Inpsire Magazine May 2016 by Benham Publishing Limited

INSPIRE.14 The business magazine of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce May - June 2016

Circular Economy Conference 16 June 2016

Benita Matofska, Sharing Economy world leading expert, and other speakers - page 12 n n n

Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards Finalists - page 5 New Appointments to the Chamber Board of Directors - page 11 Interview with Professor Rajkumar Roy - page 16

Welcome

Contents Inspiring Hertfordshire 5-6 Up Front 11 Cover feature 13-15 Big Interview 16-17 Spotlight on... 19-20 Patron Focus 22-23 Budget 25 Chamber Events 26-28 Members News 29-30 International Trade 31 Young Chamber 32-33 New Members 34 Members News 35 Apprenticeships 36 Professional Development 37 Finance for Business 38-39 The EU Referendum debate 41 Workplace 42-43 24 Hours 45 Health and Wellbeing 47 Business News 48 Last Word 50 Patrons 50 •••• Editorial and General Enquiries Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce MacLaurin Building, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9NE Tel: 01707 398400 Fax: 01707 398430 Email: enquiries@hertschamber.com Web: www.hertschamber.com Chief Executive: Yolanda Rugg Publisher Ian Fletcher Benham Publishing 3tc House, 16 Crosby Road North, Crosby, Liverpool L22 0NY Tel: 0151 236 4141 Fax: 0151 236 0440 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com Published May 2016 © Benham Publishing and Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce Advertising and Features Karen Hall Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: karen@benhampublishing.com Production Manager Mark Etherington Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: mark@benhampublishing.com Media No. 1438 •••• Disclaimer Inspire is published for Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and is distributed without charge to Chamber members. All correspondence should be addressed to Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. Views expressed in Inspire are not necessarily those of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission. ©2016 Please note that submitting an article does not guarantee publication. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in this journal, Benham Publishing and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributions in advertising or editorial content. Benham Publishing cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in web or email links supplied to us.

From the Chief Executive In or out?

Building and buildings

On 23 June, this country faces a very important decision: to remain in the European Union or to retain sovereignty. Hertfordshire Chamber is absolutely neutral but believes a member debate on the issues surrounding the remain-leave decision is important. On 21 April, the proponent for remaining in the EU, Mark Prisk MP (Hertford, Stortford) and the proponent for leaving the EU, David Bannerman MEP (Eastern Counties) addressed Chamber members from their perspectives. We felt such an occasion was important because more helpful, positive information for businesses to make an informed decision is necessary. See page 41.

Property and construction is a significant part of Hertfordshire’s economy and heritage. We are therefore absolutely delighted that Anthony Aitkenhead, McAlpine CEO, will be addressing members of the Property & Construction forum at their headquarters on 23 June. See page 26.

What goes around, comes around The circular economy, and with it, the sharing economy are the two points of focus at the Hertfordshire Chamber’s second environmental, sustainability and innovation conference: The Circular Economy: 16 June at BRE in Watford. This conference is very important because it promises so much invaluable insight into new opportunities for business innovators, entrepreneurs and forward thinkers - as well as to supply chains across various industries. We are very pleased to welcome back Richard Potter (Sopra Steria) as conference chairman, and equally pleased to have two experts as guest speakers: Benita Matofska and Dr Mariale Moreno. They will be joined by expert panellists from two universities and from Hertfordshire businesses already practising circular economy principles. Not to be missed: see page 12.

Awards 2016 – Inspiring Hertfordshire The awards are now in its fifth year. We have seen even more businesses

enter, showcasing their own successes and fruits of business vision and execution. The Awards black-tie dinner is on 19 May at the stunning Porsche showroom in Hatfield. There are a few tables left - so if you are thinking about winning an award next year, join us and be inspired, as we are. See page 27.

New neighbours I, along with David Gauke, MP and Financial Secretary to the Treasury, was invited to the launch of the newly affiliated Three Rivers Chamber of Commerce in April. They have a very forward-thinking committee. We look forward to collaborating with them, and opening up networking and mutual business opportunities for our respective members.

Business leaders’ dinner On the heels of the last business leaders’ lunch, we are delighted to share with you the vision for the future of manufacturing of the Head of Manufacturing School at Cranfield, Professor Raj Roy. See page 16. Save the date, 11 October, for the next business leaders’ dinner at the House of Commons. Tickets will be on sale shortly.

Thanks to members, staff, stakeholders, supporters and patrons As we advance in our new financial year, I’d like to thank you all for your participation in and contribution to Chamber events, activities and interests. We are growing our team and strengthening the resource and sector specialisms as we strive to create further opportunity for our members.

Yolanda Rugg INSPIRE

InspiringHertfordshire

Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2016 The Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2016 finalists have been announced. Once again, the list represents an interesting and inspiring cross-section of industry and sector.

Achievement in International Business Sponsored by UK Export Finance • Global Rail Construction • Purple Surgical International Ltd • Quanta • Rephine Ltd •••

Business of the Year (Small to Medium) The judging panel, under the moderation of Neville Rayner, Hertfordshire Chamber’s Chairman, reports that the competition was fiercely strong and that the decision making was tough; some of the scoring was very close. Hertfordshire Chamber would like to thank the sponsors particularly for supporting each award, without which these Awards would not be possible.

The Chamber would also like to thank the judges for their time and dedication to the task, and would particularly like to thank all entrants for taking the time to enter. Yolanda Rugg, Hertfordshire Chamber CEO says “Every year, we see so many different enterprises and organisations enter the Awards. Both their entries and what they achieve are so inspirational, to us, to our other members, and to the public at large.”

Headline Sponsor Imagination Technologies Imagination Technologies is a leader in global technology. •••

Associate Sponsors Grace Foods UK Grace Foods UK is a Caribbean food and drink specialist.

Sponsored by Epson • Global Rail Construction • Premier EDA Solutions • Tate • The Chilfen Group • Thorns Group •••

Business of the Year (Medium to Large) Sponsored by SA Law • Bristol Laboratories Ltd • Evergood Associates Ltd • Grace Foods UK Ltd • Quanta • Zenith Hygiene Group plc •••

Community Champion Sponsored by Mercury Group Newspapers • Marshall Vizard • Paradise Wildlife Park • Road Victims Trust • Teens Unite Fighting Cancer • The Muscle Help Foundation INSPIRE

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Entrepreneur of the Year

Social Enterprise of the Year

Sponsored by Austin’s Family Funeral Directors • Bristol Laboratories Ltd • Distinctly • Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company • Smart10 Ltd • TekOne Technologies

Sponsored by Stevenage Leisure Limited • A1 Optician • Hertfordshire Independent Living Service • The Counselling Foundation • The Muscle Help Foundation • Visionpath Education Ltd

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Excellence in Customer Service

The Environmental Award

Sponsored by Porsche Centre Hatfield • Aubrey Park Hotel • Thorns Group • Cheshunt Marriott Hotel • Purple Surgical UK Ltd • Tate • Understanding Recruitment Ltd

Sponsored by Veolia UK • Global Rail Construction • JPA Furniture • Tewin Bury Farm Hotel

•••

Excellence in People Development Sponsored by Longmores Solicitors • Digital Results • Grace Foods UK Ltd • HB Accountants • Mode Print Solutions Ltd • Stackhouse Poland Ltd •••

Innovation through Technology Sponsored by ServerChoice • Digital Results • Focus7 International Ltd • TekOne Technologies •••

Made in Herts Sponsored by Veale Associaties • Altro • ProtecX • The Chilfen Group

•••

Education in Employment Sponsored by The Careers & Enterprise Company • John Laing Training • Sir John Lawes School • St Albans Girls' School •••

The Tourism Award Sponsored by De Vere Venues • Aubrey Park Hotel • Lee Valley White Water Centre • Tewin Bury Farm Hotel •••

Investment in Young People (IiYP) Sponsored by Youth Connexions Hertfordshire • GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) • John Laing Training • Premier EDA Solutions • Toad Hall Nursery •••

•••

Most Promising New Business Sponsored by Broxbourne Borough Council and Ambition Broxbourne • AutoVolt Ltd • Embrace Consultancy • Little Fish Event Management Ltd • The Food Teacher • The Green Triangle •••

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“Every year, we see so many different enterprises and organisations enter the Awards. Both their entries and what they achieve is so inspirational, to us, to our other members, and to the public at large.”

InspiringHertfordshire

employee engagement specialists Helping businesses to create and sustain their business culture through simple, yet effective employee engagement activities catherine@embraceconsultancy.co.uk

07512 769141 www.embraceconsultancy.co.uk We are proud to be a finalist for the Most Promising New Business award ‘Keeping people at the heart of everything we do’

Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers

01992 444466 directors@hbaccountants.co.uk www.hbaccountants.co.uk

Expert, Imaginative and Practical Solutions to your business needs

Our passion as a team is to help your business to succeed as well as providing peace of mind on all compliance matters. And all built on strong client relationships and providing outstanding service. •

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Tax Planning and Compliance Business Start-ups

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InspiringHertfordshire

Congratulations to all our

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Hertfordshire

2016 finalists

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UpFront

Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce New Appointments: Directors of the Board A membership organisation benefits hugely from the contribution by its directors of the board. They bring their insight, business acumen, expertise and knowledge to a team very focused on serving their members, and often appreciating external perspective. Yolanda Rugg, CEO of Hertfordshire Chamber says “The appointment of such high calibre people to the Board is tremendously exciting for us. “We’re a very strong Chamber; we have a good team in place, we have lots of fresh ideas, and now we have these wonderful people and their additional expertise in the areas in which we are fast becoming county leaders.” The Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce welcomes three new directors to their board.

Kate Bellingham BA (Oxf), MSc (Herts), MIET, FWES

She gained an MSc in Electronics (University of Hertfordshire) in 2004 as a mature student, and a teaching qualification through the university. She became President of their Alumni Association. She also has six honorary doctorates. Since the arrival of her children (1998, 2000), Kate’s career portfolio has included teaching (Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden), a role as the National STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) Careers Coordinator, an expert speaker on women in engineering, a conference facilitator and an awards presenter. She has continued broadcasting, most recently as a news and current affairs commentator. Kate has lived in Hemel Hempstead for 20 years. Kate has worked with the Hertfordshire Chamber for several years, through Vivo D’Arte (theatre arts group) and on the Chamber’s STEM pilot project. Since joining last year she has already appreciated the networking opportunities offered by the Chamber.

Matthew Caffrey

Kate Bellingham is an engineer, broadcaster, educator and champion for girls’ opportunities in Engineering. Following a physics degree (Oxford) and three years as a computer programmer, Kate joined the BBC as a trainee broadcast engineer and moved into presenting TV and radio programmes on science, technology or education.

CMgr, MCMI, MBA, BSc (Hons) Matthew is a passionate advocate for manufacturing, which is reflected in his pursuit of qualifications and choice of career path: over thirty years in manufacturing, almost all of which in electronics. He completed a technical apprenticeship prior to his degree. Matthew worked with BAE and Siemens, as well as many SMEs. He is now with Cranfield University’s School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing, working within the Manufacturing Theme. He

Vanessa Crawley

occupies two roles at Cranfield University: manager of the Operations Excellence Institute and CEO of its spin-off company the Manufacturing Co-operative. Cranfield is a post-graduate University concentrating on management and technology. The University ranks first in the UK for Defence and fourth for Mechanical, and 27th in the world for Aeronautical & Manufacturing engineering. The Operations Excellence Institute (OpEx) lies within the Manufacturing Theme and delivers research, training and education through powerful blended learning techniques and technology. The vision is to set up regional and market specific clusters made up of complementary manufacturing SMEs to provide a vertically integrated offering to OEMs. The manufacturing cooperative matches the specialist skills of small manufacturing businesses with the needs of OEMs to deliver innovative supply chain solutions. He is a passionate advocate for manufacturing in the UK and through the Chamber looks to promote manufacturing within Hertfordshire.”

Vanessa is a corporate / commercial solicitor at SA Law in St Albans. She advises a broad spectrum of clients on their commercial objectives in a way that focuses on opportunities and limits possible risks. Vanessa mainly advises on commercial matters with particular expertise in business acquisitions and disposals, franchise arrangements and joint ventures. Her clients range from private limited companies to family-run business and entrepreneurs. The nature of Vanessa’s work means that she understands the practicalities and difficulties faced by businesses of all sizes and so she is well placed to be a board member and to act as company secretary. Vanessa works closely with a number of Hertfordshire based clients (individuals and companies) and so she remains committed to strengthening her involvement in the wider business community.

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CoverFeature

The circular economy Its importance for Hertfordshire businesses product manufacture and product delivery. It should also have an impact on consumer behaviour. Richard Potter, Director of Innovation: Sopra Steria, is a strong and vocal advocate of the circular economy. He says: “The greatest impact on the environment is the product life cycle… whatever takes place during the life time of a product or service must be considered for its environmental impact.”

