B4 issue 44

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MAGAZINE ISSUE 44 DECEMBER 2016

BRECKON & BRECKON There’s a lot going on at Breckon & Breckon: Growth, Brexit effects, National Awards, 70th Anniversary and more…

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W W W . B 4 - B U S I N E S S . C O M

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BRECKON & BRECKON

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www.b4-business.com Contacts If you want to contact B4 Magazine Telephone: 01865 742 211 info@b4-business.com Publisher B4 Magazine is published by Designs On Ltd, The Firs, Headington Hill, Oxford, OX3 0BT Chairman Colin Rosser colin@b4-business.com Editor Richard Rosser editorial@b4-business.com Art Editor Keith Simpson artwork@b4-business.com Sub Editor Lorna Dodson assistanteditor@b4-business.com Features Editor Matt Wright matt@b4-business.com Proofreader Sue Rosser B4 Events events@b4-business.com Editorial contributors Olivia Lane-Nott Rachel Warren Jo Sensecall Claire Thompson B4 Photography Rob Scotcher Studio Photography Studio8 Telephone: 01865 842525

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welcome to B4 44 So that’s the end of 2016. A year which saw (the majority of) us vote to leave Europe, Leicester City do the unimaginable and get into Europe and a Scottish businessman win the race for the White House. You couldn’t make it up could you, so what’s 2017 got in store for us? Who knows, but I’ve had a tenner on Jeremy Clarkson managing Burnley to clinch the Premier League title, Teresa May being crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion following a tasty dust up with Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump beating Sepp Blatter in a five set thriller at Wimbledon… don’t tell me it can’t happen!

Well done to Breckon & Breckon for a fantastic year in which they have seen continued growth, move to the brink of a new office move and enjoy National Awards success. Read more in this issue and see the video of the interview at the B4 website.

Tuesday 1st November was busy day for B4. We were up at the crack of dawn to visit Grant Thornton’s Reading Live Lab and interview Thames Valley Practice Leader, Jim Rogers and CEO, Sacha Romanovitch for B4 TV and B4 Magazine – read more in this issue. We were then back down the A34 to The King’s Centre for the 2016 Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards which you can also read about in this issue – well done to the fabulous Baskerville for scooping the top prize.

Nick Rogers, Chairman of James Cowper Kreston talks Corporate Finance and how his firm are making strides with their ‘sleeves rolled up’ approach. We also feature Finders Keepers’ 7th annual Property Intelligence seminar which took place at the Museum of Natural History and discover what Mark Charter, head of residential agency at Carter Jonas Oxford, thinks of property post-Brexit.

Inspiring the next generation to do anything is a problem for those of you with children, I am sure you will agree, so hats off to John Boyle, Chairman of The Oxford Trust who introduces Satnsfeld Park, designed to inspire our next generation of scientists and innovators.

For some extra special rest and relaxation inspiration, read our features on Belmond Le Manoir and The Vineyard at Stockcross, two absolute belters in the world of hospitality.

Enjoy B4 Issue 44 and from all of us at B4, we wish you a wonderful 2017.

 @B4Magazine

Meet the Writers

46. James Cowper Kreston Written by Richard Rosser

80. Hedges Written by Nicola Poole

Richard Rosser Editor

105. Mezzeto

Richard is running the 2017 London Marathon in aid of Helen & Douglas House

Written by Lorna Dodson

Sponsor him here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/richardrosser

About B 4 Magazine B4 Magazine is printed by B4 Magazine was established to provide Thames Valley businesses with a clear voice to raise their profile and to help businesses connect. Direct mailed to nine thousand business decision makers in once every two months, B4 is regarded a leading free distribution business publication in the region. B4 stands for Building Bridges Between Business and that is what B4 helps businesses to do, aided by our first class website at www.b4-business.com, monthly B4 Classic and Masterclass Events.

B4 is funded by paid for display advertising and editorial. Underpinning B4 is a membership of over 600 of the Thames Valley’s leading businesses.

109. Old Parsonage Written by Jo Willett

news

apprentices

10 B4 Members News

35 Helping Future Talent Flourish:

Abingdon & Witney College are doing their

part to brighten the future of employment.

71 National Awards Success for Concierge: Head Concierge at Macdonald

Randolph Hotel, William Thomson, has

recently been recognised with a national award.

36 Oxfordshire Apprenticeships:

Find out about this new advisory service

brought to you by OxfordshireLEP.

48 Investing in Growth VS Making a Profit: Is it really a Mission Impossible?

Knights talk about how businesses and

managing directors can achieve their ambitions.

51 Landlord Tax Shake-up: For landlords

worried about the changes to tax on buy-to-

let profits, The MGroup explains how the

changes will work

73 News from Sobell House Hospice:

Catch up with Sobell House and their recent

fundraising efforts in the local community.

advice lead

39 A World of Change: EY are here to guide you through what other changes to

expect in the aftermath of Brexit.

12 There’s a Lot Going on at Breckon & Breckon: B4 caught up with MD Greg

Barnes to chat about Excellent Growth, Brexit,

National Awards and a 70th Anniversary.

41 Effective Collaboration and Joint Venturing: Blake Morgan talks to us about the value of collaborating with others to win

new business.

43 Scaling a Business: Wellers help us to understand why preparation is key and

what to focus on when scaling your business.

45 Retaining Global Talent:

Penningtons Manches discuss new challenges in terms of labour mobility and talent

acquisition.

property 52 Is it Too Late to Invest in Oxford Property?: Take a look at North Oxford

Property Services' prediction for the next 10 years.

55 Property Intelligence Seminar:

A recap of Finders Keepers' Property

Intelligence Seminar in October and insights

into the Property Market.

56 What's Next for Property Post-Brexit?: Mark Charter of Carter

Jonas Oxford comments on the property

market in the wake of Brexit.

58 VSL & Partners: Check out the latest

Commercial Properties from VSL & Partners.

events 14 Reading Live Lab 2016: Creating

connections with purpose at Grant Thornton's

inaugral event.

17 The Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards 2016: The results from this year's

awards are here!

19 Business In Oxford 2017: Find out

how you can get involved in 2017's Business

In Oxford event.

sport/fitness

finance 46 Proper Corporate Finance: B4 met

with James Cowper Kreston’s Chairman, Nick

Rogers, to discover why his excellent team are

going from strength to strength

60 Fit 4 Business: Tips for fitness and the

low-down on upcoming B4 sporting events

and sponsorship opportunities.

61 The History of OURFC: Read about

Oxford University Rugby Football Club's long

and illustrious history of sporting distinction

B4 contents marketing 65 Digital Marketing Explained: SEO in 2017 & Beyond: The Evergreen

Agency takes a look at the world of SEO and

what we can expect for the future.

spotlight

services

80 Celebrating Oxfordshire's Restaurant Excellence: Hedges Law

chat about their involvement with the

Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards and welcome

on board two new staff.

94 MPS - The Lowdown: Aston & James

tell you everything you need to know about

Managed Print Services.

82 Expanding with Oxford Innovation: Oxford based medical

company Perspectum Diagnostics expands to

new offices with the help of Oxford Innovation.

84 Inspiring Our Next Generation of Scientists: The Oxford Trust talk about

a new and unique project to build the UK’s

first dedicated primary science education centre.

97

Direct Rail from Central Oxford to London Marylebone: Read about the brand new service Chiltern Railways are planning to make your commute that much simpler.

WHO'S WHO 93 Deliveroo: Meet Jeremy Rawlinson,

General Manager at Deliveroo in South East

England, South West England, Wales and the Midlands.

corp. life 98 The Perfect Stage: B4 visited Belmond

Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons to find out more

about their beautiful restaurant and venue.

csr 75

101 Danesfield House Hotel and Spa:

Read all about this luxurious country retreat

in a gloriously secluded 65 acres of

manicured gardens.

Low Carbon Oxford: Find out how you can join the Low Carbon Oxford network and help to reduce carbon emissions in Oxford by 40%.

102 Happy 150th to Macdonald Randolph Hotel: Macdonald Randolph

Hotel welcomed over 150 guests to a

reception to celebrate this huge milestone.

76 Supporting Local Community Projects: Read about the various ways in

which Owen Mumford are getting involved

with their local community.

79

Cricket For The Masses: B4 caught up with Oxfordshire Cricket to talk about the future and how to get involved to support your local community

it & telecomms 66 Make IT Work for You in 2017:

CIS talk about how to improve the uptime of

your business and how to handle disruption.

69 Making The Right Connection:

STL Comms look at the upcoming changes

to phone lines and how connectivity is no

longer simply about internet access

venues 87 Bending Over Backwards For You: The King's Centre offer a bespoke

service to make sure your event runs as

smoothly as can be 89 Conferences at Said Business School: Read about the award winning

catering and attentive service from Saïd

Business School.

91 Oxford Brookes Conference Services: B4 met with Operations

Manager, Becky Rossiter, to find out more

about their impressive portfolio of conference spaces.

105 Taste of the Mediterranean: Step

into Mezzeto and experience a Mediterranean

party this Winter.

107 The Vineyard: Jo Willett gives us the low

down on this wonderful hotel, spa and

restaurant in a former hunting lodge.

109 Parsonage Bar & Grill: B4 enjoyed a

pleasant Friday business lunch in the wel

coming surroundings of one of Oxfordshire’s

finest establishments

Contacts 110

Training with Explosive Learning Solutions

ELS Business Training is the course provider element of Explosive Learning Solutions and has a strong heritage in training provision and delivery for all sectors. All of our trainers work as consultants within the area they train.

As an Accredited Training Organisation, we provide many courses including, but not limited to: • PRINCE2® • APM PMQ and APM PMQ for PRINCE2® • Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) • Change Management • Management of Risk • PS Professionals • Facilitation

What we offer: • Courses have no more than 12 students (offering excellent tutor/student ratio for support) • Training is contextualised to meet your needs • Training is based on known principles of adult learning • Continuous – we offer follow on support throughout and after the course.

• Course Bundles to give you excellent value for mone www.elsbusinesstraining.co.uk

Feel free to look at our website for a more complete view of our courses.

Passion for Food Passion for Food is looking forward to the festive season this year with Christmas puddings and mince pies a plenty.

crispy shallots and cranberry sauce, for those that want something a little bit different for their Christmas supper.

Passionate about bringing first class restaurant style food to event catering, Managing Director and Executive Chef Philip Baker and his team will be preparing fantastic feasts, including the traditional favourite, turkey with chestnut and thyme stuffing and a modern street food offering, of pulled smoked turkey in brioche buns, with

Providing event catering throughout Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Passion for Food are experts in providing high quality food and excellent service from start to finish. The provenance of their food is key, with local UK suppliers such as Sandy Lane Farm in Tiddington providing fresh organic produce for Passions for Food’s delicious recipes.

If you need a caterer for your Christmas party, corporate event, canapé reception or wedding, get in touch with the team at Passion for Food, you will not be disappointed. www.passion-for-food.co.uk

COMPLETE: Food, Drink, Events

“Complete now in its 5th year of proudly supporting The Oxford round table annual fireworks event @ Jack fm vip enclosure”

In our 5th continuous year of supporting Oxford's Round Table Fireworks, Complete rolled out our smokehouse menu for over 800 VIP Guests. Our new brazilian smoking/bbq machine fed and served some 1000 portions of delicious smoking sliders filled with our 10 hour slow cooked smoked beef brisked, tender pulled pork all served with spicy beans, potatoes and new greens to the Jack fm vip enclosure

All the guests, as well as the public were encouraged to help raise as much money as

possible. Complete are extremely proud to sponsor the area as well as taking an active role on the round table through the year.

This years Fireworks raised over £70,000.00 for local charities.

Jon & Simon of Complete said ”Here's to next year! we are proud to give something back to oxfordshire and continually support this great cause” www.completecatering.co.uk

Stoke Park Corporate Golf Membership At Stoke Park, we pride ourselves on the ability to offer prospective Corporate Members the ability to entertain clients and colleagues in luxurious 5 Star surroundings, whilst having full access to our Harry Colt designed 27-hole Championship Golf Course and practicing facilities.

Stoke Park is the perfect place in which to enhance your business and entertainment needs, and as a

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5 AA Red Star Hotel, an accolade that recognises us as one of the finest hotels in the United Kingdom with unrivalled services, we can proudly boast some of the most magnificent facilities in the country as well. With a choice of 3 wonderful restaurants to dine in, including our multi-award winning, Humphry’s – members will have their expectations surpassed on every visit.

For further information about our Corporate

Memberships, or to arrange a time to come in for a tour of our facilities, please contact Alistair Beynon, Membership Sales Manager on 01753 717106 or email abeynon@stokepark.com. www.stokepark.com

www.b4-business.com

B4

news

Growing Gardner Leader to move into new Maidenhead office Following a period of growth, Gardner Leader is on the move to new offices in Maidenhead. The firm was recently awarded LawNet’s prestigious Law Firm of the Year Award, adding to the Halsbury’s Award for Business Development awarded earlier in the year.

Twenty people are now based at the office, across the full range of teams: Commercial (including Commercial Property, Corporate and Employment), Litigation, Residential Property, Family Law Services, and Inheritance Protection. In 2016 alone six new starters have joined the firm’s Maidenhead office and two people have joined from the Newbury office. This growth, along with plans to enhance

the team further mean that the Queen Street office has been outgrown and the firm will be moving to new premises at Frascati Way. The new office is well appointed and well situated within a short walk of Maidenhead town centre and railway station. There is client parking and a wheelchair accessible meeting area, as well as larger and more comfortable client meeting rooms.

Managing Partner Derek Rodgers said “Maidenhead is a vibrant and growing place and we’re delighted to be part of its increasing success. The new office gives us room for more people as we continue to grow our Maidenhead team.” www.gardner-leader.co.uk

Peter Fry joins Carter Jonas’ Commercial Valuation Team Carter Jonas has appointed Thames Valley commercial valuer Peter Fry as partner to head up the commercial valuation team, and James Latham as associate in the commercial agency and development team in its Oxford office.

Peter Fry has more than 25 years’ experience and has joined from Vail Williams in Reading where he specialised in valuation work across the M4 corridor and Thames Valley. James Latham is a chartered surveyor with seven years’ experience in regional commercial agency, asset and development management.

Scott Harkness, head of commercial, Carter Jonas

said: “Our Oxford based commercial team now totals 25 people covering agency, investment, lease advisory, property asset management, and valuations, and we continue to recruit in what is our largest hub office outside our London HQ, which with our Cambridge hub office, forms the golden triangle, as we continue to meet client demand.”

Peter Fry, head of Oxford commercial valuations added: “I’m delighted to join Carter Jonas, a professional firm with a hugely talented group of people.” www.carterjonas.co.uk

FOCUS – providing bespoke home & motor insurance solutions As our personal wealth increases, we tend to own larger houses and acquire possessions with higher values that don’t fall within the limits of standard home insurance policies.

Busy lives often mean we don’t have time to consider the necessary cover and end up simply hoping that what we already have will do. A common mistake which only becomes apparent when a claim is made, which will by then be too late.

At FOCUS we will help you protect your assets; using our unique ‘Home by Design’ approach, we will tailor make the cover you need. Coupled with our personal service you’ll feel confident that the correct cover is in place. FOCUS also offers a bespoke way of looking at motor insurance. 'Family

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Fleet' cover is especially useful and can help with additional cars for young drivers, insuring prestige and collector’s cars, as well as offering much more cover than a standard motor policy.

Visit www.focusllp.co.uk or contact us on 01865 295295 to find out how we can help.

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Excellent Growth, Brexit, National Awards and a 70th Anniversary…phew!!!

There’s a lot going on at Breckon & Breckon Greg Barnes, Managing Director of Breckon & Breckon Letting & Management, met with B4’s Richard Rosser to look back on an impressive period of growth, national recognition and exciting plans for 2017.

Written by: Richard Rosser Photography by: Can Sengunes

B4: Having enjoyed considerable growth over the last 12 years and consolidated your position as one of Oxfordshire’s leading property firms, you have some exciting news to share with B4 viewers and some national success to report on. But 2016 has been a difficult year for many businesses and with regards to the rental market in particular, what effects has Brexit had?

GB: It’s certainly been an interesting year there has been a fair amount of regulation change and Brexit has had an impact, there is no doubt, although some people like to try and deny it. There are some positives and negatives in the market. There has been a slowdown in European relocation which has definitely had an impact on us over the summer.

The top end of the market has also slowed at a faster rate than we had anticipated. Investors are still around and money is still cheap to borrow and we are seeing signs that investors are getting more excited about the market.

B4: We are sat here hours before the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in which he is proposing to ban lettings agents’ fees on tenants. Obviously without the benefit of what actually happened, what are your views at this particular point??

B4: On a more positive front, Breckon & Breckon have enjoyed excellent growth since 2004. Is that growth going to continue and what plans have you got for the future?

GB: It certainly is – we have had a great run since 2004 when we started as a very small office in the City Centre and we have expanded our operation, as you know through our involvement with B4, to eight sales offices and we operate lettings out of four of those. The exciting news is that we are about to relocate to new offices in Summertown in the New Year. Twining House in Summertown is a 5,000 sq ft property which is currently being refurbished in time for us to move in in early in 2017, so very exciting times for all of us at Breckon & Breckon.

B4: Why the relocation?

GB: To be honest we are a little disjointed in the City Centre with three operations in three different premises; we currently have a sales office in Summertown which is also home to our Oxford Apartments team. Letting and management in Beaumont Street and our Asset Management team who deal with block management are based in St Aldates. The idea of moving to Twining House is that we can move all of these all under one roof, so we are almost creating a ‘one stop shop’ which is a far better position to be in and certainly a benefit for our clients. The offices are looking fantastic and we hope will be a real destination point; it’s such great looking building.

B4: You will still have offices in Abingdon, Witney etc…?

Photograph by: Can Sengunes

GB: Yes I certainly think it’s going to have an impact. Initially it was going to be a cap on fees but the proposal as of this morning’s press is for a ban which is certainly going to have a very significant impact on the market. The question is how it will play out; the fees they are referring to are charges made to a tenant at the start of a tenancy for reference checks, amongst other things and are essential part of the process – most agents charge a reasonable charge to cover their costs are and far from exploitative, however as with many industries there is a rogue element and is why the motion was being considered in the first place and one

which I fully supported but an outright ban is not the answer and will ultimately end up hurting those the government intends to help: the tenant, as landlords may look to recover in increased rent.

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lead

Photograph by: Can Sengunes

B4

GB: Yes, we will still be in Abingdon, Witney, Headington and Woodstock but Twining House will consolidate our Oxford operation. Having said that, our High Street office in the City Centre is staying. It is one of our first offices, so that isn’t going anywhere.

B4: The growth and the excellent work that Breckon & Breckon are doing has, I understand, recently been recognised with a national award?

GB: It has, yes, it was fantastic. Last month we won a National Award for the Negotiator Magazine for the best medium sized lettings operation in the country, so we were absolutely thrilled to win that.

B4: Although we are talking about growth since 2004, Breckon & Breckon has a big milestone next year to celebrate?

GB: It has, 70 years next year. We started trading in 1947 so I am sure we will have a few parties to celebrate. We will have a big launch at Twining House and no doubt a few celebrations across the year.

Congratulations to all at Breckon & Breckon and we wish you all continued success for your 70th anniversary.

To see the video interview (and a decidedly less professional version of the interview), visit: www.b4-business.com

month we won a National Award “forLast the Negotiator Magazine for the best

medium sized lettings operation in the country, so we were absolutely thrilled to win that.

Photograph by: Can Sengunes

”

Greg Barnes - Director, Breckon & Breckon

 greg@breckon.co.uk  01865 201 111  www.breckon.co.uk www.b4-business.com

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Reading Live Lab 2016: Creating connections with purpose On November 1, more than 200 Berkshire business and community leaders gathered to answer an important question: How to we develop reading into a world-class, connected community?

Photography by: Steve Howse

On the day that a petition was launched to grant Reading its city status, the Live Lab event, organised by Grant Thornton, set out to consider Reading’s strengths and to dream, discover and design an exciting potential future for it.

More than 500 ideas were concocted by 23 teams spanning business, charity and the public sector, and they will now be distilled down into actionable plans for people to run with.

Jim Rogers, Practice Leader at Grant Thornton Thames Valley, said: "Having set out a clear purpose to shape a vibrant economy, and with the huge amount of work that is already being done by organisations with Reading at their heart, I'm delighted that we were able to bring together community champions to celebrate the energy that people have for supporting Reading and the Thames Valley to become a truly connected place.

"We know that to make Reading a community where dynamic businesses can thrive, we need to realise the wealth of shared potential we can harness, if we work together. Some fantastic ideas came out of the day, and the conversation doesn’t stop here. We’re contributing to a movement for change in Reading and we’d encourage everyone to continue sharing ideas at our online forum, VibrantReading.com."

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Grant Thornton CEO, Sacha Romanovitch, added: “Our ultimate goal is to build a future that we’re proud to handover to the next generation. Working together to share our resources and create a shared vision rather than working in silos, can only result in success.

“I’d encourage everyone to move from a mind-set of ‘we can’t’ to ‘we could if’, and ask themselves ‘who am I waiting for?’. Our country is facing some of the biggest challenges it has faced in a long time, and sitting back waiting for someone else to solve them, isn’t going to get us there.”

In the room were representatives from academia, business, the public sector, and arts and culture for an inspirational day of innovation, inquiry and transformation. Here are some of the attendees’ favourite ideas.

Josh White, HSBC Reading “A great concept that came out of the day was the idea of a ‘Reading GO’ app, which would feature a map highlighting independent stores and restaurants, offering discounts to encourage people, both local and visiting, to use these independents over the larger chains.”

“Coming to this event has given me a renewed energy to get involved in community projects. It’s

so easy to get stuck in your day job and not look any further, but if we all make a concerted effort to help our local community, we can bring character and personality to Reading.

Rebecca Chard, University of Reading Careers Service “This event has given myself and colleagues an opportunity to meet with local small businesses, charities and start-ups to understand what they need to grow, and better understand how the University of Reading can help by working in collaboration to provide them with work-ready, skilled students and graduates.

The University plays a significant role in the local economy and the local community. By working with local businesses we can work together to create mutually beneficial opportunities for students and local professionals to work together, in a way that helps our economy and community to grow and flourish.”

Susan Elliot, VitalSix Ltd. and Business Growth Hub for Local Enterprise Partnership “A clear theme that came from the event was the benefit of connecting large corporates with small businesses. In everyday life, everyone naturally retreats to their own comfort zone, but during this

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B4

events

“

We know that to make Reading a community where dynamic businesses can thrive, we need to realise the wealth of shared potential we can harness, if we work together.

”

Jim Rogers, Practice Leader at Grant Thornton

It is now the “ responsibility of everyone to put these fantastic ideas and dreams into action and make them a reality. As individuals we can make an enormous difference to our community

”

Paul Lindley, founder of Ella’s Kitchen

event we were given the opportunity to hear about things that we wouldn’t normally get the chance to, or even consider. For example, large businesses listening to the challenges that SMEs and charities in the community are facing.

“What is apparent, is that we all have an incredible amount of information and knowledge to contribute.

The impact will come from connecting businesses that may be able to make a difference to small businesses and charities, as well as smaller companies which may be able to share their quickthinking, agile attitude.”

Alan Magness, Reading Local Strategic Partnership “There were so many fantastic concepts being shared around the room, but the one that stuck out to me was the suggestion for each person to make a commitment to become a ‘business mentor’ and support young people who are struggling to get into the world of work, to share their knowledge and experience.

“There are significant numbers of young people in Reading who don’t benefit from our vibrant jobs market, and to break the cycle of poverty for them and future generations, we need avenues for them to get into business. It would be great if businesses could ask themselves: ‘how can we go beyond the

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boundaries of our business to help young people, and share our expertise?’”

Tim Dixon, professor at University of Reading “It has been amazing to get a sense of how much energy and enthusiasm there is around making Reading a better place to live in terms of its quality of life and its vibrancy. However, the way we deal with the vision that has come out of the event will be incredibly important to maintaining this enthusiasm.

“The idea of a shared expectation for the future is so vital for a community to thrive. The campaign to give Reading a city status was a common theme throughout the event, as well as having a ‘Reading pound’. For this to work it will be essential for us all to help keep our economy local, by thinking locally in terms of local suppliers and producers to ensure we can create and manage a sustainable supply chain.”

Paul Lindley, founder of Ella’s Kitchen “Everyone I spoke to during the day has an amazing sense of pride in Reading. This common ground gave people who would never ordinarily meet each other in their daily lives the chance to cross-fertilise ideas and dream and discover how we can help make Reading a world-class vibrant, connected community.

“Vibrancy is about passion and dynamism. It is

something that is aspirational and the Live Lab gave people from across Reading the opportunity to take on this mind-set, as part of a big, ballsy commission to get the conversation going and make Reading a place where businesses can thrive.

“It is now the responsibility of everyone to put these fantastic ideas and dreams into action and make them a reality. As individuals we can make an enormous difference to our community. If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try going to bed with a mosquito.”

To contribute to the discussion and see the top ideas to come from the day, visit or contact us below.

To see the B4 TV video interview with Sacha and Jim, please visit: www.b4-business.com

CONTACT DETAILS

 jana.saunders@uk.gt.com  www.vibrantreading.com



@vibrantReading

15

Think Rhodes for Business...

For full information on exclusive use, meetings, seminars, team building and conferences please call 01865 282599 or email events@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk

Rhodes House, Oxford, OX1 3RG

Telephone 01865 282 599 events@rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk www.rhodeshouseoxford.com

B4

events

TUESDAY

1ST

NOVEMBER

OXFORDSHIRE RESTAURANT AWARDS 2016 RESULTS Congratulations to all the winners and runner-ups for the Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards 2016, which took place on Tuesday 1st November at The King’s Centre in Oxford.

The event was attended by almost 300 guests from the catering and hospitality industry from all corners of the county, who enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by students from City of Oxford College under the tutelage of Head of Catering, Thomas Clavier. The canapes were provided by GAF, the bread by Gatineau, starter by The White Hart at Fyfield, vegetarian starter and main by Passion For Food, and dessert by The Oxford Kitchen.

• • • • • •

THE RESULTS

Many thanks to the sponsors of this years awards: Hedges Law, ACDisco, Aldens, B4, Bean Bags, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Buzzworks, City of Oxford College, College & County, Complete Catering, Deliveroo, EasyPreOrders, GAF, Gatineau, Goldstar Recruitment, Good Food Oxford, Helen & Douglas House, House on the Hill, Isis Creative Framing, Laurent-Perrier, LeachPrint, Living In Oxford, Oxford Event Hire, Oxford Wine Company, Passion For Food, Rycotewood Furniture, Studio 8, The King’s Centre, The Oxford Kitchen, The White Hart at Fyfield, Vouch, and Wellers.

• • • • • • • • •

The Oxfordshire Restaurant of the Year 2016: The Baskerville Belmond Le Manoir Award for Excellence: The Oxford Kitchen Public Vote: The White Hart at Fyfield Outstanding Service: La Cucina Award of Distinction: The Garden Cafe at Restore Living In Oxford Magazine Editor’s Choice: Acanthus at Macdonald Randolph Hotel Chef of the Year: Ryan Simpson and Liam Trotman of Orwells Trainee of the Year: Chris Angus of St Anne’s College Best Brasserie / Gastro Pub: The Baskerville

www.b4-business.com

Best Gastronomic Restaurant: Restaurant 56 Best Traditional Pub: The Swan at Ascott Best College Dining Room: St Antony’s College Best Asian Restaurant: Thaikhun Best for Sustainability: Vaults & Garden Café Best Express / Deli / Café: Aston Pottery Country Café

For more information and photos check out: www.oxfordshirerestaurantawards.co.uk

17

T H E OX F O R D S H I R E C L O T H I N G C O M PA N Y LT D

S H O P N O W A T OXC L O T H I N G . C O . U K

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST STYLE  OXC L O OXC L O T H I N G C O M PA N Y OXC L O T H I N G

BUSINESS

7

“The biggest business-networking and showcase event in the county.

S P O N S O R S H I P

&

A D V E R T I S I N G

O P P O R T U N I T I E S

p3.

10 Reasons to Partner with BIO2017

p9.

BIO2017 Speed Networking Sponsor

p4.

BIO2017 Presentation Themes &

p10. VIP Breakfast Networking Sponsor

Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities

p11.

p5.

