Celebrating the Champions of business in Coventry and Warwickshire

The success of some impressive companies was highlighted at a Coventry and Warwickshire Champions event at the Ricoh Arena attended by 200 business leaders.

Among the star performers was ParentPay, based at the Ricoh Arena, and which provides online payment services for schools.

The assembled business chiefs heard ParentPay’s chief executive Clint Wilson praise the company’s founder, Lynne Taylor, for the idea which sparked the success of the business which now dominates its market across the UK.

He said: “Lynne’s simple idea came from her own experiences as a parent and the lack of a convenient solution for sending money to school for trips and lunches, other than children carrying cash.

“There had to be a better way. And so, ParentPay was born.”

“Continuous investment and a lot of hard work has seen us expand to the size we are now, with 13,500 UK schools and 5.5 million pupils using our service.”

The Champions meeting heard from three other major companies.

Mike Platt, of Meggitt Aerospace Engineering, outlined the £130 million ‘super-site’ at Ansty Park which will home about 1,000 highly skilled staff.

The National Farmers’ Union, based at Stoneleigh Park, supports the 40,000 people working on West Midlands’ farms, with £38 million generated in income in 2017.

NFU President Minette Batters spoke about the need for the farming industry to see an orderly Brexit.

Stuart Cain, managing director of Wasps, outlined the role of the Ricoh Arena in the visitor economy.

Les Ratcliffe, Chair of CW Place Board, said: “The event brought together the region’s top business leaders to promote Coventry and Warwickshire as a great place to do business.”

“Our influential speakers perfectly highlighted how the region is at the forefront of so many industries and it is really positive to see how CW Champions continues to grow and attract such large numbers to our events.”