Birmingham, 16th May 2012 - Hilary Allen, an Associate in Davis Langdon's Land Development Team, held a breakfast event to launch the Birmingham Future Commission. This is a project that she has developed and lead on behalf of Birmingham Future, during her year as ‘Birmingham’s Young Professional of the Year’.

The Future Commission will look to understand the drivers and factors influencing young professionals’ decisions of where to live and work, in order to help Birmingham attract and retain more talent.  Access to quality people is consistently in the top 4 essential factors for locating a business according to the European Cities Monitor.  Birmingham has dropped down the table on this measure in recent years, hence this is a very important issue to the business community, both in terms of securing future growth potential and improving the city’s global competitiveness.  The Commission will offer a unique perspective, and aim to influence current decision making that will affect the shape of the city that this next generation of business leaders will inherit.

Hilary has appointed Warwick Business School as the lead academic partner for the project and a diverse panel of Commissioners. Sir George Cox will chair the commission.  His credentials include being a past Chair of the Design Council and a former Director General of the Institute of Directors. The findings will form the basis of a report which will be the word of the young professional community.  This will provide an authoritative basis on which Birmingham Future can continue to play a leading role in shaping the professional services sector in the city, together with key stakeholders such as national/ local government, businesses and employers.

Over eighty members of the business community attended this AECOM-sponsored event, including senior leaders from:

• Bank of England;
• Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP;
• Marketing Birmingham; 
• PwC; and
• Lloyds.

Hilary said, “It was wonderful to have the opportunity to stage this event in our Colmore Plaza office, which I felt was the perfect setting to officially launch the Birmingham Future Commission. When the commission is complete in six months it will come with a series of recommendations and clear ideas on how to attract the best quality people to the city and on the back of that you will really see Birmingham Future ramp up and make that part of our strategy for coming years."

The Birmingham Post reported on this event.  The full feature is on Page 12 of the 17th May 2012 edition.

Click here to visit the Birmingham Future Commission website

Click here to read the article on The Business Desk 

Click here for the European Cities Monitor