Athletics stars get set to back Birmingham’s first Business Leadership Summit

‘It’s time for Birmingham to make the most of its high value ecosystem of decision makers to attract investment and drive growth’ according to the organisation behind the city’s first ever Business Leadership Summit.

The event, due to be hosted by M3.agency at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on April 30, will bring together 100 top leaders from the region to encourage collaboration, nurture talent and challenge outdated perceptions.

Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics, and Olympic 400m bronze medallist and renowned multi-sport commentator Katharine Merry have been secured as headline speakers to showcase the forthcoming athletics events taking place at the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr - starting with the Novuna UK Athletics Championships in June, followed by the European Athletics Championships Birmingham 2026.

The duo will also highlight how the role of elite sport can inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and businesses.

Delegates will also hear from Paralympics GB Rowing gold medallist Naomi Riches on the importance of developing trust in her team, with the evening set to be drawn to a close by Pride of Britain Award winner and author Omar Sharif who left behind gang life and overcome homelessness to become a trusted voice on reinvention.

Nick Lovett, CEO of M3.agency, said: “As a full-service agency committed to the overall success of Birmingham, we wanted to bring together our city’s amazing business leaders in one iconic location to connect, to inspire, to share ideas and to build momentum for the future.

“The Birmingham Business Leadership Summit is the result, and this will hopefully be the start of an annual event moving forward. We have some amazing talent and firms here and want to ensure we are seen as the UK’s second city for the best possible reasons.

“We need to shout louder about what Birmingham has to offer and, more importantly, what we can deliver – like fantastic Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

“There has to be an increased appetite to build a community that works for the greater good of the city and not just to boost personal revenues.”

The Birmingham Business Leadership Summit, which will raise money for the Beaudesert Trust youth charity, is expected to attract 100 of the city’s most inspiring companies and people who want to make a positive difference.

Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics, said: “Birmingham will host two fantastic events this summer, underlining how the sport of athletics loves the West Midlands.

“Events staged here always benefit from significant interest and engagement from the local fans, but even more importantly, we know there are huge economic and commercial opportunities, and we are looking forward to bringing that to you.

“The Business Leadership Summit is a great platform to share what is coming up and I look forward to meeting with many local and regional leaders later this month.”

Since starting out in 2019, M3.agency now employs 50 people handling integrating marketing accounts and managing more than £50m of media billings.

The company has continued to win a string of new clients, ranging from Rexel (performance marketing) and Cyrus Audio (brand development and marketing activation) to Euro Options (rebrand, website and digital marketing) and Transport for West Midlands (social media strategy work).

Jonathan Jesson, growth director at M3.agency, said: “A big focus for us this year is giving opportunities to the new ‘creative and digital’ talent that is coming out of the three excellent universities we have here in Aston, University of Birmingham and BCU.

“We want to retain as many of the next generation of leaders here and, to do that, we need to have a city that doesn’t hide its light under a bushel but instead have a city that is unashamedly proud to be their home for the next decade.”