12 minute read
President & People
Happy New Year to you all and welcome to my inaugural column
New year, new start and new President, thankfully David Penn the outgoing Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce President was somewhat more gracious than another certain President, whom at time of writing is making headline news for all the wrong reasons.
Therefore, I will start my column by paying tribute and thanking David for the outstanding work and contribution he has made over the past couple of years as President and indeed he continues to do as a member of the Chamber board; congratulations on a job well done sir.
It goes without saying that it is without doubt a huge honour to take over the role of President of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, a chamber that is widely recognised as one of the very best in the whole of the U.K. I look forward to not only contributing and being involved, but also helping and advising companies and individuals, having myself been involved in business for nigh on 50 years.
And I guess I have become the first President in the history of this chamber to take over the role remotely, via Zoom. A bit of a strange feeling if I’m honest, as I put the chain of office over my own head, quietly congratulating myself as I did it!
But these are strange times, we all face challenges like never before. There is a lot of fear and uncertainty, with whole sectors being decimated; however, with the vaccine roll out there does now seem to be light at the end of a very dark and long tunnel.
Indeed, never before has the role of the Chambers of Commerce been more important and they will undoubtedly have a significant role to play going forward.
Our own Chamber to date has been totally outstanding with the help, guidance, support and information offered to businesses and I, for one, am immensely proud to be associated with this fabulous institution and the members of staff who drive it.
Best regards Tom Mongan
Burgis & Bullock welcomes new team members
A Nuneaton accountancy firm has strengthened its workforce with two new additions to its tax and client services teams.
Burgis & Bullock, which also has offices in Leamington, Stratford-uponAvon and Rugby, welcomed Brandon Jacques and Morgan Hill to the team based at Eliot Park.
Brandon is AAT-qualified and will be completing his ACCA studies during his time with the firm. He joins the company in a combined account and personal tax role.
Morgan is part-way through her AAT studies and joins the cloud and client services team, further strengthening the firm’s bookkeeping and Xero accounting offering.
The appointments, who are both from Nuneaton, are part of Burgis & Bullock’s
Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) chief executive Dr Clive
Hickman has received the top award in the Institute of Directors (IoD) 2020
Midlands Director of the Year awards.
Dr Hickman received the Chair’s
Award for Excellence and Board
Practice for the West Midlands at a virtual awards ceremony presentation which linked the West and East
Midlands for the first time.
Brian Hall, chairman of the IoD in the
West Midlands, said: “Congratulations go to all of our winners who demonstrated outstanding success.
We were delighted to showcase and celebrate their achievements during our virtual awards ceremony which was run across the whole of the
Midlands to achieve a wide audience and maximum exposure for all of our finalists.” continued commitment to providing development opportunities for young people in the area.
Brandon said: “It’s a big step up for me from my previous roles, but the work culture is great here and I’ve already seen how everyone supports each other during my short time with the firm.”
local practice, said: “I’ve built up good experience over the last couple of years working in practice and will continue to build that valuable experience at Burgis & Bullock.”
Sean Farnell, partner at Burgis & Bullock, added: “We’re pleased to have brought Morgan and Brandon on board at our Nuneaton office. They both have a bright future in the industry and we hope they will have an impact on the business for years to come.
Brandon Jacques and Morgan Hill at the Burgis & Bullock offices in Nuneaton
“We have heard a lot from government about skills and supporting the development of young people in industry recently, so we’re delighted to be able to support Brandon and Morgan through the next stage of their training and development.
Royal recognition for training specialist
A Coventry-based national training provider has received royal recognition for its work to support local communities throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
PET-Xi Training has been awarded a UK Business Heroes Stamp after being nominated by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
Back in the summer, the Chamber nominated PETXi as part of a national UK Business Heroes campaign by the British Chambers of Commerce, a campaign which has been hugely supported by HRH The Countess of Wessex.
The campaign recognises the incredible work that UK businesses are doing in the most challenging of years to support their Chamber, the local business community, clients and colleagues.
Fleur Sexton, managing director of PET-Xi, said: “We are delighted to announce we have successfully been awarded a UK Business Heroes Stamp! The UK Business Heroes stamp demonstrates that we have gone the extra mile to support and rebuild our communities by reskilling and upskilling during the coronavirus outbreak.
Top director award for MTC chief executive
Morgan, who joins from another
Dr Hickman, who heads the Midlands Manufacturing Resilience Commission, has been chief executive of the MTC for more than ten years. He has more than 35 years’ experience in the automotive industry and was head of engineering for Tata Motors in India. He also established the Tata Motors European Technical Centre in the UK.
He began his career as a senior engineer with the Rover Group before becoming engineering and group operations director at MIRA. He subsequently joined Ricardo, where he held a seat on the board and was managing director of Ricardo UK.
Born in Coseley in the West Midlands, he is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The MTC was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI. The MTC’s industrial members include some of the UK’s major global manufacturers.
The MTC aims to provide a competitive environment to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions in line with the government’s manufacturing strategy. It is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult supported by Innovate UK.
Vat specialist lands Prime role
Gill Yates, who has joined Prime Accountants Group, which has offices in Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull, as head of VAT
A West Midlands-based independent accountancy firm has followed a raft of appointments made earlier in the year by welcoming a new head of VAT as it continues to thrive in the face of COVID-19. Steering system specialist Pailton Engineering has appointed Stephen Moore as its new business development manager.
