Is Birmingham Getting it? - Creativity and Culture feature in the West Midlands Power 50
Yesterday evening was the launch of the Birmingham Post's much anticipated supplement, the "Power 50 - Who is really shaping the future of the West Midlands?" at Birmingham Future's AGM. The supplement is out today and apparently I'm 'in' at number 20, which was a something of a pleasant surprise, especially given the tough month I've been having (more on this later).
At first I was bemused - I'm someone who runs a small company having not even hit thirty - what influence could I really be said to have? But when I thought about it further I realised that there's a much bigger issue here than my name appearing in this list - it signals a very positive change in the attitudes of opinion-makers about the strength and relevance of the design industry and the creative and cultural industries as a whole.
This is something I've been arguing for for a fair few of the ten years I've been living in this city so it feels great that we're making our voices heard more effectively than ever. And I'm not an isolated case. People working in the creative and cultural sector numbered some 17 out of 50 by my count, with 3 in the top 10.
The Birmingham Post's still relatively new (and excellent) editor Marc Reeves opened up the launch event with a Top-of-the-Pops style Top Ten format. It wasn't too far from "In at Number 7, it's a non-mover", but in a good way.
He opened by saying that there was bound to be criticism of the fifty people that made it (and those that hadn't) to the final list but that that was the point. Well he's not wrong there! I'm sure there's bound to be a few people saying "Why him?" "Why not her?" - it's disappointingly nearly all men.
I'm sure there are also going to be people saying that there are some glaring omissions too - I'm not going to name them here, but I was disappointed that some of the talented people I've been working with over the last few years to push the creative/cultural agenda didn't feature. Let's hope that gets rectified next year.
The big story here is that it's not just an equivalent to the Rich List which the Post publish annually - this takes into account other factors, and for once this seems to be sending the message that Birmingham has finally 'got it' - a strong creative and cultural sector will be a significant factor in the continuing reinvention of Birmingham.
Let's hope that this signals a sea-change in general opinion of how Birmingham will be reinventing itself in the future. Sure, big business counts, but if we're all going to sign up to the big decisions that are being made at the moment (City Centre Masterplan, Regional Economic Strategy) we need to understand that Small is the new Big and that creativity and culture needs to be understood, represented and supported from the highest level if we're going to make the city a success.
Everyone always says that we need to find and recognise the City's champions in all areas. Well, now we have a start and I'm glad that creativity and culture feature so prominently.
Here's the list (17 creative/cultural people in bold):
Councillor Ken Hardeman Paul Dale pays tribute to one of the Birmingham's greatest sons, who died this week. more Those who nearly made it Power 50 judges faced a difficult task in excluding from the final line-up some of the best known faces in Birmingham and the West Midlands. moreNo.1 Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham Former leader of the CBI and recently installed as the Minister of State for Trade and Investment more No.2 Sir Michael Lyons Former chief executive of Birmingham City Council and current chairman of the new BBC Trust more No.3 Alan Chatham Chartered surveyor behind some of the city’s most prestigious mixed-use developments. more No.4 Clive Dutton Clive Dutton became director of planning and regeneration at Birmingham City Council in February 2005. more No.5 Dorothy Wilson Artistic director and chief executive of Mac (Midlands Arts Centre) in Birmingham and chair of Arts Council England, West Midlands more No.6 Christine Braddock Principal of Matthew Boulton College and credited with saving it from closure more No.7 Derek Webley District bishop for the New Testament Church of God in Handsworth and a fearless anti-gun campaigner. more No.8 Sir Albert Bore Former leader of Birmingham City Council and current chairman of an NHS Trust more No.9 Robert Beckford Academic, theologian, broadcaster, film-maker and lecturer... more No.10 Liam Byrne The Home Office minister responsible for immigration and Minister for the West Midlands more No.11 Vincent Nichols The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Birmingham, is spiritual leader for Catholics across the centre of England. more
No.12 Mike Whitby The leader of Birmingham City Council since 2004 more
No.13 Bishop Joe Aldred Chairman of the Council of Black Led Churches more
No.14 Jerry Blackett Chief Executive at Birmingham Chamber more
No.15 Neil Rami Chief executive of Marketing Birmingham more No.16 David Bintley Artistic director of Birmingham Royal Ballet more No.17 Robert Edmiston Businessman who is at seventh place in the Birmingham Post Rich List more No.18 Soweto Kinch Jazz saxophonist and rap artist more No.19 Gary Taylor The first winner of Birmingham Young Professional of the Year and a director of Argent Group more No.20 Stef Lewandowski The founder and managing director of Digbeth-based creative agency 3form more No.21 Glenn Howells The founding director of Birmingham-based Glenn Howells Architects and a rising star in British architecture. more No.22 Prof Nick James A consultant in clinical oncology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital more No.23 David Cragg The first regional director of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in the West Midlands more No.24 Fyfe Dangerfield The charismatic frontman of avant-garde pop group Guillemots more No.25 Steve Dyson Editor of the Birmingham Mail more No.26 Paul Wilson Chief executive of law firm Shakespeare Putsman. more No.27 Professor Michael Clarke Birmingham University's vice-principal more No.28 Ed Doolan Birmingham's most famous Aussie more No.29 Jonnie Turpie Founder of Maverick Television more No.30 Lord Hunt Lord Hunt of Kings Heath became a Minister in the Ministry of Justice in Gordon Brown's his Government. more No.31 Nick Venning Marketing director for PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global Industry Programme, Nick Venning is also a champion for corporate charitable giving. more No.32 Dr Mohammad Naseem Chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque more No.33 Stephen Karle Stephen Karle runs one of the most important financial services companies in the West Midlands - the 158 year-old West Bromwich Building Society more No.34 Dave Pollard One of the visionaries of the Birmingham art scene. more No.35 Dr Arun Bajaj In March this year Dr Arun Bajaj was appointed chairman of the Birmingham-based Institute of Asian Business more No.36 Paul O'Connor Chief Executive of Birmingham Children's Hospital more No.37 Trevor Foster Trevor Foster is is managing director, banking, of Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander more Director of the IKON - Page appears to be missing from the Birmingham Post site. No.39 Paul Bassi As the son of a humble foundry worker, Paul Bassi knows what it's like to have to fight your way to the top. more No.40 James North James North may not yet be the most powerful man in Birmingham, but he is certainly one of the most influential. more No.41 Adrian Goldberg Adrian Goldberg is a self-confessed stirrer. His column in the Birmingham Mail is called The Stirrer and he even has a website at www.thestirrer.com. more No.42 Karl George MBE Karl George has entrepreneurial blood running through his veins. more No.43 Shin Bhangra pop star Shin, singer with DCS more No.44 Carol Coombes Carol Coombes is a senior consultant with human resources consultancy Caret more No.45 Clare Edwards Clare Edwards was named Birmingham Young Professional of the Year more
No.46 Simon Wales Simon Wales is the new general manager of Birmingham Town Hall more No.47 Ronnie Bowker Ronnie Bowker, senior partner of accountants Ernst & Young in Birmingham, was born in Stellenbosch, South Africa. more No.48 Chas Watkins Chas Watkins is output editor of BBC Midlands Today more No.49 John Edwards John Edwards has been chief executive of Advantage West Midlands, the regional development agency, since November 2000. more