BIO2017 Diamond Sponsor

p12. BIO2017 Closing Drinks Sponsor

p6.

BIO2017 Closing Session Sponsor

p13. BIO2017 Roundtable Sponsorships

p7.

BIO2017 Platinum Sponsor

p14. BIO2017 Free Standing Exhibition Spaces

p8.

BIO2017 Gold Sponsor

p15. BIO2017 Programme Advertising

BIO2017 Lunch Sponsor

WELCOME “

Not just an event – Business in Oxford is a platform for integration, innovation and business growth. Sharing knowledge, experience, expertise and enthusiasm, Business in Oxford 2017 (BIO2017) will feature a wide range of Oxfordshire’s leading businesses and over 500 delegates.

The event is now the biggest business-networking and showcase event in the county. May 11th 2017 will be our 4th Business in Oxford event and will take place at The King’s Centre, one of the largest conference venues in the region.

Richard Rosser - Chief Executive of The In Oxford Group and Founder of Business in Oxford

Some of our current and past BIO sponsors....why not join them?

2

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

BIO2017 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Meet Oxfordshire’s leading CEO’s, Senior Managers and Entrepreneurs Connect with over 500 Oxfordshire business delegates Maximise your brand exposure

Attend engaging presentations exploring the most topical subjects shaping the future of business in Oxfordshire Build relationships with existing customers

Collect premium leads for business development

Align your brand with inspirational thought leaders Share your expertise and insight

Be part of Oxfordshire’s biggest B2B networking and showcase event Experience interactive team building experiences

View BIO2016 Testimonials here: http://www.businessinoxford.com/bio16.html View our BIO2016 Film here: http://www.businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7  01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

3

BIO2017 PRESENTATION THEMES Getting involved in BIO2017 as a sponsor or exhibitor gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge with potential clients. Below is our list of proposed themes that we would like to see featuring in our presentations at BIO2017. It’s by no means an exhaustive list and we welcome sponsors to propose their own presentation topics.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

: Digital Economy The Future of the Raising the Bar Ensuring a Successful Customer Experience How to stay ahead as Digital: Transforms Your World The Vision of Smart Oxford Building a Stronger, Safer, Economical and Sustainable City Establishing a Strong Brand Presence in Today’s Crowded Business Landscape : The Future of Business in Oxford : Going from Good to Great Business Growth Winning Team Moving from High Potential to High : Performance Teams Employability Inspiring and Training Tomorrow’s Workforce

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

The Building Blocks of Oxford Accommodating Oxford : for Your Business Financial Muscle Fit For Business How to Achieve an effective Work Life Balance The Secret Formula For Sales Success Innovation in Oxford Elevate Your Business Economic Benefits of Partnerships to Oxford Business in the Community (CSR) Leadership

BIO2017 ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES *Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies..

EXPOSURE BELOW IS INCLUDED IN ALL SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES BRANDING Your company logo featured on official BIO2017 event fliers and promotion in B4 Magazine.

Your company logo on BIO2017 Venue Screens.

Your company logo on BIO2017 Event Banners.

Your company promotion featured in the Official BIO VIP 2017 Promotions Booklet.

send weekly updates via Twitter (across all of The In Oxford Group’s accounts we have approaching 20,000 followers) / Facebook (1778 Likes) LinkedIn (in excess of 4,000 Followers).

Tweets leading up to the event about your company including information about your BIO2017 presentation and exhibition space.

TICKETS & ACCESS Complimentary Lunch, Breakfast and Drinks.

EMAIL + SOCIAL MEDIA Database – leading up to event, your logo will feature in a weekly promotional email that is sent to the BIO & B4 Magazine database (in excess of 5,000 addresses including entrepreneurs, business owners, CEOs, senior management).

Social Media mentions – leading up to the event, we

4

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£7,500 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £10,000 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

ONLY 1 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

PR

The Event described as ‘Sponsored by...(Your company

A B4 Magazine dedicated (up to 3 minute) video about

name)’.

your company with full filming and production worth £950+VAT.

Your company logo as the Event Diamond Sponsor in a prominent position on all BIO2017 collateral.

A Full-page advert on the inside front cover of the official BIO2017 event brochure (printed and online edition).

Your company logo & write up under the Event Diamond Sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

Your company logo featured on the online ticketing webpages where attendees book their tickets.

A larger Exhibition Space (6m x 2m stand area) in a PROMINENT space in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo on delegate lanyards (white on blue, fuscia, or lime green backgrounds).

Your company logo on official BIO2017 event badges.

Your company logo displayed in design of ‘holding slide’ before & after presentations.

Your company logo on BIO2017 Staff sash or garment during event day.

Your company logo on flags or banners outside the venue.

Your company logo featured on all BIO2017 e-Newsletters.

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

B4 Double Page Spread on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £850+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

Your company will deliver the Opening Ceremony intro Presentation (5 minutes).

Your company will have the opportunity to deliver a separate Scheduled Presentation at BIO2017.

Your company will have Photo Opportunities with our headline Speaker/s (tbc).

TICKETS & ACCESS Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (5 tickets).

Access to VIP Sponsors’ Green room on the day of the event.

Complimentary Lunch, Breakfast and Drinks.

A dedicated Car Parking Space.

Up to 50 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

5

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£3,500 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £6,000 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

ONLY 1 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

TICKETS & ACCESS

Your company logo as the Closing Session Sponsor in a

Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (4

prominent position on all BIO2017 collateral.

A Full-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure (printed and online edition).

Your company logo & write up under the Official Closing

tickets).

Access to VIP Sponsors’ Green room on the day of the event.

A dedicated Car Parking Space.

Session category on the official BIO2017 website.

Up to 30 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to A dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3m x 2m stand

be claimed by end of March 2017

area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & write up under the Closing Session sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

Your company logo as the Closing Session Sponsor on all BIO2017 collateral.

PR Your company will be the official host of the Closing Ceremony.

B4 Full Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £500+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

“

My team and I are looking forward very much to BIO2017 in the new venue in Osney. It will be a great opportunity for Oxfordshire businesses to meet, discuss and learn more about what is happening across one of the most vibrant, innovative and exciting local economies in the UK. David Birch Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

6

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£3,000 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £5,000 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

10 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

TICKETS & ACCESS

A dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3m x 2m stand

Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (2

area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & write up under the Platinum sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

Your company logo as a Platinum Sponsor on all BIO2017

tickets).

Access to VIP Sponsors’ Green room on the day of the event.

A dedicated Car Parking Space.

collateral.

Up to 20 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to A Half-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure

be claimed by end of March 2017

(printed and online edition).

Your company logo featured on all BIO2017 e-Newsletters.

PR Your company will have 1 x 10 minute Presentation at BIO2017 in a seminar where 2 other companies will also have a 10 minute presentation each, paid for separately by them. A guest presenter will complete the line up in your seminar.

Your company will be included in the official BIO2017 promotional video we make. See the BIO2016 video here.

B4 Full Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £500+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

“

Business in Oxford has been designed to provide a detailed programme of informative presentations, showcasing the best in Oxfordshire’s business talent and provide a networking and knowledge building platform for all those in attendance.

Steve Dunne - Managing Director, Savvy Group

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

7

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£1,500 ex VAT Post Early Bird Price £2,500 ex VAT

BIO2017

Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

42 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

TICKETS & ACCESS

A dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3m x 2m stand

Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (1

area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & write up under the Gold sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

ticket).

Up to 5 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017.

A Quarter-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure (printed and online edition)

PR Your company will have 1 x 10 minute Presentation at BIO2017 in a seminar where 2 other companies will also have a 10 minute presentation each, paid for separately by them. A guest presenter will complete the line up in your seminar.

B4 Quarter Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £315+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess.of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

“

The Oxford Strategic Partnership is proud to be a founding partner and sponsor of Business in Oxford and I look forward to a day that will highlight the great businesses and the great work being done in and around Oxford; and a day that will inspire new enterprises and ventures.

Sebastian Johnson - Manager of the Oxford Strategic Partnership

8

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7

BIO2017

EARLY BIRD PRICE

£1,500 ex VAT Post Early Bird Price £2,500 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

ONLY 1 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

TICKETS & ACCESS

A dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3m x 2m stand

Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (2

area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & write up under the Speed Networking sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

tickets).

Up to 10 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017

A Half-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure (printed and online edition).

Your company promotional banner displayed during the 2-scheduled speed networking sessions.

PR Your company will co-host the Scheduled Speed Networking sessions at BIO2017.

B4 Half Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £425+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

“

I’m really excited to see Business in Oxford return once again this year with incredible support from existing and new sponsors. There is no doubt that Business in Oxford has cemented its place in the commercial calendar facilitating further integration between business, the Oxfordshire LEP and Oxford City Council.

Richard Venables - Director, VSL & Partners and Board Member of the Local Enterprise Partnership

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

9

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£1,500 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £2,500 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

ONLY 1 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

TICKETS & ACCESS

A dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3m x 2m stand

Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (2

area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & write up under the Breakfast Networking sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

tickets).

Up to 10 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017.

A Half-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure (printed and online edition).

Your company promotional banner displayed during Breakfast Networking session.

PR Your company will be promoted during the Breakfast Networking session at BIO2017.

B4 Half Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £425+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

“

Just a quick note to say well done on BiO last week, a definite and continued step up on last year and firmly on the map.

Matt Peachey - Economic Development Manager, Economic Development Team, City Development

10

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£1,500 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £2,500 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

ONLY 1 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

TICKETS & ACCESS

AA dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3m x 2m stand

Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (2

area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & write up under the Lunch sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

tickets).

Up to 10 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017

A Half-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure (printed and online edition).

Your company promotional banner displayed during the Lunch session..

PR Your company will be promoted during the Lunch session at BIO2017.

B4 Half Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £425+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

“

I had a great time at Business in Oxford last week and I found it all very informative. I thought everyone presented very well and was impressed with the level of speakers.

Kylie Dunseith - Solo

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

11

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£1,500 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £2,500 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

ONLY 1 AVAILABLE

BRANDING

TICKETS & ACCESS

A dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3m x 2m stand

Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (2

area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & write up under the Closing drinks sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

tickets).

Up to 10 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017.

A Half-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure (printed and online edition).

Your company promotional banner displayed during Closing drinks sessions.

PR Your company will be promoted during the Closing drinks session at BIO2017.

B4 Half Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £425+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

“

Without doubt, Business in Oxford has provided us with a platform to connect to a new audience that we might well not otherwise have reached. It’s a great event, focused and engaging, that i’m confident will only grow and grow.

Nicola Poole, Managing Director, Hedges Law

12

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£950 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £1,650 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

ONLY 6 AVAILABLE

Host a 40 Minute Roundtable discussion (8/10 delegates) BRANDING Your company logo & write up under the Roundtable sponsor category on the official BIO2017 website.

A Quarter-page advert in the official BIO2017 brochure (printed and online edition).

Your company promotional banner displayed during your company Roundtable session.

PR B4 Half Page Advert or Editorial on your company (in an issue of your choice worth £425+VAT – B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

TICKETS & ACCESS Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (1 ticket).

Up to 5 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017.

“

Thank you for staging BIO 2016 – I met some incredible people, excellent client prospects and plenty of familiar faces. I would love to be involved with BIO2017 so please keep me posted with developments.

Helen Money, Helen Money Nutrition

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

13

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£750 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £950 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

Please Note - These will only be released once all Gold Sponsorships have been booked.

Exhibiting is one of the most efficient, effective and successful marketing activities available to you. Having a presence at BIO2017 will give you exposure to an audience of over 500 leading Oxfordshire entrepreneurs, business owners, CEOs, senior management and executives and the opportunity to sell your products and services to these highly targeted visitors on a faceto-face basis.

WHAT THE EXHIBITION SPACE INCLUDES

PR

Each stand space comes with electricity (1-2 Plug

Your company listed as an official BIO 2017 Exhibitor in B4

Sockets).

Free Wi-Fi available.

Magazine’s BIO2017 pre and post event editorial feature.

B4 has a readership of in excess of 24,000 on and off line reaching businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Thames Valley).

There is an option to hire furniture on our booking form.

The back of your stand will not be visible as it will be either against a wall or back-to-back with another exhibition stand.

TICKETS & ACCESS Invite to pre event sponsors and presenters drinks (1 ticket).

BRANDING

Up to 3 reserved BIO2017 tickets for your company to be claimed by end of March 2017

A dedicated premium Exhibition Space (3 x 2 stand area) in the exhibition hall.

Your company logo & brief description with hyperlink featured in the Exhibitors section on the official BIO2017 website

“

Excellent event, superb networking and a great opportunity to connect with Oxfordshire businesses. We look forward to BIO2017.

Ross Wilson, Head of Sales & Marketing, CIS Ltd

14

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7 EARLY BIRD PRICE

£125 ex VAT

BIO2017

Post Early Bird Price £250 ex VAT Please note Early Bird quoted price is up to 10th February 2017 thereafter the normal sponsorship price applies.

All advertising space in the Official BIO2017 Brochure will include the following:

Full colour print.

Exposure in the online and print edition.

Minimum print run of 1,000.

Advert design if applicable.

BIO2017 VIP Promotions Booklet (40 Non-sponsor spaces available).

We are putting together a booklet full of event onlypromotions from Oxfordshire businesses for all BIO2017 attendees to take away.

Early Bird Price £150 ex VAT Post Early Bird Price £250 ex VAT

Full Page Advert or Editorial Early Bird Price £250 ex VAT Post Early Bird Price £450 ex VAT.

Half Page Advert or Editorial Early Bird Price £175 ex VAT Post Early Bird Price £375 ex VAT

Quarter Page Advert Early Bird Price £125 ex VAT Post Early Bird Price £325 ex VAT

“

We are delighted to be hosting BIO2017.

Having attended all past BIO events, we know that BIO2017 will be bigger and better and will provide Oxfordshire businesses with the perfect opportunity to showcase themselves.

Sue Edridge, Business Development Manager, The King’s Centre

 BusinessinOx #BIO2017  business-in-oxford  businessinoxford.com

 01865 742 211  info@businessinoxford.com

15

“The Oxford economy continues to grow at a historically

rapid rate, and the prospects for the years ahead look very positive. Business in Oxford is the outstanding annual showcase for the richness and dynamism of Oxford’s economy. It provides an exciting opportunity to catch up with new developments and to learn about the exciting prospects for the future.

”

BOB PRICE - LEADER, OXFORD CITY COUNCIL, AND BOARD MEMBER OF THE LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP

To discuss your interest in any of our advertising and sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Richard Rosser, Chief Executive of The In Oxford Group Limited.

 01865 742 211  richard@businessinoxford.com  businessinoxford.com

B4

apprenticeships

THE FUTURE OF APPRENTICESHIPS

Helping you to identify talent and potential leaders Back in October 2013 the Government published a white paper outlining their plans to create a new, rigorous and responsive apprenticeship system, designed by employers for employers.

Written by: Edward Collett

Photography by: Greg Rendell

Fast forward to 2016 and the Apprenticeship Levy is on the horizon, starting the shift towards larger businesses taking the lead in designing and managing their own apprenticeship training. All employers with a payroll in excess of £3 million will pay a 0.5% apprenticeship levy. Employers will then be able to use this levy to pay for apprenticeship training. As an extra bonus, the government will top-up this figure by 10%, ensuring that all employers will be able to get out more than they put in to the new system.

So what does this mean for large employers?

In essence, this is a great opportunity to review the training that you provide to your staff. You may already take on traditional apprentices, you may have a comprehensive management and development programme already in place, but now is the time to consider whether you could use some of your apprenticeship levy to refresh your existing training offer and ensure that your workforce have the skills they need to make your business successful in the future.

Apprenticeships are not what you think….

Did you know that an apprentice can be any age, not just a school leaver? And apprenticeship training is not just for practical trades, either. We still train plumbers and hairdressers, but in 2016 an apprentice www.b4-business.com

is now more likely to be studying marketing, digital and social media, accountancy or management, than brickwork or motor vehicle maintenance. And more and more apprenticeships are at higher levels, too. Higher and Degree Apprenticeships contain university level qualifications, and often require a university degree as part of the training programme.

You could train the senior leaders and managers of your company through the new Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, using your levy funds to pay for the training.

rates more than 20% above the national average, and a clear commitment to tailoring all of our training packages on an individual basis, we can support you to make the apprenticeship levy work for you and your business. Get in touch with our Business Development team today to book a free consultation and let us help you to make the most out of the new apprenticeship system.

But what about smaller employers?

“Our team consistently provide some of the highest quality apprenticeship training around.

Well, there’s good news on that front too. The Government have made a commitment that no employer will contribute more than 10% towards the cost of apprenticeship training. On top of this, companies that employ fewer than 50 people in England will not have to contribute anything towards the cost of training at all. And other incentive payments of up to £1000 per apprentice are also available to support 16 – 18-year-old apprentices, or those from particular disadvantaged backgrounds. It all adds up to a great deal for your business, and for your employees!

Get in touch with us now to book a free consultation with one of our team and find out more on 01235 216 216.”

How can we help?

Our team consistently provide some of the highest quality apprenticeship training around. With success

“this is a great opportunity to review the training that you provide to your staff”

 apprenticeships@abingdon-witney.ac.uk  01235 216 216  www.abingdon-witney.ac.uk

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A ‘Making Sense of Apprenticeships’ event for employers at Oxford Town Hall

Paul Jarvis of Holywell Press visited our pop-up Kidlington ApprenticeSHOP in October for some advice on promoting an Apprenticeship vacancy

Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Written by: Melanie Ringer Photography by: Oxfordshire Apprenticeships & Tudor Photography

Who we are Oxfordshire Apprenticeships, part of Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), is a free, impartial apprenticeship advisory service. If you’d like some advice about employing an apprentice, we can help you get started. If you’ve already got an apprenticeship scheme that’s working well for you, we can help you celebrate the good news and share your success story.

What we do We aim to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships, both for employers - who may be considering whether employing an apprentice is right for them - and for young people and their families through engagement with schools and via our public information events. We have recruited a team of Apprenticeship Ambassadors from a variety of sectors and locations across the county, who share their experiences to bring the scheme alive for young people as they consider their futures and

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for employers wondering what it’s like to work with an apprentice.

How we can help your business Apprenticeship Levy – as you may know, the government is introducing an Apprenticeship Levy on 6th April 2017. This will see every organisation with a wage bill of more than £3 million paying 0.5% of their total wage bill into a Digital Apprenticeship Account to be used for apprenticeship training and assessment within that organisation. If your business is going to be paying the Levy, we can talk through ideas and options for how best to utilise your funds, including the use of apprenticeships to up-skill current staff.

Funding changes from May 2017 – the way apprenticeships are funded will change from May 2017, making it more employer-led for businesses of all sizes, including smaller firms who won’t be paying the Levy. If you’re not sure how all this will affect your company, get in touch and we can talk it

through with you.

Getting started or branching out – you may be considering employing apprentices for the first time or introducing apprentices into new areas of your business in order to utilise your Levy funds. You may be an SME who likes the idea of using Apprenticeships to grow your own talent. If you’d like some advice about trying something new, give us a shout.

Promoting your opportunities – do you have an apprenticeship vacancy to fill or a good news story to share? Get in touch, we can help you promote your opportunity or scheme.

Enter the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards – recognising the county’s star apprentices We’re always on the lookout for fantastic apprenticeship stories to promote the benefits of apprenticeships to local businesses. Apprenticeship

www.b4-business.com

B4

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apprenticeships

OxLEP CEO Nigel Tipple with some of the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Ambassadors during the Apprentice Torch campaign in March

we have introduced an ‘Apprenticeship of the Year’ Award at both the Oxfordshire Business Awards and Cherwell Business Awards. These awards are for businesses, rather than individual apprentices, and aim to celebrate the best apprenticeship schemes in the county

”

xLEP

driving economic growth Cherwell Business Awards ‘Apprenticeship of the Year’ 2016 winners Matt and Sarah Jaycock of High Spec Composites receiving the award from Apprenticeship Ambassador Zoe Adams of Jacobs Douwe Egberts

Awards are a great way to showcase success and we’ve got some amazing opportunities for your organisation.

Oxfordshire Apprenticeships have just launched the inaugural Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards, where we will recognise the best talent in the county with a special presentation evening to be held on Wednesday 8th March 2017 at the Marlborough Enterprise Centre in Woodstock, during National Apprenticeship Week.

The awards will give employers the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of their apprentices in four ‘Apprentice of the Year’ categories – Intermediate, Advanced, Higher and Special Recognition, for an apprentice who has achieved in overcoming significant challenges or barriers to learning or work.

An overall Oxfordshire Apprentice of the Year will be chosen from the winners of these categories. There is also a School Award and Training Provider Award, to recognise the importance of the part they play in an apprentice’s journey.

The awards close to entries on Monday 16th January 2017. Please encourage your star Apprentices to enter, or nominate them – we know apprentices can sometimes be a little shy about blowing their own trumpets! See oxfordshireapprenticeships. co.uk/content/awards for all the details.

Apprenticeship of the Year Awards – celebrating business success We know that behind every successful apprentice is

www.b4-business.com

Apprenticeship Ambassador James Parfitt with the Darke & Taylor Oxfordshire Business Awards ‘Apprenticeship of the Year’ Award 2015

a supportive employer and so we have introduced an ‘Apprenticeship of the Year’ Award at both the Oxfordshire Business Awards and Cherwell Business Awards. These awards are for businesses, rather than individual apprentices, and aim to celebrate the best apprenticeship schemes in the county whilst giving other employers the opportunity to benefit from the sharing of good practice. Why not consider entering this year?

helping other companies and their apprentices benefit from the experience of entering and winning awards.

Commercial Director, Simon Newton, says: “Apprenticeships are a very important part of the Darke & Taylor business model and we want to help celebrate the success of the many apprentices that bring such a benefit to a diverse range of Oxfordshire businesses.”

The Cherwell Business Awards launched on 1st November and are open until 31st January 2017.

See cherwellbusinessawards.co.uk for details.

“

We’re always on the lookout for fantastic apprenticeship stories to promote the benefits of apprenticeships to local businesses. Apprenticeship Awards are a great way to showcase success and we’ve got some amazing opportunities for your organisation.

”

Oxfordshire Business Awards Apprenticeship of the Year 2015 winners, Darke & Taylor, know that entering (and winning!) awards is great for staff morale and reaffirms quality for customers too. The firm are headline sponsors of the new Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards and are looking forward to

The Oxfordshire Business Awards will launch on 12th January 2017. See oxfordshirebusinessawards. co.uk for more.

Find us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Join us for Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Hour #OAHour on Twitter every Thursday from 1pm for all the latest on our activities and to share your apprenticeship news and views.

xfordshire Apprenticeships CONTACT DETAILS

 info@oxfordshireapprenticeships.co.uk  01865 323 477  www.oxfordshireapprenticeships.co.uk

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Video is an increasingly effective means of absorbing information and that’s why we are developing B4TV to capture the latest news from our members. So to get your message and personality across, call B4 and we’ll do the rest. All you’ve got to do is make sure you don’t fluff your lines... a touch of foundation wouldn’t go amiss either!

Contact us today, to get your business message across on the most viral social platform Call 01865 742211

 @b4businesstv  @b4magazine  @b4magazine

B4

advice

A world of change Is your business facing greater uncertainty than it did? If so, is it really harder to navigate than previous cycles?

Written by: EY’s Oxfordshire team

Uncertainty has never really been a problem for the UK business community. We choose a path, hedge our downsides and respond when we need to. But maybe we need to take a closer look at the path of change ahead to see if that principle still holds true?

Today’s reality is that while BREXIT will continue to attract headlines, it sits amongst a range of change drivers, national and international, economic and social, fast and slow. So, whilst business leaders have to deal with BREXIT and uncertain movement in macro-economics, they also have to deal with digital disruption, political uncertainties, geopolitical risk, global tax change, and a social environment which connects globally in a continuous evolution, affecting investors and employees alike.

The volume of change at present is undeniably phenomenal. But perhaps it’s not the volume of change which is the hardest element to manage.

The nature of change today is quite unlike anything we have seen in recent history. It is constant, unpredictable and can be lightning fast – the downside of a connected world is that you have to assume everything is transparent and known to everyone right now.

Changes around BREXIT, for example, will emerge over time. However, they will fit into a much larger backdrop of change, and as a result, cannot be seen as a sole disruptor but a local and regional symptom of various global changes currently playing out that will require businesses to respond more quickly in the future.

www.b4-business.com

Evolving our response to change How quickly can your business respond? And to which change? Is your view of change fit for this new environment? A world of constant change suggests that our adaptability (capacity to change) and our agility (speed of response) may be the most important characteristics. But this isn’t really how businesses today are organised. Matrix organisations and consultative stakeholder structures don’t promote adaptability. For example, 1-2 year corporate planning horizons and business insights defined in year one and delivered in year three don’t promote agility.

This is where a different approach comes in. It’s borrowed from the IT community, which has used ‘Agile’ in the development of software for 25-30 years. Agile frameworks have allowed software delivery that customers want – when technology, capabilities and expectations move quicker than traditional waterfall (or sequential) methods allow.

Consequently, conversations permeating the boardroom are no longer just about the impact of BREXIT. The phrase ‘agility’ is starting to be used more frequently, often without knowing what needs to happen. Some observations that we’ve started to explore with businesses across Oxford and the wider Thames Valley include: 1. Concentrate your change activity through an enterprise Project Management Office or working group 2. Align your people to work cross-functionally and

empower small teams to take action and make inevitable course corrections within short time horizons 3. Build your capacity and capability around market, business and competitor insights 4. Engage with your stakeholders and flatten decision making structures Then test how quickly you can move and identify what would slow you down (apart from the A34).

So whilst planning outcomes is hard for leaders right now (lenders and investors too), building the ability to respond is easier and probably the biggest contributor to success in the long term.

Do you understand how future growth will remain achievable within your business?

If you’d like to hear more about our experiences talking to a range of local and international businesses and have a tailored discussion on ‘change’ in the context of your business, please contact EY’s Oxfordshire team to arrange for an alternative discussion that may allow you to select your own approach to the future.

 dbirch@uk.ey.com ajenkins@uk.ey.com drutherford1@uk.ey.com  www.ey.com

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Business Accountancy and Tax

Personal Financial Services and Tax

Choose The MGroup for efficient and friendly advice Accounts Systems Implementation

Preparation to Buy or Sell

Contact us now for an obligation-free Partner consultation.

Oxford office 01865 552 925 Witney office 01993 776 476 team@themgroup.co.uk www.themgroup.co.uk

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advice

Effective Collaboration and Joint Venturing Written by: Gayle Curry Photography by: Charlie Best

Successful businesses are increasingly recognising the value of collaborating with others to win new business and develop new products and services. Recently, Blake Morgan chaired a discussion for senior executives of national businesses, many of whom we have advised in connection with structuring collaborations. We discussed what makes collaborations effective: what is the right model for collaboration and what are the key ingredients. Here we share some of the thoughts expressed by the participants.

THE MODEL There is no "right" answer to the model to be adopted.

Collaborations can take many forms across a spectrum ranging from informal collaborative business planning with partners through to establishing a joint venture company or other special purpose vehicle with partners. Which model you choose will depend on each partner's priorities, appetite for risk, the reward sought and the strength of trust between the partners. Some models are more suited to the long term and may provide better solutions when conflicts arise, which they will inevitably at some point.

Of course, successful collaboration should result in the collaboration delivering more as a whole in terms of value add than the partners can individually.

THE KEY INGREDIENTS Early and extensive market engagement and due diligence. This will help to inform your options for collaboration, but it must be followed up with rigorous organisational development activity to get a collaboration off the ground; Clear objectives. Articulate the objective, strategy and aspiration for the collaboration; Be open and transparent with partners about your appetite for risk and what reward you desire to save time, build trust and avoid misunderstandings later; Recognise that you may need to allow another partner to do something you could do yourself, www.b4-business.com

if that means the ultimate goal will be achieved. For skills to be complementary does not necessarily mean they are exclusive to one partner, so each partner may need to recognise that it should not expect to do everything within its capability;

change better than others. Key ingredients for success are: a clear vision; an open strategy on risk and reward; strong leadership that is capable of driving a collaborative agenda, and; effective relationships with time to establish trust.

Do not abdicate responsibility to the collaboration. Collaboration is not a substitute for leadership, so be clear about leadership and support those tasked with leadership of the collaboration;

We work with all kinds of businesses to help them appraise options for collaboration and document collaborations and joint ventures. Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss your plans with us. We'd love to hear from you.

