Five lessons about anchor networks
The concept of anchor institutions – organisations rooted in a place that can play a defining role in creating and…
Conrad is co-ordinator of the Birmingham Anchor Institution Network. Launched in September 2019, the network now brings together eight member institutions which collectively represent over 40,000 jobs and an annual spend of more than £3.5bn to maximise the impact of their employment, spend and physical assets on the Birmingham economy, using a community wealth building approach.
One of the Network’s flagship initiatives is I Can, a programme Conrad helped design, implement and evaluate. Over four years, I Can has resulted in over 950 offers of employment to unemployed Birmingham residents in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, to start entry level NHS careers.
Conrad has over 30 years’ experience working on neighbourhood regeneration across Birmingham and the West Midlands, with a strong track record of building effective partnerships between large anchor institutions and local communities.
Conrad is one of the first and longest-standing anchor network co-ordinators in the UK. He is a member of the Birmingham Partnership Board, sits on the Steering Group of the Birmingham Economic Justice Network, and is Chair of Cars Area Together CIO in Solihull.
