Liz became a WiBA member in 2003 and joined the committee in 2004. Her primary responsibility has been growing the membership.

She runs Dynamic Customer Solutions Ltd, a training and business development company specialising in customer relationship management, and ‘Find a Trainer’ Training Brokerage.

Liz is an innovative and enthusiastic customer relationship management specialist, who operated at the most senior level in a blue-chip utility company for many years before starting her own company. She is passionate about developing staff to their full potential and helping businesses achieve their goals while developing profitable long-term relationships with their customers. Liz has extensive experience of providing customer service solutions, developing and delivering soft-skills training, graduate mentoring and employee development across a variety of industry sectors, in the UK and abroad.

Liz is also a serving Magistrate on the Solihull Bench and a regional volunteer with Breast Cancer Campaign.

Website: www.dynamiccs.co.uk

Kirsty is Director & General Manager of Professional Polishing Services Ltd and Director of Professional Polishing Manchester Ltd. The ‘Professional Polishing’ Group is the largest privately owned sub-contractor of stainless steel and non-ferrous metal polishing in the UK.

She has previously taken Professional Polishing Services to become finalists in The Business of The Year Awards (2002) with Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and was also nominated as Businesswoman of the Year (2005). Kirsty sits on the Technical and Marketing Committee of the British Stainless Steel Association and is Chair of the PPS Industry Environment Steering Group.

Kirsty is in the final year of her Masters in Literary Studies at UCE and hopes to start her PhD after this. She is also a published writer under the name Kirstylee Davies and a founder member of the short story website www.SlingInk.co.uk.

Website: www.professionalpolishing.co.uk

Janette has been a wiba member for several years, an active committee member since 2003 and was Chair from Nov 2005-Nov 2007.

She runs Just Real Solutions, an independent consultancy, specialising in international business and diverse business cultures, personal and business development issues across all sectors. An active net worker and professional speaker, she is passionate about diversity, leadership, women’s issues and the role of business in today’s global economy.

A qualified coach and director, she was formerly Head of Investor Development (business support) at the Regional Development Agency for 7 years and Commercial manager for P&O Containers, where she spent 19 years in various commercial and freight forwarding management roles in the UK and overseas.

She is also Chair of Common Purpose Birmingham advisory group, co-chair of the Friends of Town Hall/Symphony Hall and has been a member of the fundraising group for the National Institute for Conductive Education in Birmingham since 2000.

Website: www.justrealsolutions.com

Merran is a solicitor at HBJ Gateley Wareing LLP, specialising in Employment law.

After graduating from Warwick University in 2003, Merran went on to attend The College of Law, achieving a distinction in her Legal Practice Course. Merran joined HBJ Gateley Wareing LLP in 2004, qualifying into the Employment team in 2006. Merran is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and has experience of a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious employment work.

Merran's experience of tribunal litigation includes breach of contract disputes, claims arising from discrimination legislation, redundancies and dismissals. Her non-contentious experience includes advice on redundancy and restructuring initiatives, discipline and grievance issues, exit packages for senior executives and the drafting of contracts of employment and employee handbooks. Merran also provides advice on corporate transactional work involving mergers and acquisitions.

Away from work Merran enjoys her sports, playing netball each week for the work team and football each weekend in the Kidderminster County Women's Football League".

Linda enjoyed a successful career in training, sales and marketing in the IT industry before qualifying as a solicitor in 1996. Post qualification, Linda gained practical experience of company and commercial law, personal injury and family litigation before specialising in employment law. Linda practised as an employment specialist for just under six years at one of the top ten legal firms in the West Midlands.

In total Linda practised law for 10 years before joining the Law Society's Legal Complaints Service, in Leamington Spa, where she now works to resolve complaints against solicitors.

Penny is the Chief Executive of the regional young people’s charity Brook in Birmingham. Brook’s John Bright Street clinic sees around 100 under 25s a day, 6 days a week, for contraception, counselling, pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment. Brook also provides training and education to young people and professionals.

She originally trained as an accountant and auditor, moving into general management. She started in the private sector in the West Midlands - engineering, manufacturing, retail, construction followed by 8 Public sector years as staff member in a variety of roles in a students' union. On completion of her MBA (Aston Business School), passed with distinction in 2001), she became Chief Executive of Sandwell Citizens Advice Bureau.

Penny has extensive voluntary and political experience including being a founder member of one national pressure group and chairing another. She is currently a member of Aston Business School Advisory Board, administrator/researcher for the All Party Parliamentary Waterways Group, steering committee member Labour Finance and Industry Group, UNISON steward (Birmingham Combined Health Branch), UNISON Labour Link, Vice Chair Birmingham Labour Party. She was also a Parliamentary candidate for South Staffordshire in the
2005 General Election.

Website: www.brook.org.uk

Vicki has been a wiba committee member for many years and is a past Chair. She runs a small but well established management and training consultancy, Vv Resources. She has clients in all business sectors and public and Not for Profit organisations.

She believes it is very important for people in business to give time to 'put something back' into society. She is currently Vice Chair (Immediate Past Chair) of the Birmingham Branch of her professional organisation, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Vicki has just finished an 11 year public appointment as a Non Executive Director with
the NHS.

Website: www.vvresources.com

Tina joined WIBA in 2005 and became a committee member in 2007. Tina has significant experience of corporate business and the public sector. After a successful spell as a Software Buyer for Shell International in London, she moved to Birmingham to study, and is a graduate in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Subsequently she worked primarily in the education sector overseeing training in the community in Dudley and most recently in marketing for the University of Birmingham.

Tina started her Virtual Assistance business, Intelligent Admin in 2006. She has worked as a consultant to the Regional Resource Centre for Advanced Technology on government post-16 educational initiatives and has organised international conferences for the Social Policy Association.

She is currently a business mentor with the Princes Trust and is training to be a coach, studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring with the University of Worcester.

Website: www.intelligentadmin.co.uk

Teresa is semi-retired; she has been providing administrative support to WIBA since January 2005. She is also a member of Birmingham City Council residents’ advisory panels and in her spare time enjoys reading, gardening, cross-stitch and visiting the elderly.

Teresa is a former IT tutor and administrator at City College, and a bookkeeper and administrator for small businesses. Teresa is also a former Vice Chair for Victim Support (Birmingham E3 area) charity – a post she held for almost 10 years in which she was responsible for recruiting and training volunteers and managing the admin team.