Welcome to MPF Midlands

The MPF is the world's leading association of managing partners from across the spectrum of professional service firms. In Midlands we have created a local organisation that provides top-calibre educational and networking opportunities for all its members. By introducing thought-provoking and cutting-edge best practices that are transportable from one sector to another, we are dedicated to enhancing leadership and the status of the management team. more...

EVENTS

Meetings are run locally in the Midlands and provide both educational and networking opportunities for managing partners and other senior members of the management team. MPF Midlands connects the local professional services community with the wider MPF network, whilst generating real value for members closer to home. As a membership organisation, all our meetings are member only. However, those interested in joining are welcome to attend one event as our guest in order to get a feel for the Panel. See current event or download previous meeting report

Attendees at the May 2008 event in Birmingham

From right: Bill Barker (Martineau Johnson), Jon Leedham (DTZ) and Chris Rawstron (DLA Piper)

From right: David Sedgwick (Clarke Willmott), Paul Wilson (Shakespeare Putsmans) and Paul Ray (Browne Jacobson)

Please contact your local Regional Director or MPF Executive Director, Paul Lemon if you wish to hear more about our events and/or membership.

KNOWLEDGE

The MPF collects confidential data and conducts regular surveys amongst MPs and members of the management team based worldwide. Leading consultants in strategy and leadership, appointed by the MPF Executive Committee, prepare monthly surveys on strategy and leadership issues, summarise findings, and make presentations at MPF events held in key cities worldwide (London, New York, Frankfurt etc). All findings are released for free into the public domain to ensure professional firms everywhere have access to reliable facts on key management issues. more...

CAMPAIGNS

The MPF is the most powerful lobby group in professional services, launching a new campaign every six months. MPF campaigns confront the professions on particular issues aiming to empower the management team and help connect the local professional services community into the MPF network.

Current campaigns include:

In search of Management talent: A “prospectus” for the professions
Time Management: MPF Management Diary - time well spent?
Partner Career Paths: Exploring the sound of silence
Leadership Selection: Less politics, more transparency, clear reward
Unsung Heroes: No-one should be treated as a second class citizen

We aim to remain at the cutting-edge of business thinking in professional services through regular surveys of our members and global leaders in marketing, HR, IT, finance etc, while allowing members to canvass each other on a management issue through MPF Pulse.

AWARDS

We organise the European Practice Management Awards, the only competition to focus on the contribution of different disciplines to managing a professional firm. Widely recognised as the premier Awards in Europe for those with practice management roles, the competition has been running since 2002.

COMMITTEE

Regional Director: June Smallwood-Rose set up Passionate about Marketing Ltd in May 2008 to provide expert marketing advice and valued support to professional service firms. Having spent the last 30 years working in professional services she wanted to put this experience to wider use. June was business development director at KPMG, Wragge & Co and most recently at Shoosmiths bringing clients a wealth of marketing experience. Prior to that she spent time as a practising accountant for ten years with KPMG and then spent 5 years in their HR and training team before moving into a business development role.

Guy Barnett - Guy became managing partner of Blakemores in 2001. He trained and qualified with Blakemores taking a special interest in claimant personal injury and insurance recovery work which led him to founding the firm's PI department in 1991. Since then he has led the firm to national recognition for this work and achieving strategic growth in other legal disciplines - mainly focusing on consumer legal services. He has a strong interest in client service and has been integral to the firm's focus and improvement in that area. In his spare time he enjoys competitive show jumping and was a recent winner at the Welsh National Championships.

Simon Horan joined Savills in 2006 and has recently been promoted to run the Residential Development Team in Birmingham. He specialises in both residential and mixed use development throughout the Midlands on both Brownfield and Greenfield sites. He has over 16 years experience in the development sector having worked for CB Richard Ellis where he set up their residential development department in Birmingham and prior to that worked for Hamptons International undertaking development valuations for major lending institutions throughout the United Kingdom.

Simon Hart, Managing Partner, (Baker Tilly)

Sarah-Jane Osborne, Director, (Claremont Group Interiors)

David Sedgwick - David qualified as a solicitor in 1982, joined Clarke Willmott in 1986 and became a partner in 1990. He has been managing partner since 1999, during which time he has helped the firm to develop from a £13m practice with 13 offices in Somerset into a £50m business based in Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton and Taunton.

Martin Silvester is Managing Partner for E C Harris LLP in the Midlands. Martin is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and a Member of the Association of Taxation Technicians. Martin Joined E C Harris in 2004 and became a Partner in 2006. Prior to joining E C Harris, Martin spent several years at KPMG and Ernst & Young in their Corporate Tax Teams. Martin has wide sector experience, but has predominantly worked in the Property Investment field.

DETAILS OF OUR NEXT EVENT

Evolving client relationships

- re-assessing demand and drivers of value for professional services

DLA Piper LLP, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4DL

Thursday 4 March 2010

The drivers of value are changing in professional services industries as clients become more cost-conscious and price-led. This cost pressure is impacting client relationships like never before as the emphasis clients place on different criteria shifts to meet the new environment.

Using cutting edge data from their world leading global surveys of more than 7,000 interviews over the last three years in the legal and property sectors, Acritas will present an analysis of the various datasets which reveals:

What's different about relationships when clients are most satisfied and loyal?
How clients who fall below these levels would like to see their relationships improve?
What do clients articulate as value for money? Which high performance areas correspond with a high value rating?
How have the drivers of favourability and selection criteria changed over the last three years?
What's critical to gaining recommendations and winning pitches?

Our speaker will discuss how everything from marketing messages, tenders and client service and approaches to relationship management need to adapt to reflect this changing world.

Further details and RSVP

Coming soon...