Why AI Literacy Matters for the West Midlands’ Economic Future
In this article, West Midlands–based AI educator and award-winning solopreneur Jacqueline Leake shares her journey from struggling to write authentic digital content to becoming a regional advocate for inclusive, confidence-building AI literacy. Drawing on her own late-career pivot into AI — recognised at the Women Who Solopreneur Awards — Jacqueline highlights the barriers many small […]
£1.9 Billion Wake-Up Call: Why Cyber Resilience Must Be the New Foundation of Industry
This article aims to highlight the severe economic and operational consequences of modern cyberattacks—using the £1.9 billion JLR incident as a case study—and to urge industry leaders to shift from passive, compliance-driven security to proactive, holistic cyber resilience. Drawing on over 25 years of experience across organisations such as the European Space Agency, HP, Qatar […]
How SMEs are the key to building the region’s next generation of creative talent
“If we want to unlock the full potential of the creative workforce, we need to meet these businesses where they are. That means building support systems – toolkits, partnerships, and simplified processes – that make it easy for SMEs to connect with young people without carrying the full burden themselves.” In this article, Alison Grade […]
The Promise and Peril of AI in Education: A West Midlands Perspective
In this article, Rich Bishop (Director, withdigital and Chair of CNM’s Digital Leadership Board) and Hammad Kamran (Head of AI, Kagool and Member of CNM’s Digital Leadership Board) explore the “two sides of the coin” – the ‘promise and the peril of using AI in education’ drawing on their experiences at withdigital and Kagool, along […]
Embracing the AI Revolution: What is Happening in Reality Across the West Midlands
At our recent Connections for Prosperity conference which was held at Edgbaston Stadium on 17th July, Sarah Windrum (Head of Cluster Development, HORIBA MIRA and member of CNM’s Digital Leadership Board) chaired a session “Embracing the AI Revolution: What is Happening in Reality Across the West Midlands” If you were unable to make the session, here’s […]
Following in the Footsteps of Filmmakers – Is Regenerative Screen Tourism achievable?
In this article, Mark Hughes-Webb (CEO & Founder, The Space-2 Group) poses the question: Regenerative screen tourism – is it achievable and what factors influence a region’s approach to it? (July 2025) Last month, I attended the West Midlands Tourism Forum and it was great to be able to hear from the region’s leading tourism […]
Digital Dignity and Local Power: How Women’s Wellbeing is Leading Transformation in East Birmingham
The regeneration of East Birmingham is one of the key priorities for the West Midlands. In this article, we hear from Raaj Shamji (Head of Public and Community Engagement at Birmingham City University) who shares how the university is supporting key local changemakers such as Shabana Qureshi (Founder and CEO, Women’s Wellbeing) who are helping […]
Technology Adoption and Business Support: Why we need to end the postcode lottery
Ahead of the launch of Britain’s long-awaited industrial strategy, Sarah Windrum (former Chair of Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, member of CNM’s Digital Leadership Board and Deputy Chair of the West Midlands Innovation Board) shares her reflections on the challenges businesses face adopting new technologies. (June 2025) I co-founded a technology business in 2009 […]
You need a data strategy to harness AI
“Despite the West Midlands’ strong industrial base, many businesses in the region are lagging in adopting AI and data-driven technologies” In this article, Hollie Whittles (Director, Purple Frog Systems and Member of CNM’s Digital Leadership Board) outline why ‘the future belongs to businesses that can harness the power of data’. (March 2025) Despite the West […]
A new Chair for our Digital Leadership Board
We are delighted to welcome Rich Bishop (Director, withdigital) as the new Chair of our Digital Leadership Board, taking the role on from Professor Ardavan Amini (CEO, essesystems) who has led the Board since its inception in 2020. Rich, who is a Chartered IT Professional, member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chief Technology […]