President & People

Tom Mongan, president of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and chair of its North Warwickshire branch.

As this is my final column for 2022 all I can say is, “What a year”!

At time of writing, we have a third new Prime Minister in as many months, having gone through four Chancellors of the Exchequer!

There is nothing I can add, or even adequately describe the feeling of utter disbelief, at what has unfolded in Westminster over the past few months.

Other than I think it is fair to say that history will not be kind to those in Government when it looks back in the fullness of time.

Therefore, I will park the political shenanigans here, as I have wasted enough column space already on this impasse!

So, what a year it has been as I sit here reflecting on 2022.

As President of this great Chamber, I can tell you it has been one roller coaster of emotions.

I was bereft when I got the news that Louise Bennett OBE DL, our inspirational CEO for the past twenty years was standing down.

Louise has been instrumental and the driving force that has made the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce one of the best in the country. She has been a guiding light and friend to me as I embarked on my role as President and for that I will always be grateful.

And then the task to find a replacement, wow, that was a job and a half, due to the exceptional caliber of the people applying.

The process of replacing the irreplaceable was unbelievably difficult, however one individual had a passion and a light that shone brighter than all the others, and that individual was Corin Crane our new CEO and I look forward to working with Corin for the remainder of my term in office.

Which I am immensely proud and honoured to say has been extended for a further twelve months, I will be only the second person in the Chambers hundred plus year history that will serve a third term.

So what a year, the highlights for me being MIPIM, the BCC Global Conference, the closing ceremony for the City of Culture and the Opening & Closing ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games. There are numerous other highlights which have been organized by the incredible Chamber team which unfortunately are far too numerous for me to document here, but a big thank you to Chris, Sophie, Hazel, Sean and all the Chamber staff!

I can’t let this year go of course without mentioning the death of our beloved Monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. If ever there was a role model for dedication to duty, then she was unique and I doubt if there will be anyone like her again.

God bless you Ma’am and quite simply thank you!

Finally, as President of the Chamber and my final column of 2022, I want to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year. 44

Local Business receives prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise

On Tuesday 27th September 2022 Staeger Clear Packaging Ltd of Coventry hosted the Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Mr John Crabtree OBE, to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation. It was a tremendous achievement for this Coventry company and follows on from previous successes having won Packaging Business of the Year twice in the past!

The award was received by Mr Ian Jamie who founded the company in 2000. The business was sold to Staeger of Switzerland in 2009.

The award comes after tremendous efforts carried out by the local company especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The team had been working on using British Recycled PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) made from British recycled water bottles, as opposed to Continental Recycled PET, and had developed the use of a specialist sheeting machine to enable them to do this. During the Covid crisis, because of this Innovation, Staeger was able to make visors for the NHS out of Ocean Plastic Waste, which not only enabled us to keep the NHS going with valuable PPE, but also helped our environment by removing plastic waste from our seas!

The award signifies a huge boost for Staeger Clear Packaging and in fact the local area. To be acknowledged with this award will most undoubtedly aid the company progress and secure the jobs of many.

Also in attendance was the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Cllr Kevin Maton (and Bernard), and the CEO of the Coventry Chamber of Commerce along with many friends and staff.

Promotion and exam success

at local accountancy firm

Manager Curtis Watson and Armstrongs Director Sarah Van Ristell

A national award-winning firm of chartered accountants based in Coventry & Warwickshire has promoted one of its accountants, demonstrating its commitment to employee career progression.

Armstrongs has promoted Curtis Watson to the position of Manager. Curtis, who is based at the firms Nuneaton office, has been with the practice since January 2022. In this short time, he has gone the extra mile delivering exceptional services to clients and has become well respected by his peers.

Curtis has worked in accountancy for over eight years, so bought a wealth of knowledge and experience to Armstrongs when he joined the team. He works with a wide portfolio of businesses, from sole traders through to larger businesses across a range of sectors. Curtis also has experience in preparing both incorporated and unincorporated charity accounts.

In addition to the new role, Curtis has another reason to celebrate, after recently passing his final Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) exam to become a fully qualified chartered accountant. Curtis said “It has been an amazing year so far. I am delighted to be promoted to Manager and it was a great achievement to complete my ACCA qualification.

“As well as servicing my existing clients, I am looking forward to my new role and raising the profile of Armstrongs in Nuneaton to help more local businesses to thrive.”

Speaking about the promotion, Sarah Van Ristell, Armstrongs Director said, “At Armstrongs, we pride ourselves on providing clear career paths for our employees. We invest heavily in the training and development of our staff, supporting them to achieve their potential as accountants and business advisers.

“Curtis’s promotion is well deserved, and we wish him every success in the new role.”

Key appointment for Amy

An expanding Warwickshire accountancy firm has made a key appointment as it bolsters its presence in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Burgis & Bullock, which has offices in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon, has appointed Amy Mather as personal tax assistant manager.

Amy will take a leading role in the firm’s Stratford-upon-Avon office and the appointment is part of a planned expansion of the team based in the town.

She joins from leading UK tax consultancy service Markel Tax and supported the business on its tax helpline, providing trusted advice to accountants across the country.

Amy, who is Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) qualified, has worked for a range of mid-sized practices across the Midlands during her 12-year career, specialising in personal tax, inheritance tax and also working with trusts.

