Ben Capewell - Commercial Director, Blackheath

What do you do?

I’m the Commercial Director at Black Country Housing Group, a social landlord based in Blackheath, Sandwell.

How did you get into the industry?

I started out as a Leakage Technician for Severn Trent Water and became interested in how companies can improve the way they work to save and make money. I gradually built up my experience and moved further into business development, before starting my own consultancy. I loved going into different companies and helping them solve problems but I got to the point where I wanted to give something back to society. The job at Black Country Housing Group meant I could use my business development skills for good in the community.

Describe your typical working day:

There really is no typical working day in my job! It can involve anything from meeting people who want to work with BCHG and exploring business opportunities, to commissioning new projects and carrying out research. It’s basically about hunting out opportunities for BCHG to get involved with and then developing those ideas.

What do you love most about your job?

I love being able to be innovative and creative to come up with ideas that solve problems and make a real difference to people’s lives.

Have there been any particular highlights so far?

I’m fairly new in post, so I would say that the highlights to date have been meeting so many new people and setting the wheels in motion for a range of projects.

Any downsides?

I’ve had to get to grips with a new sector – social housing – but I’ve found it really interesting.

Any advice for people changing careers or starting their own business?

For people who want to start their own business, I would say do as much research as possible and have a really clear idea of what you want to achieve. It’s also important to build a good network to support you. And once everything is in place, go for it!

Contact:

Ben can be contacted at the Black Country Housing Group on (0121) 5611969.