Inspire 26 by Benham Publishing Limited

INSPIRE.26 The business magazine of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce May - June 2018

Exciting times for Dacorum as collaboration creates new business opportunities

n Big Interview Staying agile in the volatile Brexit trading world - page 8

n Preparing for 'B' Chamber welcomes H.E. Ambassador Jean-Pierre Jouyet - page 15

- page 10

n Economy - GDPR Everything you need to know about GDPR - page 20

funerals@austins.co.uk www.austins.co.uk hpc@crematorium.co.uk www.crematorium.co.uk

Welcome

From the Chief Executive

Contents Green and pleasant land It may be argued that as London’s living and working patterns continue their pressures upon on business opportunity, daily living, affordability, congestion and health, home county alternatives seem increasingly attractive. However, it is not a Hertfordshire Chamber argument. Hertfordshire is not simply a green and pleasant alternative to London. It is in its own right a viable, strong and steadfast place in which to establish healthy businesses and family life. While it is true we have many dormer towns that provide London’s economy with its talent and skills, the greater truth is that they spawn supporting businesses and infrastructure that serve local supply chains and family life. Also, over the last 50 years big businesses have sited their operations here in Hertfordshire for good reason. Since Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce’s establishment in 1924, nearly 95 years ago, we have seen extraordinary growth, investment, inward migration and technological progress that bring together business opportunity, employment and people. This will continue because we are a county of opportunity and a place for healthy living. Our cover story is testimony to Chamber’s confidence in Hertfordshire’s future.

Dacorum is developing 100 hectares of high quality commercial space for 800 businesses and 8,000 jobs as part of its Enviro-Tech Enterprise Zone. This is an uplifting account of the sort and size of developments to which we can look forward (see pages 10, 11, 12).

Further afield In broadening our horizons, the Chamber has fervently endorsed and promoted the prospects of post-Brexit business opportunity. We do this also for the International Business Festival next month (12 to 28 June 2018), which is touted as being the world’s biggest international business event this year. There are more than 200 speakers from multinational corporations and government ministries, and will be attended by its Patron, HRH The Duke of Cambridge (see page 14).

The same threats to fight “I think it’s clear that whatever the Brexit outcome, the relationship between France the UK will remain very strong. We have the same threats to fight, and it’s important to maintain our co-operation in defence, security, migration and with international policy…” said France’s Ambassador Jean-Pierre Jouyet, who coincidentally spent some student time in Watford washing dishes, drinking warm beer and learning English (see page 15).

Threats to intellectual property The Chamber is always grateful to its Patrons not only for their support, but also for their commitment to knowledge sharing. Longmores Solicitors provides a brief synopsis of intellectual property aspects — trademarks, copyright, patents, design rights — and the means with which to protect these properties (see page 17).

It’s coming; GDPR By the end of this month, GDPR will be a business reality. It implicates all organisations that have customers’ data. Another highly valued Patron, BulletProof, explains the reality of ignoring such

implications (page 21). There are remedies for staying on top of what might seem arduous business responsibilities (see page 22).

Also forthcoming; Chamber events The Chamber is buzzing with business networking events and skills and knowledge learning possibilities. May’s Chamber lunch presents an overview presentation on how to hire good people and our June Chamber lunch’s presentation addresses the benefits of employing ex Armed Forces, volunteers and reservists. In June and July we are running several members’ masterclasses presented by one of our Patrons, Focus7 International: The customer’s journey, Websites that generate business, and Writing a Marketing Plan. There is a very informative session in June on business data optimisation, getting data to work for business planning and growth, and another on business branding to attract and retain customers. Office politics is as much a reality as a curse. In July we have an insightful session on the subject and how to work through the issues.

News from our members Did you know that we (UK) produce about 15 million tonnes of food waste annually? There is an interesting article by a member on the subject. Did you know also that students who gain a Higher Apprenticeship will earn up to 270 per cent more in their lifetime than graduates? Did you know that the alleged data harvesting from over 50 million social media accounts resulted in a reported stock plummet of $59bn? These reflect just some of the member contributions in this edition (see pages 39, 40, 41). The Chamber values its members’ news and insights.

And finally… the Finalists We congratulate all our finalists in this year’s Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards, and look forward to seeing you on 7 June at St Albans Abbey for the Awards. We also thank, once again, our headline sponsors, Hillier Hopkins and BulletProof, our associate sponsor, Pearldrop, and the 20 category award sponsors.

Yolanda Rugg Chief Executive Officer Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce

Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 4-5 Big Interview 8-9 Focus on Dacorum 10-12 Hertfordshire Global 14-15 Chamber People 16 Patron Focus 17 Economy 20-21 Past Events 24-25 Chamber Events 26-29 Tourism 30-31 New Members 32-33 Member Benefits 34 Health & Wellbeing 35-38 Members News 39-41 Finance for Business 42 Skills 46-48 Last Word 50 •••• Editorial and General Enquiries Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce MacLaurin Building, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9NE Tel: 01707 502180 Email: enquiries@hertschamber.com Web: www.hertschamber.com Chief Executive: Yolanda Rugg Publisher Ian Fletcher Benham Publishing Limited Aintree Building, Aintree Way, Aintree Business Park, Liverpool L9 5AQ Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com Published May 2018 © 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. 1564 •••• 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. ©2018 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.

INSPIRE

Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards

Inspiring Hertfordshire

Awards 2018

HEADLINE SPONSORS

Hillier Hopkins LLP BulletProof

Inspiring Hertfordshire The Finalists Spring was backward in coming forward this year, but the same is not true of this year’s finalists.

AWARDS SPONSORS Thank you

STEP FORWARD

Entrepreneur of the Year

Achievement in International Business

Sponsored by CS Recycling

• • • • • •

Conamar Building Services Limited HTC Group MCP Property Services M.K. Ginder & Sons Silver Fox Limited The Muscle Help Foundation

• • • •

1st Line Defence Ltd DeVere Theobalds Estate Focus7 International Ltd Green Building Design Consultants Ltd

The Tourism Award Sponsored by Vibrant Partnerships

Innovation through Technology Sponsored by Focus7 International

• • • •

1st Line Defence BRE Academy Circadian FX Yellow Lizard Media

Investment in Young People Sponsored by Aubrey Park Hotel

• Aubrey Park Hotel • Sopwell House • Tewin Bury Farm

Business of the Year: North Herts Sponsored by REED Employment • • • •

DCS Sonovision UK Ltd Herts Executive Max Golf Protein Tier 2 Consulting Ltd

Business of the Year: East Herts Sponsored by Longmores Solicitors • Evergood Associates Ltd • Rothamsted Research • Sporting Futures Training UK Ltd

Made in Herts Sponsored by Barclays Bank

• 1st Line Defence Ltd • Cariad Marketing Ltd • iThinkMedia

Business of the Year: South Herts Sponsored by Silver Fox Limited

Sponsored by Broxbourne Council Ambition Broxbourne

• • • • • •

Big Reach Marketing Circadian FX Halia Rose Inspirational Dance Studio Max Golf Protein The Chocolate Coin Company

Sponsored by Porsche Hatfield • • • • •

Halia Rose Novo UK Recruitment Limited Osborne Appointments Silver Fox Limited Trinity Wealth Management Ltd

Business of the Year: small to medium Sponsored by Hertfordshire LEP • • • • • •

1st Line Defence Ltd Alliance Intelligent Scaffolding Ltd Herts Executive Osborne Appointments Saunders Architecture + Urban Design The Skin to Love Clinic

Business of the Year: medium to large Sponsored by SA Law • DCS Sonovision UK Ltd • Quanta Consultancy Services Ltd • Rothamsted Research

Outstanding Contribution to Business Sponsored by VWV

Inspiring Business of the Year Sponsored by

• FFE Ltd • Mirage Health Group Ltd • Silver Fox Limited

Most Promising New Business

Business of the Year: West Herts

Hillier Hopkins LLP and • • • • •

Alliance Intelligent Scaffolding Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel Group M.K. Ginder Sons Saunders Architecture + Urban Design Trinity Wealth Management Ltd

BulletProof Associate sponsor Pearldrop See you all on the night.

INSPIRING HERTFORDSHIRE AWARDS GALA DINNER To share in the fun, and to celebrate with our finalists and winners, come along for a scintillating evening at St Albans Abbey on Thursday 7 June.

To book: www.hertschamber.com//event/details/276 INSPIRE

Inspiring

Finalists

Hertfordshire

Awards 2018

HEADLINE SPONSORS

Hillier Hopkins LLP BulletProof

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INSPIRE

Finalists

Inspiring Hertfordshire

Awards 2018

HEADLINE SPONSORS

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INSPIRE

Big Interview

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are some big challenges ahead with the economy, not least of which is the impact of Brexit and the uncertainty which it is creating, which makes it difficult to operate in the short term and to plan in the longer term.â&#x20AC;? 8

INSPIRE

Big Interview

Staying agile in the volatile Brexit trading world Businesses of all types and sizes are trying to come to terms with the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and for the Managing Director of Hertfordshire-based Grace Foods UK that means the company being agile and responsive. Adam Reader believes that the only way to deal with the volatile trading conditions created by Brexit is to ensure that everyone in the business is prepared to take the initiative when opportunities arise. It’s a philosophy that is working for the man who has headed up the UK’s leading supplier of Caribbean food and drink since 2015, running a business which has its headquarters in Welwyn Garden City and employs 192 people in the UK. Showing strong year on year growth, Grace Foods UK, who owns leading World Foods brands including Encona, Nurishment, Dunns River as well as the Grace brand, last year celebrated its tenth anniversary with a raft of marketing activity and new product development. That work, Adam believes, laid the foundation for further expansion across Europe and into other international markets, supplying a range of speciality and world food brands to the retail, wholesale and foodservice sectors. But he acknowledges that Brexit has presented a testing environment in which to trade internationally. He said: “There are some big challenges ahead with the economy, not least of which is the impact of Brexit and the uncertainty which it is creating, which makes it difficult to operate in the short term and to plan in the longer term. “One of the problems is the way the exchange rate fluctuates. We import a lot of materials for

products and the volatile exchange rates makes it difficult for us to manage prices and margins. “That can be especially difficult for us because our customers require certainty. We cannot be continually moving prices to our customers. ”There is also a concern about the effect of Brexit on people from other European countries who work in the UK. “We have people who work for us but come from other EU countries and they are telling us that, although they want to stay here, they are concerned about the future and whether or not they will be able to do so. ”Overall, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit is making it difficult to plan for 2019 and beyond. How can you do the planning for the three to five years ahead that you need to do when the economic situation is so uncertain?” However, for all that, Adam does see plenty of opportunity when it comes to exporting the company’s products, helped by the fact that Grace Foods UK already has a global approach to business because it is a subsidiary of GraceKennedy, a US$1bn global consumer goods and finance group with headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica. Adam said: “Despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, Europe remains a big and important market for us and we have been expanding across the EU.

