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Technologies of the Future Small Firms Reveal Trade Deal Wish List Post Brexit Harm for SMEs in SME Entrants
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of Mind for Their American Clients
Company Name Award Title
Laundering Services
MASECO Private Wealth was created to achieve peace of mind for
complex wealth management needs. In August, MASECO Private Wealth was named among the winners of the 2018 SME UK Enterprise Following this well-deserved achievement, we sought to profile this in an industry defined by excellence.
we spoke to John Dobson, CEO of SmartSearch, to find out how they have helped forge the UK’s
MASECO Private strengthens its internal talent culture, train on competence”. Wealth operates in pool and further distances In this, MASECO promise to act an incredibly niche themselves from their in their client’s best interests area of wealth competitors. Today, through and commit wholeheartedly to management – by their internationally-experienced providing nothing less than a in the industry, and how it has SmartSearch was believes, fundamentally, in targeting, primarily, American team, they now celebrate a client phenomenal client experience. affected SmartSearch; “there created in 2011 in baseprotecting their clientswith from nonfamilies in the UK they have of over 500 families, been a significant response to the 2007promises compliance. Asgrowth John explains; carved out a unique position of further in On thehas back of this approach,increase in fraud financial crime over Money Laundering “We seek to be the AML MASECO in a business sector that is the coming months. Theonly team’s has and garnered recent years, and much of this is Regulations, resource our clients need to only becoming increasingly diversity has only been a boon to accolades and recognition perpetrated by the use of false capitalising opportunity to the firm satisfy their sanction competitive on on thean back of since itsAML, inception, and and from industry-leading bodies identities supported by forged create onegrowth. of the early PEP regulatory obligations. In and establishments. country-wide Theirelectronic feeds directly into MASECO’s Managing or fake documents. As a result, individual verification doinginternal so we want to that deliver the Partners services pivotAML on the back of an dynamic culture Josh Matthews and there has been a significant move platforms in the UK. Today, by best value for money and a expertise in cross-jurisdictional promotes a productive and James Sellon have both been away from manual checking and working across a plethora of complete compliant solution that tax-efficient investment engaging working environment. named Citywealth leaders copying identity documentation business sectors - including, will stand up to rigorous scrutiny management strategies, ensuring several years running and Helge to other more reliable forms of law, finance, insurance, and by any regulator. We aim to that their client’s assets are Of great importance to the firm Kostka, Chief Investment Officer, substantiation, such as electronic real estate – they have helped keep our client firms continually protected and secure. is a need to hire complimentary, won the Graham & Dodd Award verification and facial recognition.” secure swift AML verification protected against daily changes to like-minded and positive for excellence in research and and delivered fraud prevention sanction and PEP watch-lists and MASECO invest globally and individuals who ensure that financial writing last year. More “As criminal activity increases, solutions for their clients. In this, regulatory legislation.” arrange the custody of client their core values – teamwork, recently, Andrea Solana, Head With a foundation firmly in the we are likely to see government they remain at the very forefront assets with the most reputable authenticity, mastery, empathy of Advanced Planning, was technological, SmartSearch have departments place more of a highly competitive industry firms across various jurisdictions and the pursuit of excellence recognised as one of the leading stayed ahead of the curve by responsibility on businesses in one of the fastest developing to optimise portfolios from a - are adhered to at all times. women in financial advice. adopting a proactive, futureto be more vigilant to protect sectors in the professional world. tax, currency, cost, reporting These values form the foundation centric approach to their work. the consumer, and some of and investment perspective. of everything MASECO does, Moreover, MAESCO are also a At the heart of the firm, as it has Recent years have only yielded this scrutiny will apply to more Though they work primarily with which translate into behaviour certified B Corporation, marking from the very beginning, lies a an increase in fraudulent crimes, rigorous client verification at the Americans in the UK and in the that is consistently applied and them as one of the finest financial demand for excellence- that is, to as criminals find ways to evolve onboarding stage and beyond.” US, they also provide services to communicated both internally service firms in the UK. This provide fully-compliant, meticulous and ‘win’ the securities arm financial advisors, trustees and among employees, and potent duumvirate – MASECO’s verification services at the best race. John takes a moment to We stop to ask John what he foundations. externally to their clients. As a team and their dominating global value for money. SmartSearch emphasise this as a greater trend believes has contributed to result, these common values reputation – play an important SmartSearch’s enduring success, Crucially, MASECO’s record are reflected in the high-quality role in guaranteeing the firm’s “SmartSearch offers a great of success has attracted the work produced and the unrivalled enduring success and made one-stop-shop AML compliance best talent working in wealth client experience that they offer. them the natural choice for the platform, with a unique customer management; with each The mantra used during the title of Best Wealth Management service culture and high (98%) addition to their team, the firm recruitment process is “hire on Firm in London. client retention rate. Further, we continually develop innovative ways to keep ahead of changes in regulation. Finally, we have 30 SME NEWS / Q3 2018 a well proven sales process to deliver consistent growth.”
