Local Action in a Global Economy Breakfast | Business Bites

T h e N o r t h - e a s t ’ s o f f i c i a l B u s i n e s s B r e a k f a s t N e w s p a p e r | w w w. a g c c . c o . u k

Digital transformation

New initiative to boost local businesses

EXCLUSIVE

By Gethen Volved

A ONE-stop-shop has been launched to encourage businesses and consumers in the North-east to support local.

Driven by the Chamber, North East Now pulls together great information, directories and blogs in to one central hub to make it easier for people to boost the regional economy and support enterprises in the city and Shire.

Last week, the hashtag #NorthEastIsOpen trended top spot in Scotland during a social media ‘power hour’ as North East Now encouraged local businesses to shout out that they were open for custom.

The posts, circulating on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, were shared and interacted

by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Hampton, Aberdeen Journals,

Original 106 and VisitAberdeenshire, partners of the initiative.

The North East Now hub will provide information on which local products are available in shops and supermarkets, making it easy for people to choose North-east brands in their weekly shop. It will also include sections on local businesses and those promoting local provenance operating across the food and drink, health and wellbeing, lifestyle, fashion, beauty sectors and more.

Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “We have seen some terrific examples of community spirit in recent months and a really fantastic sense of coming together in the face of adversity.

As we start to come move through the recovery phase, the vital question we now face is how do we

re-fire our regional economy?

“There’s lots of stimulus packages and technical guidance available to help firms understand how to reopen but if people don’t want to go places and buy things there is a real danger that many of our local businesses simply won’t recover.

“We need to try to rebuild consumer confidence and demand, which is the only thing that will get our economy moving again and a strong regional economy is not just important for business owners, it’s vital for all of us.

“North East Now seeks to use the power of the collective and make it easy for everyone to play a part”, Russell added.

Morven Mackenzie, managing director of Hampton, said: “As a creative agency, we were really keen

to get behind this campaign and use our team’s skills and talents to help shape the ‘North East Now’ message and encourage people to get out there and shop, explore and stay local. Most of us working at Hampton live in the North East and so we want to do whatever we can to make sure our business community remains buoyant.

“In bringing together our creativity, marketing knowledge and technical expertise, we can hopefully do our bit to help make a difference. We have such fantastic shops, restaurants, and food and drink producers in our region. What’s not to love. Let’s get out there and support them.”

For more, visit northeastnow.scot and follow @northeastnowabz on social media.

DIGITAL transformation isn’t about using new technology, it’s about changing the way you work. It’s about how an organisation adapts to change, develops skills to drive innovation and reinvents itself to maximise opportunities. This one day course on August 4 will help you future proof your business.

Find out more at agcc. co.uk/courses

Improve your skillset on July 03

INCREASE your organisation skills with a Taking Notes and Minutes masterclass to learn how to effectively take notes, produce high quality minutes and both support and control the progress of a meeting. Alternatively, join the team on a Resilience Survive and Thrive course where you can learn how to realise and build your own level of resilience to cope better with setbacks, deadlines and challenges.

Become a social media expert

WHETHER just a beginner or already on your way to viral status, we have a social media training course just for you in late August. The importance of digital marketing shouldn’t be understated and can be the catalyst for your business taking off. Join us to learn the ins, the outs and everything inbetween.

2 TODAY’S NEWS

Local Action in a Global Economy | July 1

Translating thinking into action All businesses have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, most negatively, some positively.

As the focus shifts from dealing with the immediate health emergency to the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, a key question is how is the impact differing across the globe and, more importantly, what can we expect to see here in the North-east in the months ahead?

Join us as we hear from Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist, Lloyds Bank, who will provide an overview of the global economic and financial market impact of the coronavirus; the policy responses from governments and central banks; and risks to the economic outlook. He will also provide insights on the UK economy, including the latest results of the Lloyds Business Barometer survey.

Providing local context is Dougie Peedle, economic associate for Pro Bono Economics and member of the Aberdeen Economic Policy Panel, who will reflect on the challenges facing our regional economy and key sectors.

Attendees will also hear from Russell Borthwick who will discuss North East Now, the brand-new initiative which will help people across the North-east play their part in boosting the local economy in the weeks and months ahead.

0900

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0905

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0920

speaker insights

0930

Q&A

0945

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Chair welcome

Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist, Lloyds Bank Hann covers the major advanced economies, including responsibility for the Lloyd’s Bank flagship publications for the corporate client base. His role requires in-depth analysis and forecasting of key economic data and assessing their impact on central bank policy and financial markets.