“There are definitely opportunities in Europe but we also see markets in other parts of the world. “We are now exporting to Russia, for example, and we have just had a range of our sauces accepted into a supermarket chain in Egypt for the first time.” Another area he is keen to explore is the Commonwealth, a market which received a lot of publicity during the recent Commonwealth Leaders summit held in the UK. A number of UK Government Ministers suggested that the Commonwealth could assume greater importance for exporters and offset difficulties with the EU, something to which Adam gives a guarded response. He said: “There has been a lot of talk about the Commonwealth recently and there are certainly opportunities to explore. “However, there are barriers that need to be overcome when we are trading with the Commonwealth, including financial and cultural considerations and also geographical challenges. “The Commonwealth countries are spread over a wide area and some are quite small so you have to make sure that what you are doing is scaleable.” That capacity to identify opportunities has been at the heart of the company’s recent growth and Adam is proud of a team that keeps a close eye

on everything that brings about changes in food and drink consumption so that they can respond quickly when opportunities arise. They oversee an operation that is constantly updating its offer in everything from sauces, drinks, soups, and Tex-Mex to Caribbean dishes and street food and Adam said: “Our staff are a key asset and we adopt a positive approach to employee engagement and motivation. “To use a seafaring analogy, I may be at the helm but it needs everyone to be involved in steering the direction in which we travel. “The key to our success is the way we react. We have 192 staff and we work hard to ensure that they all understand the strategy for the company so that they know where we are aiming to go. “However, we make sure that they feel able to take their own decisions within that strategy. As a company, we need to be agile and we empower our people. We make them responsible and hold them accountable for their decisions as well. “We also appreciate that they will make mistakes from time to time. Everyone makes mistakes but we believe very strongly in the adage that a mistake is a key part of the learning journey.” To watch a video profile on Grace Foods visit bit.ly/2JsQWyN

INSPIRE

Focus on Dacorum

Lined up for Enterprise Zone success These are exciting times for Dacorum as a strong sense of collaboration creates new business opportunities in the new Enviro-Tech Enterprise Zone 10

INSPIRE

With hard hats and spades at the ready and the first big brand announcing its decision to move onto the site, there is a real sense of purpose and momentum at Hertfordshireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Enviro-Tech Enterprise Zone.

Hempstead. The global logistics leader Prologis, which has excellent sustainability credentials, also recently announced that leading consumer delivery company Hermes will be its first customer on site.

Construction work is now well underway at one of the Enterprise Zone sites, Prologis Park Hemel

Preparatory work on the multi-site zone started in 2016 after Hertfordshire Local Enterprise

Focus on Dacorum

“We’ve been investing in Hemel Hempstead for almost 20 years and having such a high-profile company as Hermes as our first customer at Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead further underwrites the importance of this area as a key business location.” Paul Weston, head of London & South East Markets for Prologis UK.

The Enviro-Tech Enterprise Zone offers qualifying occupiers business rates discounts and additional tax breaks up to £55,000 per year.

its local authority partners, Hertfordshire LEP and the Hemel Hempstead Business Ambassadors will see Dacorum continue to attract businesses, residents and visitors contributing to economic growth for the benefit of everyone.

This, coupled with the commitment and support of

The Business Ambassadors, who count 70 local businesses

Partnership successfully led a partnership team to bid for the zone in 2015.

Construction is well underway at Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead with the first buildings expected to be available from Autumn 2018.

among their members, recently met at the newly-refurbished Maylands Building in Maylands Avenue to be treated to a presentation on the future of the Enviro-Tech Zone. Cherie Norris, Enterprise Zone Programme Manager for Hertfordshire LEP, discussed the strategic vison for the Zone and

the plans to invest its retained business rates in future development such as digital infrastructure and road infrastructure. The term ‘Enviro-Tech’, will link the ‘built’ environment of BRE (Building Research Establishment) and the ‘green’ environment of Rothamsted Cont p 12

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Focus on Dacorum as our first customer at Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead further underwrites the importance of this area as a key business location.” Prologis has also announced that the park will protect 421 acres of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy. Working with the environmental charity Cool Earth, Prologis will mitigate 109% of the carbon involved in the construction of the buildings on Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead by protecting an area of the rainforest in Papua New Guinea. This area of rainforest is part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy; a unique network of forest conservation initiatives which involves all 53 countries of the Commonwealth.

Hemel Hempstead Enterprise Zone site locations

Research, alongside third partner the University of Hertfordshire. Seven sites make up the Enterprise Zone and cover an area just over 100 hectares.

lounge area with café and bookable meeting rooms, will reduce our new tenants’ outgoings and increase the efficiency of the space they lease.

Cherie said: “This will be high quality commercial space, targeting 800 businesses and creating about 8,000 jobs.

“This building provides uncompromising value with occupational costs around 40% more competitive than St Albans and around 30% more competitive than Watford.”

“Development of this innovation hotbed will be phased over a 10-year period with the intention of attracting large and small businesses into the area with competitive rental values and many non-financial incentives such as Gigabit technology to the premises, internet of things networks and 5G.” ESO Capital hosted the Business Ambassadors meeting at their recently refurbished building. The Maylands Building totals 140,000 sq ft and provides five levels of 26,000 sq ft, divided into three wings of flexible office space which are available to lease from 7,500 sq ft upwards. Philip Papenfus, Director of Doherty Baines on behalf of ESO Capital, said: “The 12,000 sq ft of central facilities, incorporating a new reception, communal

INSPIRE

In another major development for the Enviro-Tech Zone, Business Ambassador Prologis Inc, the global leader in logistics real estate, announced that leading consumer delivery company Hermes will be its first customer at Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead. Hermes signed a lease agreement for the 80,000 square foot distribution centre at the end of December 2017 and a group of representatives from Hermes and Prologis recently attended a groundbreaking ceremony on site. Construction is expected to complete in October. Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead, which is at Maylands Gateway, sits within the town’s new Enviro-Tech Enterprise Zone.

When complete, the park will provide up to 585,000 square feet of industrial and distribution space, together with a £2.5 million investment in local highway infrastructure. Prologis will also create a network of safe pedestrian and cycle routes around the site and along Buncefield Lane, as well as a new ‘pocket park’, which the company will maintain for people who live and work locally. Edmond Leahy, Estates Manager for Hermes, said: “Our move to Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead will ensure we can continue to provide retailers with world class services and solutions as we aim to become the consumer’s carrier of choice. “The operation will bring new jobs to the area and we look forward to becoming part of the local business community.” Paul Weston, head of London & South East Markets for Prologis UK, said: “We are delighted to welcome Hermes to Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead. We’ve been investing in Hemel Hempstead for almost 20 years and having such a high-profile company

In addition to protecting areas of the rainforest for future generations, every building on Prologis Park Hemel Hempstead will have its whole-life carbon impact officially certified by The Planet MarkTM. Simon Cox, UK Sustainability Officer for Prologis said: “We feel passionately that, as a property company, we should play our part in reducing average lifetime carbon in our buildings to bring the benefits of sustainability to our customers, the local community and beyond. “This legacy of sustainable development is something we gift to every owner or occupier of a Prologis building in the UK, allowing them to start their own sustainability journey. “Our sustainability programme also funds education officers from the Eden Project to go into local schools close to our developments and talk to the children about sustainability and how they can play their part in protecting the planet. “To date, we’ve delivered this programme to children at Hobletts Manor Junior School and Nash Mills School in Hemel Hempstead and a number of other schools will be taking part in this initiative over the coming months.”

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INSPIRE

Herts Global

International Networking If you can cast your mind back to the 28th September 2017, Lancaster House, London, and you may remember Prince William being announced as the Patron of something or the other? If you can’t then let me remind you. On that day he launched the 2018 International Business Festival being held in Liverpool over 9 days, during a three week period in June, and will be the world’s biggest international business event this year, with more than 200 speakers, from many well known companies and government ministers. As Patron HRH The Duke of Cambridge will be attending during the Festival. The International Business Festival celebrates and supports business, through conferences, seminars and bespoke business brokerage meetings. Returning to Exhibition Centre Liverpool for three weeks from the 12 - 28 June 2018, bringing a world of business to anticipated crowds of more than 25,000 visitors. Programme of business sectors are; • Tuesday 12 June Global Economics • Wednesday 13 June Urbanisation & Cities • Thursday 14 June Sustainable Energy • Tuesday 19 June Future Transport • Wednesday 20 June Manufacturing • Thursday 21 June Global Logistics & Shipping • Tuesday 26 June Health & Life Sciences • Wednesday 27 June Creative Industries • Thursday 28 June Sport, Culture & Travel

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The Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce are supporting the COBCOE Conference on 12 June through our membership of COBCOE – the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe. This event, hosted in partnership with HSBC, will open the festival and will bring together senior UK government ministers with business leaders and high-level diplomats from across Europe and beyond, including Hertfordshire Chamber member George Phillips from Grace Foods UK. The COBCOE conference, entitled ‘We need to talk about… The Global Future of Business’ is for businesses that want to plan for a prosperous future. The aim is to provide a new understanding of what the future holds by hearing first-hand from UK government ministers and senior business representatives. The one-day conference will cover a broad range of topics, including: • What the desired Brexit agreement will look like • Government strategies to promote skills, productivity, FDI and UK-EU trade after Brexit • Changes to supply chains and changes to the way we work brought about by new trade relationships, new technologies and the rise of Central Eastern Europe -• How UK and European businesses can compete in fast-changing global markets

The conference will also provide a unique opportunity for international networking with business representatives who will be attending from across the COBCOE network and beyond. Speakers include: • Senior UK Government ministers (to be confirmed) • Helen Brand OBE, CEO Association of Chartered Certified Accountants • Christopher Dottie, President, British Chamber of Commerce in Spain • Wouter Schuitemaker, Managing Director, EMEA, Hickey & Associates

• Paul Hardy, Brexit Director, DLA Piper • Daniel Shillito, President, British Chamber of Commerce for Italy • Anton Valk CBE, Chairman, Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce • Andrew Wrobel, Head of Content Strategy and Publishing, Emerging Europe • David Thomas MBE, Chairman, COBCOE • Stephen Phipson CBE, CEO, EEF • George Phillips, General Manager Export, Grace Foods UK