2. Diversity is strength

CIRCULAR ECONOMY The circular economy - growing globally and fast - is the conscious and possibly inconspicuous response to the make-use-dispose industrial approach that dominated the last two centuries. This response has been a silently evolving rationale that recognises that production need not produce pollution or waste. The material constituents, both biological and technical, can be repurposed - either composted or re-engineered into new product. Unstoppable momentum While this notion of an economy has been around since the 1970s in various mutations and iterations, it is only in the last ten years that there has been acceleration of business optimisation, largely through innovative, entrepreneurial thinking. The circular economy boils down to redesigning production, distribution, consumption, reuse or repair, and recycling back into production - completing the full circle.

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Hertfordshire Chamber’s Chief Executive, Yolanda Rugg, says: “I am coming across new examples of the circular economy concept in practice in Hertfordshire businesses every day. This event is a fantastic opportunity for us to share best practice from fellow members and provoke thought on how you can innovate your business to gain that competitive edge by designing out waste."” Yolanda Rugg, CEO, Hertfordshire Chamber

There are four principles: waste is food, diversity is strength, renewable energy is essential and systems rethink is central.

1. Waste is food There is no such thing as waste. What is left over, after production, distribution or consumption, should be re-circuited into new production for example: plastic waste recycled into construction materials. It means that the materials selection and product composition must be altered, to avoid waste at the end of the product’s life cycle. This has an impact on product design,

The focus on product manufacture in a circular economy is product longevity. How wonderful! This is the antithesis to in-built obsolescence. If our washing machines last longer, who - apart from the manufacturer, the retailer and the delivery company so heavily reliant on repeat purchase - can complain? The fashion industry, with its industrial-scale fervour for constant reinvention, is the most obvious opponent of the circular economy - garments and accessories worn once or just a few times before disposal. A circular economy model proposes that products should be designed with due thought for upgrade and repair possibilities, making the thing more efficient. “Always looking for efficiencies in business is the thing that has driven business thinking towards a circular economy,” says Richard.

3. Renewable energy is essential Energy is evident in all aspects of production and distribution: it stands to reason that using sustainable sources is preferable to using finite resources. Interestingly, the search for sustainable energy sources has created new industries: solar, wind and tidal, anaerobic digestion.

CoverFeature 4. Systems thinking The process of understanding how systems - living or manmade - and elements within those systems interact with and influence each other will produce greater efficiencies. These in turn will have a greater impact on a business’s bottom line. Production or distribution processes that undergo systems rethinking inline with the circular economy principle will offer more benefits to businesses in their relationships with their supply chain, their stakeholders and their customers. Richard Potter says: “The customer is very important in this process. The consumer experience is part of the circular economy.” Bountiful benefits It makes sense that the circular economy - in its shift from the make–use-dispose economic model - offers bountiful benefits to entrepreneurs, innovators and those businesses eyeing their future. “All businesses should be aware of the impact of this change as they face and plan for the future,” says Richard. “The circular economy has two drivers: the environment in which business operates, and efficiencies. Both have impact.” Today’s acute awareness of the impact of waste on the environment - through individual concern or through weighty legislation and weightier penalties - has brought about improvements in sustainable methodologies as well as production and delivery efficiencies. Richard says: “Businesses are driven by finding efficiencies in production, distribution and also in disposal. It’s about the bottom line.” As adviser to business and government leaders in the UK and Europe and frequent speaker at conferences, he should know. More bang for your buck We, consumers, are at the centre of production (product and service). It is a statement of the obvious - but where there are people, that is, a market with the means to pay, there are enormous business benefits to be exploited.

Central to this economic evolution is the notion that the investment has already been made. It is up to businesses to extract as much yield from that investment as they can.

Capitalising on investment Optimising existing investment is another strong argument for the circular economy. Richard Potter says: “What’s really exciting is the development of the sharing economy. Airbnb and Uber have capitalised on this already. “It creates capital at the same time as maximising a resource. It’s like car sharing or sharing the unused tools in your garage.”

Where the driving forces of the circular economy are efficiencies and the environment in which business operates, the driving forces of the sharing economy are: • IT and social media • the rising cost and falling supply of natural resources • anticipated revenue The sharing economy - linking demand or desire to underutilised capacity or assets - has expanded as exponentially as the internet. They’re inextricably linked. Not new - just shinier The concept isn’t new; sharing is an age-old community activity oxen and plough two centuries ago, combined harvester today; second-hand bookshop 30 years ago, Amazon re-selling today. What is recent is the coalescence of millions of endeavours into a defined model and the business optimisation and optimism - it brings.

SHARING ECONOMY The sharing economy has the potential to turn the UK into a nation of micro-entrepreneurs, unlocking up to £9b a year by 2025 (Telegraph: 26 Nov 2014). “Sharing items or things with others means that less resource is required to duplicate the production process. IT advances have made this possible… and exciting,” says Richard. PricewaterhouseCoopers UK observes: consumers are increasingly choosing to rent and share rather than own. This trend is playing out in a dynamic collection of sectors and is becoming known as the sharing economy (pwc.co.uk/issues/megatrends/ collisions/sharingeconomy). The sharing economy extends the waste-is-food principle. We think of waste as something we no longer want or need, irrespective of the residual value left in its life cycle. However, the value of the waste product is its resourcefulness in another product or to another person.

Instant access by millions, creating billions Its allure is the immediate connectivity with millions of people all over the world. Whereas the circular economy is largely a local, regional or national process, the sharing economy, by dint of the internet, is international. There are three forces behind this growth: • consumer behaviour shift from ownership to sharing • online markets: eBay, Amazon and internet social networks • portable devices: 4G and better broadband According to Virgin, only five per cent of the UK population fully understand what the sharing economy is. But this does not detract from the economy’s potential to generate global revenues rising from $15 billion now to $335 billion by 2025 (virgin.com/entrepreneur/globalsharing-economy).

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CoverFeature Go share Benita Matofska is an international expert on the sharing economy. She is a renowned speaker, writer and award-winning entrepreneur. Benita is also the pioneer behind Global Sharing Week - this year 5 to 11 June. Through activities and campaigns around the world (with 130 registered events across every continent) this nominated week celebrates and encourages the notion of sharing. Go figure “This sharing economy is growing faster than Facebook, Google and Yahoo combined,” says Benita. She says that the PwC’s valuation of the sector only takes into consideration five verticals. “But there are 19!”

The People Who Share has a directory of approximately 8,000 different initiatives. This represents a much bigger market than the $3.5 trillion, currently toted, of idle assets that exist around the world: property, goods, clothing, computing to basic considerations of unoccupied car seats. To access - not to own The sharing economy is a culture shift. People, says Benita, are choosing to access goods, not to own them. She says that 28 per cent of the global adult population is already engaged in

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the sharing economy, and this will double in a year. She points to the increase in corporate engagement. Corporations recognise that people are no longer reliant on them for goods and services. There is already a functioning, burgeoning people-to-people trading process. Supply - demand, differently As individuals, we have become the creators and the suppliers in this emerging sharing economy, she says. “You can rent out a spare room, or you can rent one from someone else. The shift in supply has been altered.” She reckons that there is brand sharing too; 90 per cent of consumers want brands to share, choosing to access rather than own goods. One can instantly see how big brand owners and large multinational corporations might feel vulnerable to these global consumer behaviour shifts - and perceive their need to address their business models. Game changer Companies of the future will be built on business models around shared resource, says Benita. “Sharing means lending, borrowing, renting, swapping.” There will be an increase in corporation engagement. Examples are evident now. New business ventures, new communities She says that Ford is being creative, and responsive, by introducing finance initiatives that encourage people to generate business through renting their cars. The site, getaround.com, is a social car sharing service that rent cars by the hour from people in close proximity: start renting out yours today and earn cash. Marriott Hotels are using liquid space.com to hire out their spare meeting room capacity. goteamup.org.uk is a Macmillan Cancer Support initiative connecting volunteers who run errands for people with cancer via a task sharing site. It enables people to share their time by doing laundry, picking up shopping or other tasks.

Benita maintains the sharing economy is about people and their sharing experiences. The more they share, the more they’re rewarded. There are three ways in which the sharing economy creates social value: economic, environmental and social. The Sharing Economy is a broad umbrella and within it lies the circular economy, which is about product and service production, distribution and recycling whereas the Sharing Economy includes cultural and social dimensions too. The People who Share The People Who Share is a global social enterprise that helps people and companies discover and access the Sharing Economy. Its business model generates social, environmental and social value via its website and consultancy. Benita, its founder, describes the site as the one-stop discovery site for the sharing economy.

The consultancy helps businesses with strategies for market entry, and helps entrepreneurs set up sites and apps to participate in this economy. Business innovation today Richard Potter is hugely enthusiastic when he says “I believe that the circular economy is a crucial part of the most disruptive trends in business thinking that produces business innovation today, and that’s got to be a very good thing.” Hertfordshire Chamber believes awareness of opportunity and ease of participation will create a solid environment in which sharing communities, worldwide, will come together.

Yolanda Rugg says, “What is exciting is the idea that there will soon be greater engagement, going forward, in the sharing economy. That fact that we’re on London’s doorstep helps a lot… that and because Hertfordshire has so many enterprises and so much innovative drive.” There are challenges for all businesses as we adapt to these new models. But consider how more challenging it will be for HMRC - especially in trying to track sharing economy tax receipts!

by Fiona Wilkinson, Guinea Fowl Creative: for Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce

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The Circular Economy Conference Guest Speakers

Richard Potter Richard advises business leaders in the UK and Europe on a range digital transformation challenges. His clients include banks, retailers and large government departments.

Benita Matofska Benita’s dedication to and focus on social innovation and on creating new game-changing business models has resulted in a number of prestigious awards: • winner: Natwest Venus Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 • winner: Best Social Business Leader UK & World 2013 in the Ogunte Women’s Social Leadership Award • winner of the Natwest Venus Business Award • Inspirational Woman 2013 • finalist in the G8 Innovation Summit DNA Profit with Purpose Prize Accomplishments Benita is also an RSA Fellow, an Innovator in the Finance Innovation Lab and a member of the Astia network of women-led ventures. She was also selected for Google’s Blackbox Connect.

He runs a successful Digilab operation that enables his clients to map their digital transformation journeys, and works with clients to build programmes that exploit the power of digital technologies and ways of working to transform their businesses. Building innovative enterprises It is the building of innovative enterprises that is his real passion. In his mission to build innovative enterprises, he is as likely to be working with small start-ups as large corporates. Richard • turns ideas into reality demands building an environment for entrepreneurism and collaboration. • advises organisations how to establish these magic ingredients and turn them into business success.

Leading research programme As well as leading Sopra Steria’s own global innovation programme, Richard works with customers helping them turn ideas into results. Richard runs Sopra Steria’s Horizon Scanning research programme, identifying the topics that will characterise our future, and: • manages investment in new technologies and business models, helping to keep Sopra Steria and its clients at the forefront of their markets • speaks extensively at conferences and in the media, championing the UK Tech industry and has a particular interest in promoting STEM for young adults in schools and further education. Richard lives in the UK but travels extensively throughout Europe.

Media and broadcasting She successfully launched two media companies and devised and produced award-winning programmes for broadcasters including the BBC, Discovery and Channel 4. As Head of Global Entrepreneurship at Enterprise UK, Benita led a youth-facing global entrepreneurship campaign, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). She has also been invited to Number 10 Downing Street and the House of Commons to present her work on the Sharing Economy. Benita has delivered presentations at TED, Guardian Social Enterprise Summit, Sustainable Brands, Le Web and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. Global reputation She has featured in the media worldwide including BBC Worldwide TV News, BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, Guardian

Sustainable Business, Metro, CBC in Canada, El Mundo in Spain, CNN, Virgin.com, RTP in Portugal, Korean Times and numerous online blogs and publications. Her 25-year career spans broadcasting, communications, business development, and entrepreneurship campaigns. Having spent eight years in New York, she now lives in Hertfordshire with her family.

Dr Mariale Moreno Mariale Moreno is a research fellow at Cranfield University. Since she completed her PhD at Loughborough University on User-Centred Design and Sustainable Consumption, her work has focused on business opportunities towards achieving a Circular Economy through data-driven innovation.

Mariale has lead research activities with Cisco, The Clearing, Philips and Ellen MacArthur Foundation to support innovation towards a circular economy. In the past, she collaborated at the CIE-MAP Research Centre, an EUED inter-university research project between industry and academic partners looking at reducing materials and energy demand.

