GM Chamber : Chamber Live Podcast

We've teamed up with Manchester Central to host a panel discussion on collaboration, vision & ambitions for growth for Manchester.

Joining us on the panel:

Chris Fletcher Shaun Hinds Lou Cordwell OBE Holly Moore James Montrose

The latest podcast from the Chamber's Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) team features Chris Fletcher, Policy Director at the Chamber and Contract Director for the the GM LSIP.

Chris talks about the approval of the GM LSIP by the Department for Education, the impact that the LSIP will have on businesses and stage 2 - what happens next now the Plan has been published?

We're currently collecting data about business training experiences, so if you would like to contribute, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GMLSIPSPTY

To find out more about the GM LSIP and to read the published report, visit gmlsip.co.uk and if you'd like to contact the team, email gmlsip@gmchamber.co.uk.

Thanks for listening - back again soon!

Marc Mcloughlin, Managing Director of Greenarc Vehicles, talks to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, about the benefits of moving your business to electric vehicles and the help and support available.

In this episode of the podcast about the Greater Manchester Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), the Chamber's researchers, Subrah and Aadya, talk about some of the future investment plans in different boroughs of GM.

Through analysing which projects are taking place in each borough, the team can match the skills shortages already apparent with the future investments taking place, and make recommendations to training providers about which skills will be needed where.

Subrah and Aadya discuss some of the Local Authority plans in Greater Manchester and which skills and training would be required for each one.

To find out more about the Greater Manchester LSIP, visit our website: https://www.gmlsip.co.uk, or contact our team via gmlsip@gmchamber.co.uk.

Our employer survey (which currently focuses on green skills gaps) is open until 5th May 2023, so if you are experiencing green skills shortages in your business, please complete it here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GMLSIPO22.

In the meantime, thanks for listening - tune in again soon!

This episode of the GM Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) podcast focuses on the recruitment difficulties businesses within different sectors are experiencing in Greater Manchester. Researchers at the Chamber, Subrah and Samantha, discuss what the results of our employer survey are telling us so far.

Data from the employer survey will feed into the GM Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), which will include a set of actionable priorities for skills providers in each borough of Greater Manchester so that they can start to tackle recruitment difficulties with relevant training and courses - ultimately giving businesses the skilled workers they need.

So, it's important to tell us about your skills and recruitment challenges. The latest iteration of our employer survey focuses on 'green' skills and asks whether businesses have the green skills they need to fulfil their business objectives. It can be completed by any business in any sector and only takes a few minutes: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GMLSIPO22

Find out more about the GM LSIP via our website https://www.gmlsip.co.uk/, or email the team via gmlsip@gmchamber.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!

In the next episode about the Greater Manchester Local Skills Improvement Plan (GM LSIP), the Chamber's research team talks about some of the interim findings from the data we have collected so far.

We discuss some of the strategic priorities of different Local Authority areas within Greater Manchester and highlight the next focus for the GM LSIP team: green skills.

The next iteration of our business survey focuses on the green skills businesses are struggling to find. The team highlights some of the different green skills required for different industries and some of the challenges businesses may be experiencing when trying to meet their net zero objectives.

If you have struggled to find the green skills you need for your business, please complete our short survey here to tell us more: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GMLSIPO22

Don't forget, your responses will help us formulate a set of priorities for skills providers in each borough of Greater Manchester, so that provision can be put in place to help fill your skills gaps.

We hope you enjoy our latest podcast and if you'd like to contact the Chamber's LSIP team, please email gmlsip@gmchamber.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!

Matthew Stuttard, Managing Director - North West at JM Glendinning, talks to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, about the insurance industry, his own career path and how Chamber members can benefit from a Silent Review of their insurance.

Greater Manchester Chamber is leading on the development and delivery of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for our area. Funded by the Department for Education (DfE), the Plan aims to map out and articulate which skills shortages businesses in Greater Manchester are experiencing and, crucially, how to address those skills shortages by working with skills providers and other stakeholders across our region. 

We wanted to explain in more detail what we're doing and why, so this first episode of our LSIP podcast features Chris Fletcher, the Chamber's Policy Director and LSIP Contract Director, and Subrah Krishnan-Harihara, our Head of Research, who talk through how we will produce the LSIP, how it will help businesses and why it's important for businesses to get involved.

If you'd like to find out more about the LSIP, you can visit our website (https://www.gmlsip.co.uk/), or contact our team via gmlsip@gmchamber.co.uk.