Members of the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce are eligible for a 25% discount code on the ticket price for this event and access for the Festival for the whole nine days. Email keithmoore@hertschamber.com to get your discount code. For further details on all of the Festival please go to the following link; www.internationalbusinessfestival.com

Herts Global

Preparing for ‘B’ In the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce we often rub shoulders with eminent people from large corporations, Government departments, MP’s, local government and other dignitaries. Sometimes they are at events, business premises or here at our offices in Hatfield, in March we received an email that created an air of anticipation within our organisation, how often do you get a request from the French Ambassador to come and visit? H.E. Ambassador Jean-Pierre Jouyet spent some of his student years in Watford playing darts, washing dishes, learning the English language and drinking warm beer, which must have come as a culture shock to his taste buds after enjoying the smooth complexities of a Bordeaux or chilled Champagne. Since then he has held many senior financial roles in the French government, private sector and seems to know anybody who is anybody in France, culminating in his latest position, which he has held since September 2017. Jean-Pierre has thrown himself into his role with great zeal, and always seems to be on the move, on the day he visited our Chamber he had a further three appointments in North Hertfordshire, mon dieu!!! On arriving at our building he heartily shook the hand of anybody who would accept such a warm gesture, a man completely at home in the business and commercial landscape. On our agenda today was “B” for Brexit,

Hertfordshire economy, companies in the county and how are companies preparing for “B”, something that is so intangible at the moment, the role of the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and British Chamber of Commerce. Being part of the British Chamber of Commerce, one of the 52 accredited Chambers in the UK, and a further 41 global British Chambers is a great asset for world trade, and a member of COBCOE (Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe) which at last count has 36+ members including the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce based in Paris, London, and regional centres throughout France, which gives a direct link from Hertfordshire to all of these countries. Ambassador Jouyet said “I was impressed by the dynamism and positive character of all the people I have met, both on the economic side and the political side” adding “I try to be outside of London. I was already in Edinburgh, Nottingham, Manchester, Oxford and Kent and in London it’s not the same feeling and you need, as the Ambassador, to know better the country and feelings expressed. You have an economic situation which is good, with a rate of unemployment which is weak. I wanted to understand why to leave was so important in a

dynamic county so close to London, which was for remain” with regard to the future he said “I think it’s clear that whatever the Brexit outcome, the relationship between France and the UK will remain very strong. We have the same threats to fight, and it’s important to maintain our co-operation in defence, security, migration and with international policy we have the same view and have

no doubt that the relationship between the UK and France will be maintained and enhanced” As a memento of the Ambassadors visit he was delighted to accept a bottle of La Fee Absinthe (from France) courtesy of chamber member BBH Spirits, “always happy to promote French produce” were his final words on such an enjoyable visit.

“I think it’s clear that whatever the Brexit outcome, the relationship between France and the UK will remain very strong. We have the same threats to fight, and it’s important to maintain our co-operation in defence, security, migration and with international policy we have the same view and have no doubt that the relationship between the UK and France will be maintained and enhanced”

Special thanks to Keith Moore, Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce

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Chamber People

Hertfordshire Chamber celebrates continued support of apprenticeships with new team member Hertfordshire Chamber has once again been recognised for its continued commitment to apprenticeships by winning the ‘Employer of the Year’ award from Oaklands College. The Chamber has been supporting the development of young business people through the scheme for many years. Naomi Powell, Operations Manager said “We are especially proud to support apprenticeships, and that is why we decided to take on our latest team member through Oaklands apprenticeship programme”.

the world of business after leaving school. Now, she is a few weeks into a two-year apprenticeship at the Chamber, working with the Operations Team, doing everything from carrying out administration to issuing social media material and writing content for marketing purposes.

It was inevitable that Georgia Nicholls would end up taking on an apprenticeship with a business organisation like Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce

Georgia said: “I knew that I did not want to go to university after leaving school. The idea of sitting and learning in a classroom did not really appeal to me so I started looking round for other options.

The 18-year-old from Harpenden grew up steeped in business talk connected to the company selling mobility scooters run by her grandfather and father.

“I knew from my time at school that apprenticeships were a possibility then I saw the vacancy advertised by the Chamber of Commerce.

Georgia had also always known that she did not want to pursue an academic career because she was not drawn to the idea of classroom studying.

“I always knew that I wanted to do something that was connected to business. It was a world with which I was familiar because of the business run by my grandfather and my father.

Instead, she found the idea of a more practical form of learning more appealing and, perhaps not surprisingly, she found herself moving towards

“I grew up listening to conversations to do with being in business so I applied to the Chamber and was accepted onto an Apprenticeship.”

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Georgia will spend the next two years on the Higher Business Apprenticeship, most of it working at the Chamber and some of her time spent at college, securing her qualifications. She said: “At the moment, I am experiencing all aspects of life at the Chamber but, I will soon be choosing my modules for college, and will get a clearer idea of where I want to focus my career.

“I am really enjoying my apprenticeship at the Chamber.” At the moment, she does not know if she will follow her grandfather and father into running a business but, as she says, she has plenty of time to decide. She said: “For the moment, I am just letting things run and gaining as much experience as I can, growing alongside the Chamber.”

Patron Focus

Protecting your Intellectual Property Rina Sond, Partner and Head of the Company and Commercial Law team at Longmores Solicitors LLP, explains why it is important to protect the intellectual property within your business. What is intellectual property? There are four main types of intellectual property (or IP) in the UK as follows: 1. Trademarks – words, logos, slogans, jingles, brand colours and even smells(!) which are used for brand identity and serve to distinguish a trademark owner’s goods and services from others. 2. Copyright – this is an automatic right which protects original work that is literary, dramatic, musical or artistic, including sound recordings, films or broadcasts. 3. Patents – these are granted to the owner of a new or enhanced invention and provide the right to stop others, for a limited period (up to 20 years), from making, using or selling the invention without their permission. 4. Design rights – these protect the whole or part of a product’s visual appearance and can entail colours, shapes and texture. In addition to these forms of IP, domain names and confidential information, trade secrets or knowhow are also sometimes referred to as IP rights.

Why it is important for your business? These days, where technology is constantly changing, various forms of IP constitute, on average, 80% of a business’ assets. Therefore, protecting, enforcing and exploiting your IP assets is increasingly becoming a businesscritical priority.

It can take considerable time for a company to build strong brand recognition and customer loyalty (goodwill) in its branded products and services, and as such, it is vital that a competitor is not able to take advantage of this. Registering IP will in most cases give the owner exclusive rights to a brand’s name, logo and/or product or service. Furthermore, if the owner runs a start-up business or is looking for external funding, investors will often want security that the brand or product benefits from some form of IP protection. This is often seen on the popular TV series Dragon’s Den where entrepreneurs pitching for investment are quite often declined due to the lack of IP protection their products hold. In particular, where details of the product have been made public, business owners can lose the right to patent their product or protect it in other ways. IP can help generate revenue streams within a business. The legal rights in IP can be transferred between parties, licensed to other parties and can even be mortgaged or used as security and therefore IP rights can provide a commercial and financial advantage to businesses. Crucially, they can really add value to the asking price, should an owner wish to sell the business in future. There are also tax relief schemes available such as the Patent Box and Research and Development Relief which both serve to reduce a company’s

corporation tax bill through the exploitation of IP rights.

What you can do to protect your intellectual property? Intellectual property rights exist to protect a company’s products, brand and reputation. Property rights in these matters are a form of intangible property, comprising the legal right to stop others using the owner’s property without permission.

that it is in a much stronger position in the event of infringement. Please note the contents of this article are given for information only and must not be relied upon. Legal advice should always be sought in relation to specific circumstances.

English law provides for two general categories of IP rights: registered and unregistered. Registered rights are granted after applying to an official body, such as the UK Intellectual Property Office. Unregistered rights arise automatically and provide protection against copying or use of the right, but these can be very difficult to enforce. With different kinds of rights that can be used to protect a brand, some forms of protection will be more suitable for a business than others. In general, it is always advisable for a business to register its IP rights, so

For further information on intellectual property matters, please contact Rina Sond (01992 512 770 or rks@longmores-solicitors.co.uk) of the Company Commercial Law team at Longmores Solicitors. INSPIRE

The University of Hertfordshire runs events and conferences year round. Modern spaces and state-of-the-art facilities enable us to deliver a wide range of events from filming to sporting tournaments, meetings for five to exhibitions of six hundred. To give you a flavour we took the time to discuss a typical day with one of the Sales and Events Coordinators. Dan Douglas has worked for the University of Hertfordshire since 2008 and has a wealth of events experience.

Dan Douglas Sales and Events Coordinator

My daily commute to Hatfield takes around 30 minutes. I can be working in the office or with an event on one of our three sites so the fantastic transport links to the University are a real benefit. Hatfield is only 22 minutes from King’s Cross by train and the University is incredibly easy to access from the M25 and A1(M). The University also operates Uno Bus that runs all over Hertfordshire and into London. First impressions are everything so, if I'm working on an event, I like to arrive on site at least an hour before the organiser; usually around 7am. Once the event’s organiser arrives I’ll welcome them and introduce the venue. Once I’ve helped them unpack I'll run through the schedule and check everything matches with the pre-arranged timings. Little changes can occur and are easy to alter. Once the timetable for the day has been agreed I introduce the organiser to the Operations Coordinator who is responsible for the smooth running on the day. I will check back in with the organiser throughout the day and the operations team can feedback regarding any improvements they feel can be made to the delegate experience.

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After a set-up I’ll try and take 10 minutes to refocus. I’ll grab a coffee and a snack from one of the Starbucks outlets found on campus. As I’m on campus I will quite often schedule a site-visit with a potential new client or an event organiser after a set-up. This allows them to see an event in operation. If the visit relates to a residential booking I'll take them to our de Havilland Campus or College Lane Campus. We have a combined total of nearly 5000 bedrooms across the two sites giving us the largest bed-stock in the area over the summer. If it’s a day-conference I’ll often meet them at the Fielder Centre; our dedicated year round conference venue located on the Hatfield Business Park. With capacity for up to 220 in a theatre style alongside seven breakout rooms it’s a unique and easily adaptable space. After a show-round I need to take some time typing up any additional notes or sending emails to other departments. At lunch time I have a variety of options. Both campuses have a restaurant alongside other food and coffee outlets (including Starbucks and Subway).