Amy said: “I’m pleased to be joining such a reputable agency and being part of the expansion of the office in Stratford-upon- Avon.

“The firm has great values and has a superb approach to working with its clients. It’s important for me to know that I am doing the absolute best for the clients I work with, and I know Burgis & Bullock will enable me to do this.

“I have developed expertise in a variety of areas of tax, but primarily with trusts, agriculture, healthcare and law.

“My previous role has given me great grounding the range of tax conundrums facing practices across the UK every day and I’m looking forward to bringing that experience to this role.”

Phil Stevens, Head of Tax at Burgis & Bullock, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Amy to the team. She has great experience working across a wide range of tax roles and will be a real asset as we continue to expand our presence in Stratford-upon-Avon.

“Our established personal tax team has been working tirelessly to support clients through what has been a period of change and uncertainty, and we’re confident that Amy’s appointment will further strengthen our tax service offer for individuals.”

Promotions at Azets Coventry

Azets, the UK’s largest regional accountancy firm and business advisor to SMEs, has demonstrated its commitment to nurture its network with two promotions in the Coventry office.

Chan Landa has worked at Azets Coventry for over seven years and has been promoted to Associate Director. As an ACCA qualified accountant, Chan has vast experience advising SME’s and OMB’s throughout his time at Azets and primarily focuses on growing businesses, to look for solutions to their accounting and taxation needs. He specialises in industries including retail, hospitality construction and manufacturing.

Having joined Azets in January 2022, Ben Fahy has been promoted to Senior Manager. Ben is an ACCA qualified accountant with over five years’ experience in the accountancy industry.

He has a broad background of experience from management consultancy and corporate audit, through to general accountancy and tax advisory. As a Senior Manager in the Accounting and Business Advisory team, Ben works with a wide variety of clients and industries, ranging from sole traders to members of international group companies.

Ben is a keen advocate of cloud accounting software, in particular Xero.

On the promotions, Danielle Walmsley, Partner at Azets Coventry, said: “It’s an exciting time for us as we continue to support our teams to match business demand. These promotions are incredibly well deserved and reflect the talent and expertise within the office. Growing and developing our team allows us to further support our clients across a variety of service lines and sectors as we look to expand.” Ellen Boakye, Robert Lee, Lucy Compton

Glued’s new starter

gets stuck in!

Vicky began her first day at Glued by getting stuck in at The Midlands Business Network Expo.

Vicky Brown joined Glued last week and was thrown in at the deep end by hosting the marketing firm’s stand at The Midlands Business Network Expo.

As visitors and exhibitors will have noted, Vicky is wellequipped to work the stand as she already has brand experience. Beginning in entertainment companies such as Warner Bros, Vicky became involved with properties such as Harry Potter and Looney Tunes. From there, Vicky moved into a marketing and communications role in the 'Games for Learning' sector and now joins Glued to become digital and operational executive.

Vicky is values-driven and a 'good egg'. She says: “I feel very lucky to have found Rob and David, who are brilliant at what they do, great to work with and so supportive regarding my own development.

I am looking forward to getting stuck in, taking on lots of varied new challenges and playing my part in helping Glued continue to grow and flourish.”

Rob Harrison, Consultancy Partner, agrees: “Vicky is fantastic! Her experience speaks for itself, so we knew she would be a great asset to our growing team. At the Expo, she rolled up her sleeves and got on with the job! We are very grateful and look forward to supporting Vicky with her future at Glued. Please give her a very warm welcome when you meet her at the next expo or networking event.”

Vicky Brown starts her future with Glued Agency at The Midlands Business Network Expo.

Wright Hassall

Law Award

A leading Leamington law firm has announced the winners of a bursary - the Wright Hassall Law Award, to celebrate its 175th anniversary.

The one-off award by Wright Hassall offered disadvantaged young people - who may otherwise struggle to afford university - the opportunity to study for their undergraduate law degree.

Candidates had to write an essay on how they thought the legal profession would culturally evolve over the next 75 years. Their efforts were judged by Andrew Nyamayaro, President of the Warwickshire Law Society and Professor Kai Peters, Pro Vice Chancellor of Business & Law at Coventry University alongside Wright Hassall partner Robert Lee.

After a competitive process, Lucy Compton and Ellen Boakye were selected as the Award’s joint winners, receiving £13,500 to part-fund their law courses, and becoming the first generation in their families to attend higher education.

Ellen is undertaking a full-time course at University of Nottingham and will work with Wright Hassall over the summer, while Lucy is studying part time through the Open University alongside her current role as a paralegal within Wright Hassall’s family team.

Ellen, who recently completed her A-levels at President Kennedy School, Coventry said: “I began thinking of law as a career path in school when I entered a mooting competition, which I really enjoyed, and I then gained further exposure through work experience and webinars.

“Applying for the Wright Hassall bursary made me think about how my background can help shape my future as a lawyer.

Lucy said: “I became interested in studying the law from an early age, because the sector is constantly changing and evolving.

“I was attracted to Wright Hassall due to the talent within the company, the breadth of work they undertake, and the great reputation of the family team.

Wright Hassall partner Robert Lee added: “We wanted this Award to give people from every background the opportunity to pursue their dreams to qualify as a lawyer.

“We had an exceptional number of entries, and I would like to thank everybody who took part; however, Ellen and Lucy were the standout candidates and are both thoroughly deserving winners.

“I look forward to following their journeys.”