England ruby legend Mike Catt scores highly at Yorkshire Bank Business Week events in Birmingham

21st May 2014

Budding rugby stars and the city’s most talented young professionals had the opportunity to question England ruby legend Mike Catt about success when he visited Birmingham as part of Yorkshire Bank’s Business Week.

The England coach and rugby World Cup winner took part in a number of events across the city on Monday May 12th, including a coaching session at King Edward VI Aston Boys School.

During the community event, Yorkshire Bank Ambassador Mike Catt hosted a Q&A with 20 students from the 755-pupil all boys school. His tips for the top included eating healthily and building a network of friends and alliances. Afterwards, he led a 45-minute training session with students at the school’s sports grounds.

He later met with an audience of more than 60 emerging professionals drawn from 19 of the UK’s top legal, surveying and accountancy firms, including Grant Thornton, BDO, DLA Piper, Key Capital Partners, Shakespeares, Deloitte and Irwin Mitchell.

In a unique twist on standard networking events, audience members attending the event, which was held at Yorkshire Bank’s Regional Business and Private Banking Centre in Birmingham, were nominated by peers who consider them the future of the Birmingham professional market.

Richard Wallace, Head of Yorkshire Bank’s Birmingham Business and Private Banking Centre, said:

“Mike’s participation in Birmingham’s Business Week events was a fantastic boost for our Centre and the wider business community. With 75 international caps during his playing career Mike is well qualified to discuss attaining success – and England’s chances in next year’s rugby World Cup.

“Business Week creates an opportunity for Birmingham businesses to come together to learn from each other and discuss the issues that affect them. I hope the local business community enjoys the remainder of Business Week.”   

Business Week, which is being held from 12-16 May will see more than 250 customer-focused events staged at the Bank’s UK-wide network of Business and Private Banking Centres, including a number of high profile events in the Midlands area.

Businesses from across the UK are being invited to meet with some of the UK’s leading financial experts to discuss their most pressing commercial issues such as; planning and securing finance for growth, improving profitability and succession planning.

Research commissioned by Yorkshire Bank as part of Business Week suggested that West Midlands small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are ready to invest nearly £9bn of their own turnover* into the local economy over the next 12 months.

*Source: Dept BIS  Annual SME total turnover £111bn