Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands     

Andy Street was elected as Mayor of the West Midlands in 2017. He grew up in Birmingham, and studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Keble College, Oxford. 

He started his career at John Lewis, where he was a graduate trainee. He became Managing Director of John Lewis in 2007 and stayed with the company until 2016. 

Andy has worked with local and national government in economic development roles. He was chair of the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership between 2011 and 2016. He has also been lead non-executive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group.

Justice Williams, Co-Founder & Editor in Chief at Black Business Magazine, Speaker and Personal Brand Expert 

Birmingham’s Justice Williams went from HMP to MBE in seven years. After spending two weeks in jail for minor offences in 2001, in 2009 at age 28 she became the youngest black woman ever to receive the accolade. Justice turned her life around to become a “social entrepreneur” and founded numerous projects to provide opportunities for deprived young people. 

Justice Williams helps CEOs and female entrepreneurs to build profitable personal brands and increase their visibility. With her extensive experience spanning two decades in enterprise mentoring, personal branding, public speaking, female entrepreneurship, digital product creation, and online business models, she understands how to support businesses to grow and scale.  

Dr. Jamie Elliott BSc, MSc, PhD, MBA, AFHEA, Delivery Manager, Business Operational Portfolios at WMCA 

Jamie Elliott has over fifteen years of experience as an Open Innovation strategist and consultant. Prior to joining the West Midlands Combined Authority as their Innovation Lead in 2019, Jamie played an instrumental role in implementing the IXC Consultancy service in 2006 which supported high tech innovation in companies.  

Jamie has worked in companies ranging from micro SMEs to multinationals, operating across diverse industry sectors such as food and drink, automotive, defence and FMCG. Jamie’s passion for innovation and seeing ideas grow into successful products and services was born from his experience at the University of Birmingham where he set up and developed the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre.

Yiannis Maos MBE, CEO of TechWM 

Yiannis is the Founder & CEO of TechWM, a not-for-profit community initiative designed to inspire the next generation, help businesses scale up, and create an environment where people can collaborate and celebrate success. Yiannis has over 18 years’ experience in marketing and technology, where he’s helped a number of innovative organisations successfully scale. In 2023 he was awarded an MBE on the New Year Honours List for his services to the technology sector. 

David Gaughan, Head of Employer Services, Productivity & Skills at WMCA  

David Gaughan, Head of Employer Services at the West Midlands Combined Authority has been tasked with driving the WM recovery post pandemic and linking residents to good quality jobs.  

With over 20 years of experience working in the education-management sector he is seen as an entrepreneurial and charismatic senior leader who is well-respected as a further education and apprenticeship expert. David has a passion for equipping people with the skills they need to succeed, especially for those from disadvantaged communities often overlooked when opportunities become available.