John believes that SmartSearch’s ability to be a “one-stop-shop AML compliance platform” is crucial to their ability to
checks becoming mandatory; “Electronic identification rids the need for manual checks which are open to errors - and we believe that eventually, the Money-Laundering Directive will call for electronic AML checks to be mandatory. Therefore, electronic solutions will continue to flourish and be more extensive in their applications.”
distinguish themselves from their ever-increasing number of competitors and imitators, “Most of our competitors operate their AML services as an ‘add-on’ to their existing main service offerings, typically giving them less time for innovation and customer care. Our business is 100% focused on delivering the very best AML service and an excellent customer experience.” Naturally, as a prominent business working in the UK, John is eager to discuss the unique benefits of the market; “There is clear regulation to be able to establish solutions; good technology and internet infrastructure; an abundance of readily available, high quality data that is absent in other markets, and a strong compliance regime with penalties for non-compliant businesses. All of these create a positive and worthwhile environment to develop and deploy compliance solutions.” Moreover, John is optimistic about the future of the UK market, regardless of the looming possibility of Brexit, “we have no concerns. In fact, if anything, Brexit should give us greater freedom, and the compliance regimes will remain as tight as or even tighter than they currently are.”
Finally, John discusses the future of SmartSearch and how they aim to build their brand to become synonymous – in the UK and abroad – with AML processes. “We will continue to develop and innovate in the AML sector and plan to achieve greater market penetration both in the UK and into relevant overseas markets. The Fifth Money-Laundering Directive, which was adopted by the EU in April, now calls for electronic identification as an essential part of verifying customer information, so we think this will have a huge impact on the number of regulated firms that will turn to electronic identification as part of their AML processes.”
More specific to SmartSearch, John believes that the future of electronic identification is assured, with electronic AML
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Award Title Contact: John Dobson, CEO Company: SmartSearch Address: Mayfield House, Lower Railway Road, Ilkley, Leeds, LS29 8FL, United Kingdom SME NEWS / Q3 Website: www.smartsearchuk.com Telephone: 01132 387 660
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UK office workers are spending almost an entire working day every week attending and preparing for unnecessary meetings, according to new research from meeting governance technology firm eShare. The average office worker spends 10 hours 42 minutes every week, preparing for and attending 4.4 meetings, with 2.6 of those deemed unnecessary. With the average meeting revealed to have 6.8 attendees, this equates to annual staff costs for unnecessary meetings per business of £35,395.36, based on ONS average earnings data. With 5.4 million businesses in the UK, this means the total staff cost per year of unnecessary meetings is more than £191bn. “Even as an approximate figure, £191bn is an astonishing amount to be wasted in staff costs, time and resource that could clearly be much better spent elsewhere,” said Alister Esam, CEO, eShare. “The template for smarter meetings must start at the top – board level meetings must be
16 SME NEWS / Q1 2018
efficient, essential and better managed, so that meetings elsewhere can follow that lead.” The research also revealed that 70% of office workers believe there are too many meetings in a working week, with 24% saying that often the same results could be achieved with a few quick emails. 81% say meetings need a 21st century makeover, with 83% saying the meeting process has not changed since they first entered the workplace. It is this lack of modernisation that has resulted in such meeting inefficiency, according to eShare CEO, Alister Esam: “We’ve all been in meetings that took scores of emails to confirm, that have a paper agenda, where people can’t recall exactly what the previous actions were and with meeting materials that have been amended at the last minute – these problems could all be addressed by a more digital approach. It’s a waste of money and resource and is hugely frustrating for all concerned. Addressing such inefficiencies could be the biggest single boost to productivity in UK business,
whilst also improving areas such as governance and transparency, especially at board level.” Overall, 79% of respondents say they could get much more work done with fewer inefficient meetings, and 45% believe that meetings prevent them from actually getting on with their job. The lack of digitisation around business meetings was highlighted by 52% saying they still receive a printed agenda and materials for most meetings, despite the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets. 59% say that after most meetings they just throw away the agenda and printed materials.
