Pictured: Michael Ward

Birmingham lawyer Michael Ward succeeded Christine Braddock as president of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce at its annual meeting today (Friday, October 14, 2011) and called on the city's business community to unite for the common good.  

Mr Ward heads Gateley's corporate team in England and is the firm's senior Partner. As he prepared to take over from the principal and chief executive of Birmingham Metropolitan College, he said: 

"In her year of office, Christine has done a tremendous job in making commerce and industry in the city aware of the great advantages of close links between business and education. She has also been extremely busy in gaining an awareness of the way businesses operate by visiting nearly 200 member companies during her 12 months."  

Mr Ward has considerable experience in corporate transactions (acting for sellers, buyers and debt or equity providers), corporate restructuring and shareholder disputes. He is regularly involved in contract negotiations, deal origination and deals structuring. 

He was educated at the University of Birmingham and has over 25 years' experience as a corporate lawyer in the Midlands, advising private and public companies and private investors and has been instrumental in the development of the corporate team into one of the leading corporate practices in the Midlands. Mr Ward has influence among all the major business bodies in the West Midlands.

He is a former president and treasurer of the Birmingham Law Society; former chairman of the Young Solicitors Group and Trainee Solicitors Group; and of the Midland's Corporate Finance Charity Ball Committee.

Mr Ward, married with three children, has had a life-long love of sport, having played soccer well into his forties in Birmingham leagues. He played for Shirley Town in the Midlands Combination. He is also   member of Edgbaston Golf Club.

He has become president of Birmingham Chamber a year ahead of schedule. Work commitments abroad mean that Simon Warr, who was due to take up the appointment this year, will remain vice-president. He is expected to be joined by Steve Brittan, managing director of BSA Tools, as the newly-elected vice-president. 

As he starts his term of office, Mr Ward has called on the city's business organisations to work together for the greater good of the city and their own members.

He said: "It's important that the Chamber and organisations like Marketing Birmingham the IoD, the CBI and Birmingham Forward work closely with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise cases we are all aiming for the same goal and we should unite in a single purpose.

"In order to ensure Birmingham is the place to do business, there is now a big opportunity through the LEP for the Chamber to be at the heart of business in the city. I can't think of a better placed business organisation to do this.

"We need to debunk some of the pre-conceived ideas about turf wars - this has got to go. Let us not waste the current economic crisis. We need to work together to develop a city that people want to come to and do business in.

"The council cannot do that on its own and we should get behind them to drive the city forward while retaining our independence. I would like to make big strides in this direction during my year as president.

"I do not want to waste time. The Chamber is the heart of business in the city and we must make our voice heard.

"The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP provides the landscape and gives the private sector, with its 50 per cent representation, a big opportunity to ensure the interests of business are articulated.

"There are excellent people on the LEP board and if the Chamber and other organisations come together to support them that would be even better."

Mr Ward also has strong views on how the city is perceived globally. He said: "I cannot understand why some of our worldwide institutions hide the fact that they are in Birmingham.

"Edgbaston is a prime example. At the height of the riots in the city, attracting adverse global publicity, we had about 25,000 people of diverse backgrounds gathering for four days at the cricket ground for the Test match between England and India.

"There was hardly a police officer in sight and the match went ahead without trouble and in a spirit of great friendly rivalry. And yet those TV images that were sent round the world from the ground did not shout that the venue was in Birmingham while the riots did."