BJC Bugle

Bristol
Junior
Chamber
Issue Twenty One Summer 2014
www.bristoljuniorchamber.co.uk
I am very humbled to have become
the President of the BJC in its
66th year. A busy start to the
new BJC year has included a trip
to Parliament, contributing to a
Bristol north jobs fair as well as
hearing from Bonnie Dean OBE
(Chief Executive of Bristol and Bath
Science Park) and David Warburton
(Homes and Communities Agency)
at our May members meeting.
Core themes for my Presidency are
preparing BJC members to be leaders
of 21st Century Bristol (or what I call
Bristol 21), considering the concept
of innovation in Bristol and brand
Bristol and improving social mobility.
The main ethos of the BJC is to help
create a great city for all sections of
the community.
Future events include the BJC
Presidents Annual Lecture, which
this year will be given by the
Right Honourable Baroness Gillian
Shephard, deputy chair of the
Social Mobility and Child Poverty
Commission and parliamentary
hustings in February/March next year.
Booker T Washington once said,
those who are happiest are those
who do the most for others.
BJC members please join me, and
the rest of the Council of
Management, in doing the
most for Bristol.
Karl Brown,
President

From the President BJC Parliamentary Delegation
to the Palace of Westminster
The day started with an ofcial tour of the Palace of
Westminster - including the Queens ofcial robing
room and the chambers of both the House of Lords
and House of Commons. Following the tour, the Right
Honourable Baroness Royall of Blaisdon PC hosted
a committee room debate in the House of Lords on
the role of the House of Lords. As a privy counsellor
and former Leader of the House of Lords, the Right
Honourable Baroness Royall gave the BJC a fascinating
insight into the role of the peers of the realm. Lunch
followed in the House of Commons - where we were
joined by the Chief Executive of the Local Enterprise
Partnership to discuss the link between Bristol and
Westminster and the Deputy Speaker of the House
of Commons (and MP for Bristol South), the Right
Honourable Dawn Primorolo MP. Our ofcial host for
the day, Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy then whisked us
off to Portcullis House for a committee room meeting
with her and former Parliamentary aid Kamella Hudson
on the role of the House of Commons. We nally made
our way up to the strangers gallery of the House of
Commons to witness Home Ofce questions taking
place in the House of Commons chamber below us.
Darren Jones
May Members Meeting
On Monday 7 April our past Chair of Policy and Inuence, Darren Jones, led a
delegation of BJC members to Westminster for a day of history, politics and policy.
MEMBERS INTERVIEW
Bonnie Dean, OBE, Chief Executive of the Bristol
& Bath Science Park and David Warburton, Head
of Area in the South West for the Homes and
Communities Agency each provided insightful talks
for the May members meeting, kindly held at Clarke
Willmott. Bonnie Dean OBE described how it took
30 years to bring about the science park and the
benet it has for the economic development of
the city. She also talked about the Brandon Trust,
a charity that help people with learning disabilities
live independently by using new technologies.
David Warburton explained how the HCA focuses
on regeneration and unlocking land. Particularly
interesting is the HCAs aim to diversify the Bristol
Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone to make it more
attractive to creative industries!
Gemma Alaway, Chair of PR & Marketing
MEMBERS INTERVIEW
www.bristoljuniorchamber.co.uk www.bristoljuniorchamber.co.uk
Annual
Dinner
March 2014 once again saw
the BJC throw our Annual Black
Tie Charity Ball, this year hosted
at the charming Marriott Royal
Bristol on College Green. With
nearly 200 guests in their nest
livery the event always promised
to be one to remember &
this years turnout certainly
didnt disappoint!
Our guests were serenaded into
a champagne reception by the
Bristol Quartet (at times playing
some rather funky modern
tunes!), accompanied by the
always charismatic magician
Kieron the Mighty providing
entertainment throughout
the evening. We enjoyed a
sumptuous dinner provided by
the hotel, followed by farewell
& welcome speeches by our
outgoing President Tom Selway
& incoming President Karl
Brown respectively.
Many, many thanks to all who
made the BJC record charitable
donation possible (raising over
1,500!) also thanks to the
generosity of local rms for
the prizes for our rafe. Our
benetting charity this year
was 1625 Independent People,
who work in the community
supporting young people all
over the city.
