New directors for Birmingham Press Club

Figures from local business and media added to board.

Birmingham Press Club – the oldest organisation of its kind in the world – has strengthened its board of directors with the appointment of five leading personalities from the worlds of commerce and media.

The appointments follow the election as Club Chairman of Llewela Bailey, host of BBC WM 95.6FM’s Sunday Breakfast Show – pictured with new directors Marc Reeves (left) editor-in-chief of Trinity Mirror Midlands; Clive Reeves, managing director of Clive Reeves Public Relations and businesswoman Anita Sharma-James (right).

Also appointed to the Board is Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, and BBC senior broadcast journalist Kevin Pashby.

Llewela said: “At a time when the media industry generally is facing a challenging period, we are very happy to welcome on board new directors whose expertise and experience will be instrumental as we progress our own future.”

She added: “We have also been encouraged by the recent decision of HSBC to sponsor the Club for a three-year period – a decision that will ensure the continuation of the prestigious Midlands Media Awards, which recognise the achievements of those working in the region’s media sector.”

Marc Reeves, a former editor of both the Birmingham Mail and Birmingham Post, has responsibility for a range of titles in the East and West Midlands in his capacity as Editor-in-Chief of Trinity Mirror Midlands, while his namesake, Clive, heads a successful PR agency with offices in Birmingham and Brussels, whose clients include Selfridges, Park Regis and Opus.

Paul Faulkner took over in June of last year as chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of College after having previously been CEO of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. Author Anita Sharma-James, a member of the Press Club Events Committee for several years, is a former medical research scientist who a decade ago set up her own Bromsgrove-based Indian cookery school, and now operates as Anita Sharma-James Events.