Midlands & West

Midlands & West Regional Committee

Mike Collis, who is stepping down as Chairman, is delighted to stay on as Deputy Chairman, whilst Chairman-Designate Brendan McGeever moves into post and a new committee is finalised.

Midlands & West will continue to run meetings in all the locations currently served, including Birmingham and Bristol.

Midland & West Deputy Chairman & IFT Member Mike CollisThe members in the Midlands have been involved in large number of turnaround cases both locally and nationally covering a wide spectrum of business sectors. One example is a plant leasing business which has been refinanced and has implemented a successful business improvement program involving sales, procurement, cost reduction and improved systems.

The South West is ranked as a most desirable place to live and work and has the best business survival rate in the UK.  It has a substantial coastline, cities, towns and rural areas providing an enviable mix of culture, heritage and landscape.In South Wales the area along the M4 corridor and the mining valleys is now moving from prime industries to a regenerated cosmopolitan commercial region with a very definite political agenda and budgetary policy.

Our members have been involved in helping business restructure and adapt to the dramatic decline in domestic construction activity including a national consultancy that has had to manage a fifty per cent reduction in turnover.

We have been active in the retail sector leading the restructuring and sale of a major national clothing outlet which involved over 250 high street leases. One of our members has been working with a Midlands-based automotive retailer which is adjusting to the current economic downturn with stronger focus on costs and cash flow.

We have also seen success in working with earlier technology businesses including the turnaround of a major supplier of components to the telecoms and broadband sector.

In the more traditional manufacturing arena we have been involved with the turnaround of a business which engaged in the production of wireless thermal printers where the design, manufacturing and marketing functions have been overhauled resulting in significant new customers being secured in the United States and Europe.