Due to the great Wi-Fi across the campuses I don’t need to spend time heading back to my desk. My laptop is loaded with our central booking system, Kinetic, which gives me a chance to update bookings and attach key documents to bookings remotely after lunch. As the start of summer conference season approaches I’ve started meetings with the University’s residences teams. The meetings will cover an update on residential bookings expected for the summer period, service level agreements and the transition from student occupancy to commercial guests. After a meeting like this it is often useful to meet with the rest of the events team to look at

upcoming events for next week and talk through our progress. We try and split the work as evenly as possible to ensure that we are all developing. Afternoons are a great opportunity to go back to my emails and update the booking system as necessary. At the end of the day I’ll liaise with the organiser to ensure everything went to plan before saying goodbye. I’ll then head over to the campus gym though if the event has had a late finish my fiancé, who also works for the University, may suggest we walk over to the Galleria Shopping Centre for a pizza and a glass of wine.

Welcome to the University of Hertfordshire.

Please get in touch with a member of our team today to discuss your event needs. sales@conferencehertfordshire.co.uk +44 (0)1707 285032

Law Court Cabaret

11 June

Apprenticeships Work: Add value to your business

For over 30 years HEAD START RECRUITMENT has maintained a successful reputation for supplying candidates of the highest calibre for our clients.

Attend this essential event to hear from local employers, training providers and apprentices on how apprenticeships can significantly add value to your business. Book your place at go.herts.ac.uk/apprenticeships

Our services are tailor made to suit candidates and clients alike matching skills and qualifications with the right personality and profile whichever business sector you are in. Ranging from office staff to the catering industry, we cover every aspect of employment. From secretaries to qualified accountants, receptionist to auto cad designers; whether you are looking to fill a temporary contract or a permanent position, our experienced consultants will ensure you receive a professional service at every stage of the process.

T: 01582 460415

and ask for either Sandra or Kate for permanent or Kharlie for temporary staff

E: jobs@headstartrecruitment.co.uk www.headstartrecruitment.co.uk 70C High Street, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2SP

Calling all Small Business Wholesalers How quickly can your small business system react to Major Change (Brexit, GDPR)?

• Adapt to New Legislation • Price & Pricing Structure Changes • New/Alternate Products and Suppliers

• Shipping/Routing/Delivery Changes • Cost Change • Reposition for New Markets

Sharp-aX: BackupVault

BackupVault is described as a UK-based automatic and an affordable backup service. With no set-up costs or hardware to buy, the service can be used to protect data as well as offi ce documents, databases and emails. The service is scalable should storage requirements increase and is completely automatic, requiring no customer intervention. Sharp-aX recommends BackupVault to all its customers, who are provided with the additional satisfaction of knowing that it is monitored and supported by the company on a daily basis. Sharp-aX MD Jean Freeman commented, “In light of the recent Ransomware attacks, it is even more important to protect company data. BackupVault is a modern and an easy to use system that doesn’t rely on computer users remembering to back up their data. “BackupVault offers a free trial so that companies can see how good it is with zero risk. To a large extent, your data is your company. Why take the risk of not having automatic backup?”

T +44 (0)1442 505950 support@sharp-ax.com www.sharp-ax.com

Please contact Adam or Rick at SharpaX today to discuss how we can deliver enterprise class functionality and flexibility to your wholesale business today. This is a free of charge service to understand your specific wholesale business plans and address them using our flexible Sharp aX solution and 30 years of experience serving the small to medium wholesale business market. DDI/Mobile: Adam – 01442 505961/07711 372694 Integrated accounting stock control software Rick – 01442 505956/07808 294508 Switchboard: 01442 505950 asmith@sharp-ax.com rtownsend@sharp-ax.com www.sharp-ax.com and website systems for trading companies

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Economy

“Under GDPR, the ICO has the ability to levy hefty fines to organisations who don’t meet the regulations and to organisations who expose private data.”

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Economy

Everything you need to know about GDPR Chances are that everyone reading this edition of Inspire will have at least heard of GDPR in some form or another. The general assumption is that it’s a data privacy headache, with far-reaching and possibly transformative impacts to your business – but is GDPR worthy of this infamous reputation? After all, it’s aims of increasing consumer rights and enhancing privacy, transparency and accountability are surely noble. With the May 25th deadline looming, let’s take a look at what GDPR means for your business.

Back to basics Let’s start at the beginning and briefly cover what GDPR is. It’s a modern, EU-wide take on data privacy to reflect the digital age, and will replace the Data Protection Act 1998. Governed in the UK by the ICO, GDPR applies to every single business. It determines how personal data of EU/UK citizens must be handled, what permissions are needed, and how this data can be lawfully collected, processed and protected. It also gives data subjects more rights and freedom with what can and can’t be done with their data. What this means practically is that your business’ policies, procedures, systems and records will need to be scrutinised. The flow of all personal data in and out of your organisation needs to be mapped, with adherence

to GDPR analysed at each stage and changed to meet GDPR requirements where appropriate. This could be as simple as updating your privacy policy, or as complex as re-engineering systems and processes.

Make GDPR work for your business The impact of GDPR compliance on businesses is one thing, but the impact of fines and data breaches is another. Under GDPR, the ICO has the ability to levy hefty fines to organisations who don’t meet the regulations and to organisations who expose private data. There are two tiers of fines, with the minimum being 2% of annual global turnover or €10 million, whichever is greater. With this in mind, obtaining GDPR compliance might come at a cost, but not meeting compliance could come at a much bigger cost, especially when compensation claims and reputational damage of a breach is considered. I’m sure many readers will be seeing GDPR as a box-ticking exercise, but true value from compliance is in using it as a real opportunity to increase your data security processes and systems, making you

more secure overall. With UK business cybercrime increasing by 63% last year, it’d be a wise move to leverage every opportunity to increase your cyber security defences.

Help is just a phone call away If you’re struggling to implement GDPR, there are many organisations out there to help. The journey to compliance is best started with a gap analysis. This details all areas of your organisation that are affected by GDPR principles and lets you know your current compliance status. From there, it’s a much easier job to get GDPR compliance integrated into your business-as-usual processes. Bulletproof offers the full range of GDPR services, from a gap analyses to full compliance implementation and DPO officers. Our consultants have been working with business all across Hertfordshire and can help you too. Mark Boost CEO Bulletproof

www.bulletproof.co.uk

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What happens on 26th May???! GDPR day, as we all know, is fast approaching on 25th May 2018. There is lots of activity and lots of work going on in businesses to map their data processes, assess the impact of data breaches on their business, put in place procedures, update contracts and so on. And that is really great news. But there are also many business entities – from the sole trader to the larger organisation, that may have thought about GDPR, but have yet to actually DO something about it. So, what about them? Will GDPR ‘go away’ after 26th May and we can forget all about it? We hear multiple businesses say ‘well, we won’t get audited by the ICO anyway’, and they are probably right. Until or unless they suffer a data breach, or until a client makes a data complaint about them. And let’s face it, no-one can predict when that might happen, even with procedures in place, data breaches do sometimes happen. So, if you haven’t got a plan for how to deal with a breach, you could well find yourself in a lot of trouble for your business – not to mention the loss of trust from your clients. A business with no clients just isn’t a business anymore.

For further details please call 01727 375078 or email info@spheredataprotection.com www.spheredataprotection.com 22

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But the good news is that it is not too late to start! You can still access GDPR help – either independently from the ICO website, for example, or from data protection specialists. You can still attend training events, and make a start on your own data compliance. But you should NOT simply ignore it - not now, and certainly not after 25th May. GDPR is here to stay, even after we leave the EU, in the form of the UK Data Protection Bill –

another question we often get asked! So, on 26th May, business up and down the country will carry on as usual, but take note of the changes to the law. Organisations that can say they have taken steps to be GDPR compliant and those that are working towards it, even if they have not managed to implement all the changes they may have to make, can and should be able to breathe a little easier. However, there is no room for complacency. GDPR is not a one-off exercise; it is legislation, and compliance with the law must be kept up to date, be regularly reviewed and, of course, audited periodically. Companies change all the time, and new procedures are added regularly. For many businesses a once-ayear audit is simply not going to be enough to capture all the changes that happen over 12 months. We believe many companies will benefit from data health checks on a more regular basis – to help them stay on top of new processes and the GDPR implications of these. You know how awful it is when you ignore ongoing bookkeeping for 12 months and then, just before the dreaded tax return has to be filed, you are scrabbling for all those business receipts, invoices and so on? It’s really stressful! An annual data protection audit will be just the same if a company doesn’t plan to review and keep a log of data processes on a regular basis. Companies whose core activities require an appointed Data Protection Officer (DPO) will have

someone managing this for them on an ongoing basis, but we recognise that many businesses will not benefit from having anyone in-house to manage their compliance in this area. Engaging an external specialist to perform an audit as part of your ongoing data compliance, at least annually, is a good idea. Building a good working relationship with an external (or internal) DPO will mean that they can also provide impactful ongoing guidance and advice. A DPO will also be able to keep companies up to date with any changes or updates to the legislation as an impartial party, helping companies remain compliant in the long term. The input of a specialist will help reduce the risk of the ICO imposing maximum penalties on companies where a breach happens, as the company will have documented data protection and breach mitigation policies in place and will know exactly what to do. A fine or penalties may still occur, but mitigation will prevent the hefty percentage of global turnover fines that the ICO can levy. If anything should motivate a company to act, it is the thought of the impact a punishing fine and associated negative PR can have on their bottom line!

Sphere Data Protection Ltd specialises in GDPR consultancy and training for small and medium sized companies. We will be offering the Data Health Check and DPO Services on an ongoing basis to selected clients.

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Tel: 01707 888000 www.hertsexec.com General Enquiries and Bookings: admin@hertsexec.co.uk

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Past Events All you need to know about GDPR We were very pleased to hear from our Patrons Ashbourne Insurance, VWV Law Firm and Cribb Cyber Security at this event helping our delegates to understand and prepare for GDPR (L to R) Mary Sykes (Hertfordshire Chamber) Peter Smits (Ashbourne Insurance) William Osbourne (Cribb Cyber Security) Stephen McNamara (VWV) Alison White (Hertfordshire Chamber) Naomi Powell (Hertfordshire Chamber) .

“A splendid presentation this morning. I was not able to leave my feedback form since I had written copious notes on the back of it! Just wanted to thank the Chamber for yet another first-class event” Allan Clark, Evergood Associates

The IoD Big Debate We were pleased to be joined by our wonderful panel of guest speakers at this topical debate, where our delegates discussed the topic of ‘Do too many school leavers go to university?’

