C&W Jan 2024

Business Engage Profiles

Not-for-profit company encourages businesses to pledge support to the Armed Forces Cat Suckling is the Regional Employer Engagement Director for Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull.

Having worked in the role in different regions since 2016, Cat explained: “It is a new and exciting challenge to be able to focus solely on Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. It means that I will be able to direct more time and attention to the businesses in the area who are just beginning or continuing their relationships with Defence.

“At networking events, people are often surprised that the Ministry of Defence is actively seeking to work with civilian businesses in order to deliver mutuallybeneficial objectives, but once they understand the engagement journey, they are enthusiastic about getting started and reaping the rewards.

Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold 2023 award winners, Severn Trent.

A Birmingham-based not-for-profit organisation, West Midland Reserve Forces & Cadets Association, is looking to increase its connections and activities with businesses in the Coventry and Warwickshire region.

The Association’s Regional Employer Engagement Directors, as part of a network of colleagues across the UK, develop partnerships with organisations to help them understand the value of signing the Armed Forces Covenant and building mutuallybeneficial relationships with Defence.

Working with local employers they have a dedicated Employer Engagement team, with three Regional Employer Engagement Directors working on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

The Covenant is a voluntary pledge of key principles in which the Armed Forces community should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services.

“Organisations begin their journey of partnering with Defence by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. It covers aspects such as the support of Reservist and Cadet Force Adult Volunteer training through flexible HR policies, employment opportunities for service leavers and veterans, and promoting the support of the Armed Forces community to staff, service users and supply chains.

“To date, 191 Covenants have been signed in the Coventry and Warwickshire region, which is an incredibly positive sign that

companies are understanding the vital support they can provide to their employees, and seeing the valuable skills that members of the Armed Forces community can bring to the workforce.

“All types of organisations – private, public or voluntary - are encouraged to sign the Covenant, and we have organisations ranging from SMEs to large international corporations as signatories across the UK. “Once businesses have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, they are then able to climb through the levels of the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). Bronze, Silver and Gold awards formally recognise employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the Armed Forces community.”

In addition to the benefits of recruiting talented individuals through free recruitment, employers who have signed the Covenant can benefit from training and development partnerships with local units, access military training and development courses, be invited to on-base insight and networking events and high-status events such as VIP access to the Cosford Air Show and Trooping the Colour.

To get in touch with Cat, please email wm-reed3@rfca.mod.uk.

For more information, visit www.wmrfca.org

Senior appointment for secure IT solutions company as part of expansion plans A secure IT solutions company which provides services to every police force across the UK has made a senior appointment as it launches a commercial arm of the business in January 2024.

Panoptech has welcomed Damian Ronan who joins the company as its Business Development Specialist.

The announcement comes as the company, which has historically delivered secure IT solutions to law enforcement operating the highest levels of data security in the UK, expands to launch a new commercial offering, backed by its parent company Bowmer & Kirkland.

The initial focus of this new commercial venture for Panoptech, will be to look at developing and servicing local businesses and organisations across Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham.

Damian began his career in hospitality before moving into the technology sector and has amassed more than 25 years of experience in managing customer relationships and supporting clients with their IT needs.

He will be responsible for leading the company’s commercial offering which will provide a range of traditional IT hardware and software solutions from desktops and storage to organisation-wide server-based systems coupled with secure mobile connectivity.

A key specialist area for Panoptech is Video Management Systems (VMS), traditionally known as CCTV. In this area, the company has become a leading UK Premier Partner for Milestone Systems, a global video technology software company who pioneered IP video surveillance technology.

Andy Baum, Director of Panoptech, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Damian as we look to kick start a new phase of growth for the business.

“Until now we have catered for an extremely niche customer base, providing a range of covert secure IT capabilities into UK law enforcement.

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“This involves us developing, delivering, and supporting capabilities which live within areas subject to some of the highest security requirements in the UK. “Over more than twenty years, this has given us a wealth of knowledge and experience in securing people’s data and specifically video infrastructure.

“This coupled with the increased awareness of Cyber Security and use of video systems in more traditional commercial markets, make us feel very well placed to bring some real business benefits into these markets, especially within our local Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham areas.

“Our product portfolio is perfect for anyone with a requirement for secure video capturing and management and can be tailored to the needs of each customer.

This could be education, sports, retail, logistics, finance – they all have very similar needs and requirements which we can deliver into.”

Damian said: “It’s an extremely exciting time for Panoptech and I look forward to supporting the business as it expands into the commercial sector.

“It’s a big market with a lot of players out there, but we have a fantastic offering coupled with a high level of expertise and customer service.

“We are already starting to have conversations with potential customers, including a number of education and

Panoptech Director Andy Baum, Business Development Specialist Damian Ronan and Group Managing Director Kevin McDonald.

financial establishments in Coventry, and we would urge anyone who would like to find out more about our services to get in touch.”

Further information about Panoptech is available at www.panoptech.co.uk/ or by contacting Damian directly, via dronan@panoptech.co.uk

“Our product portfolio is perfect for anyone with a requirement for secure video capturing and management and can be tailored to the needs of each customer. This could be education, sports, retail, logistics, finance – they all have very similar needs and requirements which we can deliver into.” www.cw-chamber.co.uk