Former West Midlands MP David Kidney has been appointed to a key new role in the region's health technology sector.
Mr Kidney was MP for Stafford for 13 years until 2010 and famously defeated a young David Cameron for the seat in the 1997 General election.
Currently chief executive of the UK Public Health Register, he has now been appointed to lead the new Health Technologies Cluster Organisation by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.
His responsibilities will include establishing the requirements of the nascent West Midlands Health Technologies Cluster, engaging with life science and associated business bases to raise awareness of the plans for the cluster and securing commitment from prospective members and stakeholders.
Mr Kidney will also be leading the creation of a detailed business plan and responsible for securing key stakeholders' agreement and financial commitment to the project.
The LEP agreed to support a life sciences cluster in the West Midlands in December.
The initial set up phase of the Health Technologies Cluster Organisation is being funded by the LEP, West Midlands Academic Health Science Network and a private sector partner.
West Midlands Law firm Harrison Clark Rickerbys has announced 26 promotions across its offices, including one new partner and 11 promotions to the new post of legal director.
Wills, trusts and estates specialist Tom Murphy-Kirkhope has become the latest partner, based in the firm's Cheltenham office.
Taking up the position of legal director are family law solicitors Georgina Burrows, Maxine Reid and Nick Gova and corporate specialists Helen Higginbotham, Caroline Leviss and Stephenie Malone.
Completing the new group of legal directors are Patricia MacKenzie (commercial), Hayley Phelps (restructuring and insolvency), Tom Williams (dispute resolution), Guy Hollebon (employment) and Freddie Govier Wright (real estate).
Moving up to senior associate are Adam Barrett and Kate Hallifax (dispute resolution), Alex Wilson (family law), Laura Greenman (real estate) and Roz Gergees (restructuring and insolvency).
Completing the new appointments are nine new associates.
Shereen Chohan, Rhiannon Anderson and Penny-Jo Wilson (family law), William Hallett, Fiona Phillips and Eimir Tuckett (real estate), Cris Manuel-Hughes (dispute resolution), Hannah Wilding (education) and Lara Wilkinson (wills, trusts and estates).
The chief executive of Solihull-based Hill & Smith is retiring from the listed company.
Hill & Smith, which specialises in the supply of infrastructure products and galvanising services to global markets, said Derek Muir would step down from the board at the end of 2020.
Paul Simmons has been appointed from electronics company Halma to succeed Mr Muir and will join the firm in September.
Mr Muir joined Hill & Smith in 1988 and has been chief executive since 2006.
Law firm Pinsent Masons has made a new partner appointment in Birmingham.
David Halliwell is now leading the firm's client solutions offer and is working with a wide range of professionals across the firm to help clients transform the way they deliver legal services to their businesses.
In Birmingham, the firm has also announced that Rhian Critchell (corporate) and Rebecca Stephen (employment) have been promoted to the position of legal director.
Matt Ashley, group business development director with Birmingham-based transport operator National Express, has stepped down from the post.
He has been appointed as the new chief financial officer designate at betting company William Hill.
West Midlands utility Severn Trent has appointed Christine Hodgson as the next chairwoman of the company to succeed Andrew Duff in the role this month.
She joined the board as an independent non-executive director in January and became a member of the corporate sustainability, nominations and remuneration committees at that time.
A Birmingham digital agency has boosted its team with a pair of new hires.
Jewellery Quarter-based Lightbox Digital has hired an experienced developer and studio manager to work across its digital marketing and product development services.
Ben Goodman has experience in design, production and website management and has previously worked for clients such as St Mary's Hospice and Birmingham venture capital firm Midven.
Mr Goodman will be involved in a number of existing and brand new website projects.
Joining him is studio manager Michaela Higgins who will work closely with the account management team to oversee the delivery of all website projects and digital marketing work.
She has previously worked with Nike and logistics company Howard Tenens and will act as a communicator between the developer, design and account management teams in a project management role.