March Chamber Lunch Colourful Boardrooms At this monthly lunch we welcomed guest speakers Art of Leadership who produced an amazing presentation on Leadership Transformation (L to R) Kate Griffiths, Kath Roberts 24

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Past Events April Chamber Lunch The Rise of Cyber Crime â&#x20AC;&#x201C; How to Protect Yourself and your Business Samiul Hussain, Digital Engagement, Barclays demonstrated just how easy it is for hackers to break in to your websites and steal your passwords, highlighting the need for Cyber Defence. Photo: Samiul Hussain, Barclays

Family Business Seminar: The Personal, Final and Legal Challenges encountered by Family Businesses With the outstanding venue of Paradise Wildlife Park, this event provided our delegates with the knowledge needed to overcome some of the challenges that come with running a family business.

(L to R) Anita Hodges (Family Business Place) Peter Smits (Ashbourne Insurance) Lynn Whitnall (Paradise Wildlife Park) Tom McMullen (McMullenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brewery) Silvia Vitiello (Kingston Smith) Richard Gvero (Longmores Solicitors) Ann Cooke (Broxbourne Borough Council) Mary Sykes (Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce) INSPIRE

ChamberEvents

Forthcoming Business Events May Chamber Lunch - Recruitment: What does good look like? Date: 17 May 2018 Venue: Needham House Hotel, Blakemore End Rd, Little Wymondley, Stevenage, SG4 7JJ Time: 12:00 – 14:00 Price: £30.00 members £39.00 non-members Research shows that 5% of your workforce produces 26% of the output (the other 95% produce only 74% of your output) and that only 19% of hires are an ‘unequivocal success.’ For all its importance and for all the investment we have made why is it so hard to hire good people?

Why are we no better at hiring good people today than we were in the 1940s? This seminar will answer these questions and more. We will consider: • The financial impact of hiring in order to help build a business case • What the blockers are and detail some simple (and surprising) things that impact your ability to hire good people • Three practical models that you use immediately to hire more good people By the end of the session we will give you tools to help you increase the number of good hire in your business.

Members Masterclass: Your Customers Journey and Standing out from the Crowd

Date: 22 May 2018 Venue: Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9NE Time: 10:00 – 13:00 Price: £10.00 members £120.00 non-members This three-hour interactive Members Masterclass, delivered by our Patrons, Focus 7 International, will provide a structure and level of understanding that will enable you to understand your customers’ journey and how to make your business stand out from the crowd. The Masterclass will include : • Understanding the concept • Sales funnels and customer journeys • Attract - sell - wow • Identifying your avatars • Finding your target audience • Stop speed dating and start wooing • Standing out from the crowd • Marketing's 3 Ms - Media, Message and Method • Considering your options • Daring to be different • Being heard in a crowded market

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All Price quotes include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated

ChamberEvents For more information on any event: 01707 502180, bookings@hertschamber.com or www.hertschamber.com

Making the Most of your Business Data Date:

24 May 2018

Venue:

Sharp aX Computer Systems Ltd, R&R House, Northbridge Road, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 1EH

Time:

08:00 – 10:00

Price:

£10.00 members £15.00 non-members

Join us at Sharp-aX Computer Systems in Berkhamsted for early coffee and breakfast pastries. Explore techniques and approaches to capitalise on the data that your business accumulates on a daily basis. Over the course of the event we’ll look at a variety of simple to use methods and approaches which can be used to build up an understanding of what your business is doing and how to turn that information into actionable and meaningful reports.

The session will focus on the most commonly used systems within a business, MS Excel and the market leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) package, although the overall approach holds true regardless of your system or software. The talk will be given by Paul Page, who has over 20 years’ experience working with IT systems for a variety of different industries.

Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards Gala Dinner Date:

7 June 2018

Venue: St Albans Cathedral, St Albans, AL1 1BY Time:

18:00 – 23:30

Price:

£118.80 members £150.00 non-members

This evening will see the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2018 culminate in an evening of celebration and extravagance as our awards finalists find out which businesses will be crowned the winners. Now in their seventh year, these awards promise to be bigger than ever. We are delighted to be returning to the magnificent St Albans Cathedral for this Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony. Finalist? Call us on 01707 502180 to book your place.

How to Turn your Business in to a Winning Brand Date: 14 June 2018 Venue: Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, MacLaurin Building, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10, 9NE Time: 10:00 – 13:00 Price: £18.00 members £25.00 non-members

Does your business need a brand? The answer is ‘yes’! In fact, if you wantto thrive in today’s marketplace, your brand IS your business. With a winning brand you can: • Double or even triple your income • Build and maintain customer loyalty • Charge premium pricing • Cut unnecessary sales and marketing expenses by focusing only on what works • Have more dedicated employees • Attract new customers who want what your brand is offering

Don’t miss this Branding Seminar presented by one of the UK’s top sales, marketing and branding experts, James Hammond. James can help any business to create a winning brand, regardless of its size or the products or services it sells. In this timely Branding Seminar, he will show you how to build the right brand for your business, using his unique fourstep Brand Halo™ approach. You’ll learn the virtually untapped secret about how people think – and how to influence their purchasing thoughts. You’ll be guided through each step of the Brand Halo™ and you’ll generate new ideas you can bring to your business and its brand.

INSPIRE All Price quotes include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated

ChamberEvents

Forthcoming Business Events June Chamber Lunch: The Benefits of

Employing Ex Armed Forces, Reservists and Cadet Volunteers Date: 21 June 2018 Venue: Beales Hotel Hatfield, Comet Way, Hatfield, AL10 9NG Time: 12:00 – 14:00 Price: £30.00 members £39.00 non-members All of the British Armed Forces receive world class, rigorous training, which develop skills in leadership, teamwork and organisation. These core skills are invaluable to employers in all sectors. Service men and women are trained at every level, from communications and

IT to language skills, LGV licences, first aid, catering and personnel management and training which is directly transferable – at no cost to you as the employer. As Armed Forces Day approaches on 30 June 2018, find out from Lieutenant Colonel Leona Barr-Jones how you can tap in to the rich talent pool of those leaving the Armed Forces and those currently working in the Reserves or with the Cadets and discover the National Awards that are available for businesses who support the Armed Forces.

Date: 26 June 2018 Venue: Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9NE Time: 10:00 – 13:00 Price: £10.00 members £120.00 non-members

Members Masterclass: Websites that Generate Business 28

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All Price quotes include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated

This three-hour interactive Members Masterclass, delivered by our Patrons, Focus 7 International, will enable you to understand what makes an effective website for your business. The Masterclass will include the following information: • Creating the structure and site map • Planning for SEO • Designing customer journeys • Interaction and the Customer Experience • Look and feel – dos and don’ts • Building a responsive site • Content, keywords and metatags • Data, images and transactions • E-commerce • Transactions and Integrations • Driving traffic - PPC and Lead Generation

ChamberEvents For more information on any event: 01707 502180, bookings@hertschamber.com or www.hertschamber.com

Breakfast seminar: Office Politics When to avoid, when to get stuck in and how you can thrive Date: 10 July 2018 Venue: Hunton Park Hotel, Essex Lane, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, WD4 8PN Time: 08:00 – 10:00 Price: £15.00 members £20.00 non-members Do you ever dread going into work, do you ever wonder what people are saying about you? Do you ever ask yourself, how did that person get that role? Do you ever roll your eyes and think – I don’t do that office politics stuff! Our speaker, Sarah Jones, owner of Sarah-J Coaching will outline when office politics are good and when they are bad – and provide some tips on how to reframe your view of

office politics and how to make them work for you whilst keeping both your sanity and professional reputation intact. Sarah will be sharing: • Personal examples from her own career and how she navigated them • How to identify when office politics are getting unhealthy and what to do about it • How to think about office politics in a whole new light • How to rise above difficult and challenging situations and still get your point across • How to navigate today’s complex business networks and set ups – and make office politics work for you • How to remain intact and true to yourself, and your vision for your business and/or team

Members Masterclass: Writing a Marketing Plan Date: 17 July 2018 Venue: Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, 4 Bishops Square, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9NE Time: 10:00 – 13:00 Price: £10.00 members £120.00 non-members

This three-hour interactive Members Masterclass, delivered by our Patrons, Focus 7 International, will provide a structure and level of understanding that will enable you to write a meaningful marketing plan for your business. The Masterclass will include the following information: • Carrying out a situational analysis • Crystallising your company vision and values • What to consider in a SWOT Analysis • How to influence the outcomes of your analysis • Identifying your USPs • Creating SMART and SMARTER objectives • Building a marketing strategy • Selecting the right media for your message • Creating tactics to achieve the strategy • Formulating an action plan • What to monitor and how to keep control

INSPIRE All Price quotes include VAT at 20% unless otherwise stated

Tourism

SLL Wins National Quality Award for Second Time Stevenage Leisure Ltd (SLL) has received further national recognition for the high quality of its operations with the award of ‘Top Performing Organisation with 11-30 Quest Registered Centres’ for the second time. The award was presented at the Quest NBS and CIMSPA Evening Networking and Award Event, held earlier this year in London. SLL delivers a wide range of leisure, health and cultural activities across 23 centres to over 3 million visitors each year. The centres reach across Stevenage, North Hertfordshire, Central Bedfordshire and Rutland. Quest is Sport England’s leading national quality scheme for leisure centres across the UK. The Quest scheme sets the standards for the industry and encourages the ongoing success and development of leisure facilities by focussing on the people using them.

INSPIRE

Its rigorous assessments challenge the very best centres in the nation. Ian Morton, SLL’s Managing Director, said: “I’m delighted that we have won this award for a second time. SLL had tough competition and it is a testament to the hard work our employees put in that we are able to be classed Top Performing Organisation again.” Special mention also needs to be given to Royston Leisure Centre who achieved 10 year continuous accreditation with Quest. This award was also presented at the ceremony.

“The Quest scheme sets the standards for the industry and encourages the ongoing success and development of leisure facilities by focussing on the people using them.”

Tourism

Here comes summer, at Knebworth Businesses keen to add some summer fun to their agenda can head to one of Hertfordshire’s most historic settings. From May until the end of September 500-year-old Knebworth House is opening up its 250-acre grounds for everything from corporate barbecues to team building events – with the emphasis on fun and food. The venue’s catering and events team have unveiled a number of packages for those wishing to mix business with pleasure, starting with the Summer Party BBQ option, at the Cobbold barn and private garden. This gives delegates, friends and guests the chance to enjoy an arrival drink followed by food cooked on the barbie by the venue’s catering and events team. They can then take part in giant garden games or, during park open times explore the

dinosaur trail, gardens and adventure playground.

from 6pm to 11pm, for groups of 10 or more.