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How Cranfield University is harnessing the power of creativity Innovation is the buzz word in business today and nowhere is that enterprising spirit more apparent than in the work being done at Cranfield University where ground-breaking technologies are being developed at a staggering rate. Cranfield has some of the world's leading experts in the areas of Aerospace, Agrifood, Defence and Security, Energy, Environmental Technology, Leadership and Management, Manufacturing and Transport Systems and a commitment to constantly pushing the boundaries of technology is at the heart of everything that they do. One of the key figures is Professor Rajkumar Roy, Director of Manufacturing, Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Through-life Engineering Services and Director of the Operations Excellence Institute.

Professor Rajkumar Roy Director of Manufacturing, Director of the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Through-life Engineering Services and Director of the Operations Excellence Institute.

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According to the professor, central to the success of the university is a combination of ‘blue sky thinking’ and a commitment to solving very real problems. He said: “People talk about innovation but I prefer to use the term creativity. That is what we are all about at Cranfield, allowing people to come up with ideas then setting about developing them. It’s what we do.

“Innovation is the process of turning an idea into reality, of developing something that can be taken to market, but creativity comes first. You need that initial idea.” Key to the university’s approach is collaboration with business, something about which he holds strong views. Professor Roy said: “Our people are post-graduates but, although we are academics, it is important that we work with businesses to take ideas forward. “We really enjoy working with business and will work with companies of all sizes, from the smallest to the biggest like Rolls Royce. “The important thing is to listen to what they are saying. We do not carry out science for the sake of science, rather take a very real problem and seek to solve it. “We let the companies tell us what they need and then use our facilities, which are of a high quality, comparable with those in industry, to come up with solutions.

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“Cross-sector collaboration could combine thinking around issues common to a number of sectors, such as the degradation of complex engineering systems. It could also provide economic advantages through using technologies invented for one area and applying them in a different context.”

Indeed, Prof Roy says that UK manufacturers could become global leaders in new sectors created from cross-sector collaboration and the innovative exploitation of technology. Professor Roy, who is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the International Academy for Production Engineers as well as serving on national and international bodies, said: “Cross-sector collaboration could combine thinking around issues common to a number of sectors, such as the degradation of complex engineering systems. It could also provide economic advantages through using technologies invented for one area and applying them in a different context. “One example that could see significant development is medical devices using technology from materials science research, for instance sensor development in manufacturing and aerospace. “Another new area to consider is through-life engineering services: the support element of the design, make and

support cycle of manufacturing. This is relevant for high value longlife products, and addresses issues like component obsolescence, self-repair materials, technologies and systems – common across sectors. We can create new businesses, new opportunities and lead the world in manufacturing.” To underline his point about the value of collaboration he cites a recent project which examined how to make aircraft more cost-effective. The work was important because the aviation industry is coming under increasing pressure to reduce fuel consumption as the world faces up to the need to protect natural resources. Led by Prof John Nicholls, the Cranfield team worked with Rolls Royce to improve the way turbine blades on aircraft perform at high temperatures, thereby reducing fuel consumption on Rolls Royce engines. The pioneering work into the use of thermal barrier coatings resulted in the manufacture of very thin

coatings that are being used on the Airbus 380. Prof Roy said: “The project was an example of creativity at work. In this case, the need was to make aircraft more cost-effective and the investigation into thermal barrier coatings was the latest stage in work from Professor Nicholls that has been ongoing for 35 years. “Our team set out to examine ways in which coatings could make aircraft engines more SMEs need to play a major role in innovation; government and large enterprise agree that many innovative ideas are generated by SMEs. The industry needs to find a way of allowing these ideas to percolate upwards to maximise their technical and commercial advantage. To provide a platform for this innovation to take off, Prof. Raj Roy founded and is a director of the Manufacturing Co-operative. The vision of the Co-op is to set up regional and market specific clusters made up of complementary

efficient and the result was the very thin coatings that improved efficiency. “It is an example of how the creativity process works. Yes, there is blue sky thinking and we encourage that, because it is an important part of the process but you also need to address problems that need solving. “What we are doing at Cranfield is pushing the boundaries of what the technology can achieve.” manufacturing SMEs to provide a vertically integrated offering to OEMs. The Manufacturing Co-operative matches the specialist skills of small manufacturing businesses with the needs of OEMs to deliver innovative supply chain solutions. SMEs are invited to become members of the Co-operative and benefit from: regular networking events, access to Cranfield University facilities and expertise along with active participation in collaborative business opportunities, all in a bid to help SMEs grow.

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SpotlightOn

Potters Bar a thriving place for business The modern business community of Potters Bar can trace its beginnings to an event that took place more than 160 years ago - the advent of the railway.

Factfile The name Potters Bar is thought to derive from evidence of a Roman pottery, believed to have operated in the Parkfield recreation ground area For several hundred years a settlement has existed on the edge of Enfield Chase in the Parish of South Mimms. From medieval beginnings in the grounds of the present Morven Park House, it spread out along what became the High Street in subsequent centuries A Norman motte and bailey castle dating from the reign of King Stephen once occupied a site northwest of Mimms Hall. The castle is thought to have been built by the famous traveller and writer Geoffrey de Mandeville in 1141 The Potters Bar Museum was provided by the council and is run voluntarily by members of the Potters Bar and District Historical Society at the Wyllyotts Centre in Darkes Lane

Before that, like many communities, Potters Bar was a small place but everything changed after its railway station opened in August 1850 on what was then the London to Peterborough line, passing between the villages of Potters Bar and South Mimms. The development saw Potters Bar undergo dramatic change because it attracted people to live in the area and the century and a half that has followed has seen houses built, light industry arrive and shopping areas develop.

Continuing development of road and rail links, notably the M25, has enabled Potters Bar to grow into a modern town with an active community life, one that is home to a number of companies of varying sizes. There are many thriving small businesses and among the big names choosing to base themselves in the area is Canada Life, whose registered UK office is in Potters Bar. (Cont overleaf)

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SpotlightOn economy here in Potters Bar, employing thousands of people and generating wealth and prosperity for our community. “This has been demonstrated to me time and time again when I meet small business men and women. Local businesses range from financial services to recruitment, to solicitors to digital marketing and retailing. These hard working people demonstrate the energy and creativity to put their own careers and income on the line to build thriving businesses.

Founded in 1847, Canada Life is the oldest Canadian Life assurance company. With its global headquarters in Toronto, Canada Life operates in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and other countries through branch operations and subsidiary companies. Canada Life, a wholly owned subsidiary of Great-West Lifeco, began operations in the United Kingdom in 1903 and looks after the retirement, investment and protection needs of individuals and companies. Potters Bar is part of Hertsmere Borough, which lies immediately North of London and is largely rural in nature, 80 per cent of its 38 square miles being within the Green Belt. Hertsmere is a relatively affluent area with low unemployment (5.4 per cent of 16 to 74 year olds), good levels of education

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and life expectancy, high car ownership and a low crime rate. Among the borough’s attractions are its accessibility to London and the M25 and M1 motorways and the A1 both run through the Borough. All four main settlements are also served by the rail network providing easy access particularly into and onward from central London. In addition, TfL have indicated that the 2018 Thameslink upgrade aims to improve capacity, connectivity and frequency of train services between central London and Borehamwood and Potters Bar, bringing opportunities for investment. For local MP Oliver Dowden, who represents Hertsmere, one of the area’s big attractions is its small businesses. He said: “Small businesses are the backbone of our local

“This is also borne out by national statistics. According to latest figures they account for 99 per cent of all private sector businesses, with total employment of more than 15 million – more than 60 per cent of all private sector employment in the UK and a turnover of £1.8 trillion.” Geography and quality of life are also important, according to the

MP. He said: “It’s no wonder that so many businesses choose to locate in Potters Bar. It is a great place to live, work and do business. We enjoy the best of both worlds. We benefit from relatively easy access to London by road and rail. The M25 is on our doorstep, allowing us to reach three major international airports in under an hour. At the same time, we have beautiful open countryside on our doorstep. “None of this can be taken for granted. I share the commitment of Hertsmere Borough Council to continue to develop Potters Bar as an attractive business destination. I continue to make the case for government to support business by keeping taxes and regulation low. “I recently introduced a debate in Parliament on the taxation of small businesses. I know that for many small businesses, business rates present a real burden. “I’m glad that the Government has listened to lobbying from me and many others and announced that there will be a new permanent threshold for small business rate relief of £15,000an annual saving of up to nearly £6,000. We’re also cutting corporation and capital gains tax, and reforming stamp duty on commercial properties. “It is this combination of location, infrastructure and supportive local and national policies which I believe will continue to make Potters Bar a premier business destination.”

Communication

Is your website secure? We are seeing increasing numbers of clients coming to us with hacked websites. In particular ones running the WordPress content management system. make sure everything is up to date and all the latest security patches implemented. If you are running WordPress make sure you have installed the Wordfence security plugin.

Step 4 Switch to HTTPS with an SSL Certificate

There are a number of basic steps you can take to minimise the risk to your site of being compromised. We recommend to all our clients to take the following precautions to make sure that you do not fall risk to having your site compromised or even worse having confidential customer information stolen which could damage the reputation of your business.

Step 1 Choose a good host Make sure that the hosting company you use is not only reliable but that they make security one of their top priorities. A cheap hosting package does not mean that it is good. You should look for information on attack monitoring and prevention, proactive reviews and patches of security threats, up-to-date server software, ability to isolate and prevent the spreading of infections so that a hacked site

or virus cannot move to other sites on the same shared server and finally nightly backups of your website so that if necessary you can restore quickly to a version of your site from the previous day.

Step 2 Make sure your website has strong passwords Too often clients come to us with very weak passwords. Make sure that you use a different password than you do for other accounts. Create the password using a mixture of capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Avoid using dictionary words, birthdays or anything else that could be easily guessed such as “password123” (believe me we have seen it!). Prioritize the length of the password. The more complex and longer it is the harder it is to crack, even by a program.

Step 3 Keep your CMS up to date Make sure that your website CMS and any plugins it uses are up to date. Out of date WordPress installations and plugins are particularly vulnerable to being hacked. Check your CMS regularly and

HTTPS is a secure communications protocol that is used to transfer sensitive information between a website and a web server. Moving your website to the HTTPS protocol essentially means adding an encryption layer of SSL to your HTTP making your user’s data extra secure from hacking attempts. As of 2014 an SSL certificate will also have the added bonus of boosting your search engine ranking factor with Google. These are just some of the steps that can be taken to secure your website and minimise the risk of being hacked. If you would like to contact us to discuss your website security please email Ben on ben@netrixinternet.co.uk.

“Check your CMS regularly and make sure everything is up to date and all the latest security patches implemented”

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PatronFocus

- new patron of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce

During the last few years, there have been unprecedented challenges for businesses across the UK, but despite this we have seen the determination of business owners to drive growth, innovation and the creation of jobs and the mentality to export and succeed on a world trade stage. 22

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It’s always rewarding to visit business owners to understand what they want to achieve and how we can help them to find the right solution. Although needs may vary across the range of businesses and sectors from start-ups through to large multinational companies, the underlying factors are always the same, each business wants to thrive and grow and become a success. Each one has a dream.

Your Local Banking Team To support our clients in Hertfordshire, I have a team of nine relationship directors and twenty business managers that support businesses with a turnover of between £400,000 and £25m. This means that there will always be a smooth transition and knowledge of company history as each client’s business grows.

PatronFocus

We have a geographical reach within Hertfordshire covering the A1 Corridor, North Herts, Bishops Stortford, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead and Watford. Our relationship Directors support a wide range of businesses through sector specialisms in; retail and wholesale, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services, business services, technology, media and telecoms, education and hospitality and leisure. This allows them to build up a good picture of how each sector is faring and introduce business to business where mutual synergies can be obtained. Our commitment to business growth is also reflected in our continued support of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. As a patron of the Chamber, we show our desire to work right across the county, boosting businesses and creating jobs for local people. With businesses across Hertfordshire now looking to invest, particularly in the wholesale and manufacturing sectors, we want to help them do that in a way that will support long-term growth and, in the right cases, focus on new opportunities such as exporting.

Looking forward One of the biggest challenges I hear from businesses at the moment is finding a skilled workforce; a problem that apprenticeships is helping to tackle but where more still needs to be done. The problem is particularly acute in Hertfordshire because of the

London effect, but the good news is that we are seeing companies realise that they need to invest in training young people for the future. My team has seen a number of manufacturers investing in new equipment, in some cases taking advantage of our asset finance products, with high end and bespoke manufacturing companies particularly keen to exploit new opportunities, both at home and overseas. At the same time we want to see businesses develop a better online and social media presence and work with Barclays’ Digital Eagle team to help them build dynamic – and secure - internet sites. With cyber security an increasingly important issue, we talk to businesses and organise events designed to highlight the risks and how to avoid them, as well as talking about the opportunities for online growth.