Structure the collaboration for future flexibility where possible, recognising that the collaboration may outlive the individuals that formed it; Have clear governance processes to deal with any conflicts that will inevitably arise. Very few collaborations exist that are entirely free from conflict at some point in their existence. A clear process for dealing with conflicts is essential; Document it. All of the senior executives we spoke with shared the view that once documented, in an ideal world, the legal agreement should be shelved and the partners left to get on with delivering the aims of the collaboration. However, they all agreed that the legal process of appraising models for collaboration, selecting a model and working through the detail of how it will work and then documenting it is invaluable in helping all partners achieve clarity and find solutions to potential sticking points that might otherwise derail the collaboration before it achieves its aims.

There is no perfect model, but your model should support your objective rather than drive a rigid structure and some models support flexibility and

GAYLE CURRY, PARTNER AT BLAKE MORGAN LLP Gayle is a Thames Valley lawyer who specialises in advising businesses on their commercial arrangements. She and other members of her team have been praised as some of the legal world’s leading individuals in the 2016 edition of the Legal 500 directory, which reviews the strengths of lawyers across the UK and recommends them based on how they are seen by clients and their peers. The team in which Gayle works comprises more than 20 lawyers across the Thames Valley.

 gayle.curry@blakemorgan.co.uk  01865 253 262  www.blakemorgan.co.uk

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B4

advice

SCALING A BUSINESS - WHY YOU NEED TO PREPARE AND WHAT TO FOCUS ON If you’ve been trading for a few years then the likelihood is you’ve got through the start up phase and established your business as a proven concept. Congratulations, according to research by Fleximize.com 74% of UK start ups make the second year and just 43% survive to year five. You’re possibly bucking the trend in which case now is the time to think about taking your business into the growth phase.

Written by: Debbie Austin

Only a few ideas translate into a scalable business model and for many business owners limited resources mean this isn’t feasible. If you can see a path to sales volumes markedly increasing while maintaining or improving profit margins then the hard work starts now. Scale successfully and the likelihood is you’ll establish yourself as an industry leader but as this article demonstrates, preparation is absolutely essential to achieving sustainable growth.

Planning prior to growth Building up a business is a case of risk versus reward.

Before you embark on this exciting if somewhat daunting journey, be sure to ask yourself the following questions and then develop well thought through answers to each of them: • Do you have a back office finance function that can expand with your business?

• Do you have sufficient resources (systems and staff) in place to achieve growth?

• Do you have a viable plan to scale resources as your business grows?

• How will you fulfil increased demand?

Whilst it’s all well and good to have a proven idea that solves a prevailing issue, you need to be certain that you’re developing your business to meet high demand. That means being confident your enterprise can handle far greater trading volumes in the future.

Are you a disruptive innovator?

Is your business a potential game changer that will transform a sector or industry? Might you revolutionise a market resulting in the downfall of current well established players? Could you change the world? If so then you’re a disruptive innovator and likely to rise rapidly in the near future.

www.b4-business.com

Disruptive innovators approach a problem from a different perspective and usually harness new technologies and methods, developing new business models and exploiting old technology in new ways.

Think Apple and the iPhone, which merged the typical functions of a phone with music listening, internet access and email communication into one mobile device.

If you’re a disruptive innovator then you’re likely to see large scale traction and your business could scale at a very rapid rate some time soon. Disruptive innovators must therefore prepare for fast growth from an early planning stage to ensure they’re best set up to cope with this key, vital phase in their business lifecycle.

Where to focus?

As an owner manager you can quickly end up trying to do too much when growing. You’ll feel like you’re drowning and spinning amid all the tasks of running an enterprise. This results in a lack of clarity but it’s exactly that, clarity of thought, which is needed to run a successful enterprise.

Consider these three core areas to narrow your focus in the most productive manner possible: 1. Monitor cashflow carefully and ensure the business doesn’t run out of money 2. Create and evolve the strategy, communicating it clearly and concisely to both employees and stakeholders 3. Recruit the right kind of people to build the business and establish initiatives to keep your people loyal and on board Your time should be centred on getting the strategy right and developing a team who can deliver on it.

What direction will the business head in and how are you going to get there? How will you grow and establish prominent market share? What is

your company culture and how will you balance recruitment in terms of fit versus the need for skills and commercial acumen?

Beware the dangers of growing too quickly Premature scaling is a common reason for business failure. Often these organisations are perfectly profitable but they hit the wall because they run out of money by trying to scale too quickly. Cashflow dries up because a company takes on too many new customers and invests heavily to deliver a service or product. Late payment, or even non payment, by customers leaves you without cash to serve suppliers and staff costs.

Again, this highlights the crucial need to plan for your growth and ensure it occurs in a manageable fashion. In line with your first area of focus, be sure to develop a credit control system that: • Checks the credit worthiness of potential customers • Establishes a process for invoicing • Ensures a protocol for payment terms • Systemises follow up on outstanding invoices on a regular basis Get all this right and an exciting time of growth and successful disruption awaits. "The world is yours” if you plan and execute correctly.

 debbie.austin@wellersaccountants.co.uk  01865 723 131  www.wellersaccountants.co.uk

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SUNDAY 5th MARCH 2017

THE UK’s PREMIER RUNNING FESTIVAL!

Join us for one of our great events: a family friendly 5k event, our classic 10k distance race, our ever popular half marathon and our 20 miler for those who like to go long.

ENTER NOW: www.mkrun.co.uk There are medals for all and the routes are flat and fast, ideal for those aiming to go fast. See you on the start line!

B4

advice

Duncan Bain - Penningtons Manches LLP

Attracting and retaining global talent in an uncertain future While many of Oxford’s tech spinout businesses have thrived thanks to access to investment funds, the vote to leave the European Union presents new challenges in terms of labour mobility and talent acquisition, vital issues for a start-up.

Written by: Judy Davis

Oxford prides itself as a fast-growing international city with 28% of its residents born outside the UK, according to Oxford City Council. For Oxford University, a major employer in the city, the pace of globalisation has accelerated in recent decades: 41% of students and 48% of academic staff come from outside the UK. And much of the groundbreaking technology innovation that comes from Oxford, ranked as the world’s top medical research university, is the result of close research collaborations with international partners.

Since 1997, Oxford University Innovation has spun out a new company based on academic research every two months on average, and five are currently listed on London’s AIM market. This activity has been facilitated by the surge in finance available from investors who recognise their commercial potential and help the spinout companies clear the “valley of death” in which many previously failed due to lack of funds. However the vote to leave the European Union threatens to pose a new challenge for Oxford’s spinouts.

The status of EEA nationals (EU plus Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) who are currently working in the UK will be uncertain for the next few years whilst the Article 50 exit process is followed. The government has refused to give assurances to them even though all MPs seem keen for them to be allowed to stay.

Post-Brexit the UK government would in principle be free to apply any criteria (e.g. salary, skill level, language) which it thinks valuable in order to determine which EEA workers should be allowed

www.b4-business.com

to remain in the UK. But in order to ensure similar treatment of UK nationals in other countries, it intends to seek to agree a common approach with the EU as part of the Brexit transitional deal. If no agreement is reached, then the UK can impose whatever tests it wants, generous or otherwise, on current EU workers in order to decide who should stay, but it runs the risk that UK workers will be treated in a harsher fashion by the EEA countries where they are living at the date of Brexit According to Duncan Bain, immigration expert at Penningtons Manches LLP, the uncertainty is particularly great for UK businesses employing EEA scientists because they are likely to be difficult to replace and cross-EEA working is common. This causes concern for research-based spinouts and their investors, who may even consider locating the business in another EEA state to reduce risk.

Take the hypothetical case of Hans, a German post-doctoral researcher who has lived in the UK for six years and been employed by the University for the past three. Hans is working with a British colleague, Harry, on research which they are ready to commercialise and they are at the planning stages of a University-supported spin out. Hans and his investors now need to consider: • What chance is there that Hans will be allowed to remain in the UK once Brexit takes place?

• A key issue is whether Hans can show that he has ‘permanent residence’ status so that he can qualify for British Citizenship.

• Will any EEA junior scientists that the business might want to recruit be able to remain in

the UK after Brexit?

• They will be more vulnerable, particularly in the case of any who have recently arrived.

• How well will the start-up be able to source talent for the scientific work that it wishes to do post Brexit?

• Post-Brexit immigration rules are likely to allow high skilled migration but salary thresholds and administrative burdens are likely to be significant concerns.

• Will locating the start up in another EEA state reduce the staffing anxieties?

• Yes, as the EEA has a wider staffing pool, but British colleagues such as Harry will have no automatic rights.

The permanent residence status that Hans needs can be more complicated than many people realise and may involve providing substantial evidence. Many organisations in Oxford and the Thames Valley are likely to be impacted by this issue, and would be wise to consider providing guidance and support to affected staff to help them protect their positions and to retain vital talent in the workforce.

 duncan.bain@penningtons.co.uk  01865 813 645  www.penningtons.co.uk

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With over thirty year’s corporate finance experience, handing company disposals, IPOs and management buyouts, Nick has specialist experience with entrepreneurial, fast-growing businesses. With James Cowper Kreston’s focus on transactions in the mid-market, originating and executing deals in the £1m to £100m range across the full spectrum of corporate finance activities, Nick’s expertise at the negotiating table has stood him in very good stead. “Selling two of my own businesses has given me an invaluable insight into the mindset and emotions experienced by many of our clients. Being at the sharp end opened my eyes to the fact that not every deal is about a cold hard asset, especially when it comes to family businesses.”

A fully qualified corporate financier, having been awarded the corporate finance qualification of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England & Wales (ICAEW) - an award introduced by the Institute to recognise a high level of expertise and experience in corporate finance – Nick is also a member of the ICAEW corporate finance faculty.

So what is the secret of the James Cowper Kreston Corporate Finance team’s success? “Contrary to the rest of the firm which engage with our clients over a long period of time, we focus on buying and selling businesses, so we tend to work on one off assignments. We’re successful and very good at what we do because we have longevity…… we’ve been around for a while as a stable team and we focus on the right deals without overloading the team. Put simply, when we take something on, we 46

put everything into it to try and achieve the client’s objectives. Nine out of ten deals are very time critical.

Most of our work comes where it’s a less formal process and we can roll up our sleeves and say ‘this is what we can do’. We get hired because of the people we are – that’s what makes us work well with clients.

“We’re in and out in our business but we leave no stone unturned… we really get into the detail of what makes the business tick and fully understand how we can sell this to an investor or another

we really get into the “ detail of what makes the business tick and fully understand how we can sell this to an investor or another company and I think it’s that what sets apart from our competitors

”

Nick Rogers - Corporate Finance Partner, James Cowper Kreston

company and I think it’s that what sets apart from our competitors.” On that point, Nick is at pains to stress that the world of Corporate Finance, being unregulated, can be something of a ‘feeding frenzy’ for sharks, unscrupulous operators not acting in the best interests of their clients. “Ultimately there is no barrier to anyone doing what we do so there are some poor outfits in the market that give the rest of us a bad name. They have no concept of

what makes businesses tick and what acquirers are actually looking for…. Take large retainers and just present a business to the market without any thought about how and why somebody is going to buy – one of the best known names complete less than 10% of their assignments!!.”

The team is referred to regularly throughout our interview and their charismatic team leader doesn’t hold back on heaping the praise on his colleagues.

“We have a real mix which gives us that edge.

We’ve got ‘deal junkies’ and those that are more cerebral….a good blend of youth and experience.

In addition to myself we have Stewart Lambert as my co-partner and between us we have seen and experienced most scenarios in the Corporate Finance world. Stuart Williams is our Director who devours everything we put before him.

“In terms of where that business comes from, the majority of our business comes from outside of our current client base, probably 60% to 40% client base. However, increasingly we are acting for more James Cowper Kreston clients which is great as we are building a relationship with James Cowper Kreston clients until they are ready to sell or acquire.”

The past 3 ½ years have been excellent for the James Cowper Kreston Corporate Finance team.

“We’ve performed superbly and that’s great testament to the team’s hard work. We did have something of a lull in October but November is back on track and early fears of a Brexit backlash have soon subsided – we lost one deal but that was the only real impact…so far! Time will tell whether www.b4-business.com

B4

PROPER CORPORATE FINANCE B4’s Richard Rosser met with James Cowper Kreston’s Corporate Finance Partner and Chairman, Nick Rogers, to discover just why his excellent team are going from strength to strength and consolidating their reputation as one of the region’s leading operators.

finance

CORPORATE FINANCE SERVICES Company Disposals: Managing the sale of unquoted companies.

MBO’s and MBI’S: The acquisition of companies on behalf of management, backed by equity and/or debt finance.

Photography by: Philip Tull

‘leaving’ will have any longer lasting effects.

“We conduct deals across all sectors and operate at varying stages for our clients…from preparing a business for sale to engaging at the ‘Heads of Terms’ stage, as was the case recently for a highly successful plant hire business. Action for Charities is a tour operator business (a speciality of ours). Kapitex was a German buyer that we acted for acquiring their UK distributor. We helped with the structure of the deal and the due diligence thereafter. Higher Concept Software was a US buyer acquiring a UK business and we helped structure the deal.

“Closer to home, we advised on the Management Buyout of Kynetec formerly GfK’s Animal and Crop Health division, based near Newbury. Kynetec is a market research business which operates in 17 countries and we put that deal together using the Kreston network to help with the international aspects of the different countries. We have just helped with their first acquisition of a US business and we are now working on four other potential transactions. This is unusual but it’s becoming more normal for us to have ‘spin off’ deals – we do a good job so the clients want us to help them make more acquisitions.

“We are involved on a lot of international assignments or ‘cross border’ deals where either the buyer or seller are non UK based. We have been involved in deals in China, Belgium, Germany, Holland and the USA in the last couple of years. That’s where the Kreston network comes into its own. For example, we currently have deals taking place in Brisbane and www.b4-business.com

Buenos Aires and we are able to use the Kreston people over there to help us. What sets us apart from a lot of our competitors is that we put a lot into the Kreston network so we know the individuals concerned in the location they are not just names on the Network’s directory. We meet each other at annual conferences so they know they are directly accountable to us….nobody can be let down.”

With a more than able team, a healthy pipeline of business and a long list of satisfied customers, there’s little chance of James Cowper Kreston Corporate Finance letting anyone down, anytime soon.

KRESTON INTERNATIONAL LIMITED is a global network of independent accounting firms.

Founded in 1971, the network offers reliable and convenient access to quality services through member firms located around the globe. Currently ranking as the 12th largest accounting network in the world, Kreston now covers over 100 countries and provides a resource of over 21,000 professional and support staff.

Acquisitions: Assisting corporate clients in making selective acquisitions.

Transaction Services/ Due Diligence: Assisting clients with the due diligence process, providing financial due diligence, co-ordinating with other advisors and applying commercial logic to risk mitigation.

Financial Modelling:

 nrogers@jamescowper.co.uk  0118 959 0261  www.jamescowperkreston.co.uk

Assistance in the preparation of detailed financial models for day to day use by businesses or specific to transactions.

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finance

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? INVESTING IN GROWTH VS MAKING A PROFIT Knights Professional Services has just strengthened its offering to include corporate finance services, further helping businesses and managing directors achieve their ambitions. But how does this impact on clients, and will it really make a difference to businesses in the region?

Written by: Knights Professional Services

Knights Professional Services has a long-standing reputation for supporting organisations to grow through mergers, acquisitions and commercial contracts, thanks to its established and experienced team of corporate professionals.

Now with a team of chartered accountants, Knights can also source finance for businesses looking to invest, acquire or sell.

Siân Champkin, corporate partner for Knights said while funding is still easily accessible for ambitious and established businesses, Brexit backlash was encouraging firms to think carefully about future budgets.

“Now the legal landscape is growing ever more complicated. Brexit has brought about changes within data protection law, for example, which businesses will need to act upon soon. It’s becoming more challenging for in-house lawyers to manage a sudden surge of changes in EU laws and everchanging legalisation, which is why many businesses are considering a professional services firm to supplement the increase in workload.

The whole transactional “process is managed by

“It remains business as usual for many companies in and around Oxfordshire, but Brexit has encouraged clients to review their annual budgets and carefully consider how money is being spent,” she explained.

“The increased rate of inflation will impact on many employers across the region and the rising costs of fuel and energy may further prompt cost saving efficiencies.

Knights’ team – it not only helps our clients to manage their fees but they have a trusted advisor they can rely upon for their core business support.

“But introducing small changes, like smarter outsourcing, businesses can continue to grow in changing conditions.

Siân Champkin - Partner, Knights

“Knights’ corporate team often works alongside our commercial property professionals and we have helped to secure £100 million pounds worth of deals within a year as part of corporate acquisitions.

But now this process has just become so much easier for our clients.

“Because we have internal tax advisors, and now an in-house corporate finance team, our clients benefit from the security and expertise of chartered accountants before the relevant legal requirements (employment, real estate, corporate) are implemented. The whole transactional process is managed by Knights’ team – it not only helps our clients to manage their fees but they have a trusted advisor they can rely upon for their core business support.

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”

“Growing numbers of our professionals are being seconded to clients who may have high volumes of contracts to review, our clients benefit from additional support but can also tap into the wider expertise of more than 400 professionals who are experts in employment law, data protection, finance, tax and much more. Having experts at all levels really appeals to our clients.”

banks are starting to lend again and there is more liquidity in the market,” he said.

“There are so many reasons why businesses might need to source additional capital, whether they are planning to acquire, invest in plants and machinery, new technologies, grow the management team or invest in training to future proof the business for a management-buy-out.

“It might seem like an impossible choice, but businesses can invest in growth and make a profit.

We offer strategic business advice to ensure that managing directors have the capital they need to invest in growing a business and, when the time is right, a strong succession plan.”

Julia added: “Selling your business can be one of the biggest transactions so it’s important to put a continuity plan in place to secure the best route to market. From valuations, strategic business advice, financial forecasts and strategic workshops for shareholders in property, employment and corporate law, we know that organic growth can be challenging.

But with the right support from our team of experts investment needn’t comprise growth.”

Knights, the leading regional professional services business has offices in Oxford, Cheltenham, Chester, Derby, Hale and Newcastle under Lyme.

Tim Scott and Julia Stokes, with more than 35 years’ combined experience, are spearheading Knights’ new corporate finance team.

Tim said that businesses were right to continue as normal and remains optimistic about opportunities for growth.

“The market is rich with private equity houses which have money to spend. Specialist debt providers and

CONTACT DETAILS

   

jane.reeve@knights1759.co.uk 01865 811700 www.knights1759.co.uk @Knights1759

www.b4-business.com

Siân Champkin PARTNER - CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL TEAM Siân is a corporate lawyer with extensive expertise in corporate transactions including acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures, entrepreneurial and institutional investments and management buy-outs/ buy-ins. Further she undertakes corporate restructuring/reorganisations and general corporate work such as shareholders' agreements, articles of association and share capital reductions.

Tim Scott PARTNER - CORPORATE FINANCE TEAM Tim has over 12 years’ experience in corporate finance and private equity having advised on over 50 transactions throughout his career in the sub £50m market. Tim provides owner managers with strategic advice on growing their business and preparing them for succession. He advises on the full suite of corporate transactions including acquisitions, disposals and management buy-outs.

Julia Stokes SENIOR ASSOCIATE - CORPORATE FINANCE TEAM Julia is a chartered accountant and has specialised in transaction services and lead advisory for the last 12 years. Julia has worked with privateequity funders, banks and corporates on over 60 transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, vendor due diligence, managements buy-outs and management buy-ins.

www.b4-business.com

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B4

finance

Landlord Tax Shake-up For landlords who are becoming increasingly worried about the changes to tax on buyto-let profits, Darren Green from The MGroup explains how the changes will work.

Written by: Darren Green

The biggest shake-up to landlord tax rules in recent years is shortly to start taking effect. For the uninitiated, this concerns the amendment to how tax relief is given on interest costs incurred by landlords. There shouldn't be any change to how basic rate tax payers and mortgage free properties are taxed, although beware if you are a basic rate tax payer and your rental income pushes you into the higher rate tax bracket, these changes will also affect you!

Currently higher rate tax payers pay 40% tax on the rental income over and above the interest costs incurred. E.g. £1,000 per month rent with a £400 per month interest cost means that you will pay 40% tax on the £600 per month difference. You are given full tax relief on the £400 per month interest.

With the new changes high rate tax payers will no longer be able to claim full tax relief on the interest payment and will only be able to claim tax relief up to the basic rate of 20%. Therefore, if we use the same scenario: £1,000 per month rent and a £400 per month interest costs will mean you will pay 40% tax on the £600 profit and 20% tax on the £400 per month mortgage payment. This is an increase in this example of £2,400 a year.

When do these changes take effect?

The new rules, that apply to those landlords subject to income tax, are being phased in over a 4 year

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period commencing 6 April 2017.

A rise in interest rates equals a rise in tax!

In the current climate of low interest mortgage rates this is certainly a blow as it will mean higher rate tax payers paying more tax and making less profit on their portfolios.

However, what should worry landlords are the consequences when interest rates start to rise.

Under the new rules, interest rates don't need to rise that much to make buy-to-lets costly for landlords.

As an example let's say a landlord owns a property valued at £250,000 with an outstanding mortgage of £187,500 (75%). They charge £1,000 per month in rent and have a current interest only mortgage payment of £400 per month. Under the new system they will receive £600 per month income and pay tax of £320 per month. So they will make a net profit after tax of £280pm. If the interest rate on the mortgage rises to just 4.8% they will be paying £750 per month in mortgage interest payments and making a profit of £250 per month. Under the new tax scheme they will also be paying tax of £250 per month. Therefore the net profit from the property will be zero. If interest rates rose to 6.4% this landlord would be charging £1,000 per month rent, paying £1,000 interest and still be charged £200 per month tax from HMRC.

Is there anything you can do?

The answer to this will depend on your own particular circumstances and in most cases there will be no ‘silver bullet’. However, it is worth thinking about such measures as: • • • • • •

paying down debt refinancing your overall borrowing transferring property between spouses reviewing the level of rent charged and minimising other letting costs.

In certain situations incorporation of the property portfolio may be an option but can result in unintended tax liabilities being triggered and so should only be considered after taking appropriate professional advice.

If you are unsure as to how these changes will impact on you, or would like to discuss how your exposure can be mitigated, please contact Darren Green below.

 d.green@themgroup.co.uk  01865 552 925  www.themgroup.co.uk

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“ It sounds like I

am a doom monger doesn’t it? I really am not, my message is to be cautious over the short term. Where there is change there is always opportunity.

Let’s see what the autumn statement has to offer.

”

Robin Swailes, North Oxford Property Services

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www.b4-business.com

B4

property

Is it too late to invest in

Oxford Property?

For the last 40 years, Oxford’s property market has been a safe and rewarding investment for the investor. Will this be a true reflection over the coming 10 years?

Written by: Robin Swailes Photography by: Rob Scotcher

The ‘Investment Landlords’ who are they?

What will the next ten years look like?

get seven different interpretations of the future, but the facts are that in the short term:

At NOPS, the profile of the typical investment landlord is over 40 years of age, often a professional or a small business owner. They have decided that a property will be a medium to long term investment that will grow in value and return an increasing yield over the period of ownership.

There are new tax rules that penalise the property investor, which means that most small landlords will have to pay tax on their turnover not their profit.

1. The Government are discouraging the investor by reducing the tax claimable against the mortgage interest as well as increasing the stamp duty land tax by 3% for second homes.

2. Lending legislation is coming into force in January 2017 further restricting borrowing for landlords.

3. More uncertainty is inevitable as the consequences of the implementation of Article 50 (Brexit) unfold.

4. Property prices are relatively high at present.

5. It is probable that we may see some interest rate increases as inflation inevitably comes our way after sterling has dropped against the dollar and euro.

Banks and building societies have courted these forward thinking investors, and on average, both parties who have stayed for the medium term have done well. The property owner achieved significant capital growth and a reasonable rental return.

The Treasury, in my view, have decided that the small landlord is not the type of investor the Government want to see. I believe they see the small landlord owning property that would be better suited to an owner occupier. The ‘powers that be’ see the small landlord competing in the market place and increasing the cost of housing stock. The small landlord tends to hold his investment for many years, this in turn glue’s the market and hinders free movement of the entry level homes most suitable for the first time buyer.

The number of households renting privately has doubled in the last 15 years. That cost went up by 2.3% in the last year across the UK, tracking salary increases. There are local variations, as an example, Oxford is higher than the average, Scotland is lower.

It could be argued that less property movement will result in reduced stamp duty land tax receipts from sales and purchases for the Treasury.

There are of course counter arguments that not everyone wants to purchase a property. Jobs are more transient and workers would rather just put a months deposit and a months rent into enjoying rented accommodation. They are not tied down, if they rented a furnished property, they do not have the costs of furnishing, repairs and maintenance. Oxford in particular has a fast moving and changing tenant dynamic. Hospitals, universities and commerce all encourage young workers who often work for two to three years and then move on.

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The new tax rules increased the tax on expensive homes. Figures from HMRC show the higher tax rate on expensive homes, introduced in 2014’s autumn statement. This has resulted in increased revenue for the Treasury. In the 2015-16 tax year, receipts for properties costing more than £500,000 rose, with the greatest increase in properties sold for between £1.5m and £2m, where revenue increased by 26% despite a 7% fall in the number of transactions.

This is a shrewd and prudent move by the Treasury.

It is pretty clever stuff, less paperwork more tax revenue received.

These changes only affect individuals who own rental properties in their own names. Companies that own buy-to-let properties are exempt.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research predicts London property prices are set to fall next year as uncertainty about Britain’s exit from the European Union dampens the U.K. housing market.

It expects London, and especially the priciest of areas of the capital’s housing market (Oxford), will be most affected, with prices dropping 5.6 percent in 2017. Across the U.K., while property value growth will accelerate to 6.9 percent in 2016, it’s set to slow to 2.6 percent next year.

Mortgage approvals which are an indicator of likely movement in the market fell 15% year on year in September, according to the British Bankers Association (BBA). This indicator is negative however it is not as bad as the Bank of England’s monetary policy was expecting, they were expecting a 20% fall.

CEBR (one of the UK's leading economics consultancies) economist Kay Daniel Neufield states “We expect to see house-price growth across the U.K. slowing considerably in the fourth quarter of 2016, a trend that is set to continue in 2017.”

We all know that economists can be wrong and that if you put six economists in a room you will

It sounds like I am a doom monger doesn’t it? I really am not; my message is to be cautious over the short term. Where there is change there is always opportunity. Let’s see what the autumn statement has to offer.

It is not too late but in may be too early to invest in the property market at present.

If and when property prices fall (all markets rise and fall over time) then there may be a real opportunity for the brave investor to lock in a medium to long term investment which will deliver handsome returns over time.

For a more in depth view of the market you can speak to Robin during office hours. See below.

Robin Swailes is a property developer and investor in the Oxford area, letting property through his company North Oxford Property Services (NOPS) in Jericho.

His views are his own and not necessarily that of B4 magazine.

 info@robinswailes.co.uk  01865 318 525  www.robinswailes.com

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• Modern industrial properties from 2,558 sq ft • Range of business units and distribution space • Within close proximity of the A34, M40/M4

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• 18,515 sq ft detached industrial unit • On a secure site of approximately 0.89 acres • Long leasehold interest for sale

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Leo Silver Graduate Surveyor lsilver@lsh.co.uk 01865 587 709

Get in touch: oxford@lsh.co.uk

B4

property

PROPERTY INTELLIGENCE Set in the extremely special and impressive surroundings of the Museum of Natural History, Finders Keepers welcomed a crowd of more than 150 residential landlords to the seventh annual Property Intelligence seminar in October.

Written by: Victoria Lyall Photography by: Paul Viney

At these seminars we focus on the private rental sector giving clients the latest news, insights and advice on how to be a successful landlord.

2016 has seen a moderately uncertain market and our aim was to provide intelligence on the ‘new’ private rental sector to help our landlords understand the current opportunities. Our four presenters spoke authoritatively on their topics ranging from the housing market in the UK to developments in Oxfordshire as well as what, where and how to purchase buy-to-let property.

Here, we take a look at the housing market, presented by Johnny Morris, Research Director at Countrywide: There has been a big slowdown in activity in the housing market following changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) earlier this year and the results of the EU referendum. This is typical in an uncertain market: people stop trading and in the housing market the easiest thing to do is to not move.

