The head of Birmingham Forward has stepped down from his position with immediate effect so he can continue his battle against cancer.

Richard Brennan, who has been chief executive of the pressure group for the past four years, has been suffering for more than six months and his condition has now led to him resigning so that he can continue to fight the disease.

Jackie Hendley, who is a tax partner at KPMG and chair of Forward, offered her best wishes to Mr Brennan and said that moves had already taken place to temporarily fill the role.

She said: “Richard has been battling with cancer for the past six months and after careful consideration he has decided to resign his position. 

"I know many will join me in thanking Richard for all that he’s done in his four-year tenure to further Birmingham’s professional services cause and forward our best wishes to Richard and his family. 

“We have appointed an interim CEO in Mary Daunt who was a board director between 2005 and 2008 so understands the organisation well. She’s also been a long-term member both in her current position as a consultant at Hammonds and before then at Browne Jacobson.

“Mary will work closely with both me, the board and office teams to ensure we continue to do our best to provide an environment of excellence in our drive to make Birmingham the city of choice for business and professional services.”