Time to Invest? If you are looking to invest for the future, we are here to help, so for more information about how Barclays can help your business, contact Ian Taylor Head of Hertfordshire Business and Corporate Banking at Barclays Tel: +44(0)7585 960658* Email : ian.taylor1@barclays.com barclays.com/corporatebanking

What our customers say Widget UK Ltd, a specialist distributor of consumer electronics products based in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, has been going through a period of strong growth. In 2011, Widget UK Ltd’s largest supplier unexpectedly decided to close. This in turn led to a 50% decline in topline revenue within 6 months. Widget UK Ltd started to look at alternative products and business opportunities to restore the lost revenue. One of the business opportunities identified was to play a much greater supplychain role for some of their key Vendors. With Barclays’ understanding of the business over the last 20 years, we were able to put in place a working capital facility to finance the growth of the business. This lead to a 129% increase in revenue and a 306% increase in PBT year ending 31 March 2015. David Elder, Managing Director, Widget UK Ltd commented “We have banked with Barclays for over 20 years, during which the bank has shared with us the ups and downs. We have been delighted with the way in which we have worked closely and collaboratively with Barclays. The entire Barclays Team has supported us brilliantly in our latest project. The process was magnificently led and handled by our Relationship Director who ensured that our requests have been dealt with efficiently and in good time. We are extremely grateful for the supreme service to us as a Client.” As Widget UK Ltd continue to grow, we look forward to continuing to support them.

*Please note: this is a mobile phone number and calls will be charged in accordance with your mobile tariff. The views expressed in this article are the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Barclays Bank PLC Group nor should they be taken as statements of policy or intent of the Barclays Bank PLC Group. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no responsibility for the veracity of information contained in the third part guides or articles and no warranties or undertakings of any kind, whether express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information given. The Barclays Bank PLC Group takes no liability for the impact of any decisions made based on information contained and views expressed. Barclays is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC and its subsidiaries. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No. 122702). Registered in England. Registered number is 1026167 with registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.

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Mike Ruff • • • • • • • • • •

Barn Dances Accordionist Workshop Leader Dance Teacher Maypoles Author Speaker Corporate Training Sponsorship Packages Music Hall

Contact Mike Ruff for all the above & more including club & package rates.

www.mikeruffmusic.co.uk Tel: 01727 831917 Email: mikeruffmusic@btconnect.com

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Budget

Budget 2016 The Treasury’s Budget 2016 presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 16 March produced some good news for businesses, and in this respect, was met with cautious optimism.

PriceWaterhouseCooper

Small businesses

Natalie Langley, tax director at PwC: The Chancellor announced his intention to put “rocket boosters on the back of enterprise”. It's fantastic to see support for small businesses and entrepreneurs. They account for a significant amount of employment and innovation in the UK and haven't received much attention in recent Budgets. The potential game changers are reforms to Business Rates, which can often be a very high fixed cost for an early stage business, and the extension of Entrepreneur's Relief to long term investors in unlisted businesses. The latter should help to unlock further sources of funding alongside the existing Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Schemes.

The relief for Micro Entrepreneurs - those making small amount of trading, services or rental income, often facilitated by new digital platforms - is welcome recognition that the world of enterprise is changing. Small businesses continually tell us that simplicity and clarity in the tax system would make a huge difference. The Business Tax Roadmap is a step in the right direction through dedicated HMRC phone lines, online forums and targeted support to high growth businesses.

British Chambers of Commerce Dr Adam Marshall, Acting Director General: Business wanted a steady, workmanlike Budget, and that’s what we got. The Chancellor listened to our calls to avoid higher business taxes and costs… he has finally taken

On infrastructure

real action to lessen the crushing burden of business rates, and sharpened incentives for entrepreneurship and investment. In a softening economy, the combination of sustained infrastructure investment and lower business taxes is important to maintaining the confidence of firms across the country.

Businesses will be pleased that the Chancellor is moving forward on key infrastructure projects: Manchester-Leeds rail link, Crossrail 2. The Chancellor needs to push each and every one of the projects announced to the delivery phase to give businesses real confidence. A decision on airport capacity remains crucial.

Business rates, more considerations required

Reduction of the OBR’s productivity forecast

We would also have liked to see plant and machinery investments excluded from business rates calculations, so we will be pressing for further action. The rates reforms are a significant step, and we will work closely with the government to ensure that they result in real improvements for long-suffering businesses.

Marcus Mason, Head of Business, Education and Skills for British Chambers: It is concerning that the OBR has revised down its productivity growth forecasts. Domestically, we need to urgently tackle deep-rooted productivity problems in the UK economy, through an unrelenting focus on business investment, better infrastructure and training.

Business Tax Roadmap, Corporation Tax, and Capital Gains Tax Ultimately, the acid test for the roadmap will be whether it makes it easier for businesses to navigate the UK’s complex tax system. Cuts to corporation tax and capital gains tax show that the UK is very much open for business.

HMRC services While businesses continue to express serious reservations about the quality of service provided by HMRC, the additional investment to make it quicker and easier for business people to deal with the Revenue is welcome. We will press for this investment to be geared towards supporting small and medium-sized businesses and making compliance easier.

The increase in the climate change levy The government must be vigilant in making sure that carbon taxes on businesses do not make them internationally uncompetitive.

On the 5G strategy Fiona Krasniqi, British Chambers digital spokesperson: We have long-called for the UK to lead the world in developing 5G technology, so we are pleased that the National Infrastructure Commission is to publish a 5G strategy next year. Unless we set the bar high, and ensure UK companies have access to world class digital infrastructure, our dynamic firms will be at a disadvantage.

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ChamberEvents Networking

Chamber Breakfast

Newsprinters tour

Bringing Businesses together

with Ambition Broxbourne Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Wednesday 11 May 10:30-13:00 Newsprinters Broxbourne, Cambridge Road EN8 8DY members £12.50 non-members £15.00 Newsprinters - The Sun, The Times, the Telegraph, Financial Times and other publications (1.5 billion copies a year) - has the very latest state-of-theart printing equipment to ensure it stays ahead of the newspaper printing industry. Its factory floor and press operation is impressive. We take our daily news for granted. The press industry in the UK has always been the world’s forerunner. This behind--the-scenes experience of mega-print runs - from silent and seamless paper receiving to print preparation to trim, fold and quick despatch - is world class. Come and see. And network too. •••

Chamber HR Forum

Top Ten Traps for Employers Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Wednesday 25 May 09.00 to 11.00 Longmores Solicitors Hertford SG14 1HP members £15.00 non-members £18.00 The Chamber’s HR Forum (run quarterly) brings together HR professionals to share knowledge, participate in comment on HR issues and to bring together fellow professionals to hear presentations from other experts. •••

Chamber Hotel Forum NEW

Inaugural meeting Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Wednesday 8 June 14.00 to 15.30 Luton Hoo Hotel & Spa The Mansion House, Luton LU1 3TQ members £10.00 non-members £15.00 This new Chamber Forum, with our first meeting on 8 June, brings together Hertfordshire hoteliers with the common purpose of sharing hospitality knowledge, participating trends, discussing issues and creating a strong bond of professional hospitality providers.

Wednesday 21 June 07.30 to 09.00 Broadway Studio and Gallery 2 The Arcade, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3EW Cost: members FREE non-members FREE Speaker: John Lewis: CEO Letchworth Heritage Foundation The Letchworth Heritage Foundation is a self-funding charitable organisation that re-invests for the long-term benefit of the town’s communities. The Foundation contributes to the enhancement of Letchworth’s physical, economic and social environment. For businesses in and around Letchworth and for any business wanting to network with north Herts businesses, this will be an interesting, illuminating breakfast. Come and share it with us. ••• Date: Time: Venue: Where:

Chamber Forum

Property & Construction Forum Date: Time: Venue: Where:

Thursday 23 June 16.15 to 19.00 McAlpines offices Eaton Court, Maylands, Hemel Hempstead HP2 7TR Cost: members £18.00 non-members £30.00 Speaker: Anthony Aitkenhead, McAlpine’s CEO

McAlpine's CEO, Anthony Aitkenhead, will be speaking on Leadership. This forum, a partnership with Herts & Beds Club: Constructing Excellence, meets three times a year for industry networking, sharing comment on industry issues and hearing experts in their field on all aspects relevant to property and construction. •••

Chamber Brunch

Network on the Wild Side with Ambition Broxbourne Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Wednesday 29 June 09.30 to 11.00 Paradise Wildlife Park White Stubbs Lane, Broxbourne EN10 7QA members £20.40 non-members £24.00 Speaker: Andy Lopata, Business Networking Strategist

Tigers, white lion, snow leopard, and much more - come and meet them, and network for business too. Paradise Wildlife Park is about conservation and education. Andy Lopata, the lion of networking, will explain how networking strategies work, and why they're important.

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All prices quotes include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated. For more information on any event: Sophie Watts, 01707 39 84 04, sophiewatts@hertschamber.com – or www.hertschamber.com

ChamberEvents

Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards Dinner Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Thursday 19 May 18:45 to midnight Porsche Centre Hatfield Hatfield Ave, Hatfield AL10 9UA £99.00 + VAT per person

Celebrate the inspiration and successes of companies and organisations throughout Hertfordshire who entered this year’s Awards. See page 5 & 6 for a list of finalists. The Awards gala dinner is sponsored by Imagination Technologies. The venue is the fabulous Porsche Centre Hatfield where one can ogle

true beauties and long to drive one of them. The master of ceremonies is Steve Folland. Enjoy an evening of excellent company, excellent dining and excellent atmosphere. Find out who walks away with the coveted Winner trophies. A three-course dinner follows a drinks reception; carriages at midnight.

Chamber Conference

Circular Economy Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Thursday 16 June 2016 08.00 (registration and coffee) to 13.00 (finishing with buffet lunch and networking) BRE Innovation Centre Bucknalls Lane, Watford, WD25 9NH members £46.80 non-members £81.60

Hertfordshire Chamber’s second Circular Economy Conference is hosted by BRE in Watford. See page 12 for information on the circular and sharing economies.

This is a half-day you won’t want to miss.

Guest speaker

Circular Economy panel

Benita Matofska is an international expert on the sharing economy. She is a renowned speaker, writer and award-winning entrepreneur. She runs the website The People Who Share. She will share her insight and vast experience of the sharing economy, predicted to generate global revenues of $335 billion by 2025 (£9 billion in the UK). The sharing economy is closer to us than we think. For businesses, the question is: how can we capitalise on this?

Mariale Moreno is a research fellow at Cranfield University. Since she completed her PhD at Loughborough University on UserCentred Design and Sustainable Consumption, her work has focused on business opportunities towards achieving a Circular Economy through data-driven innovation.

BRE Katherine Adams, Principal Consultant, PhD Researcher University of Hertfordshire REBUS Maurizo Catulli, Project Director Epson UK - Peter Silcock, UK Product Manager Johnson Matthey Sarah Watt, Divisional Risk & Sustainability Manager GSK Martin Wigley, Director Site Operations Go Travel Solutions Robin Pointon, Managing Director Other panelists to be confirmed

Conference chairman Richard Potter, Director of Innovation, Sopra Steria, leads the panel on issues of the circular economy and two Q&A sessions.

Sponsorship, exhibiting, advertising opportunities: contact sophiewatts@hertschamber.com INSPIRE

All prices quotes include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated. For more information on any event: Sophie Watts, 01707 39 84 04, sophiewatts@hertschamber.com – or www.hertschamber.com

ChamberEvents

More wonderful events ahead Diarise now: July, August, September Business Breakfast Seminar

Chamber Adventure

Auto-enrolment for SMEs

Clay Pigeon Shooting

Date: Time: Venue: Where:

Date: Time: Venue:

Cost:

Wednesday 6 July 07.30 to 09.00 Mill Green Golf Club Gipsy Lane, Welwyn Garden City AL7 4TY No charge •••

Chamber Olympic Brunch with Ambition Broxbourne and guest speaker David Florence Date: Time: Venue:

Tuesday 12 July 10:00 to 12:00 Lee Valley White Water Centre Where: Waltham Cross EN9 1AB Cost: member £18.00 non-member £21.60 Speaker: David Florence, British Olympian slalom canoeist •••

Where: Cost:

Chamber Breakfast

Cyber-crime with Ambition Broxbourne Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Chamber Lunch

Tuesday 14 September 07.30 to 09.00 De Veres Venues Ponsbourne Park, New Park Road, SG13 8RF member £18.00 non-member £21.60 •••

Women in Leadership

Chamber HR Forum

Date: Time: Venue:

Social Media Policies

Thursday 14 July 12:00 to 14:00 Marriott Hanbury Manor Hotel and Country Club Where: Ware A1170, SG12 0SD Cost: member £25.00 non-member £35.00 Speaker: to be announced

Tuesday 18 August 12:30 to 16:30 Atkin Grant & Lang Shooting Ground Windmill Road, Markyate, AL3 8LP member £72.00 non-member £78.00 •••

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All prices quotes include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated. For more information on any event: Sophie Watts, 01707 39 84 04, sophiewatts@hertschamber.com – or www.hertschamber.com

Date: Time: Venue: Where: Cost:

Wednesday 28 September 09.00 to 11.00 Longmores Solicitors Hertford SG14 1HP member £15.00 non-member £18.00

MembersNews

Elstree film design wins award Elstree Film Design is a video, animation and interactive production company at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, that works with children and young people. The company is celebrating after winning the Commercial Business in the Community award, at the Hertfordshire Business Awards 2015. The award was given for their work running an annual film competition called “A Sense of…” Creative director Rob Finlay explains “We also run filmmaking workshops throughout the year, which teach young people the basics of storytelling, camera operation, cinematography and animation, and by the end of the day participants have planned, shot and edited their own short film. This imparts skills and confidence which ultimately encourage young people create and enter their own films.”

