According to the much-quoted statistic, Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe.
Whether or not that is actually true – a bit like the ‘more canals than Venice’ line – doesn’t really matter, as it is a good stat when the point being made is that the youthful profile of Birmingham’s population is a virtue. Which it really is, so long as everybody really embraces the youthfulness.
From a business perspective I would suggest that the key to success is to ensure that one gives our young people in the early stages of their careers chances and opportunities to shine. We need to trust them to step up and perform in roles, and give them the support required to succeed.
My own career path was very much shaped in this way, as I was fortunate to be around senior figures who provided me with a number of opportunities to accelerate my career development.
At 22 years of age, MBNA Bank took a chance on me and relocated me from Chester over to the East Coast of America to lead some of their affinity programmes. Five years later I was part of the American team that bought Aston Villa from Doug Ellis, and not long after that become CEO.
By the time I took over as CEO of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce in 2015, at the age of 36, I was still being trumpeted as the youngest CEO in the Chambers’ 200-year history. I recall finding that strange at the time as having already been CEO of Villa and Nottingham Forest I certainly didn’t feel young anymore. Rather, I felt battle-hardened from holding such roles that operate in the fierce glare of the public eye.
The point being that age is very much just a number, and yet it is strange how it is focused on so much and often made into a ‘thing’. With that said, I am sad to report that in recent times references to my age do seem to have stopped, and so there is certainly a sense of nostalgia for having that back (note to the Editor . . . is it too late to be called the youngest columnist in the history of Birmingham Business?!)
I certainly feel blessed to have been taken out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions throughout my career and given these opportunities. In hindsight it was brave of those who made such decisions to do so, and, while life and business are never plain sailing, I hope that I have always repaid them with my efforts and results. The old adage that ‘there is no such thing as bad experience, only experience’ certainly rings true and it is amazing what can be achieved when people are trusted and given the support and tools they need in order to succeed.
The quality of dynamism of young professionals in Birmingham’s business scene is very palpable, with brilliant talent scattered across the city working in a host of sectors. This was very much in evidence at the Future Face’s Young Professional of the Year Awards, run by the Chamber, last autumn. I was privileged to be a judge for certain categories, and was absolutely blown away by the personal and professional quality and depth of those who were up for awards.
In some ways it was almost intimidating, as I sat there judging and wondering how on earth these young professionals managed to squeeze all of their various roles and achievements into their lives. Yet it was also inspiring, and, as someone who very much subscribes to the maxim that in business you should always surround yourself by people who are better than you, left me feeling extremely upbeat and positive about the future prospects for Birmingham’s business community.
What these young professionals now need more than anything is a chance. For those businesses wondering if they should take a risk and promote that bright young person, then I would suggest that the answer should always be yes. Of course they will need support, guidance, mentoring and the benefit of experience, but the positives of trusting in talent and making bold moves far outweigh the negatives.
While the world remains as crazy and uncertain as ever, let’s remain optimistic and believe that ‘the future is bright – the future is Birmingham’.
*Paul Faulkner is co-founder of business consultancy Element45. He is the former chief executive of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa football clubs, and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. He also held a senior role with the Richardson family group.
