Pictured: Chamber chief executive Jerry Blackett
E.ON, one of the UK's leading energy companies employing around
12,000 people in the UK, and National Express, one of Birmingham's
biggest employers, have become patrons of Birmingham Chamber of
Commerce.
Business Birmingham, the city's official inward investment
programme and part of Marketing Birmingham's destination marketing
strategy has become a patron of the British American Business
Council.
Chamber chief executive Jerry Blackett said: "We are
tremendously proud to have these companies as patrons. They can
provide valuable service and advice which are vital to the economic
and social wellbeing of businesses."
E.ON's Energy Solutions business supplies power and gas to more
than five million domestic, small and medium-sized enterprise and
industrial customers across the country and also offers innovative
energy services and technologies tailored to meet its customers'
needs.
It has been named as one of only 41 UK companies to be awarded
the community mark, a national standard of excellence in community
investment. The company will work closely with the Chamber to
promote sustainability across business, commerce and transport as
well as in homes.
Don Leiper, director of new business, said: "A lot of what we
are doing starts with simple energy efficiency measures, helping
people to use less and hopefully spend less on their bills - what
we call being energy fit. Birmingham has already laid out extremely
ambitious environmental targets - cutting carbon pollution by 60
per cent in the next 15 years - but through partnerships between
the public and private sector we hope to help deliver the skills,
knowledge and investment needed to make Birmingham a truly low
carbon city."
National Express Group employs over 5,400 personnel and is a
leading public transport operator delivering services in the UK,
North America and Spain. Every year more than 700 million journeys
are made on their services.
Andrew Cleaves, managing director of the National Express UK
coach business, said: "We are delighted to become a patron of the
Chamber. With our global headquarters in Digbeth, and as one of the
region's largest employers, we are proudly rooted in the West
Midlands."