We also have a survey which captures the views of businesses who are currently experiencing skills shortages. If you haven't completed it yet, please do so here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GMLSIPO22.

Thanks for listening, and we'll be back very soon to keep you up to speed on the Greater Manchester Local Skills Improvement Plan.   

In this episode we get to know Afiya Amesu.

Afiya Amesu is an up & coming star! Whilst studying to become a Barrister, she started She Leads for Legacy, an organisation which connects Black women, provides knowledge and resource to Black women are allies which empowers them to be influential and practically upskills Black women whilst upskilling allies to tackle discrimination.

Get involved!

Twitter - @sheleads4legacy

LinkedIn - She Leads for Legacy 

John Boydell, Director at Ampios, and Alan Wilson, Management Partner, talk to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, about some of the services Ampios provides, including the Serious Entrepreneur Programme and the Critical Business Review.

Born in Manchester, Blair Henry is a remarkable young man with a passion for cars and motorsport.

Currently the Operations Manager for The Blair Project, the organisation aims to improve diversity and inclusion in fields such as engineering and motorsport. providing resource and opportunity to people, supporting them to thrive.

Get Involved

Follow The Blair Project on Twitter here: @Getmemotoring

Follow the Chamber on Twitter here: @gmchamber

Cathy Bolton and Sarah-Jane Roberts, Co-Directors of Manchester Literature Festival, talk to Simon Cronin about this year's festival.

Peter Ibbetson of JournoLink talks to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager at Greater Manchester Chamber. Peter explains how JournoLink can help businesses raise their profile in the media and how media coverage benefits your business. He also gives valuable advice about what journalists are interested in and how to deal with reporters. 

Part 2 of the discussion!

Chris Fletcher chats with Chamber CEO Clive Memmott OBE and Chair of Sage Green Consulting Graham Whiley about Management and Leadership. Over two episodes they talk about the difference between leadership and management; the new demands placed on business leaders post-pandemic; coaching; de-stressing the workplace and a whole range of other issues that will help you as a business leader.

Chris Fletcher chats with Chamber CEO Clive Memmott OBE and Chair of Sage Green Consulting Graham Whiley about Management and Leadership. 

Over two episodes they talk about the difference between leadership and management; the new demands placed on business leaders post-pandemic; coaching; de-stressing the workplace and a whole range of other issues that will help you as a business leader.

In this episode of Partners in Focus, we speak to Lee Cheshire, Division Sales Manager at IN4 Group. 

Lee and Andre discuss; 

• The background to IN4 and HOST
• The upcoming ‘Tech Tours’ in collaboration with GMCC
• How innovation might look for a local bricks and mortar business.
• How a local business might access Innovation at HOST.
• Upcoming events to get involved in 

We hope you enjoy the episode and get involved in the discussion through the hashtag #GMCCPartnersInFocus

Subrahmaniam Krishnan-Harihara, Head of Research at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, talks to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager at the Chamber, about the importance of the Quarterly Economic Survey and how the data collected is used to give a unique insight into the local economy. 

Mark Williams, Senior Relationship Manager for Partnerships at WorldFirst, talks to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

In the latest episode of our Chamber Chatter podcast, the Chamber's Policy and Campaigns Director, Chis Fletcher, talks to Nikki Flanders, MD Energy Customer Solutions at SSE Plc.

Nikki talks about COP26, net zero and ways to tackle rising energy prices, plus why it's essential for businesses to be more diverse and inclusive, especially when recruiting new staff.

Simon England, Managing Director of Digital Payments for Equals Group PLC, talks to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager at Greater Manchester Chamber, about how Equals Money can help businesses stay on top of their spending.

Tony Redmond OBE is the latest guest in our Leaders Series podcast. He is Emeritus Professor at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute at University of Manchester and founder and Chair of UK Med.

UK Med is one of the organisations currently providing primary healthcare to people in Ukraine who have been displaced from their homes due to the conflict. The team is also supporting those on the frontline. 

Tony talks to the Chamber's Policy and Campaigns Director, Chris Fletcher, about the conflict and the work of UK Med, but also his background, his career to date and why he decided to work in the field of emergency medicine. 

In this episode, we are joined by Paul Billington, the founder of PROJECT#808, which is partnering with the Chamber to support members who want to make a positive impact in the region. 

Paul talks to Simon Cronin, Communications Manager, about how PROJECT#808 started and how it will be working with members to deal with shared problems such as Net Zero challenges. 