“Whether it’s board meetings in a major corporation, SME all-company meetings or departmental catch-ups, meetings are an essential element of business,” said Alister Esam. “Yet most of us would agree that many meetings are inefficient and ineffective, and can be managed far better than they are currently. Throwing meeting materials away for example, is potentially a major security concern, and all aspects of meetings need to be dragged into the 21st century. The benefits of doing so will be felt in boardrooms all over the UK.”
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Providing a Personalised Service for Their Clients 2019 Transport Established in September 2013, Jaycon Legal Solicitors is a niche law firm based out of Hull. In September, Jaycon was recognised in SME News Magazine’s 2018 UK Enterprise Awards as the
In a landscape dominated by a select few goliaths, the legal sector can be one of the most difficult for SMEs to establish a foothold. Jaycon Legal Solicitors have made their mark through a commitment to putting the client at the very centre of their work, offering a tailored, individualised service that large firms cannot compete with. Jannina reveals that this approach has been the key to her success over the last five years and was, ultimately, the reason she established the firm. “Having experienced life as a solicitor at some of the largest firms in the area, I felt I wanted to be able to give more to my clients. I found that clients just wanted time and reassurance - they wanted to feel valued throughout the process, and not just a file reference. I felt there was a gap in the market for a firm which consolidated my work ethics and empathetic nature as well as providing me with more of a work life balance.” In a world that is swiftly becoming defined by technological evolution, consumer needs are changing. Human interaction is becoming a prized commodity in the face of automation - good service has become one of the single most important factors in business. By all regards, the legal sector is no different.
Jannina has capitalised on this new market for exceptional client-focused service and has used it as a robust platform on which to build her business: “The larger firms have the advantage of a generous marketing budget and more brand awareness, but they do not give the necessary time to clients. As a team we act to listen to our clients, respond to their queries quickly, and look to progress their matter without the delays that have come to define large firms.” “I believe the reason behind our success is the love and hard work that has gone into creating and nurturing the firm itself and its clients. We are all passionate about our work and the services we offer.” Law firms have long been considered as exclusive, almost unapproachable, by their very nature. Jannina works tirelessly to ensure that any anxiety is dispelled as soon as they step over the threshold. “We offer a warm, relaxed, friendly welcome to clients, who can access our office without the need to worry about traffic in the town centre and parking costs. We also accommodate appointments out of hours and in the comfort of the client’s own home. Many of the larger firms operate a turnstile appointment system, whereas we endeavour to ensure we also provide the
additional time when required. We take an interest in our clients, who in turn, take an interest in us”.
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Finally, in her closing comments, Jannina discusses Jaycon’s imminent growth as it looks towards 2019 and beyond. “The future looks bright for Jaycon Legal Solicitors. We have recently moved to bigger and better premises and are now concentrating on making what we have even better. There is potential for staff and building expansion in the foreseeable future, but I am mindful that I do not want to dilute the excellent client service that we are able to provide, as the client should always come first.” Fundamentally, Jaycon Legal Solicitors is a firm that truly cares about their clients. They have distinguished themselves from a notoriously competitive sector through a dedication to serving their client’s interests, regardless of the complexity of their cases. For this, they were
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awarded among the UK Business Elite Awards, a selection of the very best businesses working in Britain today.