STAMP DUTY In Oxford, the rush to beat the SDLT changes saw

the most number of homes sold in the city ever.

This activity is very unusual – particularly since the 2008 financial crash – indicating that the 3% surcharge had an enormous influence on people’s behaviour and it is still affecting the market today.

Whilst investor purchases only make up 20-25% of the market they do tend to be chain-free purchases, which enable other moves. There are fewer investors buying now and although it is hard to isolate stamp duty from the referendum, we think there is definitely a hangover from stamp duty changes.

FINANCES The good news is that banks are keen to lend and mortgage rates continue to fall. Added to this, exchange rates are effectively offering overseas investors a ‘discount’ for buying property in the UK. Given Oxford’s international links, there is probably going to be some support to prices in the general sales market from this discount.

LOOKING AHEAD The key message is to expect a bumpy ride; the Sterling will have a lot of fluctuation as the

GROWTH RETURNS TO THE PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR

RENTAL MARKET All of this could also be good news for landlords.

Economic uncertainty creates weakness in the sales market, which will almost always lead to growth in the total size of the rental market. After 2008 there was an incredible expansion in the number of people renting homes. Whilst we don’t predict a similar growth rate, we would not be surprised to see another 500,000 people renting in 2017. This growth is good for demand and stability but there are still challenges. For example, the stamp duty rush has resulted in a greater supply of homes than usual and demand from tenants has not kept up.

To register an interest in attending our future property seminars please contact Annabel below.

8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000

Number of Households renting

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Forecast

2018

2016

2014

2012

2010

2008

2006

2004

2002

2000

1998

1996

1994

1992

1990

1988

1986

1984

1982

1980

Households renting in England (Millions)

Government discusses how we are going to extricate ourselves from the European Union. This will certainly affect the economy and will drive some scary headlines, which will undoubtedly have an impact on sentiment, in turn impacting on the sales market. Since June we have already seen a shift in sentiment around willingness to move and expectations of future price growth, which has led to small falls in house price growth. Monitoring how employment and income react to Brexit negotiations should indicate where the housing market will go as they are hugely influential factors.

 events@finderskeepers.co.uk  01865 311 011  www.finders.co.uk

55

Anyone can sell “ a property in a good market, but in an uncertain market, it is crucial to take control of the sale, price realistically, and work closely with an agent who can communicate and negotiate effectively Mark Charter, head of residential agency at Carter Jonas Oxford

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�

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B4

property

What's next for property post-Brexit?

Mark Charter, head of residential agency at Carter Jonas Oxford, comments on the property market in the wake of Brexit Written by: Mark Charter Photography by: Aurelian Langlais

Until Article-50 is triggered, it is almost impossible to forecast the impact that the UK’s decision to exit the EU will have on the property market.

rates offered by the banks, and with so many of our landlords purchasing largely in cash, there is little incentive for them to exit the Oxford market any time soon.

In the immediate term, Oxford’s market has become more value driven, but that is also a ramification of transactional friction that followed the Stamp Duty reforms implemented in April of this year. With an increase on the stamp duty payable on homes worth over £925,000, it is, quite simply, more expensive to buy and sell homes at the upper end of the market.

A new trend in investment opportunity is emerging for Oxford’s aspiring landlords; with the Euro performing well against sterling, some of our Euro based investors are selling up portions of their portfolio, cashing in on their exchange rate advantage. In the meantime, this is freeing up two to three unit investment portfolios, which is an attractive proposition to landlords, who can simply pick up where their predecessor left off, without having to undertake time intensive research.

Additionally, the SDLT reforms applicable to second homes and investment properties, coupled with the natural price adjustments that have characterised the market over the past 18 months, are inevitably impacting sentiment, vendor mentality and buyer motivation.

However, while we are all aware of the challenges that the current market place might pose, Oxford’s market continues to offer opportunities – it just requires a shrewd eye and a hard dose of realism to ensure they are uncovered.

Within Oxford, the £300,000 - £450,000 bracket is thriving. Applicants are queuing up to view the twobedroom apartments and townhouses that fall within this bracket, and asking prices are consistently achieved.

Doer-uppers remain a popular investment for both owneroccupiers and landlords, offering a keen opportunity for capital appreciation. With guide prices going through a natural adjustment currently, it’s important for those who want to see a capital return on their property in the next couple of years to look for smart buys to which they can add tangible value.

Investors are also active at the lower end of the market; while many are taking a long term view on capital growth, they are attracted to the rental yields that remain robust.

When purchasing a buy-to-let property at £300,000, the additional SDLT levy of 3% is more easily absorbed when balanced against an average Oxford yield of 4.5%.

Furthermore, rental yields continue to outperform interest www.b4-business.com

Perhaps the stickiest patch of the market is where properties are priced over £2 – 3million, which the media reports as a hotspot for the market slow down. In some instances, there is a mismatch of up to 10% between the expectations of vendors compared to what their buyers are prepared to pay. In certain cases, this is exacerbated by particular agents, who lack strategy and over price on a whim and then under price when they fail to close a deal.

Anyone can sell a property in a good market, but in an uncertain market, it is crucial to take control of the sale, price realistically, and work closely with an agent who can communicate and negotiate effectively. With more variables, the approach needs to be dogmatic and they must be prepared to work doggedly, from agreeing a sale through to exchange and then completion. For motivated vendors – particularly those in the upper echelons of the market, appointing a trusted agent could be the smartest move they make next year.

Contact Carter Jonas Oxford, below.

 info@carterjonas.com  01865 566 542  www.carterjonas.com

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TRADE CITY OXFORD Sandy Lane West, Oxford Ring Road TO LET 3,715 sq ft – 25,000 sq ft New trade and industrial units designed to meet the needs of modern business, providing excellent trading opportunities.

WINDRUSH COURT Abingdon Business Park TO LET Suites from 3,606 sq ft – 5,907 sq ft A detached two storey office block with 8 self-contained suites. Fully refurbished with fantastic natural light.

CHILBROOK Oasis Business Park TO LET Suites available from 2,126 sq ft to 4,971 sq ft A large detached two storey office building, will fully glazed elevations. The office suites have been fully refurbished with new air conditioning.

TRIDENT BUSINESS PARK Didcot TO LET Units from 2,131 sq ft – 3,220 sq ft New build of terrace of 5 units in established and secure business/ trade park with good road links to the motorway network.

unrivalled local and regional expertise Richard Venables rvenables@vslandp.com Tom Barton tbarton@vslandp.com Duncan May dmay@vslandp.com

news

Commercial properties in the UK pay business rates to Local Authorities which are based on a property’s ‘Rateable Value’ which for the 2017 Revaluation, is assessed on the basis of the annual rental value of a property at 1st April 2015. They are normally reviewed at five yearly intervals: this is known as a ‘revaluation’ however this review will have taken seven years to come to effect.

The current 2010 Rating List is based on 2008 rental levels – just before the collapse of the global banking markets and economic crisis. As a result, some feel that business rates today are artificially high and are looking forward to a correction to the Rating List.

As with previous rating revaluations there will be winners and losers with the introduction of the 2017 Rating List. To enable businesses to prepare for the impact of the 2017 revaluation, VSL & Partners has studied the 2017 draft Rating List to assess how it compares to the current 2010 Rating List and to identify which areas of Oxford will see a hike in business rates and which areas will yield a saving.

Andrew Lockhart, director of VSL & Partners says, “Our investigations into the 2017 Rating List shows

Industrial

Friday 30th September 2016 saw the publication of The Valuation Office Agency’s draft Rating List for the assessment of business rates on commercial property in England and Wales. These rating valuations will come into effect from 1st April 2017.

Kidlington West Oxford North Oxford East Oxford Kidlington Oxford Science Park Oxford Business Park Botley North Oxford Summertown City Centre

23.5% 6.4% 23.5% 6.4% -15.4% -14.0% -16.6% 14.3% -5.1% 3.4% 10.6%

Headington Summertown High Street Broad Street

8.9% 9.1%

that Rateable Values for both industrial and retail properties have generally increased. The level of increase is most marked in the industrial sector where we have seen rises of up to 23%. This does, however, concur with our view of the industrial rental sector which has seen rents rise from 2008.

parks reducing by 14% -16%. This also reflects recent increases in rental level in the City Centre which has seen rents rise due to increased demand and a lack of supply.

Retail

City Centre losers and out of town winners according to recent study by commercial property specialists VSL & Partners.

Offices

Rates Revaluation 2017: who will the winners and losers be in Oxford?

The retail sector has seen rises in Rateable Values of between 8% and 15% in Oxford, which we tend to agree follows the rental market although some areas are suffering more due to the general decline in High Street trade.

The office sector shows a more mixed picture.

Oxford City Centre and Botley increasing by 10%15% whilst edge of the city business and science

9.2% 15.4%

We recommend all occupiers check their Rateable Values and don’t forget, the rates you pay are based not on the Rateable Value but on a percentage of the Rateable Value and just to make matters more complex also the effect of a Transitional phasing scheme”.

Rates is a complex field of law and if you have any queries please contact one of VSL & Partners experts on 01865 848488 or visit www.vslandp.com

Deals Done...

Unit 1 Trade City Oxford 5,266 sq ft to Clarkson Evans

Henderson House Wallingford 5,046 sq ft let to Revotec Ltd

5 Elm Place Eynsham 1,115 sq ft sold to Lawrence Baker

6 Driftway Centre Oxford 2,290 sq ft let to Johnstone’s Paint

5 Isis Business Centre Oxford 3,354 sq ft sold to Mewbourne Properties

Suite N4 Kidlington Centre 254 sq ft let to First Point Homecare Ltd

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59

FIT4BUSINESS WITH B4 JOIN THE B4 EVENTS TEAM FOR 2017 What are you doing to make sure you and your team are fit for business in 2017? Over the past few years at B4, we have been involved in bike rides from Paris and Edinburgh to Oxford, London Marathon’s, Bloodwise Blenheim Triathlons, Reading and Oxford Half Marathons and more.

In 2017 we are working with event partners to secure places for our B4 team at a wide range of activity events taking place throughout 2017. These places will be limited but available to our team sponsors to book for no additional charge. So if you would like to join the B4 team, including our fancy new B4 running and cycling kit, then why not book one of our team kit logo slots?

There are 10 front (£150+VAT) and back (£100+VAT) logos available for you to reserve.

Please note places will be made available on a first come, first served basis and one per sponsor only… unless not all places are taken up. We anticipate having up to 6 places at up to 10 events throughout the year.

Contact editorial@b4-business.com if you would like to be included….you don’t have to join in the fun if you don’t want to, you can be more of a passive sponsor!

BECOME A B4 EVENT PARTNER We have worked with in the past, or will be working with the following partners in 2017 – if you would like to join them, please call us on 01865 742211 to find out more about working with us in 2017.

BUSINESS IN OXFORD 2017: 'FIT FOR BUSINESS' AREA BIO2017 will take place on 11th May at The King’s Centre, Oxford and with bags more space we have up to 70 exhibition stands available. Would you like to exhibit in our Fit for Business area or present at the event? If so, please call us on 01865 742211 or see more about the event and engagement opportunities (sponsoring, presenting, exhibiting or attending) at: www. businessinoxford.com

BUSINESS

7

THIRD LONDON MARATHON FOR RICHARD On Sunday 23rd April 2017 our Editor will be running his third London Marathon, the first in aid of local charity, Helen & Douglas House. If you would like your logo to appear on Richard’s shirt, please contact him direct by e-mailing richard@inoxford.com or call him on 07774 257061.

If you would like to make a donation through his fundraising page, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving. com/richardrosser

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ADVICE FROM OUR NUTRITION EXPERT, HELEN MONEY: AN APPLE A DAY The origins of the saying ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor a way’ date back to the 1860’s but with the advancement in nutritional science and today’s high pressure work environment the modern version may read something like ‘a healthy diet reduces absenteeism and presenteeism resulting in greater productivity and profits’. We now know that certain nutrients are essential to the immune system and what we eat has a direct impact on the risk of catching colds, coughs and other bugs.

The important nutrients for the immune system are vitamins A, C, D, E, selenium, iron and zinc. These nutrients apart from vitamin D can be obtained through a healthy diet. The main source of vitamin D is the sun, but due to modern lifestyles vitamin D deficiency is high. So much so that Public Health England now advise that everyone should take a vitamin D supplement. So if you are not, start now. Another area of nutritional science that is receiving a lot of attention is the gut bacteria. Gut bacteria has been proven to influence the immune system. Look after your gut and your gut will look after you.

What we eat and don’t eat impacts our health. Eat well, stay well.

Helen Money Nutrition offers workplace wellbeing workshops as well as seeing private clients at the Bosworth Clinic.

 www.helenmoneynutrition.com  07961 394201  helen@helenmoneynutrition.com

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THE HISTORY OF OURFC

B4

sport & fitness

Oxford University Rugby Football Club (OURFC) has a long and illustrious history of sporting distinction and remains one of the world’s leading and most renowned amateur rugby clubs.

Written by: Tim Stevens

Founded in 1869, some fifteen months before the foundation of the Rugby Football Union, the story of rugby in Oxford is nearly as old as that of rugby itself. During this time, more than 300 Oxford players have gained representative International honours; including in more recent times Phil de Glanville, Joe Roff, Tyrone Howe, Anton Oliver, Simon Halliday, David Kirk and Rob Egerton. Oxford remains a breeding ground for international players; most recently Stan McKeen and Will Johnson and current England 7’s Captain Tom Mitchell who toured Russia with OURFC in 2011.

Since its formation, OURFC has played a significant role in the development of rugby and the various major changes the game has undertaken since its formation 125 years ago. William Webb Ellis, the alleged inventor of the game, was in fact a student at Brasenose College in 1825. In more recent times OURFC has not been shy to lead the way on matters both on and off the field, shown by the initiative taken in being the first Western rugby team to tour www.b4-business.com

Japan after the Second World War in 1952 under the leadership of Peter Fitzgerald. Oxford continues to be recognised as a breeding ground for academically gifted players, and as a club that embraces and preserves the traditional core values of the sport.

Thus Oxford holds an almost unique combination of great academic achievement and British sporting tradition.

a Varsity Match against Cambridge. OURFC also facilitates the entire College rugby structure, where 29 teams play regularly across 5 leagues. The best players from these sides form the select Colleges XV, who play against a comparable Cambridge team.

During the spring, all OURFC players return to play for their colleges in the Intercollegiate Cup competition, known as Cuppers.

A household name in OURFC circles is that of Major R V Stanley, who was fondly known as "Uncle" amongst the players. He was a local man who took a great deal of interest in Oxford rugby, and through this became an England selector. He was a committed servant to the club, organising the 1894 Varsity match and fulfilling every possible role on the committee over a lengthy period spanning most of his life. As a tribute to his services, the Blues still play a Major Stanley Select XV every year in November in the lead up to the Varsity Match.

In 2015 the women’s university rugby club merged with OURFC to help grow and strengthen the women’s game across the university, in December of that year the Women’s Varsity Match was played at Twickenham for the first time as the curtain raiser to the Varsity Match.

Whilst OURFC’s flagship team is the Blues, they are only one of four representative sides that play

CONTACT DETAILS

 tim.stevens@sport.ox.ac.uk  01865 432 000  www.ourfc.org

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M A G A Z I N E

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W E B S I T E

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P H O T O G R A P H Y

YOUR INVITATION TO B4 PLATINUM Platinum is the premier B4 membership package giving you the best of magazine, online, event, social media and B4 TV exposure By joining our Platinum group of Members, you can expect the highest profile throughout B4 and some excellent value added benefits only available to our Platinum Members.

Not only will you receive 8 pages to use in B4 throughout the year, but B4 TV will feature your company in one of our B4 TV video interviews, a photo shoot and also benefit from the B4 Newsdesk where we will post your press releases to the B4 website and then through our social media accounts on Twitter and LinkedIn. You and your colleagues will also have access to B4 Classic Events as normal, in superb locations, but we are also adding the B4

Platinum ‘100’ Club as a value added extra just for our Platinum Members. Six excellent lunches or dinners in some of the region’s leading venues and restaurants. Read more inside.

Platinum Members can also take advantage of our personal introduction service and will also receive invitations to review hotels, restaurants, cars and even star in fashion shoots!

We sincerely hope you will consider joining B4 Platinum and look forward to hearing from you. Please call us on 01865 742211 or e-mail editorial@b4-business.com The B4 Team

B4 PLATINUM PACKAGE B4 Platinum Membership

Photo Shoot

All the benefits of B4 Membership including B4 Magazine Business Directory listing (highlighted as a Platinum Member), B4 website presence with access to post unlimited press releases, job vacancies, offers and events, plus access to all B4 events for up to 5 members of staff. Logo also included on Platinum logo spread in B4 Magazine.

Whether you need shots of your premises or new recruits, B4 will capture what you need and supply these to you in high resolution for your own use, as well as B4 articles.

B4 Magazine Exposure

We know you don’t always have the time to post your press releases to the B4 website, so we’re here to do it for you. Add us to your press lists and we will post your news direct to your account on the B4 website and then across our social media accounts too.

8 pages to be used during the year Select your preferred features from our new features list, either taken as single pages or a combination of single and double pages.

See the new B4 Media Rate Card for the full list of features.

B4 TV interview We will interview key individuals, take footage of your premises and then edit for you to promote on your website and through your social media platforms. We post the video on the B4 website and also through our social media accounts.

Platinum ‘100’ Club Membership You will be invited, with other Platinum Members, to six lunches or dinners in some of the region’s leading establishments, including Oxford University colleges, leading restaurants and superb venues.

All food and drink included. Additional tickets available for guests, but to Platinum Members only. (additional tickets available at £150+VAT per head)

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B4 Newsdesk

B4 Editor Personal Introductions Do you need a personal introduction to another B4 Member? The B4 Editor Intro is a personal e-mail introduction to your key targets for B4 Platinum Members only.

Star in our Features From time to time we will invite Platinum Member companies to help us for our Corporate Lifestyle features including: hotel and restaurant reviews, car reviews and even fashion shoots!

For more details see ‘Platinum Rates’

CALL 01865 742211 AND BECOME A PLATINUM MEMBER TODAY

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R E V I E W S

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I N T R O D U C T I O N S

PLATINUM ‘100’ CLUB DIARY Belmond Le Manoir

Pembroke College Sep & Aug 2017

22nd Feb, 2017

Created by celebrated chef Raymond Blanc OBE, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is renowned for offering one of Britain’s finest gastronomic experiences. Situated in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Great Milton, it is also one of the country’s most cherished manor house hotels, with 32 individually designed guest rooms and suites. The hotel has held two Michelin stars since it opened in 1984.

Founded in 1624 to serve the common good through the promotion of scholarship and research, informality and distinction have always rubbed shoulders at Pembroke. The College’s student body is made up of some 360 undergraduates, around 30 visiting students on their Junior Year Abroad from US universities, and more than 270 postgraduates. The whole student body is active in College life, with wide participation in activities and events and an unusually active MCR (graduate student) community.

Stoke Park April 2017

Randolph Hotel September 2017

Founded in 1908, Stoke Park is the perfect place to enjoy life in a five star and friendly atmosphere. We provide a unique combination of the traditions of an exclusive club and the best of today’s sporting, leisure, entertaining and hotel facilities in one of the most convenient locations in Britain: only 35 minutes from London and 7 miles from London Heathrow.

Located in Oxford’s city centre, Macdonald Randolph hotel is a landmark building with elegance and charm aplenty. The hotel has played host to prime ministers and presidents and the renowned Morse Bar is instantly recognisable as the watering hole of Colin Dexter’s world-famous detective, Inspector Morse. The hotel’s restaurant recently re-opened as Acanthus which together with the new Cartoon Bar, provides guests and residents of Oxford with a fantastic destination for lunch and dinner.

Eynsham Hall 22nd June, 2017

Divinity School 4th December, 2017

Eynsham Hall is one of Oxfordshire’s great country houses. In the early 1700s, wealthy local landowner, Willoughby Lacey, chose to enclose a huge section of his land to create the ultimate space in which to entertain guests and to pursue the popular outdoor sports of the day. In 1981, the Hall became a dedicated conference and training centre and in 2005, the property was acquired by the Cathedral Group.

The university’s oldest teaching and examination room, dating from the 1500s, a masterpiece of English gothic architecture.

Built between 1427 and 1483, it is the oldest surviving purpose-built building for university use, specifically for lectures, oral exams and discussions on theology. Public access is limited so this will be a wonderful opportunity to see inside this fantastic building.

PLATINUM RATES Membership

Rate £

Platinum

Rate £

Platinum Membership

1

1,750

Total

9,200

Pages in B4 per annum

8

5,000

Reduced to

6,000

B4 TV interviews per annum

1

950

One off payment

6,000

Platinum ‘100’ Club Membership

1 Person

1,500

Quarterly

4 x 1,750

Photo Shoot

Included

0

Monthly

12 x 700

Included

0

B4 Newsdesk

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NB All figures stated exclusive of VAT at 20%

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OUT OF THE WINTER BLUE A Fundraising Dinner

in support of Helen & Douglas House F E AT U R I N G O U T O F T H E B LU E

OXFORD’S ALL MALE ACAPELLA GROUP

7:00pm Friday 27 January at The King’s Centre, OX2 0ES

Cocktail Reception & 3 Course Gala Dinner

£ 6 0 . 0 0 p e r p e r s o n o r £ 5 0 0 fo r a t a b l e o f 1 0 Buy tickets and choose your menu at www.wegottickets.com/event/379292

B4

marketing

DIGITAL MARKETING EXPLAINED:

SEO in 2017 & Beyond

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE EVERGREEN AGENCY With 2016 ending, businesses both large and small have been turning their attentions towards 2017; and, rightfully so, as it’s shaping up to be a fantastic year of growth. What to prioritise and focus on when it comes to your businesses marketing is a question I have been asked many times in recent weeks, and always am at this time of the year. “Aaron, what is going to be hot next year” is something I am asked repeatedly at networking events, shows and seminars.

As such, I thought what better way to round off the year than by sharing my thoughts on what your business should be prioritising where marketing is concerned in 2017.

Written by: Aaron Rudman-Hawkins Photography by: The Evergreen Agency

AMP will go mainstream If you haven’t heard about AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), it is a Google initiative first introduced in late 2015, that has grown tremendously throughout 2016. Simply put, what is it exactly, is a way to build web pages for static content that renders superfast – much more quickly than a stand web page.

In 2017 you will increasingly see this being mentioned and integrated into the primary CMS systems such as WordPress and Magento. The project will be simplified for non-technical implementation, probably via plugins and updates and allow business owners to reap the benefits of this technology for a super-fast mobile website experience.

Schema Markup & direct answers The adoption of Schema Markup has grown year on year. Every day businesses are realising the benefits that come with deploying Schema Markup onto their websites. If you want your website to have a star rating in the search results or you want product prices, ratings or even thumbnails to show up and make your listing stand out, then the answer is Schema Markup.

people search by voice two things generally happen; firstly, the language used is often far more colloquial, meaning searches are less about specific keywords, and secondly, users tend to ask questions so searches are characterized by words such as who, what, where, why and how.

Voice search is especially popular with teenagers and those under 25 years of age who prefer to utilise Siri or Cortana over a search app. How might you capitalise on this trend? Consider reformatting some of your headlines on posts and pages into questions that include the key words or phrases.

The content bar will be raised higher For years, marketers have been advising businesses to create great content and in 2017 that will remain the case. In fact, it will only get harder to create content that really stands out. Video content is going to be increasingly used by businesses of all sizes. Even small businesses will find themselves considering using video in one form or another, whether that is to highlight their services, showcase testimonials from happy customers or simply provide examples of their products or services.

An increasing number of Internet searchers are seeing the answer to their question from within the search results, without the need to click into any web page. Again, to take full advantage of this growing opportunity consider Schema Markup in 2017.

Gone are the days of video being reserved for big businesses with big budgets, SMEs are realising the power of video content and will start to initiate a D-I-Y approach to video creation and promotion in 2017.

Voice search

In the last B4 Magazine edition I spoke about Local SEO (if you’re a business who targets a specific geographical region and missed it, be sure to source

Over the past 12 months we have seen a sharp increase in the number of voice searches. When

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Hyper local SEO

it as the article contains some valuable tips). In 2017, Local SEO will go one step further, mainly due to mobile voice search. An increasing number of users will be searching in the following way; for example, “pizza restaurant in oxford” by voice.

Search engines such as Google will pick up the user’s exact location and show them their nearest geographically located pizza restaurant, meaning that if you have optimised your website to your exact location you will outrank and appear above potentially bigger, more established and authoritative websites and or companies.

How can you benefit from this trend in 2017? Ensure your business website has all the location details listed as well as information on access, so things like parking restrictions as well as transport options to your location.

Those are five key marketing trends your business should be prioritising in 2017 and beyond. For more advice on the changing marketing landscape as well as expert guidance and support to grow your business in 2017 get in touch with me using the contact details below.

 aaron@theevergreenagency.co.uk  01869 24 22 22



07738 427 277

 theevergreenagency.co.uk

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Making IT work smarter for your business in 2017 How important is the uptime of your business? How do you handle disruption?

With data security gaining huge press in 2016, its importance is only going to increase in 2017.

As a business you need to act now and take responsibility for securing your data today.

Written by: Luke Broadhurst

The truth about Ransomware A security company, Malwarebytes, recently published a series of eye-opening statistics that show just how businesses around the world have been affected by ransomware.

54% of UK companies were hit by ransomware Over half of the businesses in the UK? Yes, you heard that right! According to Malwarebytes, the UK had experienced the most ransomware attacks from those that were surveyed. Although, more businesses within the financial sector were included which could have skewed the results.

This could also mean that the financial sector is one of the most targeted industries.

63% experienced severe downtime There is no getting around this. Ransomware disrupts. Of that 63% of businesses that experienced downtime, it was found that it took more than 1 business day on average to recover.

34% of businesses experienced loss of revenue due to ransomware It was reported globally that 34% of ransomware attacks caused businesses a loss in revenue, due to the inability to access encrypted files.

3.5% fear loss of life A difficult statistic to comprehend but 3.5% of businesses said lives were at stake because of the effects of ransomware.

The truth about downtime costs Let’s take 50 employees in a business that’s experienced downtime for 8 hours. Let’s say their productivity is reduced by 75% with each of them earning an average of £20 per hour. That’s 50 x 0.75 x 8 x 20 = £6000 in downtime costs a day, plus a loss in revenue, damage to reputation, penalties and fines.

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Why you’re not taking safety measures You’re a business owner that needs to ensure your business is constantly growing whilst maintaining your business costs efficiently. If you don’t truly understand or, if you haven’t experienced business downtime then it can be difficult to justify the costs of a solution when you can’t appreciate its value.

Put yourself in your clients’ shoes (I’ve heard this one before I hear you say?). How would they act if you lost their data through not having safety measures in place? Would they stay with you?

Would they share their experiences?

The feeling you get when you’ve just lost all of your clients’ data - disastrous The feeling you get when you’ve just lost all of your clients’ data but you know you can recover it in a few hours – priceless!

What to expect for 2017 More cyber-attacks Unfortunately, ransomware and other forms of malware are here to stay. Why? Because they generate a great amount revenue for criminals.

Cyber-attacks are being seen on the news more frequently which is why it’s a good time to start investing in cyber-attack protection now.

The deadline is May 2018, this gives you enough time to ensure your IT systems are compliant with the GDPR. (Contact us to see when our next seminar is on to learn more by using the contact details below).

Better business recovery Although the key message here is businesses need to invest more in backup and recovery systems, we have started to see more uptake in disaster recovery systems. This could be due to ransomware attacks being a catalyst for change.

In summary Seek advice from an expert – ensure you have secure and reliable business recovery systems in place.

Protect your data – treat your data like you would your money, don’t leave it out in the open.

Take responsibility – your clients trust you with their data so make sure they don’t have any reason to think it isn’t secure.

Need some help?

If you need an IT upgrade then get in touch with us on 01367 700555 or email luke. broadhurst@cisltd.com to see how we can help your business.

Increased awareness More and more people are becoming aware of cyber-attacks. That awareness will only increase.

Your clients have probably already started asking you questions about how you store their data.

Make sure you’re a step ahead of them.