Elstree Film Design was appointed by Royal Opera House Bridge (ROHB) in 2014 to design and run a pilot for the competition. ROHB is one of ten national Bridges working across England to connect children and young people with great art and culture. Rob says “The Bridge liked the fact that we are a professional video production company working in the real world; ultimately this gave us an edge.” Promotion was driven on social media; with tweets reaching over 2 million followers, with notable support through retweets from BBC Film and the Department for

Want to make an impact in your community? Can you help YMCA in Hertfordshire with your retail knowledge and experience? Their charity shops support 350 youth club sessions per year and make a big difference to the future of so many young people in the county.

Education. The films have had thousands of views on Vimeo. Building on two years of success, Elstree Film Design is now set to grow the competition further. Producer Sam Finch says “The competition offers significant CSR and sponsorship opportunities for businesses. Elstree Studios and Warner Bros Studios Leavesden are confirmed sponsors for 2016 which we are very excited about.” To book a filmmaking workshop or to discuss CSR and sponsorship opportunities visit www.elstreefilmdesign.co.uk or call Sam Finch on 020 8819 2652.

If you think you can help the organisation, it is looking for voluntary non-exec directors to move its charity shop operations into a new growth phase. Help is sought in the areas of retail strategy - including business planning, logistics and online sales; stock generation and performance monitoring. Your expertise could make a big difference to the YMCA's work, so if you think you could make a contribution and would like to volunteer your time visit oneymca.org or call Guy Foxell (CEO) on 01923 353 600.

JPA Furniture - how green can we go? JPA Furniture supplies all kinds of contract furniture: for working, learning and living. The company works with commercial companies and government organisations (NHS, local authorities, schools) to maximise the budget available. Reducing waste The rising cost of raw materials, growing pressure on land resource and the increasing cost of living mean that disposal of re-usable items makes little sense. About 1.6m tonnes of Bulky Waste are thrown away in this country each year; the vast majority is furniture or white goods. It is estimated that 51 per cent is re-usable with minor repair. Repairs, re-upholstery, space planning For furniture needing repair, JPA examines the item for re-upholstery or re-topping repair and sources parts if needed. It is possible to make better use of existing furniture with new layout designs to improve workflow, communication and collaboration rather than to buy replacements. Ergonomics and comfort JPA offers task chair refresher training for individual staff at their

organisations to help each user get the most from their seating. Effective seating does not need to be expensive, just properly set up. Re-manufacturing Re-manufacturing existing furniture instead of buying new items can save up to 40 per cent of replacement. After a recent remanufacture project, Joanne Crawley, BRE said: “Think what you could do with your furniture at a fraction of the price.” One in, one out What does one do with old or unneeded furniture? JPA offers a ‘one in, one out’ collection service of old furniture against new orders. Redundant items are collected for materials recycling. Donating redundant items For organisations wanting to donate redundant furniture to a local organisation, JPA helps by sorting what is suitable, and contacting its local network to see if anyone would like it. To donate furniture or free storage space contact 01727 84 08 00 or f.edwards@jpa-furniture.com.

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MembersNews

A Local Success Story Speakerbus has a long history of business within Hertfordshire’s Borough of Broxbourne, having been founded above a hardware store in Rye Road, Hoddesdon, 32 years ago.

Andy Wodhams, the mastermind behind the company, graduated with a BSc Hons in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from City University in 1982 and after a short spell in the telecoms industry formed the company. The vision from the outset was to build a successful global business based on his own experience, and taking a look around the Waltham Cross office, it is hard to argue against Speakerbus having done just that. “We have offices across four continents, in cities including

Tokyo, Sydney and New York,” says Andy, pointing out they have operations closer to home near London’s Liverpool Street and of course in Waltham Cross. The offices, in Hanover House, are toward the eastern fringe of the town and occupy an office development that includes businesses such as Telford Homes. Having been based in an attractive art deco building in Hoddesdon since 1994, Speakerbus’ rapid expansion meant they began to require fresh space that their

Hoddesdon base was no longer able to offer and had to begin looking elsewhere for accommodation. “We needed somewhere modern and fresh looking, with an ability to expand as our operations did. From a business perspective we were keen to move to a location that had competitive rents and could offer a flexibility as our business diversifies into a more software focused direction.” “It was initially challenging to find a location within not just Broxbourne but the county itself, such was the shortage of suitable commercial units. After a period of time searching – and with the help of Broxbourne Council’s Ambition Broxbourne team plus the Chamber - we happened upon Waltham Cross.” “Waltham Cross offered a historic location to settle in and provided quick and frequent means to link with our Liverpool Street office; the train is so close. Our staff primarily commute in by car so being next door to the A10 and M25 was vital for keeping them happy.”

“We were very happy with the rents, given the proximity to London, and with the Lee Valley White Water Centre across the road, it provides a fantastic place to meet with clients, should we ever get any up this way!” Andy’s enthusiasm about the area is obvious being a local himself and now, given his membership on the Broxbourne Economic Board, he has the opportunity to voice his opinions and thoughts to the Council on a regular basis. Councillor and Leader of Broxbourne Council, Mark Mills Bishop, a keen supporter of the move, says “For Broxbourne to continue to thrive, it is vital that we attract, and most importantly retain, key knowledge intensive businesses such as Speakerbus, and I am delighted that both Andy and the team have decided to stay within the Borough.” So with Waltham Cross set to receive a new town square and Crossrail 2 services on the horizon, what does Andy think of the future? “I think we’re here to stay.”

Driving Innovation - Datasound Laboratories Datasound Laboratories Ltd (DSL) celebrates its 25-year anniversary this year. In continuing to grow their reputation in the rapidly expanding field of embedded computing, DSL have, since day one, been driving innovation in regard to embedding computing intelligence into industrial (and increasingly consumer) devices. Once a niche market, embedded computing historically only found its way into high technology sectors such as factory automation, medicine and military. But today, embedded computing is everywhere; sometimes you just have to look closely.

Imagination of possibilities Public awareness and the imagination of the possibilities that embedding computing intelligence presents grew with the advent of smartphones, smart televisions and wearable technology, such as Fitbit®. Consumers quickly found themselves intrigued by the intelligence behind these devices;

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embedded computing moves from niche to mainstream. DSL’s deliberately contained size, as a self-proclaimed, proud ‘small business’, gives it flexibility to evolve offerings that respond to a constantly changing interest and need. In 1991, the industry demanded custom electronic design. While this remains DSL’s core competency, industry shifts have necessitated an extensive range of ready-to-use platforms that include unbreakable industrial computers and vandal-proof touchscreens. Originally designed for industrial application, touchscreens today are increasingly valued in commercial use. There has been a surging interest from retail operations very keen to take advantage of smart touchscreen technology. However, this technology has to be insulated from potential damage through

jabbing force on screen surfaces by the public at large. For the most part, this technology is less visible, or accessible to the public. DSL innovation powers smart motorway hard-shoulder (M1, M6), delivers your fuel, and also manages your order in UK’s top restaurants.

Loving Letchworth DSL is committed to remaining in Letchworth where they began their success story in 1991. Derek Carpenter, Managing Director, says “I am convinced the prestige of the world’s first garden city, alongside a vivacious business innovation community, translates into a proud home for a company so obsessed with innovation.” In 2011 DSL had outgrown its premises and constructed a purpose-built facility in Aylesford Court. It has quiet design areas, busy innovation areas, and all the latest tools and technology to

continue its passion for innovation and embedded computing.

What’s next While rising to the challenge of being a champion within an industry long enamoured with embedding intelligence, their real challenge is to leverage their history and become a driving force in the emerging consumer embedded markets - Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, or a buzzword not yet even conceived!

InternationalTrade

People are people wherever they are in the world One of the oldest businesses adages is that ‘people buy from people’ and that has certainly proved the case for St Albans company FSC Global Ltd, wherever in the world those people might be based.

The company, which supplies electric cables and associated components to customers across the world, has found that the individual touch works best and that has meant partly basing its export trade on the success of partnerships with companies abroad, including America, Europe and Malaysia. FSC Global is an independent cable supplier founded in 2001 offering a dedicated export service to overseas customers.

They operate as the export department for sister company FS Cables who have been stocking and supplying flexible and specialist cables to the UK market since the early nineties. Throughout the 1990s FS Cables export sales started to grow and FSC Global was born as the company identified that a specialised service was required to make overseas trading run smoothly.

The range of cables offered has grown over the years and now includes more than 6,000 product lines with the company’s focus being on specialist and industrial markets from building automation systems and railway installations to chemical separation and energy generation plus home & yacht entertainment systems. Greig Martens, of the Export Sales Department at FSC Global, said that the company’s capacity to adapt to changing business conditions had proved crucial to the success of a group which has grown to employ more than 60 with 10-15 involved on the export side.

“The key to export success is understanding the markets you are trying to break into. Each one is different and we spend a lot of time doing background research so that we understand how best to take advantage of the opportunities on offer. “One thing we have learned is the truth of the saying that people buy from people, which is why we have worked hard to develop partnerships abroad. “You can have the best and biggest product range there is but customers like to see the suppliers face to face, which is why we use partners in different parts of the world. “It is why we also attend trade events abroad and are willing to jump on a plane to meet a customer if need be.” As a result, the company exports to Europe, America and the Middle East and has, over the years, developed a specialism in managing the complex paperwork demand in order to export. Greig said: “Sending the goods out the door is the easy bit, getting the export regulations, packaging and documentation correct is another challenge all together. “Fortunately, we are now experts in it. If you want to export effectively, it is something you have to get right.”

He said: “We used to be focused heavily on oil and gas but the recession changed that. Experience taught us that we had to widen our trading opportunities away from just oil and gas and we saw that there were opportunities to expand our exports in many different sectors.

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YoungChamber

St John Lawes School Careers Day Microsoft, John Lewis, BP, ITN, Warner Bros, Thomson, Whitbread and Deloitte were just a few of the organisations that participated in the Sir John Lawes School Careers Day on 17 March. employment options, ranging from School Leaver and Higher Level Apprenticeship programmes to Graduate entry schemes.

Change in company emphasis

The annual Careers Day event has become a great success; over 65 organisations representing some of the country’s biggest companies and most sought-after graduate employers attended. The format of the day event has employer talks in the morning and a huge careers exhibition in the afternoon that fills the school’s large sports hall to capacity. Year 12 students from the other secondary schools in Harpenden (St Georges and Roundwood Park) also sent students, as did Samuel Ryder Academy and

Loreto in St Albans and Bushey Academy in Bushey a total of 600.

School leaver opportunities The Careers Day, which has been developed in conjunction with the Sir John Lawes Enrichment Programme, provides Year 12 students with a greater knowledge of the opportunities that are available to them at all entry levels, from school leaver programmes and apprenticeships to graduate recruitment schemes, across a broad selection of industries. The objective is to educate students about the post-A Level

“… Our students have gained far more knowledge on the choices available to them post-A Level both in terms of the actual roles they would like to peruse and also regarding the various entry level options into those companies. Students have come away armed with contacts to support them in the future and a few even managed to secure themselves some work experience.” Mrs Honour-Jones, Sixth Form Manager, Sir John Lawes School “Our impression of the fair was exceptional as well as the students. Their approach and manner was very professional and we can’t wait to come back next year.” Gemma Palmer, Apprenticeship Manager at Gist “Thank you for enabling BP to come to the Sir John Lawes Careers Day. It was an excellent event and it was great to get the opportunity

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The increase in university fees gives rise to a change in emphasis; every year more companies are introducing alternatives to their traditional graduate level recruitment streams. These run in parallel but demand a high calibre A Level entry requirement. Some of St John Lawes students have been successfully recruited to these programmes and are now advocates for their employers to advertise this alternative to Post Graduate entry. For example Sophie Roche, a student, joined the global accountancy firm KPMG immediately after completing her A Levels. She receives a salary and KPMG paid for her to undertake their sponsored university degree in Accountancy.