And who can forget the amazing
shapes being thrown by many
a guest & VIP once the dancing
shoes were donned during the
amazing set played by one of
Bristols nest bands, Tinman!
Our events team are always
looking for help with the ball,
and other events, so register
your interest with the Chair of
Social & Events, Gemma-Jane
Ogden, now!
Thanks to Jon Craig photography
for the fantastic photos of
the event.
Mark Langmead
www.bristoljuniorchamber.co.uk
Introducing our new Council of Management
Meeting with
Stephen Williams MP
As a fun and interesting way to introduce our new Council of Management, we asked each member to provide a random fact about themselves
Stephen Williams is an MP for the Liberal
Democrats and currently serves for the
constituency of Bristol West. He met with Karl
Brown, Claire Davies, Gemma Alaway and Leon
Musmann on 24th April to discuss the work
of the BJC. His role includes being Minister for
Communities in the area.
Being from a working class background
Stephen shares our Presidents passion for
social mobility. He seemed proud of his status
as the only serving MP to have received free
school meals as a child and does a large
amount of work with Future First, a charity
through which he helps mentor young people
into aspirational careers for which they
wouldnt ordinarily have a role model.
He has a passion for Bristol having moved
here, like many of our members, to go to
university. The city grabbed him with its
diversity and vibrancy but he feels that the
city does a rather poor job of promoting
itself. He campaigns to promote the city
(both central and greater) to industries
far and wide. Bristol has the highest
concentration of technology rms anywhere
in the world outside of Silicon Valley and is
something that we should all shout about!
Leon Musmann, Treasurer
Please feel free to come and chat to us, we look forward to meeting as many new members and prospective members as possible over the coming months!
Karl Brown,
President
Karl achieved journalistic
fame at the age of nine
with a letter he wrote
to John Barnes, which
was published in Roy of
the Rovers.
Claire Davies,
Chair of Education
& Skills
Claire is a classically
trained singer and has
sung, as part of a choir,
for the Queen and
as backing for The
Three Tenors.
Ben St Quintin,
Vice-President
Following his Vice-
Presidential Year, Ben
will become the 7th
BJC President to have
worked in the JLL Bristol
ofce; dating back to the
days of JP Sturge, King
Sturge and now JLL.
Gemma-Jane Ogden,
Chair of Social
& Events
Gemma-Jane worked
as a holiday rep for
a summer in Turkey,
teaching people to sail
whilst living on a yacht!
Tom Selway,
Immediate Past
President
Immediate Past
President, Tom Selway
has two jobs. By day
he is a PR consultant,
by weekend he is an
Army Reservist in the
Royal Yeomanry.
Charles Chami,
Chair of Business
& Enterprise
Charlie has a YouTube
video with over
26,000 views!
Rob Barnes,
Membership Secretary
Rob once ran up and
down Snowden to
complete the 3 Peaks
challenge in 23 hours.
Gareth Mason,
Chair of Heritage
& Culture
Gareth recently built
a Design Classic (1920s)
De Stijl inspired chair.
Leon Musmann,
Treasurer
The comedian Russell
Howard once gave Leon
a spiked pint of beer.
Lucy Mills,
Chief Communication
Ofcer
Lucy once won a Sony
Megadrive on Maggot
Moments on Saturday
morning kids TV!
Gemma Alaway,
Chair of PR
& Marketing
Gemma originally
wanted to be a fashion
designer and still
enjoys sewing and
adapting clothes.
Michael Pearce,
Company Secretary
Michael is from the
Isle of Wight, each
Christmas he has a mad
dash to go from work to
catch the last ferry back
to the island!
www.bristoljuniorchamber.co.uk www.bristoljuniorchamber.co.uk
Design and Print by Ardent
www.ardentcommunications.co.uk
0117 923 9784
Bristol
Junior
Chamber
Spring Drinks Sponsors
Thanks to the following organisations for their
support with the BJCs annual spring drinks:
When did you join BJC?
I joined the BJC in February, just in time for the
annual Ball!
Why did you join?
It was Leon that introduced me to the BJC,
initially as an enquiry into whether our function
band was available to play for the ball. He
explained that there are a number of social
events organised each year, but also a number
of other benets that I could enjoy as a young
business Director. Quite the salesman! I attended
the next meeting and found the members to
be friendly and professional, sharing many of
my own views on how business integrates with
the community as a whole. More importantly,
the social side of the BJC seemed to be very
important to everyone, something else I feel is
very important.