GDPR preparation By now you should know about the General Data Protection Regulation. The time to start planning is now. This may seem a bit of a cliché but failure to take action soon could lead you in hot water.

 luke.broadhurst@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

www.b4-business.com

B4

it & telecomms

We believe “partnership

is the key to mutual and sustainable growth. We are committed to making your business work more efficiently through innovation, support and expertise...

Richard Marsh CEO CIS

www.b4-business.com

�

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CLIENT SUPPORT AUDIT ACCOUNTANCY CHARITIES COMPANY SECRETARIAL CONSULTANCY FINANCIAL PLANNING FORENSIC ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS PAYROLL TAXATION TRUSTS

OXFORD 30 St. Giles, Oxford OX1 3LE Tel . 01865 559900 email . information@wenntownsend.co.uk CIRENCESTER 5 Gosditch Street, Cirencester GL7 2AG Tel . 01285 659778 email . partners@wenntownsend.net ABINGDON 10 Broad Street, Abingdon OX14 3LH Tel . 01235 548700 email . abingdon@wenntownsend.co.uk www.wenntownsend .co .uk

B4

it & telecomms

Making The Right Connection As reliance on cloud computing and remote solutions continues to grow, businesses are increasingly looking at their internet connections to make sure they can support their growing bandwidth needs. Connectivity is no longer simply about internet access, it now underpins a business’ entire operational capability and communications needs.

Written by: Jo Sensecall

The increasing influence of working Millennials in the workplace is having a profound effect on communications and connectivity. According to Deloitte, by 2025 this tech savvy generation will make up 75% of the workforce. It is therefore vital for organisations to deliver connectivity into existing workplaces that enables this ‘instant communication’ generation to interact at work. Combine this with the announcement by BT that ISDN lines will cease in 2025 and you can see why more businesses than ever are considering higher capacity broadband services and telephony services that utilise Voice over IP (VoIP).

Future proofing the workplace It is all about future proofing the workplace and giving people the freedom to communicate at work in the same way that they would away from the office. Businesses need to consider why staff need a fixed local phone number and a mobile number when one number can reach them wherever they are. The IT department now has to enable people to do their job using both new and traditional working styles in the office, at home or on their mobile. The key to all this is the right data connectivity.

The death bell rings for ISDN lines With BT withdrawing ISDN services by 2025, all businesses will have to migrate their telephony to a VoIP alternative like SIP or Hosted telephony.

Probably the most widespread alternative to ISDN is SIP trunking. With SIP, telephone numbers are www.b4-business.com

moved off the local telephone exchange into the cloud and then routed to an on site IP enabled telephone system.

The alternative is to move your whole telephone system to the cloud with a Hosted system like STL’s Horizon service. With a Hosted solution, numbers are migrated off BT’s telephone exchange into the cloud and telephone calls are delivered to handsets on site, but the technology ‘lives’ in the cloud.

New communication tools The increasingly wide adoption of flexible working means that employees are now seeking new ways of working and so need supporting technology more than ever to stay in touch with colleagues.

A good example of how things are changing is the recent launch of Facebook’s business platform, Workplace by Facebook. This is a Facebook office communication tool and, just like we use Facebook in our personal lives, we can now collaborate using Facebook at work. In order to adopt new tools like this, businesses need fast access to the internet.

the preferred option for large businesses for a few years, but with the options for high speed, high quality connectivity increasing, it is fast becoming first choice telephony for most SME’s."

“Apart from enabling more efficient and effective working practices, hosted telephony reduces costs.

With servers based in the cloud and not in the office, Hosted delivers an operational opposed to a capital expenditure model with little or no up-front outlay" Donigan concludes.

What should businesses be looking for in connectivity?

In short, any connection has to deliver the performance, reliability and security that businesses need to make effective use of today’s multi-media services. With IP telephony, unified communications and cloud-based services all the norm, the key for businesses is getting the right Broadband data connectivity or ‘pipe’ that supports both Voice over IP and data applications.

Hosted voice Even the smallest businesses now store data and computing power in the cloud, requiring increasingly fast, reliable connectivity for access to systems, sharing files and just to function online.

Where good quality internet connection is viable for cloud then it makes sense to also use hosted voice. Philip Donigan, STL’s Sales Director says, “Routing telephone calls over data lines has been

 sales@stlcomms.com  01993 777 120  www.stlcomms.com

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B4

news

NATIONAL AWARDS SUCCESS FOR RANDOLPH'S HEAD CONCIERGE The UK’s top hotel concierges were recognised at the 11th annual MVP Golden Keys Concierge Awards, held last Thursday at a magnificent gala at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.

Morris Visitor Publications (MVP) in Europe, the leading publisher for the domestic and international leisure and corporate traveller markets, and The Society of The Golden Keys of Great Britain and the Commonwealth stage the event that celebrates success among the organisation’s 330 UK members.

Jakub Stefanowicz – The Landmark London William Thomson – Macdonald Randolph Hotel

Antony Lynch, President of The Society of The Golden Keys led the speeches, alongside Mark Elliott, Publishing Director at MVP, and both thanked event sponsors Dropit and the Regent Street Association, MBNA Thames Clippers, The View From The Shard, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, Big Bus Tours, and Bicester Village.

Sponsored by The View From The Shard Shortlisted Nominees Albert Bray – Blackpool FC Hotel & Conference Centre Anton Coburn – Rockliffe Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa, Co. Durham Brian Martin – Titanic Hotel Liverpool

Winners were presented with a unique glass trophy, exclusively created for the event by Peter Layton at London Glassblowing.

WINNER Brian Martin – Titanic Hotel Liverpool

Guests from London’s hospitality, retail and tourism industries, the hotel concierge community and hotel general managers, were entertained with a reception of drinks and delicious canapés, courtesy of the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.

WINNER William Thomson – Macdonald Randolph Hotel

CONCIERGE OF THE YEAR REGIONAL MEMBER AWARD

CONCIERGE OF THE YEAR LONDON MEMBER AWARD Sponsored by Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

The Awards nominees and winners were:

Shortlisted Nominees Paolo Froiio – Shangri La Hotel at The Shard Binoy Nair – St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel Andrew Wright – Park Plaza London County Hall

YOUNG CONCIERGE OF THE YEAR, THE ANDRÉ DAMONTE AWARD

WINNER Binoy Nair – St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel

Nominees Christopher Black – Holiday Inn Kings Cross/ Bloomsbury David Haines – Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Andrius Petrucenia – Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Simon Thomas – The Lanesborough WINNER David Haines – Park Plaza Westminster Bridge

THE SOCIETY OF THE GOLDEN KEYS ‘LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT’ AWARD Sponsored by Bicester Village WINNER Tony Rossi, Head Concierge – Crowne Plaza London Kensington Other sponsors include London Glassblowing, who created the unique glass trophies exclusively designed for the event and are awarded to the winner in each of the five categories, and Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.

Sponsored by MBNA Thames Clippers Nominees Jorge Alvarez – The Montague on the Gardens Donato Bottiglieri – Baglioni Hotel

THE SOCIETY OF THE GOLDEN KEYS ‘SERVICE THROUGH FRIENDSHIP’ AWARD Sponsored by Big Bus Tours

 general.randolph@macdonald-hotels.co.uk  0344 879 9132  www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Randolph

“

William is a worthy winner of the Young Concierge of the Year award. He is the youngest head concierge across the Macdonald Group’s 40 plus hotels and the youngest member of the prestigious Les Clefs d’Or. It is fitting that his dedication and comittment to providing the very best experience for our guests has been recognised. William is a true people person who goes out of his way to help others and is often named by our guests as making their stay special. I am excited to have him leading our team as we celebrate 150 years of excellent service.

Michael Grange, General Manager - Macdonald Randolph

www.b4-business.com

”

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Sobell House Q & A with The CEO helps demonstrate our commitment to CSR and the PR benefits can only help position the company more positively within Oxfordshire.

Q: What have been the most distinctive benefits of The 40 Club so far?

A: Without a doubt the most distinctive benefits have been around staff engagement; each fundraising activity we have undertaken has been a team effort and they have created a real sense of collective achievement and an opportunity to bond, which is great for morale.

Q: How important is it to you and your company to get involved in local charity?

A: Over 90% of our employees live in Oxfordshire so it really makes sense for Darke & Taylor to support a local charity, particularly one that a large number of us are not just aware of, but also have personal experience of.

Name: Simon Newton – Commercial Director Business: Darke & Taylor, Electrical Services Q: Please tell B4 just why you decided to support Sobell House and The 40 Club.

A: Darke & Taylor wanted to support an Oxfordshire charity and many of our employees have had a personal connection with amazing work carried out at Sobell House. However, being a member of the 40 Club offers a lot more to our business than just supporting a local charity. It has given us a focus with a fund raising target to achieve, and the opportunity to join a network of like-minded businesses.

Q: Do you feel that your community driven CSR undertaking has helped to position your business more positively within Oxfordshire?

A: As a reasonable sized, award winning, local employer of nearly 200 staff, Darke & Taylor is working hard to increase its profile in the local business community. Being members of the 40 Club

Q: Have your staff risen to the challenge?

A: Without a doubt! From organising events, to taking part in challenges, buying raffle tickets and sacrificing wages, a large proportion of our staff have got involved.

Q: Would you say that your staff are more motivated and productive as a direct result of your CSR? A: It’s really difficult to measure the effectiveness of CSR on motivation and productivity, but if it gives the staff involved a sense of achievement, enjoyment and pride, then that is enough in my view. These are positive outcomes that can only be of benefit to the company.

Q: What has been the most adventurous fundraising activity so far?

A: Dress Down Days and lunch at the Randolph are hardly adventurous compared to the Monster Race in freezing conditions in Spring, but they all contribute. Without doubt the most successful activity to date was our Race Night which raised over £3,000 which, for the 7 staff who organised it, was an impressive feat.

Q: What other interesting and unique fundraising activities do you have planned to help hit your target?

A: Next year we are planning to undertake an outdoors endurance challenge. In recent years a number of Darke & Taylor employees have completed both the Yorkshire and National 3 Peaks Challenges, so we are currently researching other mountain walking challenges. We are also looking into a family bike ride challenge and I am still keen to see if we can organise a “how far you can get round a golf course in 40 shots” challenge!

Q: And lastly, what message would you like to give to other businesses considering joining The 40 Club?

A: Don’t hesitate, join now! The benefits of staff engagement, business networking and positive PR far outweigh the effort involved, and all the while you are raising money for a really essential local charity.

Q: How much have you raised so far for The 40 Club?

A: Within the last couple of weeks we have just exceed the sum of £4,000 raised – not bad in under 12 months!

Come4T If you like a party then why not make your party a Come 4T fundraising event for Sobell House Hospice?

collect the money at your party. Don’t forget because your colleagues are making donations they can add value by completing a gift aid form.

For information or help, please contact the Fundraising Office on 01865 857007 or mail@ sobellhospice.org

Perhaps you are thinking about organising something in your workplace in the run up to Christmas. Perhaps it is a lunch, afternoon tea or perhaps something after hours.

Maybe it is something you could organise away from your workplace, perhaps with a group of friends.

You can download a poster, leaflet, invitations and gift-aid forms here http://www.sobellhouse.org/ fundraising/come4t.html.

Simply ask those who come along to make a donation to Sobell House Hospice Charity. You can

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Come 4T is one of the fundraising ideas we are using for our 40th anniversary celebrations. All of the money raised goes towards end of life care and helping people with life limiting conditions.

We also want to hear your party ideas. Please let us know.

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news

Jennings raising money and having fun Since starting our fundraising in April this year, we’ve already managed to raise over £5,000 for Sobell House– not bad for a team of just 13, although we have also been helped by the generosity of our tenants and other members of the business community.

Our funds have been boosted by a Silent Auction, an event with our tenants at The Race Hut, entries to our annual Football Prediction Competition, various activities at our Summer Family BBQ on Monument Park, plus some of the Jennings team took part in the Sobell House Moonlight Stroll. We’ve also run

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coffee mornings, book swaps, and a host of other fun events and challenges to keep the pot topping up nicely.

One of our biggest successes was the silent auction in the summer, which managed to raise nearly £1800 for Sobell House. Our target was to come up with 40 lots, representing the charity’s 40th year in existence. Thanks to the generosity of our tenants, suppliers and local businesses we managed to come up with a real diverse selection or lots - from a Jaguar XE for the weekend, to a family photoshoot in Ardington Woods, and an Adele tribute night out.

Being members of the 40 Club, has been a great way for the Jennings team to have some fun, engage with our tenants and local business community, and raise money for a terrific cause! www.jennings.co.uk

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At Alberon we’re all about helping you do what you do even better. We work with you to design and build a bespoke website or software solution that simplifies processes, transforms performance, and gives your business the scope to grow.

For more than 10 years, we’ve been making organisations more efficient and profitable. We can do the same for you.

For more information call 01865 794009 or email grow@alberon.co.uk

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JOIN THE LOW CARBON OXFORD NETWORK Low Carbon Oxford is a network of over 40 diverse organisations all working together to reduce carbon emissions in Oxford by 40% by 2020.

Written by: Mairi Brookes Photography by: Oxford City Council

Low Carbon Oxford (LCO) brings together organisations from the private, public and not for profit sectors to transform Oxford into a sustainable and inclusive low carbon economy.

‘From global brands based in Oxford such as Grosvenor, MINI Plant and the University of Oxford to small businesses and start-ups like the Hub Ventures and Low Carbon Hub’, we are all working to achieve one shared goal.

Organisations within our network are realising the benefits of reducing their carbon footprint on all scales: from switching off lights and reducing waste to investing in efficient computer power management and annual savings of several £10,000s. Case studies are available at lowcarbonoxford.org.

Launched in 2010 by the Oxford Strategic Partnership, the LCO network is core-funded and coordinated by Oxford City Council.

The Low Carbon Oxford programme aims to: • connect businesses and other organisations to share best practice; • showcase how Oxford is taking steps towards a resilient, sustainable economy • communicate the latest opportunities in sustainable technologies and services to Oxford through our events; • to support individuals with a sustainability role in organisations in and around Oxford; and, • provide insight for business leaders and key decision makers through our research projects and report

We are keen to hear from prospective members, from SMEs up to global organisations with an Oxford presence, who can make a significant positive contribution to the Low Carbon Oxford network.

If you feel that your organisation shares our vision and can contribute to Oxford’s objectives of becoming an innovative and sustainable low carbon city, then please get in touch via our website lowcarbonoxford. org.

 lowcarbonoxford@oxford.gov.uk  www.lowcarbonoxford.org

Did you know we need a one and three quarter mile freight train of material resources to sustain Oxford’s material needs, every day?

Material Oxford is the latest of LCO’s insights projects: It takes a lot to sustain an economy the size of Oxford’s. All told, you can count everything that goes into what we consume, build with, and make in Oxford, and you can add to that everything that is needed elsewhere to bring those things to us, and to service the things we do as a city. If those materials were brought to the city each day by train then you could get a sense of how much we need by standing on the platform and watching the wagons pass through the station. After the five engines that would be needed to pull this train, the first ten wagons would be loaded with the food we need for the day, around 410 tonnes. After that you would watch sixty-two wagons of biomass – fuel, livestock feed, timbers, woodpulp – 2,500 tonnes, clatter by. The next half a mile of train would be fossil fuels – oil, coal, gas – in a mixture of trucks and tanks.

There would then be a short but heavy clunking interlude of a dozen wagons of metal ores. And

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then finally another half a mile of building materials – sand, gravels, cement, bricks – all the materials that are needed to maintain the roads and build the houses and factories here and across the globe that provide the things we need, for one day, as a city.

space to live and work that we get from places in and around the city. In this report we present a new methodology for understanding and tracking the most significant of these material issues. Read Material Oxford on the LCO website – lowcarbonoxford.org

Material Oxford is a scoping study commissioned

by Oxford City Council for the Low Carbon Oxford partnership to map out how we might, as a city, understand and track the status and availability of the natural resources that underpin our ability to function as a city.

Material Oxford is about understanding all of our material issues: what we need materials resources for, and most particularly understanding how we can make sure this train arrives for us, each day, on into the future, to meet our needs. And it’s not just about the materials we can move around. Some of what makes Oxford work as a city comes from our landscape –the fresh air, beauty, clean water, and

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Proud to support local community projects Written by: Karen Taylor

Glyme Valley Walk for Cancer Research UK Two associates from Owen Mumford, Paul Currah and Paula Staples recently organised a charity hike along the Glyme Valley Way after noting that the river Glyme links Owen Mumford’s UK sites at Chipping Norton and Woodstock. The objective was to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. The chosen route is a 16-mile trek originally set up to celebrate the 1,000-year anniversary of Oxfordshire and follows the river as it passes key historical sites including Capability Brown parklands, a Roman road, orchards and a 12th century church. On 10th September, an

intrepid group of almost 30 associates who work at the Oxfordshire sites set out on one of the wettest days recorded this year. Despite battling inclement conditions, they successfully completed the walk, which some said had given them the opportunity to reflect and talk about the main reason for coming together that day. The hike raised over £3,500, smashing their target and as a result this charity event will now become an annual fixture on the Owen Mumford calendar.

L-R: Liam Walsh, Chairman of Tower Hill FC with Adam Mumford, Director at Owen Mumford.

Tower Hill FC – main sponsor 2016-17 The youth football club is affiliated to the Oxfordshire Football Association and is the largest in the Witney area with 27 teams of male and female players aged six years up. The sponsorship deal sees Owen Mumford’s logo feature across the 2016/17 kit.

Adam Mumford, a well-known football enthusiast said, “We’re delighted with this partnership, which illustrates our commitment towards local youth sports and we hope it will help ensure Tower Hill FC can continue to develop and flourish within the local community.” Liam Walsh, Chairman of the club said, “We are so pleased to have such a reputable company on board and have already seen a big boost in young people registering to join us next season.”

The stoic team who hiked in all weathers and raised over £3,500 for charity.

The Villager Bus, Chipping Norton The Villager Bus provides a much needed service to residents in villages around Chipping Norton without access to transport. Keith Gowing, Chairman of The Villager said, “Most of our passengers are elderly residents who rely on us for their shopping or to attend medical appointments as well as simply wanting to meet up with friends for a coffee and a chat. Owen Mumford’s sponsorship has helped the Villager Bus continue to run our most-used routes, which has been a big boost. We are still seeking further support for other routes but this invaluable sponsorship has got our campaign off to a good start and we are very thankful to the company.”

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In July 2016, Owen Mumford won Outstanding Contribution to the Local or National economy at The Cotswold Life Family Business Awards. The award acknowledges how the company not only plays its part in the region as a thriving business employing hundreds of local people and thereby contributing to the local economy but also recognises Owen Mumford’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility with local sponsorships, environmental initiatives and charity fundraisers.

Adam Mumford, Director said, “Since my father John Mumford founded the company with Ivan Owen, our small family-run business has grown to become a global player with international offices in Asia, Europe and the US, which is a huge achievement. And with success comes the opportunity for us to make a valuable contribution to our local community. We know it’s important to be part of a vibrant and sustainable local economy but it’s also a pleasure to give something back. Owen Mumford is very proud to receive this award and is committed to continuing its support of Oxfordshire communities."

Partnering the Wychwood Project Owen Mumford has become a Corporate Partner of the Wychwood Project, a conservation charity that encourages local people to get involved in helping to conserve and restore landscapes and wildlife habitats within the Royal hunting Forest of Wychwood. The partnership is one of many activities resulting from Owen Mumford’s decision to steer a greater focus on business sustainability. The company has taken up the Oak (Gold) Corporate Partnership, which has many benefits including a wildlife/biodiversity audit of a site to help shape future environmental policy. A workplace presentation by the Wychwood Project aims to increase visibility and engagement,

whilst Owen Mumford will also feature in case studies on the Wychwood Project website, sharing and promoting their work to the wider community.

The first project for Owen Mumford was training a group of volunteers to help address the encroaching threat of the invasive species Himalayan Balsam on Woodstock Water Meadows. Several volunteer working parties took place prior to the Balsam seeding, from which point the group will now wait until next spring to continue its work, focusing on other tasks in the interim.

The hilarious Dame from 2015’s popular Christmas Panto.

The Theatre, Chipping Norton Attracting over 50,000 visitors a year from Oxfordshire and further afield, The Theatre is a much-loved and important part of Chipping Norton’s vibrant community.

Owen Mumford first became a corporate sponsor in 2012 and has continued to provide valuable financial support to The Theatre ever since. The Owen Mumford Gallery is used for corporate entertaining and business networking events, product launches, award ceremonies, workshops, exhibitions, private screenings and even performances. John Terry, Director of The Theatre, said, “The Gallery is one of our busiest areas with a huge diversity of people using it daily. In many ways, corporate relationships are key to a theatre being an asset for the community and we are proud to have been associated with Owen Mumford so visibly over the years.”

James Aylward from the Wychwood Project instructing Owen Mumford volunteers on Himalayan Balsam.

And many more…

As well as sponsoring the Blenheim Palace Literature Festival, Owen Mumford also supports the Woodstock Youth Club’s 7km Fun Run, the Chipping Norton Mayor’s Charity Ball, the charity football match at Chipping Norton FC, the Rotary Club, the Woodstock Carnival and many more.

In addition Owen Mumford’s employees regularly take part in local fundraising events including the Blenheim Triathlon, the Pink Ribbon Walk and the Oxford Race for Life.

www.b4-business.com

   

info@owenmumford.co.uk 01993 812 021 @OwenMumford www.owenmumford.com

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For all your Design, Video, Photography & Print

Call us on 01865 742211 or see www.hothdesign.co.uk

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Q&A: CRICKET FOR THE MASSES! B4 caught up with Oxfordshire Cricket to talk about their mission and plans for the future, and how businesses can get involved to support their local community Written by: B4 Photography by: Josh Kirk

Q: What would you say Oxfordshire Cricket's mission statement is?

has helped us create a "tailored" programme to suit their cultural needs.

A: Oxfordshire Cricket's mission is to develop and protect the future of cricket in the county by making it a "sport of choice". Many will understand the performance pathway element of our work, but perhaps fewer will have considered the difference cricket can make to the community, and this area of inclusivity has been a strong focus for us in the last two years.

Schools & Clubs are obvious areas, but we have recently started delivering both Disability and Street Cricket programmes in Oxfordshire.

Q: What sort of initiatives and opportunities could you offer to prospective partners and local businesses?

Q: What does Oxfordshire Cricket want for the future, what are your primary goals?

A: It's all about the numbers! Quite simply we want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to play our great sport. Our Disability and Street Cricket initiatives are great examples, and both have start up funding from The England & Wales Cricket Board and The Chance to Shine charity. Our primary goal is to extend and enhance these programmes to attract more participants; for disability cricket this includes those with physical or learning issues, for whom we have a wide range of opportunities, ranging from "table cricket" right up to competitive hard ball matches. "Street" is a new project that specifically targets inner city children and in particular those from South Asian communities. The challenge here is to deliver a relevant product, and consultation www.b4-business.com

A: To achieve our goals we need more Disability hubs & more Street venues. This will make us more accessible to our target market.

A partner could therefore sponsor a particular hub or venue and the specialist coach who operates there, for perhaps two years, and be linked to everything that happens at that location in terms of publicity, social media and newsworthy stories. We also plan to have an annual community awards evening and this would be another opportunity for our partners to raise their profile in the community. Our local strategy mirrors the recently launched national "Cricket Unleashed" campaign so there is also plenty of scope for businesses who support us to be recognised at national level by the ECB. Several companies have, as a first step, supported our corporate six a side cricket day in July at Magdalen College School. In 2016 the event was launched by Oxford East MP Andrew Smith, and included 3 local businesses: Blackwells, Chadlington Brewery and Moo Moos. We expect 2017's event to be much bigger, and are proud to welcome our latest supporter, Blake Morgan LLP. William Downing, partner at Blake Morgan LLP, had this to say:

"Blake Morgan are delighted to be supporting Oxfordshire Cricket at their City Sixes event on July 14th, and more specifically hope this in turn impacts positively on their Street Cricket project in East Oxford, which is a commendable contribution to the local community."

Reigning champs Moo Moos will be back to defend their crown, and the iconic riverside location married with a delicious BBQ lunch, licensed bar and punting, make this a particularly attractive proposition!

Q: How can readers best get in touch with you?

A: Tim Haworth is Oxfordshire Cricket's Business Development Officer and would be delighted to have a chat about how best to start a new business relationship. He explains, "Oxfordshire Cricket understand the need for flexibility with potential business partners, and each relationship is in effect a bespoke arrangement to suit both parties. We much prefer to build lasting, meaningful partnerships with clear benefits to both parties."

 thaworth@oxoncb.com  07958 962272  www.oxfordshire.cricket

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HEDGES LAW: Celebrating Oxfordshire's Restaurant Excellence In recent years Hedges Law has acted for an increasing number of clients across the hospitality industry, so we jumped at the opportunity to be the main sponsor of this year’s Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards.

The hospitality industry is thriving in Oxfordshire and has become a pillar of the local economy: the sector accounts for almost 10% of the jobs in Oxfordshire. Tripadvisor alone lists over 1,700 restaurants in the county which have been reviewed over 170,000 times.

Written by: Nicola Poole Photography by: Rob Scotcher (awards) & Jackie Cross (portraits)

The awards were a fitting way to celebrate the success of Oxfordshire Restaurants. The often ecstatic reactions from the winners showed just how it much it meant to them, and even being nominated was clearly a triumph too. Some were certainly celebrating exuberantly...and no, we won’t mention names! And, fittingly, the food on the night was excellent. Prepared by the students of the City of Oxford College and overseen by several of last year’s winning chefs it was a testament to the culinary talent in Oxfordshire. Who knows, some of it may even have been prepared by a future Michelin star chef?

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There were two new awards this year: Most Sustainable Restaurant and Best College Dining Room. Sustainability is clearly becoming an increasingly relevant issue; be it using locally sourced ingredients, recycling or using sustainable materials.

Our congratulations go to all the winners and nominees for their outstanding contribution to the county’s food scene this year. Judging the awards each year becomes increasingly difficult as local restaurants continue to up their game!

All the nominees showed not only that sustainability and quality can go hand in hand but that Oxfordshire businesses are at the forefront of doing our bit to improve our environment. The college dining rooms category was fiercely fought: the number of nominations and the tough decisions for the judges proved that the standard of food offered to students and visitors has never been higher.

Investment in Oxford and Oxfordshire continues apace. The Westgate development will add 100 new shops to Oxford and bring a host of national and global brands to Oxford for the first time. The new rail link between Oxford City Centre and London opens on 10 December making it ever easier for visitors to get to Oxford from the capital. Bicester Village continues to expand, whilst major residential www.b4-business.com

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Carl Selby

developments are planned for Benson, Bicester and Didcot.

So, it's a really exciting time for hospitality businesses across Oxfordshire. New visitors and residents will provide a raft of new opportunities for the hospitality sector to exploit. We are delighted to so involved in the business scene here and really do want to help local hospitality businesses take advantage of those opportunities.

Our team of lawyers have a wealth of experience in doing just that; having helped clients with a huge range of legal issues across the industry. From setting up a local coffee shop, buying the freehold to a pub and the business running from it, resolving a dispute over ownership of a restaurant, opening a new hotel in Oxford, advising on tricky employment issues and taking leases to allow clients to franchise their business. And that’s to name but a few! As real experts in the sector, our team understand the nuances and intricacies of doing deals and resolving disputes for those businesses.

We have recently strengthened our commercial team by adding two new faces; consolidating the services we can offer to hospitality businesses with our existing commercial property and dispute resolution teams.

Carl Selby joined Hedges in October to head up and grow our Business Services team. He is a company / commercial specialist and advises businesses on a wide range of legal issues from starting or buying a business through to selling it (and pretty much everything they need in between). He has particular expertise in helping clients develop their internal structure, secure or make investments to grow their www.b4-business.com

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Roy Magara

business and selling their businesses when the time is right. He has acted for many SMEs and takes a proactive and pragmatic approach to getting deals done for clients.

Carl says “I look forward to getting to know local businesses and building lasting relationships with them. The hospitality industry in Oxfordshire is certainly thriving and I am relishing the chance to work with businesses to think up new and exciting ways to help them grow.”

“ The hospitality

industry in Oxfordshire is certainly thriving and I am relishing the chance to work with businesses to think up new and exciting ways to help them grow

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Carl Selby - Hedges Law

changing field of employment law and rights available to employees puts forward a strong case for businesses to have someone on board who can advise them on what their obligations are as an employer.”

