TUESDAY 26th OCTOBER 2010

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Business Birmingham launches new shared services network as part of jobs drive

Business Birmingham, the city’s official inward investment programme, is launching a Shared Services Network for the Midlands next month as part of plans to target the sector for jobs growth.

The forum will promote opportunities for managers in existing Midlands shared service centres to network and share knowledge while also acting as a key source of expertise and advice to companies researching potential locations for shared service centres.

The decision to launch the forum was prompted by targeted research undertaken by Business Birmingham with senior members of the shared services industry in the Midlands. More than three quarters (81%) of respondents called for the creation of such a forum, with over half (62%) confirming that they were members of similar initiatives in other geographical areas.

Neil Rami, Chief Executive of Marketing Birmingham, which manages Business Birmingham, said:

Shared services is an industry that could help deliver more jobs and investment to the Midlands. There is a clear demand from the sector for this forum and we are keen to build on this appetite to understand their needs in building and expanding their businesses and using this knowledge to inform our approach to potential investors.
This forum will provide us with an invaluable asset when speaking with potential investors as it will demonstrate our understanding of their sector and provide a strong network of experts who are able to provide the ‘soft landing’ they need to get their business off the ground.

Business Birmingham is now working closely with companies such as McDonalds, Rentokil, and Interserve, which run shared service centres in the Midlands, to launch the forum in November. The forum will be chaired by HR specialists to the industry, Robert Walters, and administered by Business Birmingham.

The shared services sector is a high-priority target for Business Birmingham, which has ear-marked the sector as a valuable source of jobs. Over half of respondents (57%) confirmed that they located their centres in the Midlands owing to an historical legacy of operations in the region.

Steve Randall, Managing Director of Robert Walters, UK Regions, commented:

Robert Walters is delighted to see how the Midlands Shared Services networking forum is adding real momentum to the growing number of world class shared services centres in the Midlands. The forums provide an ideal opportunity for thought leaders and senior professionals to get together, discuss and debate trends, opportunities and challenges that the region has to face and embrace. With companies such at Interserve, AT&T, HMV Waterstones, Rentokil and McDonalds proactively participating in the forum no doubt there will be significant value to gain from attending the events.

Lee Brittain, Head of Shared Services at Rentokil Initial, supports the network:

The development of a West Midlands forum will underpin the great work that currently takes place in the numerous Shared Service Centres across the Region. The enablement of a platform to share best practice, knowledge & experience is valuable and over time this should serve to attract new organisations to the area, which will bring new jobs and opportunities to what is a cost-effective and truly central location in the UK.

The first event will take place on 10 November at Eleven Brindleyplace. Interested parties should visit the Events Calendar to sign up to the event and find out further information.

Birmingham’s shared service centre credentials:

• Impressive names - including Ernst & Young, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Davis Langdon - have already set up Shared Service centres in the city.
• Birmingham is home to the UK’s largest professional and financial services sector outside London; and is the UK’s second largest city.
• Birmingham boasts a large pool of skilled, well educated and multi-lingual labour, particularly in Finance, IT and Human Resources with over 100,000 already employed in the city’s professional and financial services sector.
• Quality of life above that of many other leading cities such as Prague, Dubai, and Hong Kong; and house prices are an average of 61% lower than London. • Office costs: average prime rentals are just £27.50 per sq ft in Birmingham compared with £59.25 in London.