Carousel of talks The morning programme is a carousel of talks delivered by industry professionals. Students select six presentations from

to see so many fantastic students. I was impressed by the questions the students asked, their interest and enthusiasm. It provided BP with an excellent opportunity to engage [with] students and highlight the multiple career opportunities available at BP. The students were a credit to their schools.” Suzy Style, Head of UK Graduate Recruitment at BP “A great event that was well organised by Sir John Lawes again. Students had the opportunity to interact with some excellent companies who offer school leaver apprentice and graduate programmes like the award winning ones offered by BDO. Students who attended were really engaged and had clearly thought about the options open to them post-A level.” Jason Goodhind, Audit Director at BDO

the programme to attend. Each talk covers a broad overview of careers in that particular sector. The talks are structured with various themes: medicine, engineering, media, finance etc.

Careers Fair The Careers Fair in the afternoon is an event whereby students can visit company stands to gain more detailed and more personalised information about specific careers opportunities that the employer offers. This year, the school has the largest Careers Fair to date, and many of The Times Top 10 and Top 100 Graduate Employers participated.

Students’ confidence in career direction The Careers Day is an invaluable event; student feedback from last year was highly positive and appreciative - demonstrating a significant improvement in the students’ confidence in their career direction. Students have also benefited from securing work experience and placements for their University courses.

“The event was really well organised and the calibre of the other organisations attending and the students was fantastic and we at Whitbread can’t wait to come back next year. Talking to the students gave us good indicators of the potential talent that is coming though.” Matt Dodd, Recruitment & Talent Adviser at Whitbread “Careers day was really beneficial and insightful due to the vast numbers of companies that attended and it helped us gain a wider understanding of potential future careers.” Alys Lloyd, student “It opened my eyes to new career pathways after school and made me consider opportunities that I was unaware of previously.” Dan Sambrook, student

YoungChamber

Young Chamber

The Nobel School Apprenticeship Opportunities Breakfast On 18 March, 8.00am to10.00am, students from the Nobel School in Stevenage co-hosted a Hertfordshire Chamber event, as part of the Chamber’s Young programme.

The School’s Year 13 BTEC business students were joined by local businesses whose representatives came to hear addresses from guest speakers and to network with the students and with other businesses. The various addresses provided useful guidance and advice for students considering their careers, and addressed such subjects as likely struggles and challenges students might face and helpful strategies to overcome them. They also offered solutions and advice for making employment decisions. One of the organisations participating in the morning’s programme was John O’Conner

Ground Maintenance. It is the recent winner of the City & Guilds Apprentice Champion of the Year: the National Apprenticeship Awards. Guest speakers: • Neil Cain, Operations Director - John O’Conner Ground Maintenance • Nicci Smith - Research & Development Early Talent Programme GlaxoSmithKline • Johanna North, Apprentice Administrator - EM Skills • Michael McGrath, Chief Executive - The Muscle Help Foundation • Lewis Stanley, student The Nobel School

After the breakfast and presentation, students had the opportunity to network, making contact with the businesses and to obtain more advice and also ask pertinent questions. Business students helped plan the event The business students helped plan the event, and arranged meetings with the Chamber to ensure the event was well organised for a successful outcome. Their job was well done because the feedback from everyone attending the event was highly positive.

People Like Me Hertfordshire Chamber recently launched a brand new initiative as part of its Young Chamber programme. The Chamber is now trained and licensed to deliver a new People Like Me initiative through WISE (Women in Science and Engineering). The objective is to inspire more girls to consider STEM-directed careers and to select STEM subjects at school. This will be achieved by identifying which tasks they enjoy doing and what they believe they are good at, and by matching them up with functions within science, engineering, technology and maths oriented roles. This initiative will reinforce the importance of continuing to study a science or maths subject beyond the age of 16 and also to begin thinking about fulfilling roles that can make them happy and successful. Schools that are interested in this programme please contact Courteney Black 01707 398744 courteneyblack@hertschamber.com •••

Young Chamber new member Hertfordshire Chamber welcomes another new member to its Young Chamber programme, The Marlborough Science Academy in St Albans. •••

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NewMembers

Welcome to new members Carita Services

Home Building Plastics Ltd

Silent auction for charities 1 Boyes Crescent ST ALBANS Hertfordshire AL2 1UB 07779 247806 www.cartiaservices.com

Trade supply: UPVC roofline, guttering Unit 6, Little Ridge WELWYN GARDEN CITY, Hertfordshire AL7 2BH 01707 339090 www.homebuildingplastics.co.uk

Click 4 Accounts Ltd Accountancy practice Great North Business Centre 82 Great North Rd HATFIELD Hertfordshire AL9 5BL 020 3824 4880 www.click4accounts.co.uk

Community Stars Companionship, respite-sitting service: adults 32 Olympus Rd HENLOW Bedfordshire SG16 6HD 07518 139520 www.community-stars.com

GVUK Design Ltd Provider: jewellery sector 2C The Leys, Leyton Rd HARPENDEN Hertfordshire AL5 2TL 0113 389 9710 www.gvukdesign.co.uk

Hemel Trophies & Jewellers Ltd Trophy, awards, engraving, signage, jewellery 20 The Queens Square HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Hertfordshire HP2 4ES 07788 755959 www.hemeltrophy.co.uk

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Kelvin Hughes Ltd Independent energy consultants Voltage, Mollison Avenue ENFIELD Hertfordshire EN3 7XQ 01992 805 200 www.kelvinhughes.com

McCurry Media Marketing, advertising campaigns 29 Laurderdale Rd Hunton Bridge KINGS LANGLEY Hertfordshire WD4 8QA 07947 562609 www.mccurrymedia.com

Ryebridge Construction Construction Unit 4 Barratt Industrial Park Airport Way LUTON Bedfordshire LU2 9NH 07721 572985 www.ryebridgeconstruction.com

TACK International Training to own sales force: 54 global locations Trinity Court, Batchworth Island RICKMANSWORTH Hertfordshire WD3 1RT 01923 897900 www.tack.co.uk

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Herts branch: developing, supporting marketers Moor Hall, Cookham MAIDENHEAD Berkshire SL6 9QH www.cim.co.uk

The Marlborough Science Academy Secondary school Watling St St ALBANS Hertfordshire AL1 2QA 01727 731324 www.themarlboroughscienceacademy.co.uk

Wine2Group Specialist wine merchant: independent trade, private clients Unit 21, Merchant Dr, Mead Ln HERTFORD Hertfordshire SG13 7AY 01992 505560 www.wine2trade.com

MembersNews

Mark Prisk MP presents Investment in Young People to small company aiding youth development in a big way Premier EDA Solutions Ltd has been accredited with Investment in Young People because of its exceptional contribution to helping young people gain employability skills. Mark Prisk MP (Hertford and Stortford), presented the accolade.

Premier is a small business in Stanstead Abbotts that supplies specialist software used by electronics engineers for the internal design of electronic products. Over its 22-year history, recruiting young people and providing career advancement options is very much part of the company’s growth.

Philip Mayo, managing director, in 2011 took a leap and launched a youth development programme for young people to access from outside his organisation. Interest was high and the company now works with several Hertfordshire secondary schools. The programme aims to introduce students to the careers available

in the UK electronics industry and to the skills that are required. It provides careers guidance, sponsorship and project-led work experience placements. This initiative extends to electronics undergraduates as well as sponsoring a number of university electronics labs. Premier is a WorldSkills UK sponsor and trains electronics apprentices for competing in the WorldSkills UK finals. Philip Mayo serves on various Industrial Advisory Groups and delivers careers lectures and mock interviews to students at several UK educational establishments. Mark Prisk MP says: “The industry desperately needs more people to come into the Electronics sector. Premier’s scheme is a really good way to draw young people in and explain both the excitement of the work but also the career opportunities. They can suddenly realise that

this is a path and as a career, has a lot of open opportunities and is well-paid.” Although relatively in its infancy, the programme can claim to have influenced 300 young people’s career decisions so far. This is already starting to show positive results. Some of these young people have gone on to study engineering at university, secured industrial placements and even apprenticeship at one leading engineering company. Philip Mayo says “Having our youth development efforts recognised in this way is an achievement for us. We’re proud that even as a small company, we can incorporate supporting young people into our day-to-day business. The Investment in Young People accreditation will help build upon this further.”

Affinity Water shortlisted for award Affinity Water has been shortlisted in the 2016 Responsible Business Awards, the most prestigious and rigorous awards championing responsible business in the community. Driven by the charity Business in the Community (BITC), HRH The Prince of Wales’ Responsible Business Network, the 2016 Responsible Business Awards celebrate inspiring examples of businesses that are making a significant difference by taking action to improve their local communities and tackle environmental challenges. Affinity Water has been shortlisted under the ‘Asda Environmental Leadership Award’ category in recognition for their approach to better resource management, conserving nature and tackling climate change. This included their work to help protect England’s globally rare chalk streams by reducing groundwater abstraction and working with local communities

on river restoration programmes to achieve good ecological status. Affinity Water Chief Executive Officer Simon Cocks said: "Our strategic ambition is to be the UK's leading community-focused water company. We are privileged and proud to be the supplier of this essential service and to be a steward of this precious resource for future generations. We are committed to managing the impact of taking water from sensitive habitats and to maintain flows in local rivers.” BITC Chief Executive Stephen Howard said: “We know that every day businesses contribute towards more resilient communities, stimulate local economies, help to create skilled and healthy workforces and tackle environmental challenges.

Affinity Water provided a great example of moving away from a traditional utility company model to demonstrating true environmental leadership.”

The award ceremony will be held at BITC’s Annual Responsible Business Gala at the 02 in London on 11 July.

Affinity Water join forces with the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust to clear a river bank of invasive Himalayan Balsam to improve the local environment. One of many projects Affinity Water has been involved with that helped the company to be shortlisted for the Responsible Business Awards.

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Apprenticeships

Benefits of hiring an apprentice More than 100,000 employers in over 160,000 workplaces attract new talent, up-skill existing staff and tackle skill shortages by hiring new apprentices and enrolling existing staff onto apprenticeship programmes. Improving your bottom line: Apprenticeships deliver real returns to your bottom line, helping to improve productivity and competitiveness. Hiring new apprentices or using apprenticeship training to up-skill existing staff can be much more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff, leading to lower training and recruitment costs. Filling skills gaps: Apprenticeships deliver skills designed around your business needs, providing the skilled workers you need for a successful future. They also help you to develop the specialist skills you need to keep pace with the latest technology and working practices in your sector. Motivating your workforce: Investing in an apprentice will allow you to nurture and grow your own talent. Apprentices tend to be young, eager, motivated, flexible and loyal. An apprentice is with you

because they want to be - they have made an active choice to learn on the job and have a commitment to a specific career. Having apprentices as part of your team can lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce. A recent National Apprenticeship Service reports: • 76% of those who employ an apprentice say they make the workplace more productive • 82% of organisations taking on an apprentice do so to build their capacity • 88% of employers say apprenticeships lead to a more motivated workforce • 77% of business owners believe that apprenticeships make them more competitive • 88% of employers say that apprentice training was relevant to their business needs

Government grant and free training: Apprentices must be employed as part of your workforce but it is expected they will be paid less than a fully trained member of your staff, to reflect the fact that they are learning and applying new skills. They must have a contract to reflect the duration of their apprenticeship; usually between 12 and 18 months. The government is offering small businesses (up to 50 employees) a grant of £1,500 for each apprentice, up to a maximum of five. This also applies to existing staff enrolled onto an apprenticeship programme. All of the training delivered by EM Skills is free. Larger businesses not qualifying for the grant still have access to the free training through EM Skills for apprentices up to the age of 24.

How does it work? EM Skills works with Hertford Regional College to offer local businesses the opportunity to engage an apprentice. We will work with you to ensure we identify the skill set required, and for a new position, formulate a job description, advertise and short list potential applicants for you. Once hired, EM Skills will allocate a tutor and work with you to ensure the new employee is gaining the skills they need, both on-the-job and off-the-job, through to final qualification. There will be regular visits and ongoing support from EM Skills. To find out more, contact Sarah Lebentz: 01992 476 573, or sarah@emskills.org.uk www.emskills.org.uk

Are you ready for the Levy? From April 2017 all businesses in the UK with a payroll bill greater than £3m per year will have to pay a new apprenticeship levy. The levy will be charged at 0.5 per cent of payroll above £3m: £5,000 for every £1m of payroll above the threshold. We reckon that in Hertfordshire over 250 businesses will have to pay this. Businesses will be able to spend their levy on training their apprentices through a new digital voucher scheme. Government will also top up their digital voucher balance by 10 per cent. The vouchers can be spent with the training provider or college chosen by the business. Smaller businesses will also use the digital voucher scheme in a couple of years’ time, but in the meantime they will continue to access apprenticeship funding from government using the current system. With a year to go, we’re already seeing the levy give businesses pause for thought about how they engage with apprenticeships. Some will recruit apprentices for the first time as a result of the levy, some will expand existing programmes, and others will simply pay the levy as a tax.