With Carl and Roy added to the team, we can help hospitality businesses: • As they start up and get the right structure in place at an early stage; • Buy and lease premises; • Get or make investments to help them grow; • Franchise themselves to grow into new markets; • Ensure their documents, policies and procedures comply with Employment Law; • Resolve disputes, including those with their employees or other businesses; and • Sell or leave their business.

If you want to find out more about how we can help you or your business or want to discuss a specific issue, please call Carl on 01865 594 278 or email him at carl.selby@hedgeslaw.co.uk.

For employment law related matters, please call Roy on 01865 594 272 or email him at roy.magara@ hedgeslaw.co.uk.

Roy Magara, a Solicitor Advocate joined Hedges’ Dispute Resolution team in August. He specialises in employment law and has been instructed to advise employers, HR advisors and employees in both contentious and non-contentious matters.

In relation to employers’ growing obligation towards their employees, Roy said “The fast-paced nature of the hospitality industry coupled with the ever-

 info@hedgeslaw.co.uk  01865 594 265  www.hedgeslaw.co.uk

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OXFORD BASED MEDICAL COMPANY EXPANDS WITH NEW UK AND US OFFICES Following significant business growth, Perspectum Diagnostics, the company behind a revolutionary new medical device that removes the need for costly and painful liver biopsies, is set to graduate from serviced offices at Oxford Centre for Innovation to fully leased offices at Beaver House, Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford.

Written by: Kelly Lea Photography by: Ric Mellis

The University of Oxford spin-out has more than tripled its headcount in addition to opening two US offices in the last two years due to the success of its LiverMultiScan, a new way of assessing disease in the liver by measuring the amount of fat, iron, fibrosis and inflammation of the liver in the same scan.

To facilitate the company’s rapid growth, vital business support has been provided from Oxford Innovation Services via Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) advisors, leading to the award of two major grants totalling €4.5million in addition to providing Perspectum Diagnostics with market data assisting with international expansion.

Dr. Rajarshi Banerjee, one of the four founders and CEO of Perspectum Diagnostics, said: “Thanks to the extended network provided by Oxford Innovation, we’ve received significant financial investment and access to reliable market data that has enabled us to speed-up the adoption of our technology in the UK and internationally in addition to developing our R&D portfolio. We are also working with a Polish software company to develop a new way of diagnosing liver disease in children.”

Innovation Advisor, Jakub Rakoczy, of Oxford Innovation Services, explains: “Perspectum was originally focussed on R&D activities but its founders came

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to recognise that they required external business support to complement their scientific expertise. We assisted them in securing Horizon 2020, SME Instrument and Eurostars funding and used our unique Oxford Innovation GROWTHmapper tool to assess their strengths and weaknesses whilst gaining a deeper understanding of how the management teams were aligned in their views of the business.”

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When we first moved to OCFI we were at an early phase of innovation but we have been able to grow within the centre avoiding costly overheads and are now ready to graduate into our own offices Dr. Rajarshi Banerjee - CEO, Perspectum Diagnostics

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Perspectum Diagnostics first moved to Oxford Centre for Innovation (OCFI), managed by Oxford Innovation, in November 2013, occupying a five-person office. The company has expanded several times within the centre.

Dr. Banerjee said: “Oxford Innovation has played an important role in our

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L-R: Jakub Rakoczy, Innovation Advisor of Oxford innovation Services. Margaret Hewitt, Centre Directory OCFI & Dr. Rajarshi Banerjee CEO of Perspectum Diagnostics

“

Oxford Innovation has played an important role in our success. Through being based at OCFI we were automatically surrounded by other technology and medical organisations as the set-up appeals to people in similar industries

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Dr. Rajarshi Banerjee - CEO, Perspectum Diagnostics

success. Through being based at OCFI we were automatically surrounded by other technology and medical organisations as the set-up appeals to people in similar industries. When we first moved to OCFI we were at an early phase of innovation but we have been able to grow within the centre avoiding costly overheads and are now ready to graduate into our own offices.”

The UK team of over 40 employees will move to Beaver House next month where the company has signed a 2-year lease to occupy a 8,000 sq. ft. office.

Dr. Banerjee concludes: “We will bid a sad farewell to the OCFI team and look forward to continuing our relationship with Oxford Innovation as we continue

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to grow the business from Beaver House.

Ultimately, we are purely about patient care and hope that if a patient is suspected to have liver disease, they will be diagnosed within minutes without the need for a painful and costly biopsy, irrespective of where they live in the world.”

Perspectum’s LiverMultiScan device is currently under consideration by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for adoption by the NHS for liver diagnosis, which could lead to significant savings of £500 per patient for a disease that currently effects 15 – 20 per cent of the UK’s population.

   

offices@oxin.co.uk 01865 261 480 www.oxin.co.uk @oxinnovation

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INSPIRING OUR NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND INNOVATORS John Boyle, Chairman of The Oxford Trust, talks about Stansfeld Park - a unique project to build an innovation centre and the UK's first indoor/outdoor primary science education centre on the city's doorstep If you’ve never heard of The Oxford Trust before, let me enlighten you. We’re an independent charitable trust that was founded in 1985 by Sir Martin and Lady (Audrey) Wood – founders of Oxford Instruments and two of the region’s most influential science entrepreneurs. They believed then, as we still do now, that science matters. It impacts on everything we do, our quality of life, our environment and our economy.

Oxford is one of the country’s prime centres for science-based research and enterprise and the future of our high-tech economy depends on creating a pool of young talented scientists and entrepreneurs.

It’s a journey that starts at primary school where, given the inspiration and opportunity, children can develop a passion for science, technology, engineering and maths that will last a lifetime. It’s also the basis for the Trust’s core aims: • Education - To inspire young people about science, technology, engineering and maths.

• Engagement - To encourage people of all ages to engage with how science impacts their lives.

• Enterprise - To support economic growth by encouraging innovation.

• My involvement with the Trust goes back thirty years to when I was a young entrepreneur who wanted to set up a business but needed affordable office space and an entrepreneurial community. The Oxford Trust gave me a Portakabin, a desk and a phone line and the rest is history; my company – Oxford Computer Consultants – now employs over 100 people and that is in no small way thanks to the support the Trust gave me back in the 1980s.

STANSFELD PARK

OUR PLANS

In January 2016 the Trust acquired the lease for the Stansfeld Outdoor Education Centre (SOEC) on Quarry Road in Headington. The site really is one of Oxford’s hidden gems. A stone’s throw from Shotover Park and inside the ring road, it includes 15 acres of woodland, a variety of ponds and wildlife as diverse as Muntjac deer and great crested newts.

The site’s history dates back to 1919 when it was bought by John Stansfeld – then the Rector of St Ebbe’s – to provide a country retreat for the urban poor of Oxford and parish children from Birmingham.

Subject to planning, we want to create a purposebuilt innovation centre and science education centre on the site – which we have named Stansfeld Park.

The innovation centre will combine much-needed office space for locally-based science and innovation SMEs with a science education centre dedicated to primary-aged children. The currently overgrown woodland will be regenerated and opened up to the public and local community. Here’s what Stansfeld Park will offer:

Local families would go on ‘holiday’ to Stansfeld, with the men walking back in to Oxford every day to work. The site was later sold to Birmingham Education Authority, who ran it as an outdoor education centre until 2014. As is often the way, lack of funds meant that the centre and land started to fall in to disrepair: but where others saw decline, the Trust saw opportunity.

The site is situated close to Oxford Brookes University, the Old Road science campus and other research departments within the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, making it a prime location for health science entrepreneurs looking to create a start-up. The woodland is a perfect setting for inspiring children about science – everything from photosynthesis and wind power to ecological surveying and the life cycle of sticklebacks.

For the Trust, this was a great chance to invest in the area and fulfil our aims of supporting enterprise, education and engagement.

THE UK’S FIRST INDOOR/OUTDOOR PRIMARY SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTRE which will provide inspiring and informative hands-on science experiences for primary school-aged pupils and their families. Our experienced Science Oxford schools team will develop and deliver exciting activities for pupils across the region that combine both the natural and physical sciences. The centre will also run CPD programmes to enable teachers to develop their science teaching skills.

A NEW INNOVATION CENTRE for start-up and grow-on companies and entrepreneurs working in science and technology. We already have a successful innovation centre in Oxford – the Oxford Centre for Innovation – that supports early-stage businesses and are keen to grow this part of our mission.

A MANAGED WOODLAND ENVIRONMENT that will support the education centre and provide access into this previously private location for the general public and community groups such as forest schools.

Our experienced Science “Oxford Schools team will

develop and deliver exciting activities for pupils across the region that combine both the natural and physical sciences.

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“

The Oxford Trust gave me a Portakabin, a desk and a phone line and the rest is history; my company – Oxford Computer Consultants – now employs over 100 people and that is in no small way thanks to the support the Trust gave me back in the 1980s

”

A 100-SEAT THEATRE that will be used for school workshops, family shows and be available for use by the local community. There will also be an onsite café for workers and visitors.

A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL The key to making Stansfeld a success will be sustainability and it’s a business model that the Trust already employs. We run the OCFI to support early-stage science innovation businesses and reinvest the income the building generates to support projects and initiatives of our own and those of like-minded organisations. For example, the core operation costs of our public-facing brand Science Oxford are funded through this model – as is our support for Venturefest Oxford, Oxford Hackspace Ltd and the Trust’s annual Enterprise Awards.

Income from the innovation centre at Stansfeld Park will be reinvested to support the operational costs of the new science education centre.

And that’s a good message to send – we’re supporting entrepreneurs who in turn are supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. We’re also supporting both ends of the region’s innovation ecosystem, from inspiring young children about the wonders of science to providing the space for science entrepreneurs to develop and grow their businesses.

GETTING INVOLVED If all goes to plan, we’re hoping to have Stansfeld Park open for business by the end of 2018. Of course, we can’t do any of this alone and are working with partners and supporters across the region to make our vision a reality. So if you’re interested in getting involved – especially with the science education centre – we’d love to hear from you. Contact Wendy Twist, Head of Development.

CONTACT DETAILS

 wendy.twist@scienceoxford.com  01865 810 019  www.theoxfordtrust.co.uk

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venues

A FUNDRAISING DINNER

IN SUPPORT OF HELEN AND DOUGLAS HOUSE

FEATURING OUT OF THE BLUE

OXFORD'S ALL MALE ACAPELLA GROUP For more information, visit kingscentre.co.uk

The King’s Centre, Oxford: We Bend Over Backwards for You We look after you so that you can look after your clients/delegates too...

Written by: Mark Poniatowski

Photography by: Rob Scotcher

So there it is. You’ve been lumped with the task of organizing the staff training day. Great. Your inbox is already full. Your boss is on your back to get a date in the diary. But Bob in accounts is not replying to his emails (no surprise there…); Sally from HR is on maternity (but ‘might be back for the big day, put me down as a maybe xxx’); Jane will only come if a superfood salad is on the lunch menu, but James wants a three course meal! (as a side note, there’s probably not the budget for it. What is the budget anyway? And who do I ask…). You’re going to need a venue with good natural daylight to satisfy the powers that be, and you need to find somewhere with wheelchair access so Anne can get involved too! Meanwhile your kids are off school for the half term holidays, your husband is on a business trip and the childminders are full for the week…

The last thing that you need is a venue tugging at your sleeves as well; a faceless organization who get upset when your requirements don’t fit their boxes; a complex web of emails, phone calls and hoops to www.b4-business.com

jump through which always seem to end up with you falling between the cracks; that nagging sense that you’re making their lives hard, even though you’re trying your best!

We offer a bespoke “service, with a range of room sizes and catering packages.

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At the King’s Centre we look after you so that you can look after your delegates too. We know that you’re busy and stressed. We know that there’s an unlimited flow of jobs in your inbox every day. We know that you could be working until way after hours if you wanted, and still be busy at 9am the next day.

So we want to make your life as easy as possible.

We offer a bespoke service, with a range of room sizes and catering packages. Our head chef Max

is as flexible as he is talented, and will bend over backwards to provide you with any delicious treats that you may desire (he even makes sandwiches taste amazing.). Most importantly we work with you every step of the way to ensure that your booking experience is as smooth and bump-free as possible.

So why not drop in for a visit? Sit down. My colleague will get you a coffee, but let’s have a chat. By the way, would you like a tour…

 bookings@kingscentre.co.uk  01865 297 400  www.kingscentre.co.uk

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Forthcoming B4 Event  Don't miss out on our next events, sign up today!

B4 Classic Event at Hartwell House DATE: TIME: VENUE:

WEDNESDAY 11TH JANUARY 2017 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM HARTWELL HOUSE HOTEL & SPA, OXFORD ROAD, AYLESBURY, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, HP17 8NR

B4 / MGroup Golf Cup 2017 DATE: TIME: VENUE:

WEDNESDAY 28TH JUNE 2017 FROM 12:30 PM FRILFORD HEATH GOLF CLUB, ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE, OX13 5NW

B4 is pleased to announce that our first 2017 event will be held at the magnificent Hartwell House Hotel, set in 90 acres of landscaped parkland near Aylesbury.

Hartwell House is no stranger to people of influence: its most famous resident was Louis XVIII, exiled King of France, who lived here with his court for five years.

Built from the early 17th century, this Grade I listed building in Buckinghamshire today has 52 bedrooms, all individually furnished with fine pictures and antiques.

There are 32 luxurious bedrooms, including four poster bedrooms, in the house, 16 suites and bedrooms in the Hartwell Court and a further 4 bedrooms in the Old Rectory. The house has both Jacobean and Georgian features with outstanding decorative plaster-work and panelling in all four of the drawing rooms.

As a B4 Classic Event, the evening will consist of relaxed networking, with canapes and drinks provided.

Now in its 11th year the B4 / MGroup Golf competition is widely regarded as the leading Corporate Golf challenge in Oxfordshire. 2017’s event will be held on Wednesday 28th June on the Blue Course at Frilford Heath Golf Club. Call Colin Rosser on 01865 742211 to book your team.

REGISTER YOUR PLACE NOW

REGISTER YOUR PLACE NOW

 www.b4-business.com/event/ b4-classic-event-hartwell-house  01865 742211  events@b4-business.com

 01865 742211  events@b4-business.com

www.b4-business.com

Frilford Heath Golf Club is located to the South of Oxford on 500 acres of glorious undulating Heathland and is one of the best venues in the south of England; rarely can a golf club offer three championship golf courses (Red, Green and Blue) that allow the opportunity to revel in their classical or modern challenge!

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Conference@OxfordSaid Catering Facilities Award winning catering and attentive service from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Written by: Said Business School

Quality, variety and choice are the essentials of our cuisine, complemented by a professional and friendly service.

The focus of the award-winning catering team at Oxford Saïd is on the quality and standard of the food offering, with locally sourced British produce, and sustainably sourced fish. All meat is from farms which satisfy UK animal welfare standards.

We ensure all of our fish suppliers are accredited by the MCS (Marine Conversation Society). This means that we can claim our fish suppliers only catch sustainable fish in a sustainable way (line/rod) meaning no other species are caught as a by-product.

Oxford Saïd holds the Soil Association’s Food for Life Catering Mark. We were one of the first business schools to achieve this, which is something we are immensely proud of.

The catering team are fully equipped to deal with any allergen or dietary requirements and are consistently finding new and innovative ways to accommodate these requirements such as the “free from” range. We believe food and drink are essential to the success of any event.

From a comprehensive breakfast to a sophisticated evening banquet with entertainment; our talented team are on hand to tailor a menu to suit your individual requirements. We have a selection of menus available, so you are sure to find an option to suit everyone.

Menu options: • Hot and cold breakfast with juices and tea/coffee • Hot or cold buffet lunch • Premium and classic deli lunch (working lunch) • Refreshment breaks throughout the day • Three-course evening dinner including half bottle of wine, coffee and petit fours. www.b4-business.com

Alternatively we are happy to discuss bespoke requirements to suit all budgets.

of facilities and accommodation complemented by affordable rates.

Both Egrove Park and Park End Street offer excellent bar facilities, set within elegant surroundings, offering attentive service for a drinks reception or a networking event.

Our day delegate rate (DDR) includes: • Professional event coordination by our dedicated conference team • Main meeting room hire from 9am–5pm • Arrival, morning and afternoon refreshments, including a selection of hot drinks and biscuits, served in our dedicated refreshment and networking spaces • Two course hot or cold buffet lunch served in the dining room • Standard audio visual equipment, including flipchart, Wi-Fi, data projector, and screen • Initial AV set-up and on-call AV support • Complimentary Wi-Fi • Delegate stationery • Bottled water and sweets • Complimentary car parking (Egrove Park only)

The dining room at Egrove Park overlooks the beautiful 37 acre grounds of rural parkland, whilst the Pyramid dining room at Park End Street offers panoramic views over Oxford's dreaming spires.

Delegates can expect two-three servings of tea, coffee and a selection of biscuits/ mini pastries and granola bars throughout the day as standard during refreshment breaks.

Our excellent catering team also offer: Corporate Christmas parties • Hot seated buffet or plated menu options available with complimentary tea, coffee and mince pies • Cash or account bar • Discreet security • Entertainment options Gala dinners and award ceremonies • 3 course plated dinners with wine • Entertainment options Wedding breakfasts • 3 course plated dinners • Drinks packages – including a non-alcoholic drinks package • Children under 5 eat for free • Entertainment options We know that planning an event can seem daunting, especially with all the hidden extras so we have simplified our pricing with all-inclusive delegate rates, including all our fantastic catering options.

We pride ourselves on offering an excellent standard

Book a conference or event by the end of the year and receive 20% off your booking and all future bookings until the end of the year (new bookings only). Please quote B416 when making a booking.

For further information on our services see: www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/school/conference-venueand-facilities-hire or contact us below.

 Conference@sbs.ox.ac.uk  01865 288 846  www.sbs.ox.ac.uk

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Goldstar is an independent Recruitment Agency based in North Oxford, right by Blenheim Palace. As a business we specialise in Commercial and Hospitality and offer both temporary and permanent solutions across these sectors. You will often find our temp staff working at Oxfordshire’s sporting venues, heritage sites, colleges, restaurants and hotels

Our Hospitality Division can source, or supply Chefs of all levels Restaurant and General Managers Front of House & Bar staff Events Reception & Reservations Our specialist Commercial Division covers Sales, Marketing, HR, Finance, Customer Service & Office Support. We work with a variety of businesses in Oxfordshire from start-ups, through to large Nationals.

Looking to fill a vacancy, or need temporary support?

If so, please call the office on 01993 225 075 or visit; www.goldstarrecruit.co.uk

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venues

Oxford Brookes Conference Services With an already impressive portfolio of spaces to choose from, Oxford Brookes University will soon have refurbished meetings space in Swindon plus an incredibly impressive new facility on site in Headington to show off. B4 met with Operations Manager, Becky Rossiter, to find out more.

Written by: Richard Rosser Photography by: Lee Atherton

Currently undergoing refurbishment, The Clerici building will, alongside the Sandler building, create brand new teaching and learning spaces. Each building will be reclad, providing a new exterior façade.

The refurbishment of Clerici (including former library spaces) is well underway and will provide a new home to the Faculty of Business. The Business School will relocate from Wheatley Campus as part of this move, expected in time for the start of the 2017/18 academic year.

As well as the new Faculty of Business spaces, the Clerici project will create: • 28 teaching rooms and a collaborative lecture theatre for use across all subjects • social learning space with cafe • a new gateway into the Headington Campus.

• specific conference space The Main Hall will also be rebuilt, bringing a flexible, new space for teaching – and events like graduations. The exterior spaces outside Clerici will be landscaped, providing more usable green space, with natural light a key feature of the new gateway and social learning spaces.

Becky explains how this fantastic new space will also prove invaluable to businesses looking for state of the art conference and meeting space. “This will be a massive boost for us and will bring another large lecture theatre (seating up to 160) on stream to www.b4-business.com

satisfy the demand which is seemingly insatiable for the 320 seat lecture theatre hanging (literally) inside the John Henry Brookes venue.”

There are already some seriously impressive facilities available at the Headington Campus and Becky emphasises the flexibility of one space in particular.

“The Terrace is a fantastic space, day or night. It welcomes light during the day and transforms into a wonderful venue at night when lit. Seating 160 on round tables, on site catering is provided by Compass and we have had hosted some wonderful occasions for day and night time events.

“We have also recently hosted an international robotics conference which took over teaching rooms and the Terrace. There were amazing robots flown in from all over the world and this event in particular showed how flexible our event and conferencing spaces can be.”

With a range of venues available, Oxford Brookes Conference Services can provide the perfect venue for your next conference, meeting or function. The team will be on hand at every stage to provide everything that you will need to ensure that you have a successful and memorable event.

Whether you are looking for a small interview space for a handful of people or a larger meeting room, Oxford Brookes Conference Services can provide a venue to perfectly match your requirements.

As well as first class meeting spaces, they provide comprehensive audio-visual and IT resources throughout. Wi-Fi access is complimentary across all venues.

There are a range of delegate packages that include catering, meeting room hire, audio visual equipment and on-site support. So whether you are just looking for room hire or a lunch meeting there’s a package suited to you.

The packages focus on value for money but also provide flexibility on: • Duration: a range of full and half day packages are available.

• Service: a basic DDR rate is available which can then be personalised to meet requirements.

Meeting rooms are available to hire all year round but there is greater availability in the evenings, at weekends and during non-term times (January and summer).

Call the team to discuss your meeting and event requirements or visit the website to see more information about Oxford Brooke’s Conference Services’ wide range of venues and services: CONTACT DETAILS

 conferences@brookes.ac.uk  01865 488 400  www.brookes.ac.uk/conference-services 91

B4 NAMED RUNNER UP IN PRESTIGIOUS FINANCIAL MEDIA AWARDS The winners of the Santander Media Awards 2016 were announced at a prestigious awards ceremony held on Wednesday 16th November at The Banking Hall, London, presented by former Olympian Mark Foster. From over 250 entries, a panel of more than 20 independent judges decided that the below list of journalists and publications produced the best articles, copy and broadcast features this year.

B4 came runners up in the SME / Enterprise Title of the Year category, being pipped to the post by Cambridge Business. Editor, Richard Rosser, commented, “To be recognised at the same awards as names such as The Times, Financial Times and the BBC shows how highly rated B4 is and this is a great reward for the team at B4 and the hard work they put in. Maybe next year we can finally topple Cambridge!”

WINNERS AND RUNNERS UP OF THE SANTANDER UK MEDIA AWARDS 2016 Individual Awards

Team Awards

Financial Trade Newcomer of the Year Winner: Christine Dawson – New Model Adviser Runner-up: Jayna Rana – Investment Week

Financial Consumer Journalist of the Year Winner: Andrew Ellson – The Times Runner-up: Claer Barrett – Financial Times

Financial Trade Journalist of the Year Winner: Samantha Partington – Mortgage Solutions Runner-up: Hannah Uttley – Mortgage Solutions

Moneyblogger of the Year Winner: Iona Bain – Young Money Runner-up: Rebecca O’Connor – Good with Money

SME / Enterprise Journalist of the Year Winner: Ellie Lawrie – This is Money Runner-up: Kate Palmer – The Daily Telegraph Financial Freelance Journalist of the Year Winner: John Arlidge Runner-up: Ruth Jackson Contribution to Personal Finance Education Winner: Jeff Prestridge – Mail on Sunday Runner-up: Simon Lambert – This is Money Financial Consumer Newcomer of the Year Winner: Marina Gerner – Money Observer Runner-up: Aime Williams – Financial Times

Personal Finance Broadcast Journalist of the Year Winner: Sean Farrington – BBC Runner-up: Georgie Frost – Share Radio Online Journalist of the Year Winner: John Fitzsimons – Lovemoney.com Runner-up: Lee Boyce – This is Money Consumer Article of the Year Winner: Laura Shannon Trade Article of the Year Winner: Sam Brodbeck

SME/Enterprise Title of the Year Winner: Cambridge Business Runner-up: B4 Magazine Financial Trade / Professional Title of the Year Winner: Financial Advisor Runner-up: Money Marketing Financial National Title of the Year Winner: The Times Runner-up: FT Money Personal Finance Trade / Professional Website of the Year Winner: FT Adviser Runner-up: Wealth Manager Financial Consumer Website of the Year Winner: This is Money Runner-up: MoneySavingExpert.com

B4

who's who

WHO'S WHO...

Jeremy Rawlinson GENERAL MANAGER, DELIVEROO MEET JEREMY Jeremy is a General Manager at Deliveroo, overseeing business operations and expansion across South East England, South West England, Wales and the Midlands. He joined Deliveroo two years ago as a Market Launch Manager, successfully coordinating the company’s early expansion programme across London and the UK, before moving onto become a regional manager. His first city launch was in fact Oxford. In October of last year, Jeremy then moved into his current role.

Jeremy has strong entrepreneurial experience, and with a background in logistics it is no wonder he is such a fundamental part of the Deliveroo team. Having studied Business Management at Exeter he went on to start up two of his own businesses; Encompass Travel and The Salcombe Delivery Company. The latter was in fact an alternative food delivery company delivering quality local produce to homes and yachts in the area of Salcombe. Before working at Deliveroo, Jeremy was a market launch lead at handmade hospitality pioneer, onefinestay, where guests have the chance to stay in the finest homes in cities across the world.

ABOUT DELIVEROO Deliveroo is an award-winning delivery service founded in 2013 by William Shu and Greg Orlowski. Deliveroo works with over 16,000 best-loved restaurants, as well as over 20,000 riders to provide the best food delivery experience in the world.

Deliveroo is headquartered in London, with more than 800 employees in offices around the globe. Deliveroo operates in over 100 cities across 12 countries, including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Deliveroo is focused on providing the ultimate food delivery experience.

Customers have the option to schedule orders via the Deliveroo app up to one day in advance or receive food as soon as possible between 12pm and 11pm, from a variety of leading local, high street favourites and the best independent restaurants, who otherwise may not offer delivery, conveniently delivered to their homes and offices.

CONTACT ME  support@deliveroo.co.uk  0203 322 3444  https://deliveroo.co.uk  /Deliveroo  @Deliveroo

www.b4-business.com

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MPS: The Lowdown –

Everything you need to know about Managed Print Services For most companies, spend on printing (including consumables, hardware and maintenance) is the third highest operating cost expense behind building rent at number one and wages at number two. That’s a lot of money when you consider that around 90% of companies couldn’t tell you exactly how many printers they have in their workplace! Also due to the current economic climate prices are increasing on toners and paper which will only add to this operating cost expenditure.

Written by: Gemma Mallon

How can you save to limit this expense? Invest in a Managed Print Service (MPS). MPS in their many different forms allows you to take control of printing in your office. It probably won't surprise you too much that almost half of all small to medium sized businesses have no idea what they are spending on printing. This includes maintaining the hardware, which generally is unforeseen plus how much they are spending on supplies, such as ink and paper. It’s clear we need to take back control of what’s happening with our printers!

“ Office printing can account for 3% of revenue” Aston and James are here to help. Their MPS offering is designed entirely around you! It frees you up to focus on what really matters – your business.

Aston and James manage your print and document infrastructure for you, ensuring that at all times you have the right combination of fully functioning and supported hardware and software for your business needs.

How does MPS work?

By monitoring usage across all printers in your

building, MPS allows you to take control over what you're spending through on-going reporting of what is happening in your office. The data collected across all printing activity including printing, copying, scanning

“ MPS can save you money, time and valuable resources”

and faxing is then analysed and recommendations can be made to stream line how your printers are used. Recommendations may include moving printers to more accessible places in your office in order to maximise their usage, or dropping 'local' printers which tend to be un-networked and used by only one or two people making them pretty unproductive. The software installed on your printer in order to monitor usage also has another benefit, it can keep tabs on how much toner or ink is being used and can automatically re order new cartridges so you never have a down-day when the machine is empty.

Would it work for me?

By pulling all the print-related equipment around your business together and managing it as one consolidated infrastructure, you should expect to reduce the total number of devices you need.

This consolidation is also an opportunity for you to control how the equipment is used, and drive your total document volumes down. A fully managed infrastructure will deliver increased resilience and security. With reduced waste and environmental impact, you could look to optimise the paper processes and workflows you operate in-house. Your new print infrastructure can be used to digitise and automate your paper workflows which will drive up efficiency and staff productivity.