In this episode we are joined by Darren Grantham, Business Development Manager at Nybble IT. Nybble power the GM Tech Support service. 

Darren explains how Nybble started and developed into an integral part of the Blackburn community and beyond. He also talks about the importance of technology to businesses and how Nybble has supported businesses reach their goals through technology and strengthen their security in cyber spaces. 

Learn more about Nybble through our website www.gmchamber.co.uk 

Artist Ghislaine Howard and her husband, Michael, talk to Chamber Policy Director, Chris Fletcher, about their early lives, background and inspirations.

Ghislaine talks about why she decided to pursue a career in art - using art as a "social force" - and her belief that it makes the world a better place.

She also talks through the process she goes through when she's creating a piece of art and her passion for creating pieces of art that have feeling and a sense of community.

The Ghislaine Howard Collection will be opening in Elliot House, the Chamber's HQ in Manchester city centre, very soon - watch this space!

Paul Dennett is the Mayor of the City of Salford and our latest guest to be interviewed as part of our GMCC Leaders Series.

Leading the interview is Chris Fletcher, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Chamber, and he asks Paul about his career so far and his journey into politics - making the choice between a career in education or the Labour Party.

Paul talks about the perception of Elected Mayors, the powers they hold, plus the 'Levelling Up' agenda and how to achieve economic growth in the city.

In the latest episode of our GMCC Leaders Series interviews, the Chamber's Policy and Campaigns Director, Chris Fletcher, chats to Lou Cordwell OBE. Lou is not only the Chief Creative Officer at Fluxx and magneticNorth, but is also the Chair of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Lou gives us an overview of her career, spanning the dawn of the Internet and the advent of Manchester's digital sector, and how she got involved with the LEP, plus she talks about the skills challenges the city region is now facing and how it can maintain its economic growth.  

In the next of our Leaders Series interviews, the Chamber's Policy Director, Chris Fletcher, talks to Wayne Jones OBE, Chief Sales Officer at MAN Energy Solutions. Wayne provides an overview of his career - how he began as an apprentice and rose to be the first British member of the Executive Board at MAN - then talks about the differences in culture between the UK and the other countries in which MAN operate.

Wayne also tells us about how the company has been impacted by Covid-19 and Brexit, and also its journey towards becoming net zero.  

In the next in our Leaders Series interviews, Chris Fletcher, Policy and Communications Director at the Chamber, talks to Karen Smart, MD at Manchester Airport. Karen talks about her background, career to date and the challenges of running one of the UK's busiest airports - "The global gateway for the North".

Karen discusses the longer-term ambitions and opportunities for the airport, as well as the impact of the pandemic and Brexit. 

In the latest episode of our GMCC Leaders Series podcasts, Chris Fletcher, Policy and Communications Director at the Chamber, speaks to Tom Stannard, Chief Executive at Salford City Council.

Tom talks about his varied career and how the 'magnetism of the city' of Salford drew him to his current role. He talks about how Salford is helping to drive the growth of Greater Manchester as a whole and the challenges he faces on a day-to-day basis.

Policy and Communications Director at the Chamber, Chris Fletcher, chats to Wayne Jones OBE from MAN Energy Solutions about net zero and the move to a low carbon economy.

In this episode of Chamber Chatter, the Chamber's Policy and Communications Director, Chris Fletcher, chats to the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of QEnergy, Vijay Natarajan, about climate change, COP26 and the work QEnergy is doing to help achieve net zero carbon targets.

Welcome to Episode 27 of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Podcast - this episode contains audio from our Chamber Live Event which took place on the 11th May 2021 and was hosted by our Policy, Campaigns and Communications Director Chris Fletcher. 

 Following a week that has seen both the local and Mayoral Elections taking place, we look ahead to the next stage of restrictions easing which is due to take place on the 17th May. 

We are joined by Nicola Payne the owner of iconic independent gift shop Oklahoma in Manchester's Northern Quarter. Nicola provides us with her insight into how the pandemic has impacted independent retailers.  

Nathan Chew, our General Manager from Chamber Space, then provides us with an update on what the next stage of the Government's road-map means for venues like ours and the challenges faced. Nathan also provides an exclusive update about our new open Art Gallery in partnership with Ghislaine Howard which is opening soon.  

Finally, with it being Mental Health Awareness Week - we are delighted to be joined by Chris Cooper who is a trainer and a coach from Manchester Mind. Chris provides his valuable insight into Mental Health awareness and how the pandemic has impacted people's mental health and well-being.