Peter Rees-Steer of management consultants R-S Associates, has recently been welcomed as the new Professional Institutes Network West Midlands (PINWM) Chairman.

Peter takes up his new voluntary position as a regional representative of both the Birmingham & West Midlands Society of Chartered Accountants (BWMSCA) and the Institute of Directors (IoD) West Midlands.

Commenting on his appointment, Peter said: “I am delighted to be taking on this challenging role at a crucial time for the professions – recent unprecedented economic events have made it even more vital that clients receive the best possible advice and value from their professional advisors.

“In difficult times, our institutes regionally are in an excellent position to promote not just our contribution to the region’s economy, but also the opportunities that exist for careers in the professional services sector.  As knowledge-based, meritocratic organisations we can learn much from each other, and speak with a single voice on some of the region’s pressing issues.”

The PINWM website (pinwm.co.uk) already promotes CPD and other activities across its member bodies, and is proposing a greater collaboration for 2009/10 in developing joint events and future activities. Looking ahead, the next high profile event “Leading the Way Out of the Recession,” jointly developed by BWMSCA and the IoD, will take place on November 4th 2009. Further information on this and other events can be obtained from www.pinwm.co.uk

It is envisaged that the PINWM website, will become THE one-stop-shop for professionals seeking CPD events across the region and the regional committee, led by Peter, look forward to strengthening the links between the professional institutes across the region and helping to promote both their and their members’ successes.

We are pleased to announce that PIN has recently been joined by two new members – Birmingham Law Society and British Computer Society.

The Birmingham Law Society was established in 1818 and represents over 2,500 solicitors in Birmingham and the Greater West Midlands.

The British Computer Society was established in 1957 and has over 50,000 members worldwide with over 40 branches across the UK including three in the West Midlands with a combined membership of over 2,500. The BCS is the leading body for Information Technology professionals and those working in IT.

There are now 10 Institutes involved in P.I.N West Midlands and we hope that number will continue to increase.

The P.I.N. Steering group, made up of representatives from the participating Institutes meet on a quarterly basis. The last meeting was held on 13 March 2006 at the County Hotel, Walsall.

To download the main points that were discussed as a Word document click here
To download the main points that were discussed as a PDF document click here

A number of professional organisations represented in West Midlands have joined together to form the Professional Institute Network (PINWM), with a remit to encourage professionals to talk to each other, share ideas and gain understanding of each other's disciplines.

PIN will have its own website created by Ludlow-based Perfect Arc . Designed to be a One-Stop-Shop for all business professionals the site will also allow each organisation to post information regarding their forthcoming events in the region and invite members of other organisations to attend, benefit from the advice given in the presentation and enjoy an excellent opportunity to network with other business professionals. The website will be launched at the meeting and will be accessible at www.pinwm.co.uk from 9 th February.

Organisations involved in the project are the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy CIPFA, Institute of Financial Services (IFS), The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Institute of Management Services (IMS),  and The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). The West Midlands IT Association (WMita) has provided advice on setting up the website.

Addressing a very topical subject, the first event in the PIN calendar will the held Thursday 9 th February at the Warwick Suite, Hilton Metropole Hotel, NEC, Birmingham from 6.25pm. Identity theft is the UK 's fastest growing white-collar crime, affecting more than 100,000 people and costing the economy over £1.3bn annually. UK banks are dealing with this type of fraud by introducing Chip and PIN.

The presentation, given by Helen Lord, Director of Fraud, Compliance and Product Governance at Experian is designed to show guests how crooks can get hold of personal information and how to protect themselves. (For further information or to book a place at the event, contact Julie Witts, CIMA Tel: 02476 849380 Email: Julie.witts@cimaglobal.com.)

Commenting on the formation of PINWM and the subject of its first event, Margaret May, Chairman of PINWM and also CIMA Council Member and Area Chairman said: "CIMA West Midlands is delighted to be working alongside other professional bodies in the fight to combat identity theft.  Together we have a large presence in the West Midlands with over 20,000 members and students.  This event, the first of its kind, has brought together a wealth of local expertise and we look forward to knowledge sharing in the future through the development of this Network and through other high profile PIN events.”