“ Businesses spend

on average 50% more on printing than what they have budgeted for

”

Don’t under-estimate where an MPS can deliver benefits. These can often come from surprising areas and generate soft cost savings too. Aston and James customers consistently inform them of how their pro-active servicing has slashed the number of calls their in-house IT Service desks receive, freeing up valuable skilled staff to redeploy on value-added projects elsewhere in-house.

Generally, an assessment of current printing habits will reveal potential cost savings in almost every office

“ A whopping 10% of

consumables are lost before they even make it to the printer, requiring a costly re-order!

”

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www.b4-business.com

but there are a few industries where the savings can be quite astounding. Document-intensive offices can benefit the most with law firms for example seeing a potential 41% cost saving with the right managed print solution. Similarly, financial firms and healthcare organisations can save 33% and 27% respectively.

Why not let Aston and James help you save with their Managed Print Service...

If you are unsure how much printing is costing you and would welcome a predictable, competitive monthly cost, then MPS may be the solution for you. It enables you to free up time, automate toner re-ordering and reduce print downtime.

Aston and James can manage all your print needs in just 4 simple steps...

1

MEASURE They will conduct a thorough assessment of your current equipment and staff usage, and measure your key document processes against your business objectives to inform a detailed strategy suitable for your business.

2

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DESIGN Aston and James will design the optimal infrastructure for you which may include retaining some devices you already have, rationalising the fleet down to the right size and mix, and introducing new technology as required.

They will also agree the account management, servicing and support required. For many customers their consolidated billing service proves invaluable and is another major benefit of MPS.

potential issues but when you need on-site service they are committed to respond rapidly with first time fix rates of over 93%. Live remote monitoring of your equipment can also deliver real value. As well as minimising the need for your staff to intervene with devices, order and manage toner cartridges, or give meter readings, you will also see reduced demands on your internal IT support desk as your MPS service will pro-actively manage your devices.

3 4

Where to go from here? Contact Aston and James today to find out more about this service. They will work with you to develop with the right option to suit your business and its needs.

IMPLEMENT Transitioning to your new MPS and equipment is simple and straightforward.

To minimise disruption Aston and James pre-configure all equipment to network IP address level. There is also training available if required.

DELIVER Aston and James promise pro-active monitoring of your equipment; just-intime delivery of consumables before you need them; real meter readings taken from your equipment automatically and pre-emptive fleet management to maximise your uptime. Aston and James’ Managed Print Service will pre-empt many

CONTACT DETAILS

 sales@aston-james.co.uk  01993 706 900  www.aston-james.co.uk

“ On average, toners are replaced when there is still 14% ink left in the cartridge!”

www.b4-business.com

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Discover ...

WHERE OXFORD BEGAN...

Enjoy an exciting journey back in time to experience a wealth of history and heritage mixed with a 21st century welcome.

www.oxfordcastlequarter.com

Join the pure-fibre revolution Business in Reading is about to get a whole lot faster. CityFibre is now opening up an ultra-fast pure-fibre network, unleashing the digital capabilities of businesses with gigabit speed internet connectivity – up to 100 times faster than standard business connections.

Find out more and register your interest at cityfibre.com/Reading In partnership with

B4

services

Chiltern to launch new direct service from central Oxford to London Marylebone Written by: Nicola Clark, Head of External Affairs, Chiltern Railways

Chiltern Railways will launch their first direct service between Oxford city centre and London Marylebone on the 12th December 2016. This will follow the completion of the final section of track between Oxford Parkway and Oxford station and means that the first new rail link between a major British city and London in over 100 years will be fully open.

The landmark achievement will increase the transport options for Oxfordshire residents to access London and provides easy commuting into Oxford from the growing town Bicester and vice versa. This extension of the Chiltern Railways service from the successful new station, Oxford Parkway is keenly awaited and will be welcomed by daily commuters and leisure customers alike.

Passengers at Oxford will have a choice of fast Chiltern Railways trains throughout the day from Oxford station to London Marylebone with journey times from around an hour. The trains will be geared to business and leisure travellers providing free Wi-Fi, power sockets and spacious seating.

www.b4-business.com

Not only will the “competition of the

route deliver significant social, economic and environmental benefits for those living and working along the route, it will support growth of the visitor economy bringing more tourists to the city to experience everything Oxford has to offer.

”

Dave Penney, Managing Director - Chiltern Railways

Dave Penney, Managing Director at Chiltern Railways said: “Not only will the competition of the route deliver significant social, economic and environmental benefits for those living and working along the route, it will support growth of the visitor economy bringing more tourists to the city to experience everything Oxford has to offer."

Martin Frobisher, Managing Director of Network Rail's London North Western route, said: "This important landmark in our nationwide Railway Upgrade Plan will offer a great new travel option not just for business and leisure passengers in Oxford going to London but also for those in London heading to Oxford. It will bring economic benefits to the Oxford region and with it new opportunities for people living there."

CONTACT DETAILS

 press@chilternrailways.co.uk  03456 005 165  www.chilternrailways.co.uk 97

The Perfect Stage: Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons Created by celebrated chef Raymond Blanc OBE, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons is renowned for offering one of Britain's finest gastronomic experiences. Situated in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Great Milton, it is also one of the country's most cherished manor house hotels, with 32 individually designed guest rooms and suites.

Written by: Richard Rosser Photography by: Belmond Le Manoir

PRIVATE EVENTS IN LA BELLE ÉPOQUE Whether hosting a memorable meeting or a stylish small party, the creation of the private dining rooms, right at the heart of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, is designed to give you the best experience. The food and hospitality will equal the quality of our 2 Michelin starred restaurant.

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Our private dining room can be hired for flawless events and can accommodate between 15 and 50 guests. Hire includes use of the Provençal-style reception room, secluded walled garden, dining room and La Belle Époque Conservatory.

Overlooking the 15th century manor house and gardens, the Conservatory has a private entrance and provides a bright, open space for post-dinner aperitifs and receptions. In warm weather, guests can enjoy drinks on the terrace or www.b4-business.com

B4

corp. life

“

Clients and colleagues will be amazed by a gastronomic retreat to Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Get creative! For a fun day out, why not bring your team to The Raymond Blanc Cookery School

”

croquet on the lawn. In winter, an open fire in the reception room ensures a cosy welcome.

HIRE FEATURES:

INCENTIVE DAYS AT THE RAYMOND BLANC COOKERY SCHOOL

• Personalised headed menus, a table plan and individual place cards • Choice of menus created by Raymond Blanc • Dedicated restaurant team • Flipcharts, projectors and other conference equipment • Air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible

Clients and colleagues will be amazed by a gastronomic retreat to Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Get creative! For a fun day out, why not bring your team to The Raymond Blanc Cookery School? Encourage your colleagues to work together as the pace hots up. You may be surprised at who is the ‘dab-hand’ in the kitchen and who can’t ‘stand the heat’.

FOR EXCLUSIVE USE

WINE & DINE PACKAGE

Belmond Le Manoir resonates to the sound of laughter and celebration. You can hire the entire hotel for your party’s private use.

Impress friends, family or colleagues with the best private dining Oxford has to offer.

An exclusive use experience usually begins at 3pm with afternoon tea. Enjoy tours of the garden or a wine tasting with our Chef Sommelier before relaxing in any of our 32 rooms and suites.

Evenings begin with a champagne reception before heading to the restaurant for Raymond Blanc’s signature dinner. Live music can also be arranged. www.b4-business.com

Begin with a wine tasting tour through our acclaimed cellars followed by champagne and canapés, the perfect way to welcome you to The Raymond Blanc Cookery School for an expert demonstration. Finally, enjoy a four-course dinner with accompanying wines, coffee and petits fours.

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford, OX44 7PD, UK

JOIN B4 AT THE FIRST B4 PLATINUM ‘100’ DINNER ON FEBRUARY 22ND 2017 If you would like to experience Belmond Le Manoir for yourself alongside B4 Platinum’s members, book a ticket to our first Platinum ‘100’ Dinner. Includes Champagne du Manoir and canapés reception; four course dinner sommelier selected wines, coffee and petits fours. For all bookings please call 01865 742211.

Places strictly limited to 48.

CONTACT DETAILS

 event.mqs@belmond.com  01844 277 215  www.belmond.com 99

O X F O R D 27-29 George Street, Oxford, OX1 2AU. 01865 251194 www.pintshop.co.uk

Join B4 Now

Honouring businesses within North Oxfordshire

Applications are now open for the 10 award categories – Deadline is 31st January 2017 Visit www.cherwellbusinessawards.co.uk

CherwellBusinessAwards

Cherwell Business Awards

www.cherwellbusinessawards.co.uk

@pintshop

@CherBizAwards

Join B4 today to see your business listed here in the Contacts Directory.

Memberships start from just ÂŁ250+VAT a year and entitle you to magazine, website & social media exposure, and free attendance at all B4 networking events.

Call us today on 01865 742211 for more information or see website. www.b4-business.com

B4

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corp. life

Danesfield House Hotel and “Spa is quite simply a luxury country house hotel with a charm and character that cannot be compared.

”

DANESFIELD HOUSE HOTEL & SPA

A luxurious country retreat created over twenty five years ago from a magnificent family home which became one of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Written by: Cheryl Marner Photography by: Mark Seymour

The main house completed in 1901 is a unique, dazzling, bright white building featuring striking Italian Renaissance style architecture with castle style turrets, tall chimney pots and an impressive 30 metre high clock tower. Internally the house boasts an airy lavish feel to include a vaulted panelled Grand Hall complete with Minstrel’s Gallery and a large reception room with original hand painted murals replicating a dining room in the Palace of Versailles seating up to one hundred guests comfortably for a stunning banquet or wedding celebration. A beautiful south facing terrace at the rear of the hotel overlooks the established topiary, gardens and river beyond.

This quintessentially British hotel offers seventy eight luxury bedrooms in total, beautiful private dining rooms and relaxing reception areas and lounges, the hotel also has the added benefit of a luxury Spa for residents and hotel guests. A sanctuary of elegance and calm awaits, offering guests an escape from the busy lifestyles and hectic schedules of modern life. Spa Illuminata Danesfield House uses luxury La Vallee, Darphin and Aromatherapy Associates products in a wide range of indulgent treatments.

These range from holistic massages and Reiki to anti-aging facials and skin polishes, an array of luxury beauty treatments are also available. The serial award-winning Spa facilities encompass a beautiful 20-meter swimming pool, with breath-taking views of the surrounding countryside, a Jacuzzi, sauna and

www.b4-business.com

steam room, a fully equipped Matrix gymnasium, Zen Fitness Studio with a varied fitness class offering, a Pommery POP Nail bar, and eight tranquil treatment rooms including a VIP Suite to accommodate VIP packages and couples treatments and thriving membership scene.

Perfectly placed for M40, M4, M3 and 22 miles from London Heathrow International Airport, Danesfield House offers the perfect opportunity to mix business with pleasure. Affordable corporate luxury starts with a total of eight meeting rooms offering the perfect environment to host conferences from two to one hundred delegates, complimentary Wi-Fi throughout, bespoke meeting packages and flexibility of meeting rooms and public spaces offer the opportunity for creativity within a working environment. Meetings and events are managed by a dedicated Operations Team ensuring a smooth, efficient, attentive and super discreet service complete with high tech equipment and mouth-watering food and beverage offerings.

For a more private experience the hotel can be hired on an exclusive basis for corporate events, weddings and family occasions, allowing guests the hotel accommodation, public areas and grounds for a minimum period of 24 hours.

Michelin Stared Executive Chef Billy Reid and his brigade combine the very best produce to create a smart and approachable modern British dining

experience in The Restaurant at Danesfield House.

An extensive A’La Carte menu offering traditional and modern cuisine along with a daily market menu provide a guests the opportunity to relax, enjoy and remember. The Restaurant at Danesfield House is a double AA Rosette winner with a new and exciting concept allowing guests to decide on dining from the same menu choices in the beautiful Oak Room, the sunny Orangery or al fresco dining and afternoon tea on the glorious private Terrace soaking up summer sunshine or embrace the secluded beauty of the grounds with a picnic hamper.

Our most striking Cocktail Bar, walls adorned with tapestry is the most perfect setting to enjoy an aperitif, maybe one of the sixty cocktails on offer or the chance to choose from the extensive Condé Nast Johansens award winning wine list of over three hundred wines along with 30 exceptional wines by the glass.

Danesfield House Hotel and Spa is quite simply a luxury country house hotel with a charm and character that cannot be compared.

CONTACT DETAILS

 enquiries@danesfieldhouse.co.uk  01628 891 010  www.danesfieldhouse.co.uk

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THURSDAY

24TH

NOVEMBER

HAPPY 150TH

MACDONALD RANDOLPH HOTEL “Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you tonight to celebrate the opening anniversary of the Macdonald Randolph Hotel, 150 years ago to this very day.

“Who would have thought 150 years ago that a hotel would become such an icon of the city and an Oxford institution, which has played a huge part in the lives of people throughout the years.

“I must thank the late Chris Koenig for his research.

Chris was a much loved columnist for The Oxford Times and started to help me with the research on our history some 4 years ago. For many years we had understood that the hotel opened in 1864, however, this was incorrect. That is when work started on the building and Chris was able to pinpoint the actual date when the hotel opened, which was Saturday 24th November, 1866.

“The architect of the hotel was William Wilkinson, an Oxonian, who was responsible not only for the Randolph but a great deal of the development of north Oxford. At the time, there was much debate and argument about the style of the landmark hotel.

A compromise was reached with the design and

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this resulted in a simplified gothic design which we admire so much today.

“To celebrate and commemorate this important event, I am delighted that we have commissioned a book on our 150 years of history of the Macdonald Randolph Hotel, a copy of which I have pleasure in giving you tonight. I would especially like to thank Liz Howe, Kt Bruce and Nadine Carmichael for all their research, help and support with this project.

“I would also like to thank the many people who have supported this endeavour by giving us information, photographs and other memorabilia associated with The Randolph.

“The book gives a full history of the hotel covering its 150 year life. The book, of course, would be incomplete if we did not cover the terrible fire which we suffered on 17th April, 2015. I would like to thank the Oxfordshire Fire Brigade and Rescue Services for saving the Randolph and my team which executed such an excellent evacuation of the building with everyone safe and no injuries.

I cannot stress enough my sincere gratitude for the support that has been received from not only

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On Thursday 24th November, Macdonald Randolph Hotel’s General Manager, Michael Grange, welcomed over 150 guests to a reception to celebrate this huge milestone. Here is Michael’s speech in full...

WRITTEN BY: MICHAEL GRANGE

the locals of Oxford but people from all over the world. It has bought home to us all how special the hotel is to so many people and why we are an Oxford institution, being one of the city’s most important landmarks.

“Since our grand opening, the Randolph has welcomed royals, politicians and celebrities from all over the world. The Prince and Princess of Wales stayed shortly after the opening and VIP’s have continued ever since during their time in Oxford.

Our Wall of Fame highlights some of our recent guests which include the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John Major, Colin Dexter and Hayley Mills to name but a few.

“One of the many factors that makes the Randolph so special is the dedication and commitment to training and development of our team. I am delighted that team members have won some very prestigious industry awards. Our Front Office team, under the guidance of Georg Schwalm, were awarded the coveted Catey Front Office Team of The Year 2015 and William Thomson recently won the Young Concierge of The Year Award, which is organised by the Society of Golden Keys . William

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will have the honour of representing the United Kingdom at their international Congress next March in Berlin. We wish William every success.

“Since the fire, we have been extremely busy redeveloping and upgrading the hotel. This has included complete a refurbishment of all of our bedrooms, upgraded to the highest levels of comfort.

“We launched our new Acanthus all day dining restaurant in April of this year and it is proving to be very popular, bringing to life the best of British produce from our Cornish oysters to our signature 21 day aged Aberdeen Angus Beef. Our white fish is wild and sourced from UK water and delivered to our restaurant daily.

“The new Cartoon Bar is a stylish offering open daily, boasting a stunning range of gins, wines and champagnes. It’s been named after the wonderful Victorian cartoons which decorate the walls. In addition to our speciality drinks, a full range of cocktails is on offer with a range of bar dishes to accompany them.

“Our latest addition to the hotel is our executive lounge offering an exclusive and relaxing environment for those of our guests staying in our suites and special rooms.

“In January we will see our grand staircase bought back to its glory and the ground floor areas remodelled and enhanced.

“Thank you for joining us this evening. We do appreciate your support. We are here to serve you to the highest levels of care and attention, always with a smile.

“May I propose a toast to the Macdonald Randolph Hotel and this wonderful 150th Celebration.”

Congratulations to everyone at the Randolph and we wish you all the very best for the next 150 years and beyond!

 info@macdonaldhotels.co.uk  0344 879 9132  www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk

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TASTE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN A warm and friendly welcome awaits you at Mezzeto.

Written by: Lorna Dodson Photography by: Rob Scotxcher

As many people “ already know and as

the BBC will confirm, Mediterranean cooking is supremely healthy and packed full of natural and organic ingredients.

”

Inspired by the vibrant ingredients of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean coast, their authentic menu features healthy, vegetarian and gluten-free tapas and mezze recipes spanning Spanish, Turkish, Moroccan, Greek, Lebanese and Israeli cuisine.

Tapas and mezze are designed for sharing with friends and family. You and your guests can expect an exciting and delicious experience trying any number of dishes from cold plates to grilled meats and fish platters. Mezzeto can accommodate up to 60 guests and making a reservation couldn't be easier, simply visit their website at the bottom of this page or call on 01865 559 668. The team will help you create your perfect celebration for 7 or more guests, meeting all requirements you may have.

As many people already know and as the BBC will confirm, Mediterranean cooking is supremely healthy and packed full of natural and organic ingredients.

Traditional Mediterranean recipes feature large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, fish, www.b4-business.com

herbs and olive oil. All of Mezzeto's food is prepared in house, daily, and is as fresh as can be.

You will be transported to another world upon entering this beautiful restaurant ideally located in Jericho, Oxford, with its Mediterranean décor, Picasso prints, soft golden trimmings and Tifanny lighting, which all come together to create an intimate and welcoming atmosphere.

The owner and team behind Mezzeto put a lot of effort into providing authentic drinks to accompany your meal too, with hand-selected wines you will struggle to find elsewhere such as a wine from Domaine des Tourelles (one of the finest boutique wineries in the Middle East), Greek and Turkish beers, Ouzo and Raki, and of course Turkish coffee.

For those with a sweet tooth, Mezzeto's dessert offerings are unique homemade takes on the classics, such as pears poached in white wine with orange blossom and honey ice cream, and their very own pomegranate and vodka sorbet served

with Greek yoghurt ice cream.

The restaurant provides a great "Lunchtime Offer" as well on Monday to Friday, which gets you any choice of two dishes served with bread and a complimentary tea or coffee for just £9.95 per person, and any additional dish for only £4.50. They have a wonderful selection of smaller dishes if you don't think you can fit in a mix mezze, mix grill or mix seafood platter. There will be something for every taste and dietary need including vegetarian, dairy free, vegan and gluten free diets.

Mezzeto is taking Christmas bookings now, so don't wait! Book your party today, with party menus starting from just £21.50.

CONTACT DETAILS

 info@mezzeto.com  01865 559 668  www.mezzeto.com 105

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“

the food was of exceptional quality and extremely well presented – the flavours complementing each other perfectly and just the right amount for each course

”

THE VINEYARD

STOCKCROSS NEWBURY Written by: Jo Willett & Robert Stevens Photography by: The Vineyard

This fantastic hotel, spa and restaurant is a former hunting lodge and is a grand and impressive building on arrival. We received a warm welcome from John, the Concierge, who told us all about the hotel, the famous mural portraying the ‘Judgement of Paris’ and the 30,000 bottles of wine they have in the hotel – some of which are on display. The hotel has been owned since 1996 by the Michael Family and the links to their Winery in California were abundant. The story of wine flows through everything they do and it creates a delightful ambience.

Before being taken through to our table we chose our food for all three courses – for me goats cheese, beetroot and pear for starter, followed by pan-fried Pollock with an oyster puree and potato and herb gnocchi and then dark chocolate cream, caramel poached pear and cinnamon streusel for dessert.

Even just writing those down is making my mouth water again! Robert chose chicken liver parfait with figs, beetroot and spiced bread followed by beef brisket, salt baked celeriac with a bone marrow crumb and then espresso granite, blackcurrant cream and coffee sponge for dessert.

the food was of exceptional quality and extremely well presented – the flavours complementing each other perfectly and just the right amount for each course, so that we still had room to try the petit fours (which had a specially tailored one wishing Robert a ‘happy birthday’ – a lovely touch!). I really can’t fault anything we had. Our accompanying wine was a Hungarian Pinot Grigio – not something I would ever have chosen from a wine list but it had a lovely minerality about it, not unlike an Alsace Reisling, but perhaps a bit lighter and less acidic, so a perfect choice for lunch.

We were taken through to the lounge, for our glass of champagne and some tempting nibbles. I’d informed the hotel prior to our arrival of some dietary requirements, and they made a point of confirming those prior to us choosing our food. The Taittinger was delicious, fresh and biscuity in flavour, and so we decided to treat ourselves to a bottle.

Our table was a delightful semi-private dining area at the back of the restaurant, which creates a lovely intimate dining experience – just perfect for couples but is equally suited for a business lunch where you want a good degree of privacy for conversation.

All in all, a truly fantastic lunch – one we will certainly be repeating – although maybe dinner and a stay in the hotel next time. My advice to anyone planning to go to The Vineyard, firstly is do it, and secondly – either book a taxi or stay over so that you can fully experience the wine they have on offer!

The lunch special menu is exceptionally good value for money at £35 per person, with plenty of choices for each course and there were several other groups of diners also enjoying it – it made for a lovely atmosphere – just enough people to give the lounge a ‘buzz’ but not too many that you couldn’t talk to your companion comfortably and privately.

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The food was brought to us at a lovely pace – with plenty of opportunity to talk, try each other’s food, and no sense of being hurried. All the staff were friendly, charming and knowledgeable – in particular we had a lovely conversation with Doris, our waitress, again telling us more about the wine and the history of the house. We certainly got the impression that all the staff care about the job they are doing and that customers have a fantastic experience. All of

CONTACT DETAILS

 GuestServices@the-vineyard.co.uk  01635 528 770  www.the-vineyard.co.uk

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PARSONAGE BAR & GRILL B4 enjoyed a pleasant Friday business lunch in the welcoming surroundings of the Parsonage Bar & Grill.

Just a stone’s throw from the centre of Oxford, you would think you were in the heart of the Cotswolds given the tranquillity and relaxed pace of what is one of Oxfordshire’s finest establishments Written by: Richard Rosser Photography by: Carol Sachs

We were slightly late to the table at just before 2pm and we were greeted warmly by the ever helpful Parsonage staff. My guest was gluten intolerant and I have to say how impressed I was that this vital piece of information was referenced throughout our meal by each and every member of staff that came to serve us – there must have been a shift change during our visit but this didn’t have any impact, which was great to see.

Although the restaurant was practically full, it still felt intimate, and although this was a business lunch, we both felt relaxed and at ease talking business in a predominantly non business environment. Everything about the Parsonage is compact but works superbly.

The flow from the terrace to the reception, through a small seating area with a roaring fire, to the bar and through to the restaurant has been crafted out of what is a very small space with low ceilings…but this just serves to fuel that cosy, intimate feel. When combined with the undoubted professionalism of all staff, plus the excellent food, well, you can’t go wrong.

Quite unusually, but a reflection of just how comfortable I felt in such pleasant surroundings, I opted for a glass of champagne to accompany my Smoked Salmon and pickled cucumber starter, which was excellent….full of taste and the pickled cucumber worked perfectly. My guest had the devilled lamb kidneys which, I have to say, looked and, judging by the clean plate, tasted, fantastic. www.b4-business.com

For our main courses, I had the sole whilst my guest had the 5oz Hereford sirloin, béarnaise and chips. The sole was stunning, perhaps if there was any criticism, it was slightly too much for a lunch portion, but better than too little! The steak was a hit too, enjoyed with a glass of Malbec, the sort of combination which, apparently, made it very difficult for my guest to get back to work! But what the heck, it was Friday!

A five star performance by all, front of house and kitchen staff. There’s a noticeable difference when you visit a restaurant where the staff have not only, quite obviously, been trained, but also care about your experience and no amount of training will instil that, so thank you to all concerned for a stunning lunch.

The Parsonage Bar & Grill is open every day of the year. Enjoy Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and the famous Afternoon Teas in the company of Oxford’s academic and literary luminaries. The kitchen uses the best produce, cooked simply to create classic British dishes with a modern, light touch.

OLD PARSONAGE HOTEL...

The 17th century wisteria-clad Parsonage is situated in the heart of this historic city at the end of the beautiful boulevard St Giles, amidst the iconic

colleges of the University and a couple of minutes’ walk from the Ashmolean and Jericho, Oxford’s cultural and bohemian quarters. Best known by locals and visitors alike for its eclectic country house charm, chic modern interiors and striking 20th century portraits, the Old Parsonage is a luxury home-fromhome with impeccable hospitality.