What has been your best
moment as a BJC member so far?
No contest. Getting the opportunity at my very
rst meeting to listen to the incredible Johnny
Johnsons Dambuster story was fantastic! There are
lots of events that are very enjoyable, but that was
most denitely a one off. It was a great evening!
What areas of the BJC interest you most?
I have been involved in education as a School
Governor and young enterprise mentor and
feel very passionately that supporting Bristols
commercial momentum, starts with us helping
our youngsters understand the mechanics of
business at a very early age. I could see clearly
that the BJC recognises this, and that is very
encouraging. I would be keen to be involved with
supporting this where I can.
What is your day job?
10 years ago, as a post-grad I started a
telecommunications business, offering calls and
lines services to businesses in the South West.
We are now an ISP (internet service provider), and
developer of some unique cloud applications.
We have also recently set up a training
operation offering formal training for those who
demonstrate a great attitude to work, but need
experience to get onto the career ladder.
As a company that is focused on innovation, my
role is primarily to develop the new products
and services, and to manage the business in
accordance with our roadmap. Something that I
enjoy a great deal!
When did you join BJC?
March 2014
Why did you join?
Most of my greatest friends are or have been
members of the BJC. I felt, as a 6th generation
Bristolian, I wanted to try to contribute more
to Bristol and try and be more part of the
community, as my work can often give me tunnel
vision and I get very self focused on a show that
once it transmits, never gets seen again! So I want
to give some of my energies to something more
worthwhile and enduring.
What has been your best
moment as a BJC member so far?
The trip to the Houses of Parliament was brilliant...
the tour revealed so much history, I cant believe
Ive not been before! Everyone who went was so
friendly and welcoming, and we had an especially
in depth look into the lives of the politicians up
there as we were fortunate enough for Darren to
have organised that we meet politicians who act
for and with Bristol. It was really interesting and
relevant to the BJC.
What areas of the BJC interest you most?
I really want to be part of giving something back
to Bristol, to promoting its existing wealth of
history & creative projects and to enrich Bristols
prosperity if possible.
What is your day job?
I am a freelance Assistant Producer who
specialises in Natural History television
(Bristol being probably the centre for the nest
Natural History output in the world). I currently
work for Icon Films on a programme for Discovery
Channel about a tagged Great White shark called
Gill Rakers who has been followed for her 18
month gestation, and who is hopefully about to
nally pup in the sea of Cortez in the next few
weeks. (An App follows her here:
www.expeditionwhiteshark.com)
MEMBERS INTERVIEW
Dates for your Diary
BJC PRESIDENT ON UJIMA RADIO 98 FM
Date: Monday 19 May, 5.30-6.30pm
POP UP DRINKS
Date: Friday 23 May
MONTHLY MEETING AT THE NEW ROOM
BRISTOL
Date: Tuesday 3 June
DRAGON BOAT RACE
Date: Sunday 8 June
MONTHLY MEETING AT BRISTOL ZOO
Date: Tuesday 1 July
MONTHLY MEETING, WINETASTING
AT AVERYS
Date: Tuesday 5 August
BRISTOL BALLOON FIESTA
Date: 7-9 August
Winterbourne
International
Academy Mock
Interviews
As a new member of the BJC, a key reason
for joining was the BJCs strong support for
early career development, in particular mock
interviews regularly organised with local
schools. These interviews provide a great
opportunity for students to gain a taste
of a real interview situation; in a risk-free
environment, where they receive full, open,
feedback. On the 6th March I joined four BJC
members, interviewing nine 6th form students
from Winterbourne Academy. Students had a
range of careers ahead of them; of the two I
interviewed one is applying for a Law degree,
and the other to join the Police Force. Both took
the interviews seriously (with a healthy amount
of nerves!) and were very open to advice. The
students all appreciated the opportunity and
the BJC received lots of thank-you notes! As
well as being rewarding, the interviewer role
provides benet to BJC Members: A week later
I was responsible for interviewing apprentices
for Rolls-Royce, and the session gave me a
good insight into how people of that age
think and react in high pressure situations, as
well as allowing me to reect on what I could
do better. Mock interviews provide a great
opportunity to both students and BJC members
I encourage you all to get involved!
Jon Warner
MEMBERS INTERVIEW
Paul Anslow
Jo Avery