Alternatively, those looking to add a competitive edge to their event can opt for a Summer Fun Day or Team Building event – both of which are tailored to suit their requirements and can enjoy further areas of the historic deer park.

Held in the Cobbold barn and garden, they each include drinks on arrival, a two-course barbecue and garden games with a disco for the June event and, for May guests, the chance to explore Knebworth Park, formal gardens, dinosaur trail and adventure playground.

Bookers can choose from a range of individually-priced activities, such as fairground rides, inflatables and quad bikes, along with a variety of catering options, from hog roasts and barbecues to street food, such as burgers, pizza, wraps, ice cream and loaded hot dogs. Knebworth is also holding two shared summer parties, on Saturday 19 May from 11am to 6pm and on Friday 15 June,

“We’re hugely lucky at Knebworth to have fabulous grounds, which lend themselves perfectly to outdoor entertaining during the summer months,” said Jenna Bateman, sales and marketing manager at Knebworth House.

“By offering shared parties for smaller groups along with packages for larger numbers, there is no excuse not to work Knebworth into your diary this summer.” Easily accessed from London and with efficient motorway links via the A1M, Knebworth offers a full range of catering services and can arrange all manner of bespoke corporate activities on request. Its Summer Party BBQ package costs from £33 per person, while the shared parties cost from £40 per person for minimum numbers of 10.

For further information, or to book email yourevent@knebworthhouse.com or visit www.knebworthhouse.com

Do you need to book a new venue in Hertfordshire? Make sure you follow us on Twitter: @HertsCVenues Other conference venues in Hertfordshire interested in the Hertfordshire Chamber Venues website please contact Nick Fox at nickfox@hertschamber.com or visit the website www.hertschambervenues.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/HertsChamberVenues

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New Members

Welcome to new members Auditel Pinner

CTLHR Limited

Jaguar White Recruitment

Improve cash flow, increase productivity & business efficiency for Business owners, CEOs & Finance

colin@mdina.co.uk 0784 1211 771 29 Clarendon Road, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, EN8 9DL

Specialists in Office Recruitment

www.auditel.co.uk

Epics Academy Ltd

Kimpex UK Ltd

0208 8666 551

Business Entrepreneur video training by professionals john@epicsacademy.com www.epicsacademy.com 0203 7731 529 55 Gosforth Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD19 7AY

ravi.khakhria@auditel.co.uk

97 Abbotsbury Gardens, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 1TB

Auditel St Albans Cost and Purchase Management Specialists sally.wright@auditel.co.uk www.auditel.co.uk 01727 832818 8 Colindale Avenue, St Albans, Al1 1JN

CIPS Ltd Cost Reduction Services francis.mcpeake@cips.limited 01462 429754 7 Eastway Paynes Park, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1EH

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Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust Charity that provides free helicopter emergency medical service for Essex, Herts & surrounding areas natasha.robertson@ehaat.org www.EHAAT.uk.com 0845 2417 690 Unit 5, 5A, Hadham Industrial Estate, Church End, Little Hadham, Hertfordshire, SG11 2DY

julie@jaguarwhiterecruitment.co.uk www.jaguarwhiterecruitment.co.uk 07887 921107

Agricultural Commodity Trading House - dealing in Pulses, Grains & Seeds daniel@kimpex.co.uk www.kimpex.co.uk 01438 718012 The Maltings, 11 Bluebells, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0XD

National Wills and Probate Services Ltd Will Writing and Estate Planning Service including Wills, Trusts, POA, Probate and Funeral Plans nina@nwpsltd.co.uk www.nwpsltd.co.uk 01920 823096 20 Church End, Braughing, Hertfordshire, SG11 2QA

New Members

Personal relationships are always the key to good business. You can buy net working; you can't buy friendships. Silent Sentinel Limited CCTV Camera Manufacturer tatum@silentsentinel.com www.silentsentinel.com 01920 871734 Unit 1 -2, Riverside, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 8AP

The Gifted Organisation Limited Supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged young people info@thegifted.org.uk www.thegifted.org.uk 01992 623888 7 Ingram House, Churchgate, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, EN8 9NH

Worldpay Worldpay is a global leader in payments processing technology and solutions dave.wareham@worldpay.com www.worldpay.com/uk 07342 074688

All our members have several things in common; a desire to expand their local network, meet likeminded people, and most importantly to have fun while they are doing it.

Come and join us and see for yourself

www.hertschamber.com For more information or to discuss how we can help you, please contact us at:

Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce T: 01707 502180 E: enquiries@hertschamber.com INSPIRE

Chamber Benefit

Our New Digital Partnership with

e-Careers Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce has partnered with e-Careers; an awardwinning company who develop and deliver online and classroom-based training programmes. Together, we are giving our members the opportunities to develop new skills and progress at work. Develop your skills Online learning has supported increased productivity in many businesses across the UK. It creates minimal disruption to the workplace, enabling thousands of employees to master new skills, become more productive and ultimately advance their careers. Over 600 e-Careers courses are now available for Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce members to book online, with an exclusive 10% discount on eLearning programmes. This enables business owners across the county to train and develop their workforce through accredited training courses that can be accessed anytime, anywhere through a computer or mobile device.

How eLearning works eLearning courses are delivered completely online, using tools such as videos, PowerPoint presentations and interactive quizzes. They offer an advantage over classroom

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courses as you can study them whenever and wherever you would like. It’s also much easier for providers to update the content to match the latest industry developments – perfect for fastmoving fields such as coding, IT and digital marketing. It’s important to mention that learning online doesn’t necessarily mean learning alone. Some e-Careers courses include a virtual tutor; a subject expert whom you can contact via email if you would like any information explaining. The company also offers 24-hour technical support from Monday to Friday.

About e-Careers e-Careers is an award-winning team of learning enthusiasts passionate about transforming people’s lives through innovative and effective forms of training. They work with a number of high profile awarding bodies and industry organisations, and many of their courses are accredited.

Its team of 200 experienced professionals – who all specialise in their own aspects of combining education with technology – have trained half a million people worldwide to date.

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The organisation’s Chairman is Sir Eric Peacock, the entrepreneur who set up Babygro and has been leading companies to success since the 1970s. The organisation has recently achieved national recognition in the form of two prestigious awards. In 2017 e-Careers was awarded Disruptive Business of the Year at the UK Business Awards, and CEO Jazz Gandhum won Entrepreneur of the Year at the Growing Business Awards.

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Popular courses Some of the most sought-after courses on offer include: • PRINCE2 The world’s most popular project management method! Learn the skills, tools and techniques you need to lead projects effectively.

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AAT Develop accountancy and bookkeeping skills with the UK’s leading qualification and membership body for vocational accountants. Certified Ethical Hacker Use the knowledge and tools of a hacker to improve your network’s security. CEH is the most in-depth, recognised and respected cyber security certificate in the world. Microsoft Office Choose from courses in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Access and become a Microsoft pro!

Find out more Members of Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce get 10% off eLearning courses from e-Careers.

You can view the full range of online and classroom courses on offer at

elearning.hertschamber.com

BECOME A PART OF EVERYONE ACTIVE EAST HERTFORDSHIRE

All-inclusive corporate membership for only ÂŁ36 Unlimited gym, swim and classes Access to over 160 Everyone Active clubs Takes just five people to set up a corporate subscription To register your company or for more information: corporateteam@everyoneactive.com

*T&Cs apply. Limited availability. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers.Minimum of 5 new members required to set up a corporate company. Available to UK residents 18+. See www.everyoneactive.com/terms-and-conditions for full terms.

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Health & Wellbeing

You’ve got the power! Do you feel like you’re always working? It’s probably true!

Corporate Affairs Corporate fitness discounts are a fantastic and costeffective benefit for companies to offer their employees. Here, we take a look at Everyone Active’s proposition… Everyone Active is the country’s longest-established leisure provider, having been operational since 1987. It’s also one of the largest, with over 160 sites dotted all over the country, of which nine are located right here in Hertfordshire. The company’s brand mission is to get everyone (including you and your employees) doing at least 30 minutes of activity, five times a week. But why should you choose Everyone Active? What benefits will a corporate deal with the company bring to your outfit, compared to something else? Well, for starters, the statistics around health and fitness and the impact that those factors have on a business’ productivity and profitability make for fascinating reading. For example, according to a 2016 study, poor employee health and fitness costs UK businesses over £2 billion each year in lost productivity, with 90 million days lost to sickness every year. This means that, as well as affecting profitability and productivity, poor employee health will often lead to a loss of competitiveness, alongside a drop in standards. Meanwhile, according to the same report, staff turnover and sickness absence related to

stress and anxiety (conditions for which regular exercise can often be an effective treatment in itself) costs employers an eyewatering £1.3 billion each year. On average, each sick day costs the public sector £532 and the public sector a whopping £835 every day per employee. Therefore, keeping your workforce happy and healthy is of paramount importance and this, with its corporate membership schemes, is where Everyone Active can help. These entirely bespoke packages are designed to suit both your company’s and your employees’ needs, enveloping everything from cost to which services are available and at which centres they can make use of their membership.

tracking, via connected devices and our bespoke mobile app, as well as training plans, video workouts and articles that are packed with hints and tips on how they can get the best out of their routines. Everyone Active counts TaylorMade Computer Solutions, Wood Group Kenny and H W Fisher Chartered accountants among its valued corporate clients, each of which enjoys huge benefits from offering Everyone Active corporate membership to their employees. Not only is their workforce healthier, and therefore less likely to take sick days, but they are also more alert, happier and more motivated, which in turn, pushes productivity and consequentially, profitability, up.

