLC |
| John Caudwell | Former Chairman and Chief Executive, Caudwell Group Limited |
| Adrian Chiles | Broadcaster and journalist |
| Penelope, Viscountess Cobham | Board member of Visit Britain. Chair of HeartFM and Galaxy FM and British Casino Association |
| Baroness Christine Crawley | House of Lords, Government spokesperson for Education, Skills and Defence. Former MEP |
| John Crabtree OBE | Chairman of regional business exchange Investbx, Metalrax Group Plc, SLR Holdings Ltd, Claimar Care Group Plc and Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust. |
| Cecil Duckworth OBE | Chairman, Worcester Rugby Club |
| Doug Ellis OBE | Honorary President, Aston Villa FC |
| David Frost | Director-General, British Chambers of Commerce |
| Vikki Heywood | Executive Director Royal Shakespeare Company |
| Professor Sir Michael Lyons | Chairman of the BBC. Professor of Public Policy, The University of Birmingham |
| Stephen Maddock | Chief Executive, CBSO |
| Dr. Simon Murphy | Director Birmingham, Coventry and Black Country City Region Partnership. Former MEP |
| The Hon Angad Paul | CEO of Caparo Group, Chairman of AV Pictures and Established & Sons |
| Lord Swarj Paul | Chair of Caparo Group, Lords Select Committee Science and Technology, Chancellor of Wolverhampton University, Co-Chairman of UK-India Round Table |
| Sir Peter Rigby | Chairman and CEO Specialist Computer Holdings |
| Paul Sabapathy CBE | Chairman, Birmingham East and North NHS |
| Andrew Sleigh | Managing Director (Defence & Technology Sector), QinetiQ Group |
| Professor Michael Sterling | Vice-Chancellor and Principal, The University of Birmingham |
| David Thompson | Chairman Marston's PLC |
| Lord Dennis Turner | House of Lords, Former Leader of the West Midlands Parliamentary Labour Party |
| Carol Undy | Former Chair, Federation of Small Businesses |
| Tim Watts | Chairman, Pertemps |
| Mike Whitby | Leader of Birmingham City Council |
| Dr. Brian Woods-Scawen CBE | Chair Culture West Midlands. Chairman, West Bromwich Building Society |
The Role for Ambassadors
The purpose of the West Midlands Ambassadors group is to support and develop the economic prosperity of the region by:
- Influencing policy developments.
- Improving perceptions of the region.
- Influencing major investment decisions.
Ambassadors will be identified to undertake specific tasks including:
- Providing media interviews and quotes supporting the Region
- Attending events to promote the region
- Lobbying on behalf of the region
- Using own network of contacts and expertise to the region's benefit
- Building and cementing relationships with key journalists
- Encouraging and supporting talent in the region