A striking balance of old and new, each of the 35 individually designed bedrooms and suites feature luxurious handmade beds, rich natural fabrics, unique Oxford sketches and magnificent marble bathrooms. Guests can enjoy afternoon tea in the walled courtyard, relax within the peaceful and stunning surrounds of a carefully curated library, or explore the city the traditional way and borrow one of the hotel’s vintage style bicycles…

CONTACT DETAILS

 reception@oldparsonage-hotel.co.uk  01865 310 210  www.oldparsonage-hotel.co.uk

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contacts directory ADVICE.........................................................................................................102 BUSINESS SERVICES..............................................................................102 CONFERENCE, EVENTS & VENUES...............................................103 EDUCATION...............................................................................................104 FINANCE......................................................................................................104 HEALTH & LEISURE..................................................................................104

ADVICE ACCOUNTING Wenn Townsend P Tony Haines Partner 01865 559 900 OXON www.wenntownsend.co.uk Grant Thornton UK LLP P Wendy Hart Managing Partner 01865 799 899 OXON www.grant-thornton.co.uk Grant Thornton UK LLP P Jim Rogers Assurance Partner 01189 559 114 OXON www.grant-thornton.co.uk The MGroup P Richard Clayton Partner 01865 552 925 OXON www.themgroup.co.uk Wellers P Stuart Crook Partner 01865 723 131 OXON www.wellersaccountants.co.uk James Cowper Kreston P Andy Cowie Marketing & Business Development Director 01189 590 261 OXON www.jamescowperkreston.co.uk Whitley Stimpson Ltd G Jonathan Walton Director 01494 448 122 BUCKS www.whitleystimpson.co.uk Whitley Stimpson Ltd G Stuart Haigh Director 01869 252 151 OXON www.whitleystimpson.co.uk Shaw Gibbs G Peter O’Connell Partner 01865 292 200 OXON www.shawgibbs.com Wilson Partners A Allan Ian Wilson Managing Director 01628 770 770 BERKS www.wilson-partners.co.uk

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Gracechurch Wealth Management LLP A Richard Lawrance Independent Financial Adviser 01908 209 220 BUCKS www.gracechurchwm.com Auditel A Chris Bourke Cost Management Specialist 01865 774 387 OXON www.auditel.co.uk Seymour Taylor A Simon Turner Managing Director 01494 552 125 BUCKS www.stca.co.uk Richardsons Accountants 01844 261 155 OXON www.richardsons-group.co.uk Rees Russell 01993 702 418 OXON www.reesrussell.co.uk Russell Whitlock Accountancy 01865 481 625 OXON www.rw-accountancy.co.uk Clark Howes 0808 271 3099 OXON www.clarkhowes.com

P

PLATINUM

Explosive Learning Solutions 01235 861 805 OXON www.explosivelearningsolutions.com Hilltop Consultancy 01844 237 450 BUCKS www.hilltopconsultancy.co.uk Wakefield Group 07817 821 190 BUCKS www.wakefield-group.com Oxford Professional Consulting 01865 436 791 OXON www.oxfordprofessionalconsulting.com RTS Breakthrough Solutions 07789 405 079 BERKS www.rts-breakthroughsolutions.co.uk Sandler Training 01608 611 211 OXON www.oxford.sandler.com Active Education and Training Ltd 01865 594 325 OXON www.oxfordactive.co.uk Endeavour Consulting 07711 825 005 OXON www.endeavour-consulting.co.uk Neil Urquhart - Business manager 01295 780 928 OXON Leading Edge Coaching 01488 638 119 OXON www.leadingedgecoaching.co.uk

Tamesis Partnership 01865 261 497 OXON www.tamesispartnership.co.uk

LEGAL

Xero OXON www.xero.com/uk Michael Harwood & Co. Chartered Accountants 01926 419 444 WAR www.michaelharwood.co.uk Ollis & Co 01926 335 381 WAR www.ollisandco.com

BUSINESS ADVICE Ernst & Young 01189 281 100 BERKS www.ey.com/UK/en/home

GOLD

A

AMBASSADOR

HR..................................................................................................................104 IT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS.........................................................105 MANUFACTURING.................................................................................105 MARKETING & DESIGN...........................................................................105 PROPERTY & BUILDING.........................................................................106 R&R............................................................................................................107

Harmonea 01844 274 808 OXON www.harmonea.co.uk

MHA MacIntyre Hudson 01908 662 255 BUCKS www.macintyrehudson.co.uk

G

Knights P David Beech Chief Executive Officer 01865 811 700 OXON www.knights1759.co.uk Hedges Law P Nicola Poole Managing Director 01491 839 839 OXON www.hedgeslaw.co.uk Freeths LLP G Sarah Foster Managing Partner 01865 781 000 OXON www.freeths.co.uk Gardner Leader LLP G Derek Rogers Managing Partner 01635 508 080 BERKS www.gardner-leader.co.uk

BrookStreet Des Roches LLP Paddy Gregan G Partner 01235 836 655 OXON www.bsdr.com Blake Morgan LLP A Stephen Schneider Senior Associate 01865 248 607 OXON www.blakemorgan.co.uk Brethertons A Suzie Upson PR and Communications Executive 01295 661 425 OXON www.brethertons.co.uk Turpin & Miller LLP A Emily Boardman Partner 01865 770 111 OXON www.turpinmiller.co.uk Penningtons Manches LLP Richard Smith A Partner 01865 722 106 OXON www.penningtons.co.uk Lewis Silkin 0207 0748 494 OXON www.lewissilkin.com David Parry Employment Law 01993 848 247 OXON www.parryemploymentlaw.com Blandy & Blandy 0118 951 6800 BERKS www.blandy.co.uk Lodders Solicitors 01789 206 114 WAR www.lodders.co.uk Davies Murray-White Solicitors 01789 295 544 WAR www.daviesmurraywhite.co.uk

BUSINESS SERVICES ARCHIVE & STORAGE The Oxford Duplication Centre Cheryl-Lee Foulsham A Managing Director 01865 457 000 OXON www.theduplicationcentre.co.uk

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B4 contacts BUSINESS SUPPLIES & EQUIPMENT

MOTOR

TRAVEL

Aston & James Office Supplies Ltd P Darren Aston Director 01993 706 900 OXON www.aston-james.co.uk

Ridgeway Jaguar 01865 590 777 OXON www.ridgeway.co.uk

City Sightseeing P Jane Marshall Transport Manager 01865 790 522 OXON www.citysightseeingoxford.com

CHARITIES The Oxford Trust G Jude Eades Head of Communications 01865 810 013 OXON www.theoxfordtrust.co.uk Helen & Douglas House A Hugh Thompson Head of High Value Partnerships 01865 799 150 OXON www.helenanddouglas.org.uk

Ridgeway Maserati 01865 590 777 OXON www.ridgeway.co.uk

NETWORKING GROUPS B4 Magazine P Richard Rosser Editor 01865 742 211 OXON www.b4-business.com MD2MD 01865 600 800 OXON www.md2md.co.uk

CONFERENCE, EVENTS & VENUES CATERING SERVICES Passion for Food P Philip Baker Managing Director 08452 969 226 BUCKS www.passion-for-food.co.uk Aldens Specialist Catering Butchers G Matthew Alden Managing Director 01865 728 227 OXON www.aldenoxford.co.uk

Oxfordshire Community Foundation A Jayne Woodley Chief Executive 01865 798 666 OXON www.oxfordshire.org

PERSONAL ASSISTANTS

Big 60 07912 733 723 OXON www.big60.org

SECURITY

Complete Catering G Jon Kay Managing Director 01235 820 840 OXON www.completecatering.co.uk

The Ley Community 01865 373 108 OXON www.leycommunity.co.uk

Executive Alarms Ltd A John Keown Director 01865 435 435 OXON www.executive-systems.co.uk

Lamb Catering A Emma Tasker Events and Marketing Director 01865 772 446 OXON www.lambcatering.co.uk

Bloodwise 020 7504 2231 OXON www.bloodwise.org.uk

Security Exchange 01491 683 710 BERKS www.securityexchange24.com

The Cocktail Service 01865 251 431 OXON www.thecocktailservice.co.uk

TRANSPORT

Elegant Cuisine 01865 391 888 OXON www.elegantcuisine.com

British Red Cross, Thames Valley 01235 552 680 OXON www.redcross.org.uk Sobell House 01865 857 067 OXON www.sobellhouse.org

CLEANING SERVICES Excel Dry Cleaners G 01865 511 773 OXON www.exceldrycleanersofoxford.co.uk WH Mobile Valeting 07979 480 886 OXON www.whvaleting.com

LOCAL GOVERNMENT OxfordshireLEP P 01865 261 433 OXON www.oxfordshirelep.com West Oxfordshire District Council A William Barton Business Development Officer 01993 861 000 OXON www.westoxon.gov.uk/business

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SmartPA 07392 332 606 OXON www.smartpasupport.com

Headington Carriers G Peter Barrett Managing Director 01993 811276 OXON www.headingtoncarriers.co.uk Chiltern Railways P 020 7333 3113 OXON www.chilternrailways.co.uk Combined Carriers G Susan Baxter 01844 275 525 BUCKS www.combinedcarriers.co.uk Findlay Chauffeurs A Claire Hickson Managing Director 0845 644 7099 OXON www.findlaycs.com London Oxford Airport 01865 290 710 OXON www.londonoxfordairport.com Hilltop Chauffeurs 07825 500 852 OXON www.hilltopchauffeurs.co.uk

Philip Dennis Foodservice 01993 700 030 OXON www.philipdennis.co.uk

CONFERENCE VENUES The Feathers P Dominic Bishop General Manager 01993 812 291 OXON www.feathers.co.uk Rhodes House P Isabelle Barber Business Development Manager 01865 282 599 OXON www.rhodeshouseoxford.com Bombay Sapphire Distillery G Amy Dobson Sales and Marketing Manager 01256 890 090 BERKS distillery.bombaysapphire.com Oxford Brookes University Conference Services G Phillipa Fletcher Conference Operations Manager 01865 484 612 OXON www.brookes.ac.uk

Stoke Park G Nick Downie Head of Communications 01753 717 171 BUCKS www.stokepark.com Pembroke College A Huw Edmunds Head of Conferences and Events 01865 276 484 OXON www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/Conferences Hartwell House Hotel A Matthew Johnson General Manager 01296 747 444 BUCKS www.hartwell-house.com Venue Services, Bodleian Library A Alice Ogilvie Head of Venue Services 01865 277 224 OXON www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk The Examination Schools Kay Hogg A Events Manager 01865 276 905 OXON www.examschools.ox.ac.uk Howbery Business Park A Donna Bowles Estate Manager 01491 822 305 OXON www.howberypark.com Egrove Park A Martin Garside Conference Manager 01865 422 757 OXON www.sbs.oxford.edu/conferencing Macdonald Windsor Hotel Beverley Molmans A General Manager 0844 879 9101 BERKS www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk Blenheim Palace Hospitality 01993 813 874 OXON www.blenheimpalace.com/hospitality Conference Oxford 01865 287 378 OXON www.conference-oxford.com The Oxford Union 01865 241 353 OXON www.oxford-union.org Exeter College 01865 279 600 OXON www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/conferences Malmaison 01865 268 400 OXON www.malmaison-oxford.com Oxford Town Hall 01865 252 195 OXON www.oxfordtownhall.co.uk The King’s Centre 01865 297 400 OXON www.kingscentre.co.uk Ardencote 01926 843111 WAR www.ardencote.com

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Woodland Grange 01926 336 621 WAR www.eef.org.uk

Corpus Christi College 01865 276 708 OXON www.ccc.ox.ac.uk

Barclays 0800 015 4242 OXON www.barclayscorporate.com

Clinic on the Green 01869 351 345 OXON www.cliniconthegreen.com

Ragley Hall 01789 762 090 WAR www.ragley.co.uk

d’Overbroeck’s 01865 310 000 OXON www.doverbroecks.com

Clydesdale Bank 0844 736 2616 OXON www.cbonline.co.uk

Linda Flanigan Hypnotherapy 07866 360 359 OXON www.lfhypnotherapy-oxfordshire.co.uk

The Tythe Barn 01869 321 442 OXON www.thetythebarn.co.uk

Oxford Cheltenham Wine School 01865 238 042 OXON www.oxfordcheltwineschool.com

INSURANCE

EQUIPMENT HIRE

Oxford International Study Centre 01865 201 009 OXON www.oxintstudycentre.com

Oxford Event Hire A Kieran Lynch Owner 01865 760 158 OXON www.oxfordeventhire.co.uk Startech Productions A Roy Naraine 01865 722522 OXON www.startechproductions.co.uk ACDiSCO 01865 875 519 OXON www.acdisco.com BHK Rentals 01993 703 327 OXON www.bhkrentals.co.uk

EVENTS Business in Oxford 2017 P 01865 742 211 OXON www.businessinoxford.com Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards P 01865 742 211 OXON www.oxfordshirerestaurantawards.co.uk Henley Highwayman 0118 988 6041 OXON www.henleyhighwayman.co.uk

Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre 01865 288 845 OXON www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/faculty-research/ entrepreneurship Stagecoach Theatre Arts 0800 915 0199 OXON www.stagecoach.co.uk

FINANCE ADVICE Focus P Phil Casey Partner 01865 813 315 OXON www.focusllp.co.uk Brewin Dolphin 01865 255 750 OXON www.brewin.co.uk DP's Financial Advice and Services 02476 372135 WAR www.dps-ifa.co.uk Hunter, Thomas & Company Ltd 01865 245 511 OXON www.hunter-thomas.co.uk

SPORT Focus P Nick Jones Partner 01865 813 307 OXON www.focusllp.co.uk

MORTGAGE ADVICE Focus P Nick Walker Partner 01865 295 295 OXON www.focusllp.co.uk

HEALTH & LEISURE

TLA Fitness A Tom Alden Founder 07554 400 401 OXON www.tlafitness.com

North Oxford Lawn Tennis Club 01865 513 560 (Clubhouse) OXON www.northoxfordltc.org.uk

Prime Energy Fitness Ltd 01869 352 000 OXON www.primeenergy.org Cherwell Boathouse Punting 01865 552 746 OXON www.cherwellboathouse.co.uk

GOLF

Oxfordshire In Bloom 2016 01865 252 016 OXON www.oxford.gov.uk/oxfordinbloom

NGI Finance 01993 706 403 OXON www.ngifinance.co.uk

Venturefest 01865 810 025 OXON www.venturefestoxford.com

Oak Tree Structured Finance Limited 01789 842 554 WAR www.oak-tree.co.uk

West Oxfordshire Business Awards 01993 220 690 OXON www.woba.org.uk

Oxford Capital Partners 01865 860 760 OXON www.oxcp.com

HEALTH CARE

Finance.work 01869 354 041 OXON www.finance.work

Clinic95 P Maria Hardman Business Manager 01865 241 661 OXON www.clinic95.com

Abingdon & Witney College 01235 216 394 OXON www.abingdon-witney.ac.uk

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BANKING

Oxford United Football Club 01865 337 500 OXON www.oufc.co.uk Oxfordshire Cricket 07790 102 130 OXON www.oxoncb.com

Mathews Comfort 01865 208 000 OXON www.mathewscomfort.co.uk

Cherwell College P Stephen Clarke Principal 01862 242 670 OXON www.cherwell-college.co.uk

Oxford University Rugby Football Club Tim Stevens Club Administrator 01865 432 000 OXON www.ourfc.org

FITNESS

Oxfordshire Business Awards OXON www.oxfordshirebusinessawards.co.uk

EDUCATION

Reading Football Club Limited P Sir John Madejski Chairman 0118 968 1100 OXON www.readingfc.co.uk

Frilford Heath Golf Club P Alistair Booth Director 01865 390 864 OXON www.frilfordheath.co.uk Kirtlington Golf Club A Gary Quainton Golf and Pro Shop Manager 01869 351 133 OXON www.kirtlingtongolfclub.com

Oxford Rowing Club 01865 242 576 OXON www.oxfordrowingclub.org.uk Milton Keynes Festival of Running www.mkrun.co.ukk

WELLBEING Helen Money Nutrition A Helen Money Owner 01865 339 672 OXON www.helenmoneynutrition.com

HR HR CONSULTANTS You HR 07703 719 464 OXON www.youhrconsultancy.co.uk MB HR Support Ltd 01993 882 744 OXON www.mbhrsupport.co.uk Right Hand HR 0844 880 4582 OXON www.rhhr.com

RECRUITMENT

HSBC 0845 850 174 OXON www.hsbc.com

Tara Tripp Hearing Care G Vincent Tripp Practice Manager 01865 910 202 OXON www.tripphearing.co.uk

NatWest 01865 305 175 OXON www.natwest.com

Diamond House Dental Practice 01865 559 521 OXON www.diamondhouse.co.uk

Allen Associates 01865 335 600 OXON www.allen-associates.co.uk

Gold Star Recruitment 01993 225 075 OXON www.goldstarrecruit.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

B4 contacts Avatar Recruitment 01295 724 570 OXON www.avatarrecruit.co.uk

Attenda 01784 211100 MIDD www.attenda.com

Benchmark Hospitality Staffing Solutions 01865 421 051 OXON www.benchmarkstaffing.co.uk

iHub 0203 019 0000 www.ihub.co.uk

Nicola Gardiner Executive Search 07900 912 941 OXON www.nicolagardiner.com

Security Exchange Ltd. 01491 683 710 BERKS www.securityexchange24.com

Thompson & Terry Recruitment 01235 797 177 OXON www.thompsonandterry.co.uk

Storm Internet 08447 366171 OXON www.storminternet.co.uk

IT & TELECOMMUNICATIONS TELECOMMUNICATIONS STL Communications Ltd A Philip Donigan Sales Director 01993 777 113 OXON www.stlcomms.com Orange Stripe Telecommunications A Nigel Pursall Managing Director 0845 241 7772 OXON www.orangestripe.co.uk

DATABASE MANAGEMENT InTouch CRM P James White Managing Director 0845 310 9973 OXON www.intouchcrm.co.uk

EMAIL MARKETING Web-Clubs G Anthony O’Sullivan Managing Director 01494 240 150 BUCKS www.web-clubs.co.uk ClientMailer 01865 339 406 OXON www.clientmailer.com

IT SERVICES Computing Information Systems (CIS) Ltd P Richard Marsh Director 01367 700 555 OXON www.cisltd.com The Cabling Company G David Jackson Sales Director 07796 140 348 OXON www.thecablingcompany.com Simeio A Ollie McGovern Founder 07795 235 995 OXON www.simeio.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

Bongo IT 01865 988 217 OXON www.bongoit.co.uk

Living In Oxford Magazine Colin Rosser P Chairman 01865 742 211 OXON www.inoxford.com

Marketing Sense A Jo Sensecall Director 01865 883 579 OXON www.marketing-sense.co.uk

City & County Graphics G 01865 823 161 OXON www.cityandcountygraphics.co.uk

Heart of Business A Jackie Jarvis Director 07801 293 022 OXON

Focal Point Advertising Solutions 01256 767 837 HAMP www.focal.co.uk

CORPORATE IDENTITY

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Recognition Express P Andy Olejnik Managing Director 01295 257 611 OXON www.re-oxfordshire.co.uk

Alberon A Tim Ault Managing Director 01865 263 220 OXON www.alberon.co.uk

Strangebrew P Phil Strachan Director 07770 753 975 BERKS www.thinkbrandnotbland.co.uk

Torpedo Group Limited A Iain Lewis Director 01865 733 710 OXON www.torpedogroup.com

Bicester Vision 01869 324 244 OXON www.bicestervision.co.uk

MANUFACTURING

BrandAsylum 01235 828 508 OXON www.brandasylum.co.uk

DESIGN Unipart G Frank Nigriello Director of Corporate Affairs 01865 383 339 OXON www.unipart.com Owen Mumford G Jarl Severn Director 01993 812 021 OXON www.owenmumford.com WILA G Claire Styles Director 01235 773 500 OXON www.wila.co.uk Winsted 01527 833 714 WORC www.winsted.com LEEC 0115 961 6222 NOTT www.leec.co.uk

MARKETING & DESIGN ADVERTISING B4 Magazine P Richard Rosser Managing Director 01865 742 211 OXON www.b4-business.com

House on the Hill P Keith Simpson Senior Designer 01865 742 211 OXON www.hothdesign.co.uk

SIGNAGE City & County Graphics G Grant Shergold Director of Sales & Marketing 01865 823 161 OXON www.cityandcountygraphics.co.uk

ADS 01993 885 125 OXON www.adsoxford.co.uk Oxford Digital Marketing 01865 575 955 OXON www.oxforddigitalmarketing.co.uk

MEDIA/DIGITAL The Evergreen Agency P Aaron Rudman Hawkins 01869 242 222 OXON www.theevergreenagency.co.uk CustomEyes Media 01442 876 038 HERTS www.customeyesmedia.com Imageworks 01865 865656 OXON www.imageworks.co.uk Indulge Media 01865 686 093 OXON www.indulgemedia.com Epic Media Services 07916 005 942 OXON www.epicmediaservices.co.uk BlueEyed Digital 01789 336 318 WAR www.blueeyed.uk Formation Media Limited 01926 298 777 WAR www.formationdesigners.co.uk Auburn Creative Ltd 01926 407 766 WAR www.auburn.co.uk

FRAMING

PHOTOGRAPHY

Isis Creative Framing 01865 203 420 OXON www.isiscreative.co.uk

Studio8 P Clark Wiseman Managing Director 01865 842 525 OXON www.studio-8.co.uk

FREELANCE COPY WRITING & EDITING Noble Word A Matt Wright Owner 07500 531 485 BUCKS

MARKETING Experience Oxfordshire P Hayley Beer-Gamage Chief Executive 01865 252 409 OXON www.experienceoxfordshire.org

PRINTING OxUniPrint A Ian Wilton Managing Director 01865 844 918 OXON www.oxuniprint.co.uk LeachPrint 01235 520 444 OXON www.leachprint.co.uk

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PUBLIC RELATIONS

BUSINESS PARKS

ESTATE AGENTS

Papa Romeo PR A Claire Thompson Managing Director 07811 339 577 OXON www.paparomeopr.com

Oxford Innovation Ltd P Jo Willett Marketing and Business Development Director 01865 261 400 OXON www.oxin-centres.co.uk

Breckon & Breckon P Keith Stacey Managing Director 01865 244 735 OXON www.breckon.co.uk

Spriggs David A Karen David Partner 01865 512 662 OXON www.spriggsdavid.co.uk Escapade 01189 207 675 BERKS http://escapadepr.com HeadOn PR 07920 792 183 GLOU www.headonpr.co.uk Promote PR 01628 630 363 BERKS www.promotepr.com Spacecraft Consulting 01295 811 781 OXON www.oconsultancy.com Fluent 01865 426 862 OXON www.fluentagency.co.uk Prova PR 01926 776900 WAR www.provapr.co.uk Red Marlin 01926 832 395 WAR www.redmarlin.co.uk Luxe PR 020 7368 3330 LDN www.luxepr.com Present3r 07790 670 234 www.present3r.com

PROPERTY & BUILDING ARCHITECTURE John Hallam Associates A John Hallam Director 01608 646 969 OXON www.johnhallamassociates.co.uk Adrian James Architects 01865 203 267 OXON www.adrianjames.com Bilton Build & Design 01788 578 890 WAR www.biltondesign.co.uk VB Architects 01926 851 122 WAR www.vbarchitects.co.uk Oxford Architects 01865 329 100 OXON www.oxford-architects.com

114

The Oxford Science Park G 01865 784 000 OXON www.oxfordsp.com Begbroke Science Park A Caroline Livingstone Managing Director 01865 283 700 OXON www.begbroke.ox.ac.uk Bloxham Mill 01295 722 800 OXON www.bloxhammill.com Stoneleigh Park Estate 02476 690 035 WAR www.stoneleighparkestate.com

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AGENTS VSL and Partners P Richard Venables Director 01865 848 488 OXON www.vslandp.com Carter Jonas P Scott Harkness Partner 01865 511 444 OXON www.carterjonas.co.uk Lambert Smith Hampton (Oxford) A Kevin Wood Director 01865 200 244 OXON www.lsh.co.uk Marriotts A Neil Evans Partner 01865 316 311 OXON www.marriottsoxford.co.uk Lambert Smith Hampton (Reading) 01189 606 909 BERKS www.lsh.co.uk

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY SERVICES Oxford Innovation Ltd P Jo Willett Marketing and Business Development Director 01865 261 400 OXON www.oxin-centres.co.uk Bracknell Enterprise & Innovation Hub A Shelley Furey Centre Manager 01344 388 000 BERKS www.bracknell-hub.co.uk

scottfraser A David Blythman Managing Director Sales 01865 759 500 OXON www.scottfraser.co.uk Strutt & Parker A 01865 366 660 OXON www.struttandparker.com Wallers of Oxford 01865 435 175 OXON www.wallersofoxford.co.uk Sheldon Bosley 01789 292 310 WAR www.sheldonbosley.co.uk Savills 01865 339 705 OXON www.savills.com

LETTING AGENTS Breckon & Breckon P Greg Barnes Director 01865 201 111 OXON www.breckon.co.uk North Oxford Property Services P Robin Swailes Director 01865 311 745 OXON www.nops.co.uk Righton Group Limited Emma Righton P Managing Director 01865 311 696 OXON www.rightonstay.co.uk Finders Keepers P Frank Webster Director 01865 302 308 OXON www.finders.co.uk Lucy Properties A Ian Ashcroft Managing Director 01865 559 973 OXON www.lucyproperties.co.uk College and County A Mark Crampton-Smith Owner 01865 722 722 OXON www.collegeandcounty.biz Premier Letting A Charles Bartlett Partner 01865 792 299 OXON www.premier.uk.com

Short Let Space Ltd. 01993 811 711 OXON www.weeklyhome.com Taylor Cox 01993 835 588 OXON www.taycox.com

PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS Ridge and Partners LLP G David Walker Partner 01993 815 101 OXON www.ridge.co.uk Kempton Carr Croft G Rob Kerrigan Chartered Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer 01628 771 221 BERKS www.kemptoncarr.co.uk Kemp & Kemp A Steven Sensecall Partner 01865 240 001 OXON www.kempandkemp.co.uk Solid Structures 01608 690 858 OXON www.solid-structures.com Forge Engineering Design Solutions Ltd 01865 362 780 OXON www.f-eds.co.uk Ian Bridge Consultancy Ltd 07917 881 465 OXON www.ianbridge.com SIAD Ltd 01865 712 627 OXON www.siadltd.com Mulholland Landscape Consultants 07734 253 579 OXON www.mulhollandconsultants.co.uk RED Engineering 01869 355 600 OXON www.red-eng.com PMS Oxford 01865 407 554 OXON www.pmsoxford.co.uk

PROPERTY SERVICES Savvy Maintenance & Renovations P Stephen Dunne Director 01865 920 020 OXON www.savvy-group.co.uk Bicester Roofing G Michael Staniford Managing Director 0870 264 6454 OXON www.bicesterroofing.co.uk

www.b4-business.com

B4 contacts ARTISTIC & CULTURAL

RESTAURANTS

The Rooflight Company 01993 833 155 OXON www.therooflightcompany.co.uk

Orchestra of St John’s A John Lubbock Artistic Director 07765 252 489 OXON www.osj.org.uk

Deliveroo G Sophie Riley Community Manager South East 07494 178 083 OXON www.deliveroo.co.uk

A1 Plumbing & Heating 01865 327 732 OXON www.a1ltd.co.uk

Ashmolean Museum 01865 288 364 OXON www.ashmus.ox.ac.uk

The Snooty Mehmaan A Asad Ahmed Director 01367 242 260 OXON www.thesnootymehmaan.co.uk

R&R ACCOMMODATION Macdonald Randolph Hotel Michael Grange P General Manager 0844 879 9132 OXON www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk Jurys Inn Oxford P 01865 489 988 OXON www.jurysinns.com/hotels/oxford The Manor at Weston on the Green G Adam Treloar Front of House Manager 01869 350 621 OXON www.themanorweston.com Aviator G Vickita Reddy Marketing & PR Manager 01252 555 890 HAMP www.aviatorbytag.com The Bear & Ragged Staff A Mark Greenwood Landlord 01865 862 329 OXON www.bearandraggedstaff.com Eynsham Hall 01993 885 238 OXON www.eynshamhall.com Conifers Guest House 01865 763 055 OXON www.conifersguesthouse.co.uk Spirit Health Club 0207 973 7540 OXON www.langhamhotels.com Bicester Hotel Golf and Spa 01869 241 204 OXON www.bicesterhotelgolfandspa.com Holiday Inn Oxford 0871 942 9086 OXON www.hioxfordhotel.co.uk Royal Oxford Hotel 01865 248 432 OXON www.royaloxfordhotel.co.uk The Mews at Sopwell House 01727 864477 HERTS www.sopwellhouse.co.uk/rooms-suites/ mews-suite/ Old Swan & Minster Mill 01993 774 441 OXON www.oldswanandminstermill.com

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra 01865 987 222 OXON www.oxfordphil.com

CORPORATE ENTERTAINMENT Sam Strange Magic A Sam Strange Owner 01865 742 211 OXON www.samstrangemagic.co.uk

ENTERTAINMENT Oxford Playhouse 01865 305 305 OXON www.oxfordplayhouse.com New Theatre Oxford 01865 320 756 OXON www.atgtickets.com/oxford Wychwood Brewery 01993 890 800 OXON www.wychwood.co.uk James Sadler Balloon Experience 0845 116 8899 OXON www.oxfordballoonexperience.com

FOOD & DRINK SUPPLIES Laurent Perrier UK P David Green Regional Account Manager 01628 475 404 BUCKS www.laurent-perrier.co.uk The Oxford Wine Company Ted Sandbach A Managing Director 01865 301 144 OXON www.oxfordwine.co.uk

GALLERIES Wiseman Gallery A Sarah Wiseman Owner 01865 515 123 OXON www.wisegal.com

RENTAL ACCOMMODATION Lower Mill Estate A Red Paxton Marketing and Sales Director 01285 869 489 OXON www.lowermillestate.com

Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons 01844 278 881 OXON www.manoir.com Pierre Victoire 01865 316 616 OXON www.pierrevictoire.co.uk Café Aloha 01865 792 696 OXON www.cafealoha.co.uk Al-Andalus 01865 516 688 OXON www.tapasoxford.co.uk Marco’s at Mercure Eastgate Hotel 01865 248 332 OXON www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk/restaurants /marcos-oxford Mezzeto 01865 559 668 OXON www.mezzeto.com Thaikhun 01865 591 960 OXON www.thaikhun.co.uk 1855 01865 247 217 OXON www.1855oxford.com Cosmo 01865 297 575 OXON www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk

SHOPPING Blackwell's 01865 333 536 OXON www.blackwell.co.uk Daisies Flower Shop 01865 554 882 OXON www.daisies-flower-shop.co.uk Bicester Village 01869 323 200 OXON www.bicestervillage.com Stella and Dot 07763 743 783 OXON www.stelladot.co.uk Dog Rocks 01628 822 243 BERKS www.dogrocks.com

ON THE

Darke & Taylor Ltd 01865 290 000 OXON www.darkeandtaylor.co.uk

HILL

B4 is designed by House on the Hill t: 01865 742211

www.b4-business.com

115

BUSINESS

7 ““The biggest business networking and showcase event in the county.

THURSDAY 11TH MAY 2017 For more information regarding sponsorship, exhibiting and presenting at BIO2017, see the supplement in this edition of B4 on pages 19 to 34.

For up to date BIO2017 news: Subscribe to our e-Newsletter at www.businessinoxford.com Follow us on Twitter @businessinox Follow us on  BusinessinOx &  business-in-oxford

 01865 742 211  richard@businessinoxford.com  businessinoxford.com