Paul Thandi

Group Chief Executive
NEC Group

Paul became CEO in October 2006 and has rebuilt the company’s brands and reputation, created a new senior management team and transformed the Group into a data-led organisation which has included the launch and evolution of The Ticket Factory, now a challenger brand to Ticketmaster. 

Prior to joining the NEC Group Paul had 20 years’ experience in the media industry; he was previously an executive director at CMP Information (CMPi), a multimedia trading division in exhibitions, conferences, digital, information products and online communities and operating company of UBM. Towards the end of his time at CMPi, Paul led the acquisition and merger strategy and managed the full strategic, financial and operational control of the company’s exhibition and publishing portfolio. He was also responsible for high-profile acquisitions which included the purchase of The Barbour Group.

Paul is Chairman of Glide Utilities Ltd., a business that aggregates bills payments to the private landlord and student market primarily and represents the NEC Group on the board of Marketing Birmingham. He also heads up the Midlands Growth Engine Steering Group, set up to inform the Government of capability, resources and plans for the West Midlands Combined Authority. He is Chair of Birmingham and Solihull Employment and Skills Board, and Chair of the Birmingham Sports Commission. He is also Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands Lieutenancy.

Dr Colin J Clinton

Regional Project Manager, Midlands Engine Investment Hub
Department for International Trade

Colin started his civil engineering career working in the public sector on major Inner City infrastructure projects and Urban Regeneration schemes for Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, West Midlands County Council and the City of Birmingham for a sustained period from 1971 to 1988. Colin joined Arup in 1988 in their Birmingham office. He managed several projects across Midlands UK, and into Continental Europe. In 1994 he was Senior Project Manager for the first Japanese investment by Toyota into their Car Plant in Derbyshire. In 2002, Colin was appointed a Director of Arup, and in 2004 became the youngest President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In January 2010 he was appointed Director of Business Development East Asia Region (EAR) based in Hong Kong. From June 2011, and in addition to his BD role, he was Project Director for the Rose Rock International Finance Centre (RRIFC) in Tianjin, Northern China. Throughout 2013 and 2014 Dr Clinton developed relationships with some of China’s largest construction and investment firms. In April 2015 he returned from China to the UK and was based in Arup’s Liverpool Office. In Sept 2015 Colin accepted an invitation by UK Gov’t for a part time secondment role as Head of China Business in UKTI Regeneration and Investment Organisation (RIO). He accompanied the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to China for the Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD). From January 2016 Colin has been based in Birmingham supporting the inward investment strategy for Birmingham, WMCA and the Midlands Engine. He directed the production of the ME investment Pitchbook and help launch it at MIPIM in Mar 2016. He joined DIT full time in Jan 2017 as Regional Project Manager within the Midlands Engine Investment Hub.

Mark Rogers

Chief Executive
Birmingham City Council

Mark graduated from Oxford in 1983 with a degree in Modern History and embarked upon working life by becoming a volunteer care assistant in a residential special school. In 1985 moved he into his first teaching role, having completed a one year post graduate certificate in education (to teach pupils with Special Educational Needs) at Leeds Polytechnic. He subsequently worked in special schools in the East Midlands and North West, becoming a head teacher in Tameside in 1994.

In 2001, Mark

was seconded to be the Head of Specialist Services in Tameside, working on the Authority's first inclusion strategy. Having quickly developed an appetite for local government, Mark was appointed as Assistant Director, Children &

Young People, for Stockport Council in 2003 where, in due course, he was given oversight of the Council’s 'Every Child Matters - Change for Children’ programme. 

In March 2006, Mark joined Solihull Council’s Corporate Leadership Team, having been appointed to the post of Director of Children’s Services. This role provided the unmissable opportunity to take forward the Council’s trailblazing work as a Children’s Trust Pathfinder, developing a fully fledged Children & Young People’s Partnership for improving outcomes. 

Mark, as joint DCS and Chief Executive from 2007, had the pleasure of guiding the Council successfully through a number of major inspections and, latterly, has helped position the council as a national leader and enthusiastic participant in sector-led improvement.

During his time at Solihull, the council introduced a highly regarded integrated transformation and organisational development programme that, through the application of Lean Thinking, put citizens and digital innovation at the heart of the drive for greater quality and value. 

In December 2013 Mark was appointed to the role of Chief Executive and Director of Economy at Birmingham City Council and took up role in March 2014. These combined roles are designed to have maximum impact on the three priorities of prosperity, fairness and democracy, ensuring Birmingham continues to live up to its status as Britain’s 2^nd city. 

Finally, Mark still maintains his commitment to children’s services as the Society of Local Authority Chief Executive’s lead for this area, a role that involved being a deputy chair of the Social Work Reform Board up to 2012, becoming co-chair of the new national Children’s Health and Wellbeing Partnership in 2013, and jointly founding the Children’s Improvement Board (2010-13) which set the framework for sector led improvement in children’s services. 

Mark is President of SOLACE for 2013-14.

Rob Groves

Regional Director
Argent

Rob Groves, is the Regional Director of Argent and has over 30 years of planning, design, construction and commercial experience. Prior to joining Argent in 2007 he was an Equity Partner at a large multi-disciplinary consulting engineer practice. His development experience includes mixed use, residential, commercial, industrial schemes as well as major public sector infrastructure.

Rob has led schemes from feasibility through to planning, compulsory purchase, which includes expert witness work, detailed design, funding both private and public sector, construction and commercial legals and lettings.

He is head of Argents’ Birmingham office and is leading the Paradise project in Birmingham, which is a joint venture with Birmingham City Council for a new commercial led mixed use development of 2 million sq/ft in the City centre, which is one of the biggest city centre projects in the regions. The project was one of the first in England to secure Enterprise Zone funding, delivering major site wide infrastructure changes to the city centre, the first phase of which is close to completion.

Rob is also the chair of the Midlands British Council of Offices.

Sarah Middleton

Chief Executive
Black Country Consortium Ltd

Sarah is the Chief Executive of Black Country Consortium Limited (BCC) and has been since its incorporation in 2006. Sarah joined the Consortium Partnership in October 1999 and has been central in developing the Black Country Sub-Regional partnership, its 30 year vision, Economic Strategy and Spatial Strategy, including joint approaches on Planning, Investment, Economic Intelligence and the Black Country Education and Skills Strategy. Sarah qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and previous roles include Deputy Chief Executive for East Mercia Chamber of Commerce (including responsibilities as General Manager for Business Link Walsall) and Chief Executive of Walsall City Challenge.