Prominent Birmingham lawyer Steve Allen has officially taken the reins as president of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
The commercial litigation specialist is head of the Birmingham office at Mills & Reeve and succeeds Saqib Bhatti who stepped down from the president's seat after being elected as MP for Meriden in the recent General Election.
Mr Allen has served as vice-president of the chamber since October 2018 and sits on the executive committee of the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce.
He is also a past president of the New York-based British American Business Council.
Mr Allen, who will be supported by vice-president Deb Leary, has vowed to continue the work of Mr Bhatti and his predecessor Paul Kehoe by making international trade the focus of his presidency.
He said: "The chamber has an important role to play in helping our members navigate the tricky waters post-Brexit.
"My term of office will focus on international trade and the need for businesses to innovate in order to compete globally.
"Through our International Business Hub, I want our members to be ambitious.
"The chamber can help businesses achieve what they want to achieve and together we can make our city region one of the best places in the world to do business.
"I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor Saqib for his very significant contribution, both as president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce and latterly as president of the chambers and I wish him all the best in his new role as an MP."
Chief executive Paul Faulkner added: "We're delighted to confirm Steve as the new president of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.
"He is highly respected throughout the regional business community and possesses demonstrable leadership qualities.
"He has a long-standing commitment to the chamber and to helping support business across the area.
"Having worked closely with him as a board member since 2017 and more latterly as Saqib's vice-president over the past 14 months, I know what a first-class individual he is.
"I look forward to us working together even more closely as he assumes the role of chamber president."
