Midlands’ family business leaders to head Birmingham celebration

Peter Salt, Managing Director of tenth generation family business Salts Healthcare, and Jon Hardwick, Managing Director of Grafton International, are guest speakers at the Families in Business (FiB) event at the Bentley Showroom, Fort Parkway, Birmingham on Thursday 5th June.

The event marks the official Birmingham launch of FiB, and family businesses are invited to join in the celebration to learn more about the support available from the FiB network that brings together many of the Midlands specialist professional advisers to the sector.

Also unveiled at the event will be some of the initial findings of FiB’s annual survey, as its CEO Dani Saveker explains: “FiB conducts an annual survey and with the support of our network of advisers, we produce a practical guide for family businesses. The latest findings indicate the majority of family businesses rate strategic growth as the main focus and challenge this year. We will unveil some additional key findings of our 2014 Survey and tactics family firms could take to address them.”

FiB provides services, membership and consultancy to the UK’s family-run businesses alongside access to expert advisers who understand the specific dynamics and challenges faced by family businesses.

“The event will be a chance for family firms to learn more about how FiB can support them and their own family business, as well as meet the great advisers in the FiB network,” adds Dani. “We are thrilled to have two of the regions leading family-owned businesses as our guest speakers at the event, and that they will share a rare insight into their personal family business journey.”

FiB’s Exclusive Partners in Birmingham includes Smith Cooper.  Partner and Head of Tax Jackie Hendley, says: “The West Midlands is home to more than 200,000 family businesses, which accounts for fifty-eight percent of all businesses in the region and almost seven percent nationally. Through our extensive work for family business clients, it was clear that whilst they have the same worries as other businesses, they have many additional issues too. We’re extremely proud to be part of a network that is dedicated to understanding and supporting those issues and the development of family run firms.”

FiB’s Birmingham legal Exclusive Partner is Else Solicitors. The firm’s Jonathan Tyson adds: “Our team has a real appreciation for the challenges that family-run businesses, and their stakeholders, face.  Families in Business, and the network it provides, enable all aspects of advice and support to be found in one place and we understand too well what great value this can be.”

Other advisers at the event include Barnett Ravenscroft Wealth Management (BRWM), also a FiB Exclusive Partner. BRWM managing director Richard Wood says: “We are delighted to support FiB. The owners of family businesses form a large proportion of our client base, who look to us for support in preserving family wealth and ensuring the future security of their business and staff through effective succession planning.”

Also at the event will be representatives from Yorkshire Bank, whose Head of Business Development, Nigel Woodward, adds: “Yorkshire Bank looks to support its customers, and family businesses are an important part of the local community that we care about. Having the support provided via a well run network like Families in Business can only help family businesses to achieve their personal goals and take advantage of the improving economic conditions.”

Pre-registration for the exclusive 5th June event is essential, please email: [email protected] for more information. For more information about FiB, visit: www.fibcommunity.com, follow @fibcommunity on Twitter, or contact Dani Saveker, Tel: 07812 99 27 26, Email: [email protected].