Contact: Jannina Beckett Address: Port View House, 375 A&B Hedon Road, Hull, HU9 1RA, UK Telephone: 01482 330830 Website: www.jayconlegal.co.uk
36 SME NEWS / Q4 2018
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Commitment to Deliver propping specialists. Following their success in the SME UK Enterprise Awards, we profiled Established in 1987, Hydra Capsule Ltd have gradually built a professional company image and now are one of the market leaders within the flat jacks, hydraulic jacking, temporary propping and post-tensioning/ stressing industry. The company policies outline continuous investment into new technology, upgrading in the highest equipment and further development of our products and development. By trying to always find improvements, this allows the team to be at the forefront of the industry. Going into further detail about the firm, Sean begins by highlighting the key differentiators between Hydra Capsule Ltd and their competitors. “Here at Hydra Capsule Ltd, we are a family-based company and hold over 60 years’ of experience between three generations, with the fourth nearing the future. “We design, manufacturer and offer a complete (full package) contract of supply and install. All of our products are designed and built in the UK as this allows us to change and have the flexibility to offer bespoke and special one-off items and also allows us to improve areas – highlighted by our end customer/user. Also, we stock the largest hire fleet of hydraulic jacking, flat jacks to stressing and bolt tensioning & torqueing equipment with over 2,500 items on the shelf. In addition to this, with our temporary propping equipment growing yearly, we hold a large stock of all the industry
products other than the major manufacturers.”
standard qualifications – so again achieving more than expected.”
When discussing the internal culture at the firm, Sean is keen to highlight how the team are well-equipped to provide their clients with the best possible service to ensure they achieve their goal.
Looking ahead to what the future holds, Sean signs off by revealing the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline for the firm, and notes on how the team at Hydra Capsule Ltd will continue to deliver their exceptional services, especially following their win as the Best Heavy Lifting Systems 2018 – Worcestershire in the SME UK Enterprise Awards.
“Overall, we carry out a full training matrix programme for all our employee. Due to the specialism of our expertise, we ensure all supervisors/ manager have a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience within the trade, as well as to ensure they also complete all the industry
“We feel very honoured to receive this reward and it helps to demonstrate our continuous investment and desire to improve and become more professional
with pushing our industry with new innovations and systems “Moving forward, we have recently invested into a new premise within Herefordshire. The central hub will now have all our trades and equipment at one location and ensuring a more efficient turnaround, overall appearance of Hydra Capsule and now invested fully for the future of the company.” Contact: Sean Davies Company: Hydra Capsule Ltd Hydra House, Bishops Frome, Worcestershire, WR6 5BP, UK Telephone: 01885 490 405 Web Address: www.hydracapsule.com
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As an independent introducing broker, TMS Capital – under the retail brand Twowaymarkets SME News Magazine’s 2018 Winners’ Review programme as the ‘Best CFD Trading Specialists in the United Kingdom’. We spoke with the firm’s Director, Adrian Buthee, eager to find out It would be no overstatement to say that the investment landscape can be daunting for a new investor. Faced with a plethora of options, the best choice is often far from obvious, and new investors often balk at the responsibility of choosing the right option for their specific financial situation. Established in 2003, TMS Capital offers two investment solutions that are designed to simplify a client’s trading journey, resulting in lower margins, flexible trade sizing and reduced dealing costs. Their expertise and brokerage network also makes them ideally placed to offer support to new clientele, as well as being cost-effective an enticing combination. To start, Adrian offers more detail on his firm’s approach to brokerage services. “As an independent introducing broker, we talk to our active Contract for Difference (CFD) and spread betting clients about their trading plans and then place them with the broker that best serves their needs. Since we are remunerated by the end-broker, there is no additional cost for the client, which allows them to
receive a superior service at a very low price.” “We also offer a number of Managed Account opportunities for Professional Customers along with Copy Trading services for Retail Traders. Both of which offering the opportunity for excellent returns as part of a client’s diversified portfolio of investments.” Where other brokerage services specialise in one service, TMS Capital distinguishes themselves through their execution and investment management offerings. “Most brokers only offer one solution. We work with many brokers around the world. We know these platforms and offerings and our experienced traders work with clients to help them choose the one that best suits their needs. This ensures their trading plans are maximised through account efficiency giving our clients a better outcome.” Adrian takes a moment to emphasise, the firm values a client-centric approach to their work. “Our firm’s overall mission is to provide clients with a low cost, and yet, high-quality service that cannot be found elsewhere.