Lloyds Bank is the UK’s largest financial services Group and have a primary focus on retail and commercial customers. With millions of customers in the UK and a presence in nearly every community, Lloyds see it as their role to help businesses and individuals in the communities they operate in.

Dougie Peedle, economic associate, Pro Bono Economics Dougie has been chief economic adviser to the government of Jersey since 2004, where he has advised on all aspects of macro and microeconomic policy. He is also a member of the Aberdeen Economic Policy Panel - a three person panel of economists appointed by Aberdeen City Council to assess the region’s economic performance. He was previously deputy chief economist at the employers’ organisation EEF, international economist at multinational Rio Tinto and senior economist at the CBI. Pro Bono Economics match volunteer economists with charities to help social enterprises improve their impact and value. So far, they’ve provided volunteering opportunities to 300 professionals.

Queen praises Chamber’s contribution to business communities HER Majesty The Queen has offered support to businesses as they reopen and praised the contribution Chambers of Commerce across the UK and around the world are making to help firms, champion trade and

rebuild communities.

The letter from Her Majesty, Patron of the British Chambers of Commerce, comes as businesses across the UK are reopening and adjusting to a new normal.

The letter reads:

“At a time of great difficulty for many, it is heart-warming to see the civic response and generosity of so many businesses, small and large, to the challenges posed, whether supporting the health sector

or vulnerable communities.”

Her Majesty also recognised the contribution Chambers of Commerce and their members have made during the pandemic: “As Patron of the

British Chambers of Commerce, it gives me great pride to see the contribution you and your members are making to help firms, champion trade and rebuild communities.”

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 4

Read the latest Business Bulletin

Nominations open for Northern Star Business Awards NOMINATIONS for the North-east of Scotland’s business Oscars - the 2021 Northern Star Business Awards – is now open.

Now in their 17th year, the highprofile awards recognise companies around the region for exceptional accomplishments across a range of fields, from energy to innovation, customer service to people development.

Organised by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce and held in association with Nucore Group, the awards highlight the diversity and success of organisations across the city and Aberdeenshire operating in a wide range of sectors.

The Chamber believes marking the achievements of local businesses is more important than ever as the

local community comes to terms with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Membership and events director Seona Shand said: “This has been an incredibly tough time for people and businesses across the Northeast and, as the recovery process gets underway, it is vital that we start rebuilding confidence in our regional economy and recognise the hard work undertaken by local businesses to make a positive impact on their people, their customers and their communities.

“Nominating your company is the first step in the process.

Competition for a finalist spot is always tough and the categories attract significant interest from our membership and beyond, across every sector. Past winners range from small

local businesses to internationally renowned brands and we would encourage all companies in the region with a story to tell to consider putting themselves forward.”

Categories available for nominations this year are: • Going Global • Marketing Magic • Inspiration from Innovation • Inspiring Futures • Staff Matter • Customer First • Making the Difference • Family Business • Rising Star • Student Placement • Driving Sustainability • Business of the Year The closing date for nominations is Friday, July 24 2020 Mark Fraser, chief executive officer of Nucore Group, said: “Never before has the impact of supporting our

local businesses been more critical and, despite the uncertainty that many of these face right now, there are still many good news stories worthy of recognition and award. Nucore Group is proud to support the Chamber as principal sponsor of the Northern Star Business Awards and look forward to seeing a wide range of local businesses on stage collecting awards.”

Last year more than 35 finalists joined around 600 guests to celebrate excellence and entrepreneurship during the spectacular blacktie dinner. The 2021 year’s award ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 11 at P&J Live.

Free to enter, nomination forms are available online at www.agcc. co.uk or for further information contact events@agcc.co.uk

THE July edition of the Business Bulletin is out now! Focusing on trade and how the North-east is now ‘open to business again’, this issue includes features on returning to work and how to manage the practical changes, plus a whole host of positive news stories from local businesses. Read the digital version at agcc. co.uk/business-bulletin

Could you add value to our Policy Council?

WE are looking for applications to join both our Board and Policy Council in order to further grow our voice and influence in the North-east. Applications from members with a background in the digital, transport, renewables, food, drink and agriculture, construction and manufacturing sectors are of particular interest.

Visit agcc.co.uk/about/ vacancies for more.

Help us unlock The Research Chamber

WE’RE hiring! The CV19 crisis has highlighted the need for focused, timely data. We are relatively unique in the UK Chamber network in that we have an in-house team of MRSregistered researchers, effectively operating as an independent commercial research agency. We are looking for someone to join our fantastic team and play a leading role in helping us expand this service across Scotland.

Visit agcc.co.uk/about/ vacancies for more.