Business Diary: March 6

THE very first chambers of commerce were set up as revolutionary protest bodies, Diary learned last week at an event to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Hull and Humber’s.

It was a grand luncheon, taking place in the splendid surroundings of the Lord Mayor’s Parlour in the Guildhall building and attended by no less than nine past presidents, a Member of Parliament and a Cambridge don.

Professor Bob Bennett, of Cambridge University, told the distinguished gathering about the foundations of the chamber movement, some 250 years ago.

He described them as “the oldest Western set of organised business interests” and revealed that Hull and Humber’s chamber was formed to give a voice to business to counter the corrupt local corporation.

Prof Bennett is the author of Local Business Voice, a 936-page history of the chamber movement from 1760 to 2011.

The founding president of the chamber back in 1837 was Charles Norwood, who would go on to become the first president of the national association of chambers.

Raising his glass, Prof Bennett toasted the chamber “not just on survival but on rude health”.

Diana Johnson, Labour MP for Hull North, pointed out that efforts to establish the chamber could be traced back to 1801, which put into context the process to set up the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership.

Despite enjoying the history lesson, Diary had to leave to catch a train back to Leeds.

On the way out, a member called out: “Tell them that we’re revolutionaries over here.” Consider it done.

Friends reunited

IT was 11 years ago that Shulmans lawyer Robin King decided to swap the grey skies of Leeds for the sunnier climes of Sydney, Australia.

Fast forward to 2012, when Shulmans took a call from a client asking about the legalities of opening an office in Sydney. The Yorkshire firm, which is part of Interlegal network, looked to find a suitable counterpart Down Under. Australian law firm Brown Wright Stein had recently joined Interlegal.

Who was the solicitor that took on the work? Step forward Robin King, now a partner in the firm. “It was a huge surprise but an absolute delight to work with Robin again,” said Jeremy Shulman.

“And as a result, he’s just made a visit to our offices in Leeds where so many of our long-standing colleagues were able to enjoy something of a reunion. Indoors, alas. February in Leeds isn’t really barbecue weather, as Robin was keen to remind us.”

Cold calling

WHEN Gerard Ryan agreed to take over the reins at door step lender International Personal Finance, little did he know he’d be plunged into temperatures of minus 27 degrees in his first few weeks.

Leeds-based IPF, a strong believer that anything its agents can do its top brass should also do, had no problem in sending Ryan off to Warsaw during the recent frozen spell.

Ryan, who takes over as chief executive next month, was on the ground collecting money alongside a local Polish worker. “The agent put me to shame,” he admits. “I was running behind her, trying to catch up. I certainly feel I saw the real deal.”

Ryan will be relieved to hear IPF has no plans to move its head office from Leeds to its biggest customer Poland.

The young inventors

Diary never ceases to be amazed by the ingenuity of Yorkshire’s budding entrepreneurs. There was plenty of flare on display at the Solutions for the Planet conference at the Royal Armouries in Leeds last week.

More than 100 representatives from the region’s businesses, universities and public sector organisations attended the conference, which highlighted the importance of encouraging children to devise environmentally friendly business ideas.

A group of students from Kettlethorpe High School, near Wakefield, for example, had devised a series of luminous footprints which could be used to help pedestrians find their public transport routes home.

Another group – from Ingleton Middle School – had come up with a thought-provoking fashion range.

They have devised Fact Fashion.

The idea behind Fact Fashion is that people wear numbers and facts on their clothing to inform the public about important information.

This could lead to businesses having their staff wearing information related to their work, or charities highlighting the number of people who are homeless or living in poverty.