With a corporate membership, It’s not just in corporate not only will your employees membership where companies be able to enjoy top-of-the-range can benefit from partnership facilities in Everyone Active’s with Everyone Active, either. centres, including world-class Depending on which package gym equipment, a huge portfolio you go for, there are options of group exercise classes to market your business at our designed to suit everyone’s centres, host corporate teamneeds, a vast range of aquatic building days and even organise activities and all sorts of other more all-encompassing breaks activities, but a huge library of for your employees at Everyone digital resources too. These Active’s opulent spa facilities. include automatic activity To find out more about corporate membership packages with Everyone Active and how it can benefit your business, get in touch with Frankie Armstrong at frankiearmstrong@everyoneactive.com

Within Europe we are the country with the longest working hours. Compared to us, Sweden and Switzerland decided to trial a six hour working day, which has proved to be a success with happier employees and a lower turnover rate. In addition, the Netherlands who only work 30 hours per week, a whole day less than the UK now have longer weekends and work starting times are “out of rush hour”. It comes as no surprise that avoiding a stressful commute has helped improve employee well-being and happiness. These long working hours make us susceptible to feeling low and stressed whilst at work, but there is always an answer. Taking control of a situation will empower you to learn from your mistakes and find the best answer. Here are a few more tips for taking control of stress in the workplace: • Create a work schedule – prioritise your workload to give you a better idea of how to manage your time, leave the less urgent tasks for a later date. If you’re finding tasks unmanageable, try breaking them down into smaller more controllable tasks. • Don’t avoid a difficult task – the best time to tackle a difficult task is first thing in the morning. If you leave it till later in the day you are likely to be tired and less proactive, or other tasks have taken priority and you don’t get around to doing it, welcoming an evening of stress as you know you need to do it the next day. • Try to keep multitasking to a minimum. By doing two things at once you are not focused on just one task which can become stressful. • Take a break. If you start to become overwhelmed, take a walk or go get a hot drink. This will help you clear your mind and think over the task more clearly and find a simple solution to the problem. • Avoid unhealthy habits, ditch those late night snacks or your morning coffee fix – this is because in the long-term these habits will cause havoc on your natural energy levels. • Don’t take work home with you – prioritising quality time will help your productivity in the long term and make you happier. • Talk about your feelings with others. This can really help when your mood is low and if you are feeling troubled about something. By talking to your manager or colleague about your mental health, you will be able to get the support and guidance that you need. Remember, happiness is the highest form of health!

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Members News

Food waste and the growing challenge for our planet Food waste is currently estimated to cause 14% of the world’s Greenhouse gas emissions.

In the UK alone, businesses currently generate around 15 million tonnes annually, 40% of which will go to landfill. This in turn generates methane gas which is 25 times more damaging than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Organic waste left to rot in landfills also impacts land biodiversity, polluting waterways and groundwater. For businesses such as hotels,

hospitals, institutions, hospitality providers, food processors and retailers, generating medium to high volumes of food waste of all forms - fresh, peelings, left-overs and packaged - its collection and disposal is a high-cost and unhygienic problem. The ideal from an environmental perspective is to generate less waste, and initiatives are being spearheaded by food retailers and others to raise awareness and encourage consumers to maximise the food they buy. This is an encouraging step forwards and will hopefully lead to a significant reduction in at least some of the food waste sent to landfill. In cases of necessary food waste that can’t be consumed, the next best option is to find alternative

uses that will not damage the Environment. By adopting the principles of a circular economy, using and re-purposing food and organic waste so that it contributes in a positive way to our planet, we can conserve valuable resources whilst also greatly reducing the harmful emissions effects of putrescible waste. Fortunately, waste management systems are available to those who produce food waste in large quantities. One example, WasteMaster, uses innovative technology on site to reduce food waste by up to 80%. The continuous process efficiently converts food and organic waste into a nutrient-rich, compost-like residual material, without adding bacterial organisms or water, which would be discharged as mascerated

Longmores strengthens its Family Law Team

Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club relaunches following £1.7m renovation

Longmores Solicitors LLP have made a key appointment to the Family Law team and, once again, they have attracted an experienced solicitor from central London.

Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, a country retreat set in 200 acres of Hertfordshire parkland, has undergone significant improvements. Following a £1.7m refurbishment and development of its meetings and event spaces, masterminded by internationally renowned designer Lucid Interior Design, Hanbury Manor revealed the results in early April. Three new meeting rooms have been created - Cedar, Pine and Willow – which can host 10, 8 and 8 delegates respectively. With these new additions, Hanbury Manor now offers 17 individual meetings and events spaces. The signature event rooms have been updated with a blend of bespoke and hand-finished pieces using a rich palette of copper, brown and blue and thoughtful references to the local area. Meeting rooms have been updated with innovative technology such as Clevertouch Screens, Smart Write on Walls and ClickShare connectivity. New signage technology will direct delegates around the meetings and

events hub and the rest of the resort. The signature meetings and events spaces include: • The Thundridge Suite - this multi-functional space now holds up to 200 guests theatre style. It is suitable for informal and private meetings as well as for delegates to unwind. • Assembly Hall - this refreshed area with polished wooden floors and subtle references to Hanbury Manor’s serene parkland includes a deconstructed rose design in the carpet in honour of the 19th Century rose garden built by James II for Robert Hanbury in 1865. The new rugs and furniture within the Assembly Hall are all hand-crafted from England, Scotland and Italy and the bespoke carpentry reflects the geometric quatrefoil in the garden’s fountains.

waste into water courses. Our global goal surely must be to do whatever we can to preserve our planet. Reducing the amount of putrescible waste sent to landfill is one way to do this and conserving our most precious resource of water is another. By doing both we can make major strides to preserve our environment for the future. Green Eco Technologies develops, supplies and manages innovative, safe, efficient, and environmentally beneficial, on-site solutions for the conversion and re-purposing of putrescible organic waste into reusable resources. For further advice on food and organic waste conversion, contact: EcoService (UK) Ltd 01442 503887 jacinta@ecoserviceuk.co.uk

• Poles Hall - the beautiful chapel of the original manor house retains the original distinctive vaulted ceiling and minstrel’s gallery, now rejuvenated with a softer decor and a unique, atmospheric lighting system. The striking bespoke chandeliers and concealed LED lighting will create a soft glow or a dramatic effect depending on the occasion. • The Garden Court, Summer House and Conservatory provides an elegantly romantic setting overlooking the original scented Grade II listed Walled Garden and has space for 160 guests. General Manager Russell Prior said: “We are delighted to welcome guests to experience our improved and inspiring event environments, which celebrates the hotel’s sense of place and heritage while offering the very latest in technology.”

Kerrie Hall brings with her more than 16 years’ experience, most recently as an Associate Solicitor at Ketley Miller Joels Ltd, a West End firm specialising in family law. Having previously worked in Hertfordshire, where she also has her home, Kerrie also has plenty of knowledge about the local area. She deals with all aspects of private family law, including divorce, separation, financial disputes and children cases. Tracey Dargan, Partner and Head of the Family Law team, said: “Kerrie is extremely experienced and adopts a compassionate approach. She is a great fit for our team and shares our commitment to providing our clients with the best possible service. The depth of her experience is ideally suited to the complex cases that we deal with.” Kerrie said: “I am extremely excited to be joining the dedicated family team at Longmores and to be returning to the Hertfordshire area to practice. I feel that my experience in central London will give my clients a significant advantage at a considerably lower cost.”

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Members News

Mandate Fraud continues to affect Local Businesses Hertfordshire police are reminding businesses to remain alert after numerous local firms have sustained losses recently to forms of mandate fraud. Circumstances included: • Staff received an email from a fraudster impersonating a manager within their business, instructing them to change bank details or make an urgent payment for a seemingly plausible reason. In some cases, the manager’s email was hacked, so the message came from their genuine account. • Staff in a local business received a contact from a fraudster impersonating their regular supplier, stating they had changed their bank details and requesting the recipient amend their records. Staff then sent payment using the newly provided details. • A business email was hacked and intercepted, so their messages containing bank details were changed to accounts controlled by the hacker. This resulted in client businesses paying into the fraudulent accounts. • Small business’ (typically builders) emails were hacked and invoices were tampered with or clients were instructed to make their payments into fraudulent accounts.

Protect Your Business • Ensure all staff are aware of this type of fraud. • Always double check all requests to change financial details: establish at least two points of contact with regular suppliers to check issues that arise. • Contact new creditors and senders of larger invoices independently by telephone in advance of making payment to ensure details are correct (don’t rely solely on email contact). • Always review invoices and emailed payment requests to check for inconsistencies e.g. misspelt email address. • Consider the information publically available about your business – might it help fraudsters? • Ensure your computer systems are secure and that anti-virus software is up to date. • Introduce rules around secure passwords and safe mobile working, including use of unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots. Visit www.getsafeonline.org/business For more information about how to protect your business from crime, please visit: www.herts.police.uk/protectyourbusiness

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Allan+Bertram Scoop Four Awards at The World Calendar Awards 2018 Allan+Bertram – producers of ‘The World’s Finest Calendars' – have received four international awards at The World Calendar Awards 2018. The latest haul of awards sees Allan+Bertram’s most successful year at The World Calendar Awards, taking home four gold awards for the first time. The following titles received awards: • Face2Face – Gold award, Best Animal Photography • Art – Gold award, Best Classical Art • Swarez – Gold award, Best Contemporary Art • View – Gold award, Best Scenic Photography Andrew Bennett, Managing Director said, “It’s an honour to receive four gold awards for our 2018 range - at Allan+Bertram we’re committed to continually pursuing excellence so it’s fantastic to have our efforts

rewarded. Well done and thank you to all the Allan+Bertram team for their hard work and passion that makes Allan+Bertram calendars The World’s Finest.” Founded in 1963, Allan+Bertram is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of quality promotional calendars,

working with only the very best photographers, artists and image libraries worldwide to create its range of beautiful, awe-inspiring wall and desk calendars. View the full 2019 range of calendars here: www.allanandbertram.com

Apprenticeships offer candidates the chance to gain real skills and knowledge whilst earning a wage

The delivery of an apprenticeship is entirely in the place of work, providing an alternative to college and university. Recent studies have revealed that students who gain a Higher Apprenticeship will earn up to 270% more in their lifetime than graduates. With the option to learn while getting paid, it is becoming a

real consideration for school leavers across the county. With the government-backed Apprenticeship Levy covering the cost of full training for apprenticeships and paying businesses an additional grant of £1,000 for on boarding those aged 16-18 it’s an attractive way to add new talent to your business. 81% of apprentice employers say that apprentices make their business more productive. Apprenticeships are also a way to up-skill workers within your business and can aid staff retention by up to 80%. Hertfordshire Chamber Patrons Tate have identified an opportunity to widen their range of consultancy services by becoming an approved

Training Provider who can support and encourage local businesses use their Apprenticeship Levy Contributions to implement and facilitate office based apprenticeship programmes, professional development and management courses for both entry level candidates and established office employees. If you are keen to understand more about how the Apprenticeship Levy Contribution can be used for recruitment, retention or potential career progression contact your local Tate branch: Hitchin 01462 455181 WGC 01707 320255 St Albans 01727 844799 Hemel Hempstead 01442 345210

Members News

The Cambridge Analytical scandal Mark King, Senior PPC Account Managerat Hertfordbased digital marketing agency www.ithinkmedia.co.uk gives insight into how the Facebook Cambridge Analytica data mining scandal affects businesses. What is the Cambridge Analytica scandal? The data analytics company allegedly harvested personal information from more than 50 million Facebook profiles to use to target voters in the US presidential election with personalised political advertisements. The tech giant's stock has plummeted, with CNN estimating its market value to have dropped by $59bn since the data breach was unveiled. How will it affect Hertfordshire businesses? I don’t think it will affect advertising too much – the breach is more about apps on Facebook and the data that they are allowed to receive/request. Default security and privacy settings do leave

a big hole for apps to collect as much data as they want from Facebook users which could be a concern. Facebook user figures are now under threat with search variations for 'delete Facebook' increasing 423% since the news broke, according to internet behaviour monitor Hitwise. I expect that more businesses will follow suit for a while then come back. I’m not sure that many people will actually leave Facebook – consumers are addicted to social media. This might mean more uptake on other social platforms though. At the end of the day, as a marketing agency, we work better with more data. The more we have available the better our advertising can be.

