The six-month search to find a new chief executive for Birmingham Forward has come to an end with the appointment of one of the organisation’s biggest champions.
Peter Rees Steer, once recognised as one of the city’s most inspiring leaders and a former member of Birmingham Future’s leadership team, will take up the post formally held by Richard Brennan before he succumbed to cancer last summer.
Since then city lawyer Mary Daunt has acted as interim chief executive and alongside chair Jackie Hendley, a tax partner at KPMG, they have undertaken a review of the organisation in terms of its role in the city as well as its personnel after several other key staff also left last year.
As well as appointing a new chief executive, Forward is also bringing in Emily Lloyd as a new operations manager as well as welcoming a number of new board members.
Ms Hendley said: “I am delighted that Peter has agreed to join Birmingham Forward and continue the excellent work that has been started by Mary.
“Peter joins us at an interesting and exciting time for both our organisation and for the city and its business community.
“We are facing a period of unprecedented change with many exciting developments ahead including the new Library of Birmingham, The New Street Gateway development and the prospect of HS2 and an elected mayor all of which will help the city compete on the international stage.
“Together with the Birmingham Future leadership team and the Forward board, Peter will support our on going work to influence and shape the debate on key issues facing our sector and the wider business community and to ensure we add value to our members.”
Mr Rees Steer is a management and property consultant specialising in business and property performance who initially trained with Coopers and Lybrand before moving to Birmingham and working at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Nine years ago he formed his own consultancy practice R-S Associates.
He has served as chairman of regional audience development agency Audience Central for a number of years, sits on the national membership committee for the Institute of Directors and has recently taken up the role as president of the West Midlands Society of Chartered Accountants.
In 2008 he was also awarded the Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Most Inspiring Leader award.
He said: “I am extremely excited to be taking up the post of chief executive at such a pivotal time for the organisation.
"Having for many years attended Forward events and previously having been involved in the running of the organisation through my days on the Future leadership team, I am delighted to be given the opportunity to support Forward and Future and take the organisation into a new and progressive era.
“I cannot wait to get started and to build on the fantastic work done by Jackie Hendley, Darren Walker, Mary Daunt and the team in the past year.”