We ensure an unrivalled service by offering 1 to 1 training and coaching for all clients to ensure their needs are met every time. It is this extra care and attention that makes TMS Capital the first place our clients come to when they need support with their trading.” As we come to the close of the interview, Adrian discusses the challenges affecting the trading industry in the UK. “We are in the Trading Financial Services industry and our clients are speculating actively on the movement of Stocks, Forex, Stock Indices and Commodities. The regulations are always changing, including a big change this year. However, we adapt and inform clients how these regulatory changes might affect them and how to minimise any impact.” Finally, in his closing comments, Adrian talks on the impact of industry awards on small business success. “Awards such as these will be a tremendous springboard for us to expand and find new strategic partners for mutual growth. Ultimately, we are proud of our achievements to win these awards and it really
underlines the quality of the staff we have here in helping people to find their best trading solution.” “As an introducing broker, it is hard to separate our “independent” service from the principals, so these awards go a long way to give us our own identity and demonstrate the higher standards of service we offer, over and above what is available elsewhere.”
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Contact: Adrian Buthee Address: Cranfield Innovation Centre, Cranfield, MK43 0BT, United Kingdom Website: www.tms-capital.com Telephone: 0207 099 1138
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Boundy who provided us with a detailed insight into the award-winning services the team at ESG deliver to their clients on a daily basis.
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Since their inception, ESG have been providing an endto-end solution that offers design, coordination, BIM compliance, high quality installation for mechanical and electrical building service systems, aftercare and maintenance services, fast-track fit-out services and modular solutions for prefabrication delivery. ESG have a clear common goal, to set the standard for others to follow. Quite simply, they are not a business dictated to by the status quo. The firm are leaders within their respected field that is owner managed. This means, every decision comes directly from those responsible for the growth of our business. Growth that has seen turnover surpass the £100 million mark in 2016 and receive steady year on year grown since then. In addition to this, ESG have a strong senior management team who communicate their common goal and core values of being ‘Responsible’, ‘Trusted’, ‘Focused’ ‘Passionate’ and ‘Smart’ to the people that make ESG the great team it is. Going into further detail about the firm, Ryan begins by informing us of the key qualities the team at ESG possess which enables them to stand out amongst their competitors within their respected industry. “Here at ESG, we demonstrate skills, drive and ability to go above and beyond the standards to which our competitors deliver, understanding our clients’ needs better and delivering
the standards they require. As mentioned already, our Creative Department constantly look at new innovations and ways in which we can bring something new and I do not believe our competitors have this same level of focused support from a talented team.” As for the internal culture at the firm Ryan is keen to highlight how the team are all wellequipped to provide the best possible service to their clients. “ESG are a family. Family owned, family run, and our founding Chairman, John Sampson maintains the same values we have always done during our 43 Year history. There are no barriers to communication across the group at any level, allowing a culture to flow naturally throughout our company. We audit our systems, departments and procedures regularly to maintain our common goal to ‘set the standard’.” Looking ahead to what the future holds, Ryan signs off by revealing the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline for the firm, especially following their recent in the SME UK Enterprise Awards where they were righteously awarded the accolade Best Creative Engineering Firm 2018 - South East England. “Recognition for our services is always welcomed and shows we are on the right track within the marketplace. We are a forwardthinking company who embraces new ideas and technology, seen with our launch of a new brand within the group called Modular
Engineering, pushing the boundaries of what prefabricated building services can offer. Above all, our investment in a creative team whose primary function is to ensure our brand is properly represented, our literature and marketing is constantly updated and maintained to sit within current trends and to develop new initiatives that keep ESG as a standout contractor in the construction industry. “Moving forward, we hope to continue the steady growth seen over recent years, strengthening our core senior management and cementing our place as the
go-to contractor. With exciting new projects in the pipeline, we are confident that our projections for the coming years will be achieved.”
Contact: Ryan Boundy (Creative Director) or Nisaa Roberts (Communication Design & Marketing Manager) Company: Essex Services Group Plc Address: Viking Business Centre, Danes Road, Romford, Essex, RM7 0HL, UK Telephone: 01708 708888 Web Address: www.esgplc.com
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