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Whether you are a levy payer or not, we’d encourage you to think seriously about how apprenticeships might work for your business. Apprenticeships have a unique power to transform the lives of young people - enabling them to build a career and realise their full potential in the occupation they care about most. They’re equally powerful for businesses - boosting productivity, staff retention and bottom line business performance. We’d also encourage you to look at your wider approach to bringing on talented young people - including but not limited to apprenticeships. That wider approach needn’t be expensive and time consuming. Engaging First you might consider how you are developing a relationship with your future workforce. This is about working with young people to help inform and inspire them about careers in your sector, and giving them their first experience of the workplace. This includes offering work experience placements to school

and college students or going along to careers events right through to working with schools and colleges to shape the substance of their programmes. Many businesses are already doing some of this under a community engagement or social responsibility banner. Training At the heart of it all is how you attract and then train young people when they first join your business, particularly given the advent of the levy that could very well be through an apprenticeship. There are now apprenticeships available for over 1,500 different job roles. There’s more flexibility than ever about how programmes are delivered through a combination of on and off the job activities. You could also consider providing work experience placements for young people on a traineeship programme (often with the prospect of an apprenticeship if they impress you).

The better and more joined up your work in the engagement phase, the easier you’ll find it to attract and retain the best candidates for your apprenticeship, and other, vacancies. Progressing Think about what happens next. If you’re going to retain your best young talent in a vibrant labour market, you need to offer clear development and progression opportunities beyond the initial training. If you’re going to maximise your return on investment in emerging talent, you need young people to realise their full potential and progress as far as their talent will take them in your business. This might involve further training or a systematic approach to identifying and supporting your stars to progress rapidly in your organisation.

For more information: www.hartld.co.uk/apprenticeship-levy or call 01462 471041

ProfessionalDevelopment

Save 25

on MBA course fees at University of Hertfordshire (UH) Thinking of taking an MBA? Did you know you can study part time? And Chamber membership can help you save 25% on your course fees for the first year?

The AMBA Accredited Hertfordshire Executive MBA is a part-time course that has been commended for its critical, reflective and integrative approach to leadership, entrepreneurship and enterprise skills development. Who will benefit from the Executive MBA? The Executive MBA is aimed at the following:

The Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce can introduce you and your team to a range of excellent courses at the University of Hertfordshire’s Business School and save you money on your staff development costs. With the UH campus conveniently located in Hatfield, first class business education is within easy reach of Hertfordshire companies and organisations and, through our partnership, UH courses are now within reach of most budgets.

• Business leaders wanting to take their enterprise to the next level who are seeking to develop corporate entrepreneurship skills and a mentality that is driven by risk-taking and growth orientation • Experienced professionals seeking a fresh challenge and new career direction The AMBA Accredited Hertfordshire Executive MBA is applauded for the high calibre of staff teaching and the way in which cutting edge research and live consultancy inform the curriculum.

As a student on the Hertfordshire Executive MBA you will be richly informed by research and the latest practice across the management disciplines. The Hertfordshire MBA is taught over ten weekends (Friday to Sunday) between September and May each year. Students enrolling in September 2016 can expect to complete their studies in April 2019. There are normally 25 students per class to ensure a highly interactive and engaging study experience.

The price for Year 1 of the Hertfordshire Executive MBA is £7,300 – Chamber membership can save you £1,825 so you pay £5,475 with the Chamber discount.

*The discount applies to Year 1 of study during the next academic year 2016/2017

To find out more about saving 25%* on course costs please contact Carole Luck caroleluck@hertschamber.com or phone 01707 398400 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9NE Tel: 01707 398000 Fax: 01707 398430 www.hertschamber.com

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FinanceforBusiness

The need for vigilance when it comes to tax By John Neighbour

Getting the finances right Good financial advice is crucial if businesses are to survive and the good advisers are the ones who pride themselves on working with their clients in a way which makes them feel comfortable.

HB Accountants When I started working in taxation more than 40 years ago, one of the first things I learned was that there was “no equity in taxation” – either you were taxed by the statute or not. Lord Clyde in 1929 (paraphrased) said “No man is under the smallest obligation, moral or other, to arrange his affairs as to enable HMRC to put the largest possible shovel in his stores”. Despite all the recent furore about Panamanian companies, that is still the correct legal position, although there has been a significant element of “moral creep” over the last few years, blurring the line between tax evasion (which is illegal) and tax avoidance (which is not). The moral issue has come to the fore with certain high-profile companies entering into “private” arrangements about how much tax they are prepared to pay to HMRC on complicated arrangements for licencing of intellectual property. In the UK, HMRC are getting more information supplied direct to them rather than waiting for taxpayers to disclose it. We are all having to be more open with HMRC even if we don’t have to publish our personal tax returns (yet!) like some politicians. Employment income is notified month by month and banks will provide interest details followed by dividends and rentals from letting agents, leaving perhaps only the self-employed to provide their own information. Even they will by 2018 have to communicate their figures to HMRC on a quarterly basis. With all this information coming directly to HMRC, will this mean that every taxpayer’s “Digital Tax Account” is accurate? Eventually, maybe, but many errors could arise so in the early days at least, taxpayers will need to watch for mistakes such as someone else’s bank interest appearing in their tax account (how many Mr Smiths are there in the UK?!).

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At a time when more and more businesses are starting to feel more confident about the economy, and are beginning to think ‘investment’ rather than ’cutbacks’, it is vital that they seek out the right advice. Even though the financial crisis is slipping into memory, the banks remain careful when offering loans so companies seeking the necessary finance still need to plan carefully. Financial advisers start by finding out what a business needs; it may be help with better financial management or it may be support applying for loans or grants to buy equipment or take on new staff. Bringing in the specialist advisers is crucial because they are the ones who know what opportunities are available. That means an initial meeting when the adviser, be it a specialist financial services company or based within

a bank, sits down with the client and draws up a detailed plan based not just on current needs but also looking to the future - maybe even doing a little dreaming with the client! Key to that is agreeing priorities. What does the client want to achieve in the short term, where do they want to be in the mid-term, what is the long-term vision? Where do they see their company in ten years and what kind of finance is required to make that possible? Through talking things honestly and sensibly, adviser and client can work together to come up with an action plan which is based on a solid financial platform. And the good advisers are flexible: they know that, as life progresses and businesses meet changing situations, their client’s needs and priorities will change. That means a financial plan that can be adapted when necessary.

Once that initial plan has been drawn up, the process moves onto the next stage, obtaining the finance to make things happen. One way of obtaining finance is going to the banks but another way for businesses requiring injections of funds is approaching venture capitalists, who are well versed in assessing prospective partners’ financial needs and dovetailing them with their own. Even in challenging economic times, such an approach should not be dismissed out of hand because a bright idea remains a bright idea and can attract funding to turn it into reality. The history of British business has been scattered with tales of innovations that arose out of the need to create new markets. None of it can happen without finance - and that means calling in expert help.

FinanceforBusiness

Getting cloud accounting right for your business As the technology develops, businesses are increasingly looking to cloud-based accounting solutions, but it’s important to look before you leap, advises Simon Playfair, Partner at Playfair Partnerships. Working in partnership One of the best ways to ensure you make the right decision and get a solution that meets your needs is to work with financial experts who have a more detailed understanding of the leading cloud solutions.

With the growth of cloud technology in recent years, businesses are increasingly opting for cloud-based solutions as a way of managing their finances. Cloud accounting can offer a number of benefits to many SMEs, including greater flexibility and control as well as access to up-to-date financial information from any device with an internet connection. However, there are many factors to consider when assessing whether to adopt a cloudbased system for your business and in choosing which provider to use. Before researching the options, we recommend discussing your needs with accountants or other financial experts, to ensure you get the best advice for your business.

•

Key points to consider include:

•

Will an off-the-shelf solution work for your business? Standard packages may suit SMEs with general purpose software requirements but may not be right for businesses with more bespoke needs, such as law and construction firms and businesses with complex financial management arrangements.

•

Decide which features are important, such as automatic invoicing, automatic credit control reminders and add-ons such as time recording and CRM integration. View pricing in conjunction with any current software costs and ensure time saving benefits outweigh any additional ongoing commitment. Cloud solutions usually include software updates in their monthly fee, so you won’t have to pay for new versions. Decide who should access the information. For example, do you want employees to be able to submit expenses, record time or request holidays? Most systems allow for differing levels of access for staff depending on their role. Be mindful of security and check providers’ standards. Most offer a very high level of protection and all information is backed up automatically, which can make it more secure than standard desktop systems.

As well as setting up the system to include features, add-ons and reporting tools that work for your business, proactive accountants should embrace the opportunity to work with business owners to provide a more flexible, open and responsive service. In our experience, clients often feel more comfortable making the transition to a new system if we take on the transfer of data for them. As with many things, setting a system up properly from the outset pays dividends over time. We've also seen some real benefits in being able to provide ongoing 'on the spot' troubleshooting advice and insight to businesses, knowing that our client is able to see the same information we can see in real time. A cloud-based system may not be right for your business now, but with providers continually developing their software to incorporate more features, it’s worth keeping an eye on new developments.

For more information about how cloud accounting could work for your business, please get in touch: T: +44 (0)1920 444230 E: splayfair@playfairpartnerships.com W: www.playfairpartnerships.com

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Communications

The benefit of working with an outsourced IT provider If you’re the owner or director of a business outsourcing some of the key functions will be familiar territory to you.

The question for many business owners and directors is not whether to outsource, but when and what factors are key to the decision? IT – more than ever before – is a 24 x 7 function. Employees need access emails and other systems from different devices constantly, and so email servers and database systems need to be available to match their requirements. With businesses and employees connected round the clock, websites up and running

365 days a year for ecommerce or promotional purposes, IT has the potential to be a headache for business owners. These systems need looking after and maintaining – and it’s an expensive function to resource. As well as the everyday business requirements placed on IT functions, business growth in itself brings with it a whole range of complex issues from adding new network users to increasing security requirements. With the multitude of software applications today and their ever increasing levels of sophistication, just managing a single system or functional area (such as a firewall) can be a highly complex task beyond all but the most skilled technicians. The benefit of working with an outsourced IT provider is that it will help you keep both capital investment and IT headcount costs down, allowing you to divert resources to profit centres instead.

Founded in 2000 Stevenage based Alliance Solutions Ltd has grown alongside its clients many of who have expanded their operations. The ethos of the company has always been to offer the best levels of support and advice. In 2014 Alliance Solutions achieved the internationally recognised ISO9001 accreditation establishing us as one of the leaders in IT Solutions and Support industry. One of Alliance Solutions strengths is that it is one of very few IT support providers that can develop their own system software products. This enables Alliance Solutions to quickly adapt and update their in-house developed Server Monitoring application and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. If your business is growing and you believe you could benefit from the services of an outsourced IT support provider, contact Alliance Solutions on 0800 292 2100 or contactus@alliancesolutions.co.uk and ask us for a for a free IT Systems Audit.

Looking for help with your IT support and IT management? We offer a full range of IT support services to meet all your needs.

Based in Stevenage we provide cloud & on-premise IT solutions, software customisation and IT support to businesses

Phone 0800 292 2100

or email contactus@alliancesolutions.co.uk for a free network audit.

We will work with you • We offer a great service • We invest in technology 40

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EUReferendum

The EU Referendum debate Hertfordshire Chamber staged an In/Out EU Referendum business debate at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel and Country Club in Ware on 21 April.

Hertfordshire Chamber, as with all British Chambers of Commerce’s accredited chambers, is always non-partisan. It remains particularly neutral on the issue of the Remain and Leave arguments surrounding the impending EU Referendum on 23 June this year. This does not mean to say the Chamber avoids courting business discussion on the various issues, particularly those that relate to its members’ businesses. It was also an opportunity for members to share their thoughts on and concerns for either remain or leave outcomes.

Survey Like the British Chambers of Commerce, Hertfordshire Chamber surveyed its members on their preference. The results of the two surveys yielded vastly different responses. British Chambers posted a result of 60 per cent for remain, and 40 per cent for leave, while Hertfordshire Chamber’s survey indicates a 22 per cent preference for remain, and 76 per cent voting for leave.

Remain and leave arguments Neville Reyner CBE DL Litt, Chairman of the Hertfordshire Chamber, introduced the two

Parliamentary speakers: Mark Prisk MP (Hertford and Stortford) and David Campbell Bannerman MEP (East of England).