Stephen brings with him more than 20 years of experience in mechanical and design engineering roles and commercial positions. Merging an engineer’s mind with sales proficiency, he is set to nurture and expand Pailton Engineering’s customer portfolio.
By trade, Stephen was a qualified mechanical and design engineer of tools, forgings and aerospace parts. In 2004, he transitioned into the commercial side of the aerospace sector but hasn’t ventured too far from his engineering roots.
His new role in the land vehicle sector will involve maintaining and developing Pailton Engineering’s key accounts,
Front – Georgia Allen and Joe Greenwell, High Sheriff of Warwickshire. Back – Students on the Prince’s
Trust Team Programme
Young people working with The Prince’s Trust have helped to lay the foundations for a valuable community church garden in Brownsover.
Christ Church Brownsover issued a call-out on social media for donations and help to renovate the garden in the church grounds.
Prime Accountants Group, which employs more than 100 staff across its offices in Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull, has appointed Gill Yates to lead its VAT team.
Gill has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry after starting her career as a VAT inspector for HMRC.
She later joined Deloitte’s London VAT team and, while there, spent time on secondment with Lloyds of London, before moving to KPMG.
After relocating to the Midlands, Gill worked for Mazars and later became VAT director for BDO in the West Midlands before joining Prime last month.
Gill said: “I’m pleased to be joining Prime at such an eventful time. A lot has happened in the last year and I’m sure a lot will happen over the next few months due to Brexit. many of which include well-known military vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and bus manufacturers.
He will also source new business opportunities for Pailton Engineering and is open to speaking to any chassis design engineers in need of bespoke steering parts. This will be of particular relevance to the electric vehicle sector, which is celebrating and contending with a lack of standardisation.
Stephen said: “I’m slowly but surely understanding Pailton Engineering’s customers. This is a unique client base. These customers aren’t just ordering from a catalogue; they are discussing the geometry, weight and material options for their specific vehicle requirements.
“While it feels like a lifetime ago, my design engineering experience
Thirteen students enrolled on the Prince’s Trust Team Programme answered the call and have helped to create a safe space in the community for families, the elderly and members of the church to visit for outdoor recreation. The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is based at Rugby College and is delivered in the area by college group WCG, which is the largest provider of programmes for the trust in England.
The work involved a range of activities, including the construction of decking, planters, walls, benches and bird tables, and the creation of raised beds and a wildlife area.
The students had no previous experience and planned the project themselves. Now the garden is ready to welcome members of the community to plant seeds, tend flowers
“Prime has worked hard to support its clients during what has been a very tough time, and has been able to assist them in several areas through its variety of departments and experts.
Kevin Johns, managing director of Prime, added: “Gill’s knowledge of VAT has developed whilst assisting her vast range of clients from FTSE 100 multinationals through to sole traders.
New appointment at steering system specialist
www.primeaccountants.co.uk
Stephen Moore, newly appointed business development manager at Pailton Engineering
will no doubt come in handy as I navigate existing customer accounts and reach out to new prospects. My medium-term goal is to build great relationships with our existing customers and turn that into profitable business for Pailton Engineering.”
Pailton Engineering designs and manufacturers bespoke steering system parts for military vehicles, buses and trucks.
Community church garden gets makeover
For more information visit pailton.com
and vegetables, and use as a valued community meeting space.
Liz Hopkin, secretary of the church council, said: “We can support our local community now in a way we couldn’t do before and we hope that the space will help to bring people together.”
Georgia Allen, The Prince’s Trust team leader at WCG, added: “We initially saw the advert on Facebook and got in touch with Christ Church right away to see how we could help.
For more information visit https://wcg.ac.uk/page/25/princestrust Midlands law firm expands tax team A leading Midlands law firm is expanding its specialist tax team with a major appointment.
Kevin Hall – who has more than 22 years of VAT experience and is a published author – has joined Leamington-based Wright Hassall as a partner from a national independent tax consultancy firm.
Alongside helping businesses to navigate Brexit-related VAT changes, Kevin will also be providing VAT advice to businesses and their advisers across all areas, including property, cross-border transactions, financial services, mixed supplies, aircraft/yachts and margin schemes.
Kevin said: “A great deal of SMEs – including many of Wright Hassall’s clients and intermediary contacts – are seeking guidance on how they can navigate the regulatory obstacles posed by Brexit when the transition period ends on December 31 2020, and this will be an immediate focus of mine.
“There are going to be VAT changes for businesses that are buying and selling goods internationally, as well as those who are buying and selling services with the EU27, so it’s important that they are seeking advice to ensure they aren’t penalised.
Kevin’s arrival at Wright Hassall takes the firm’s specialist tax team to eight staff, and includes other services such as SDLT and VAT on property transactions, employee incentives, and tax litigation and disputes.
John Dormer, head of employee incentives & tax at Wright Hassall, added: “Kevin has unrivalled VAT knowledge and a loyal client base. His appointment is a real coup for us and will enable us to expand our expertise and client reach even further and to work with a greater number of intermediaries on specialist areas of tax.”