Remain Mark Prisk advocated remaining within the European Union. The major benefit was its single market of 500 million people; a market for 44 per cent of British goods and services. The market itself generates more than 50 per cent of what comes here, he said. The single set of standards and regulations governing business makes it easier for British producers and manufacturers. Aerospace and Airbus in Stevenage are part of a European enterprise and supply chain. Other benefits are economies of scale and the help it affords SMEs. He said it was the EU’s effectiveness that kept down mobile phone roaming tariffs. R&D and innovation also benefit. Intellectual property rights are established with one unity, not 28. Science and research has benefited: Johnson Matthey received a £120m grant for its emissions research; GSK has also received EU research funding. UK access to European academia and expertise is a strong benefit.

Mark Prisk said the UK has the best of both worlds: control over its Pound and borders and a cop-out of closer EU union. The risks associated with leaving must be considered. Under Article 50 of the European Treaty, the UK would have to rewrite all 7,500 items of legislation within two years. Any extension would have to be agreed by the European Council of 27 other member states. The single market has the prospect of growth in an increasingly uncertain world where Russia, the Middle East and US protectionism could pose serious threats. Remaining in the EU safeguards this country’s arrangements in relationships.

Leave David Campbell Bannerman MEP (Eastern Counties) said he loves Europe, but wants a different relationship with it. The choice is between super-state vs sovereignty. The EU, under the Lisbon Treaty, has a constitution, an anthem and a flag. He said it aims to have a common welfare system, a social union, an EU minimum wage, a common pension system, harmonised taxes and a common budget which would affect UK VAT arrangements on food, children’s clothing and other exempted goods. It also aims to have an EU army and a common border force. David Bannerman says that Article 50 of the European Act 1972 compels the EU to negotiate the withdrawal agreement. However, he says, this does not apply to TTIP and other nations’ trade initiatives with the EU.

He says that by leaving the worst that can happen is that the UK can build strong bi-lateral trading agreements with the world’s most favoured nations: India, the US, China, Australia, Canada. He says that Canada is getting 99 per cent of their tariffs removed without even having to pay an annual £20bn gross to the EU. A benefit of leaving is forsaking the 7,500 pages of EU law and the red tape and directives that impact British businesses. Border control figures state a net immigration of 323,000 per annum, but the true figure, says David Bannerman, is 600,000. This places pressure on the UK’s public services; 33 per cent of new houses are earmarked for migrants, some of whom are yet to come. Being outside the EU means that the British people will be freer, healthier and happier.

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WorkPlace

Law firm chooses Harlow as new commercial base A leading Hertfordshire law firm, with more than two centuries’ experience serving its local community, is expanding its horizons and has chosen Harlow as a base for its new Essex operation. Longmores is not only a long established firm, but is vibrant and successful, with a forward thinking approach. The firm has a longstanding history of representing private clients, combined with a thriving commercial arm.

“We are fortunate to already represent a number of businesses and individuals within the area and our new base will allow us to build on existing relationships and also offer help and advice to new clients.”

The new office, based at the Harlow Enterprise Hub, opened its doors on 7th March and is headed by partner, Catrin Mills.

Catrin Mills said: “Harlow has a strong business sector and a buoyant local economy which I am thrilled to now be a part of. We are excited to join other Harlow employers in generating jobs in the area, and everyone in the Longmores team is looking forward to supporting both existing and new local clients.

Catrin specialises in employment law and will be supported by Rina Sond, a solicitor with expertise in commercial law and intellectual property, together with John Wagstaffe, who brings with him a wealth of experience in commercial property litigation. Commenting on the launch of the firm’s Harlow operation, Longmores’ Senior Partner, Anna Baptist, said: “The new office represents an exciting period of growth for the firm and will be a springboard which will help us to expand our services in Harlow and the surrounding areas.

“Our hard-earned reputation is based on providing legal solutions by specialists in their field. We pride ourselves on being approachable, building long-term relationships with our commercial clients, and providing solutions tailored to meet their needs. We are eager to demonstrate how Longmores’ friendly, no-nonsense approach to commercial legal matters can make a real difference to the local business community.”

“The new office represents an exciting period of growth for the firm and will be a springboard which will help us to expand our services in Harlow and the surrounding areas.”

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Meet the team:

Catrin Mills Partner in Employment team Catrin has been with Longmores since 2009, having first trained in the City before heading up an employment department at another regional firm. She has published two books on personal development for lawyers, and a study on employee engagement and conflict at work. Catrin advises on all aspects of HR and employment law, including reorganisations, employee dismissals and grievances, redundancies and TUPE issues. Catrin is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and is also now a committee member at the Harlow Chamber of Commerce.

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Rina Sond

John Wagstaffe

Company Commercial Solicitor

Property Litigation Solicitor

Rina joined Longmores in September 2014, having previously worked at both regional and City firms. She has a wealth of experience in all forms of company and commercial law including dealing with a wide range of commercial contracts, various matters in the field of intellectual property and IT along with e-commerce and data protection. Rina has a particular passion for branding and brand protection. Rina is a committee member of the Association of Asian Women Lawyers, an organisation that seeks to promote diversity within the legal profession.

John joined Longmores as a trainee solicitor in January 2009, and became a qualified solicitor in February 2011, having gained some experience working for a property development company. Having initially practised property law and conveyancing, John joined the firm’s commercial litigation team in April 2012 to specialise exclusively in property dispute resolution. John is a member of the Property Litigation Association.

About Longmores The comprehensive and commercial understanding of clients’ business objectives is at the heart of the team’s ethos, enabling them to deliver swift and effective solutions with a thorough and proactive approach. Longmores offer a range of legal services across the following practice areas: • • • • • • •

Company & Commercial Employment Commercial Litigation Commercial Property Family Private Client Residential Property

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For further information please visit our website www.longmores-solicitors.co.uk or email us advice@longmores-solicitors.co.uk

The business magazine of Her tfordshire Chamber of Commerce March - April 2016

Hertfordshire’s transport

Harlow office: Harlow Enterprise Hub Edinburgh Way Harlow CM20 2NQ T: 01279 210300

Hertford office: 24 Castle Street Hertford Hertfordshire SG14 1HP T: 01992 300333

A vision for the future - page 8 Laun chin g

our 201 6 Circ ular Econ omy n Cele brat Con fere nce ing the 201 - pag e 37 6 Insp iring Hert ford shire n Spo tligh t on Letc hwo Awa rds - pag rth Gar den e 4 City - pag e 16

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24Hours

24.Hours Creativity is the key for Richard

Richard Potter Director of Innovation Sopra Steria

For Richard Potter, the working day is all about inspiring others to think more creatively and adopt new ways of thinking in their business life to achieve transformation. His role as the Director of Innovation at Sopra Steria, which helps organisations to deliver successful transformation programmes using technology, means that he often starts work early. He said: “I tend to travel early in the morning so I often get onto a 6am train into London if I will be working at our office in the city or maybe I will be on my way to see a client if I am delivering a workshop for them. “I like to use public transport wherever I can because that means that I can use the time on the train or plane to do some work, answering my emails or catching up on other work as I travel. “About 50 per cent my time at work is spent helping our company to be innovative and 50 per cent doing the same with our clients and that means sparking creativity in people.

“The technology is an enabler but the main aim of what we do is to spark new ways of thinking. It is about changing the culture of a business.”

“That could be done through delivering workshops that last a few hours, a day or a few days, either through sessions staged in the DigiLab in our London offices or in a client’s offices or at a conference centre. “The work that I do is aimed at helping people to examine the things that get in the way of innovation, the things that are disrupting the process of creativity, then helping them to come up with ideas to solve the problem. “Technology is at the core of what we do but my work goes far beyond that. It is about helping people to examine new models of working, challenging perceived wisdoms and helping them to think differently and more creatively. “I believe that innovation is a process so I help them to be more creative through a series of stages, identifying disruptive factors, coming up with new ideas then looking at how they will add value to the company. “The technology is an enabler but the main aim of what we do is to spark new ways of thinking. It is about changing the culture of a business. “My working day often does not finish until the evening because I may be at dinner with a client or attending a conference and after that it can often end with the emails again. “Because my job is to stimulate innovation in people, it is important that I keep fresh and the fact that I am exposed to lots of ways of thinking, indeed deliberately expose myself to them, helps me do that.”

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Health&Wellbeing

Taking a healthy approach to the workplace can improve productivity The importance of health in the workplace is increasingly being recognised as a key driver in productivity.

Put at its simplest, a healthy workforce do more work and feel better disposed to their employer, particularly if that employer invests in things like gym membership and healthy living schemes. A study published several years ago underlined how poor workplace health can damage

productivity. Produced by the Work Foundation in partnership with RAND Europe and Aston Business School, the report showed that an estimated 27.6 million working days were lost in a single year in Britain due to work-related illness. This represented 1.15 days lost on average per worker. On the other hand, various recent research reports show that healthy workers take less time off due to illness and work harder. The responsibility of the employer in creating such a situation has been identified by the World Health Organization, which has suggested that supporting staff, through schemes ranging from those tackling lower back pain

caused by spending too long at their desks to those helping staff who are eating unhealthily at work because the canteen menu is limited, can have positive outcomes.

Experience has shown that good schemes promote a happy and harmonious working environment which, in turn, can reduce absence and reduce costs for the company as well as improving loyalty.

Benefits that provide for an employee’s wellbeing, by giving staff a helping hand and promoting enjoyment and relaxation, do go a long way to making an employee feel valued and appreciated, which in turn increases an employee’s allegiance. In 2013, research commissioned by Capita Employee Benefits found that out of 3,000 respondents to the survey, 46% cited their benefits as a reason for staying with their current employer. What’s more, a benefit scheme which appeals to the wider audience also has the ability to help with recruitment by attracting talented candidates.

There are some simple back stretches which can help to maintain back strength, or if you are concerned or have any ongoing pain you might want to consider contacting a physiotherapist or your GP. At Spire Harpenden we have a large physiotherapy team who cover a broad range of specialties including post-operative physio, acupuncture and hydrotherapy.

If you would like to find out more about Spire Harpenden Hospital and how your company can benefit from our MySpire Corporate package, a free healthcare benefit card which can offer a number of benefits to you and your employees, call Nicola on 01582 714 307

A good employee benefit scheme strikes a balance between being affordable and easy to implement for businesses, whilst being attractive and rewarding enough for employees so as to increase motivation and productivity.

Stop the strain Posture advice for the workplace We all know the shoulder twinges and slight pain which can be caused when you’vebeen sitting at a desk for too long. At Spire Harpenden, our physiotherapists often see patients who have symptoms of a painful neck and back as well as tension in this area which have been caused by poor posture sitting at a desk. One of our physiotherapists outlines this advice to ensure that you are comfortable at work: • Ensure a good posture when sitting. Your legs should be out in front of you slightly and your back straight. Your hips and knees should be at right angles – you may need a footrest in order to get this angle. Sit in a good comfortable chair, which needs to be adjustable to ensure your back is supported. • Move your neck and shoulders and back approximately every half an hour, even if you’re just stretching the muscles

out. It’s a good idea to get up from your desk approximately every hour or two, even if just for a few minutes. • I often see repetitive strain injuries, especially in the wrists, elbows and shoulders. Keeping your elbows at right angles can help reduce the risk of RSI’s as well as equipment such as wrist supports for your keyboard as well as ergonomic mice and keyboards help to reduce the risks. • Try to sit directly in front of your work station and up close to it - the top of your computer screen should be at eye level. • Sitting is one of the worst positions for your spine, so where possible things like standing desks or doing another activity which involves moving can be a great way to offload the structures in the spine.

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BusinessNews

Do you have a big message to share?

More than Talk to Camera-Speak to the World just the songs The most effective way to get your message to many Mike Ruff Music is the business side of Mike Ruff, a musician and sole trader and the business is much more than straightforward performing. Like any small business change and flexibility are essential to survive in the modern world. The core aspects are Barn Dances and music for concerts, folk clubs and community events. These have remained constant for over 25 years even if some of the bands have changed and the repertoire and range of options has increased greatly. The first additional strand was education and in 2006 Mike formed Tradamis, an educational charity with a team of professional practitioners, which offers resources, training and teaching for schools and others. Originally the books and CDs came from other artists and organisations but this presented another opportunity. Collaborating with a teacher friend Mike wrote what has already become the standard book on Maypole Dancing with his band Quicksilver providing the CD to go with it. This success has been followed by a DVD based resource pack to teach Morris Dancing and another book on Country Dancing. One of the challenges facing the business is how to get these and other publications to a wider audience. How does all this relate to the wider business community? In a number of ways. Mike’s teaching skills have recently been extended to bring Heritage into the area of Corporate Training as well as the more longstanding provision of entertainment for business events. Mike Ruff Music can also collaborate to assist businesses in developing links with the wider community through presentation and sponsorship. Other stands are constantly being developed and Mike and his colleagues are adept at finding creative ways of using our cultural heritage. Find out more at Mike’s web site www.mikeruffmusic.co.uk and www.tradamis.org

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