Most of the data we use is interest data ‘Page Likes’ and how users interact and behaviour data like ‘who’s about to buy a new car’, ‘who has an anniversary coming up?’, ‘when does your car insurance come up for renewal?’ What should Hertfordshire businesses do? Companies should continue to advertise, but be more careful of the data that they are using to find their customers. Monitor responses to your ads in the comments to ensure that the targeting you are using is getting you in front of the right people and not annoying anyone. You can find Mark and our search marketing experts at www.ithinkmedia.co.uk

London comes to St Albans Hertfordshire Chamber Members gathered for official Press Launch of the hottest new restaurant in St Albans, The Abbey.

It was a fantastic networking event where more than 100 local business people came together to help celebrate the opening of a new independent business. The relaxed atmosphere and stunning decor, combined with delicious menu made with seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients will ensure The Abbey’s future success as one of the go-to restaurants in St Albans. It is set up for business, with private meeting room hire, and of course, it will be a great place to impress clients over coffee.

Launch party guests were very complimentary about The Abbey with comments like: “London standards in St Albans”, “Delightful atmosphere and food - the flavours were amazing”, “great to have this exciting restaurant locally”, and “there’s a great buzz about this place”. Ben Cain, one of the owners of The Abbey, was thrilled with the interest in the restaurant: “The response tonight has been amazing. The restaurant was packed all evening and I’ve spoken to a lot of people who’ve had so many lovely things to say about it. They love the way we’ve decorated the building - especially the feature window and flower wall - and they really love the food! We’ve worked hard to create a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy our Executive Chef’s delicious

modern dishes using seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms.” The Abbey has chosen to support the Isabel Hospice, and raised over £200 at a raffle on the night which will pay for 8 hours’ nursing time. Isabel Hospice Community Fundraiser Laura Pigott commented: “We were delighted to be chosen as the beneficiary charity for The Abbey Restaurant launch and know Isabel Hospice is a special charity to the Cain family. We look forward to seeing their business blossom”. The Abbey restaurant is now open all day, seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information and to book a table, visit the website at www.theabbeystalbans.com

Lumina Technologies

Celebrate its 20th Anniversary On 27th March 1998, Richard McBarnet founded Lumina Technologies, a company providing SMEs with IT managed service provision. For the first 10 years Richard ran the business on his own. His first office was the spare bedroom in his father’s house though he later progressed to a purposebuilt office at the bottom of his garden! Over the second decade, Lumina has expanded to a team of 15 (16 if you include Emma the dog!) and operates from its headquarters at Maylands Business Park in Hemel Hempstead.

Customer service is at its core Lumina’s core value has always been to provide enterprise-grade solutions, with a ‘service first, technology second’ ethos which has gained them many long-term clients. For Richard, excellent customer service is the heart of his business: “I was determined that all clients would enjoy the same level of customer service from anyone in the company as I would provide. To this day I am very proud that my staff give users the same highquality personal service as when it was just me”.

Celebrating in style Lumina hosted a party to celebrate 20 successful years with clients, suppliers and friends who raised a glass to the company’s next two decades. As Richard told his guests: “I feel that our 20th anniversary represents Phase 3 of the business. I am excited to grow and mature the company over the next 10 years and look forward to looking back on even more success in 2028”.

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Finance

Investment recognises importance of creative industries Funding has been made available to support the growth of companies working in the creative industries sector. The Industrial Strategy deal agreed between ministers and the Creative Industries Council will see more than £150 million jointly invested.

2016 to 2021, reaching £801 million in value, and that by 2021 there will be 16 million virtual reality headsets in use in the UK.

As part of the finance, a Cultura Development Fund will be launched for cities and towns to bid for a share of £20 million to invest in creative and cultural initiatives.

Also as part of the investment, up to £2 million will be made available to kickstart a skills package, including a creative careers programme which will reach at least 2,000 schools and 600,000 pupils in two years. A new London Screen Academy, with places for up to 1,000 students, will open in 2019.

A key target of the initiative is to double Britain’s share of the global ‘creative immersive’ content market by 2025, which is expected to be worth more than £30 billion by then. To that end, the Government is investing more than £33 million in technologies such as virtual reality video games, interactive art shows and augmented reality experiences in tourism. Britain is already leading the way in developing immersive technologies; PWC has predicted that the UK’s virtual reality industry will grow at a faster rate than any other entertainment and media industry between

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Matt Hancock, said: “Britain’s creative industries are an economic and cultural powerhouse and this ambitious deal will make sure they continue to thrive as we build a Britain fit for the future. “Our creative industries will help develop the talent of the future, ensure people are rightly rewarded for their creative content and give our firms the support they need to compete

on the global stage. Millions of people around the world enjoy our world-class artistic and cultural output and we want Britain to stay a frontrunner in these vibrant sectors.” Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Our creative industries have been, for centuries, worldrenowned and at the forefront of innovation. That’s why I was determined to place the creative industries at the heart of our Industrial Strategy. “By working together with universities and industry, and by investing £150 million, we will unlock growth across the UK.” Josh Berger, President and Managing Director, Warner Bros. UK and Chair of the British Film Institute, said: “Warner Bros’ experience in the UK has been such a positive one, from developing state of the art facilities and helping train the next generation of creative talent, to the entire business of producing our films here. We have been investing in the

UK for many years because for us this country is, alongside Hollywood, the best place in the world to make movies.” The Government will also support the highly successful UK Games Fund with an additional £1.5 million over the next two years so that it can further boost young entrepreneurs and new product creation in the games sector. The UK’s video games industry is already established as the largest in Europe and the fifth largest globally, and this investment will drive growth further. Nicola Mendelsohn, Co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council, said: “This breakthrough deal represents a huge vote of confidence in our creative industries to continue to deliver the world class economic performance and workforce that the UK needs. We look forward to working together with government to realise its full benefits and the potential of the creative industries in all parts of the UK.”

You can find out more about the initiative at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/creative-industries-sector-deal-launched 42

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LEASING LIMITED Independent Contract Hire Specialist providing leasing solutions for all makes of car and light commercial vehicles

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Gates Leasing Limited providing;

• Contract Hire solutions from 12 to 48 months. • Quotations for all makes and models of vehicles. • Optional Maintenance packages including relief vehicle. • Service booking facility with mobile servicing available. • Contract mileages ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 miles per annum. • A dedicated fleet team working with you. • BVRLA accredited Whatever your vehicle requirements please call our team on 01279 216336 or email leasing@gates.co.uk and we will be delighted to supply a no obligation quote. Pictures shown for illustration purposes only. Offers correct at time of going to press and subject to availability. Contract Hire examples based on 36 month contract term. Rental profile: 3+35. Annual mileage 15,000.

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MEETINGS MADE REWARDING

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BOOK OUR MEETINGS MADE AT MARRIOTT DAY DELEGATE PACKAGE BEFORE 31ST AUGUST 2018 AND 1 IN EVERY 10 OF YOUR DELEGATES WILL ATTEND FOR FREE. Enjoy our all-inclusive package in our luxury hotel surrounded by 200 acres of picturesque landscape with newly refurbished state-of-the-art conference rooms. Quote MM10 on your next enquiry. CALL 01920 487722 OR EMAIL HANBURYMANOR.EVENTS@MARRIOTTHOTELS.CO.UK Terms & Conditions apply.

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Warner Bros. Leavesden Park is a business hub for the creative industries located in Watford, adjacent to Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.

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Skills

Improvements made to skills training in the construction sector A new system has been launched to help improve training in the construction industry. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has unveiled its Training Model and Grants Scheme, which includes a Construction Training Directory, where employers can find the right training, an online Construction Training Register which allows employers to search records of employees to check their skills and a new grant scheme that will help CITB to support the areas of greatest need. On successful completion of a course, a CITB-Approved Training Organisation will confirm the learner’s achievement, upload the details onto the Construction Training Register and trigger the automated grant process, massively reducing red tape for employers. Braden Connolly, Director of Products and Services at CITB, said: “The new Construction Training Directory will make it much easier for employers to get the training they need, where they need it, when they need it. “By tracking achievements and making employee qualifications accessible to employers, the new Construction Training Register will have a transformative effect on the ability of employers not only to train employees but also to hire people with the right skills on day one.”

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In addition, a new group has been formed to shape the future of construction apprenticeships. The Construction Apprenticeships Working Group is chaired by Steve Hearty, Director of Apprenticeships at the Construction Industry Training Board and includes key industry figures from a range of large and SME contractors. One of the group’s members, Tony Ellender, Emerging Talent Manager at Balfour Beatty, said after the group’s first meeting: “I am extremely confident of a clear, consistent, approach to the development of apprenticeships throughout construction, leading to more talented individuals joining our sector.” During the meeting, the group discussed a number of topics, including: • Defining what occupations construction employers need from apprenticeships • Addressing key reasons for failure to complete apprenticeships and/or enter construction

Sarah Beale, Chief Executive of CITB, said: “The new automated Grants process will make it much easier for employers of all sizes to receive funding for the training they need.

• Increasing the proportion of women and Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) undertaking and completing apprenticeships

“In addition, the new Construction Training Register will give us a much better understanding about the skills issues we have across the country, allowing us to take a more informed, strategic approach.

• Ensuring that provision is available in the occupations and locations where it’s needed.

“We are still in the early stages but I feel confident that this work will make a real and lasting difference to construction employers across England, Scotland and Wales.”

For more information about the Training Model and new grant system visit www.citb.co.uk

CITB’s Steve Hearty said: “Apprenticeships are the lifeblood of the construction industry. It is vital that the right training is in place to produce the highly-skilled workforce required and help encourage more talented people from all backgrounds into construction.”

Skills

Apprenticeship Week proves successful This year’s National Apprenticeship Week, which happened in March, has been declared a success. Part of the week was a programme of talks which reached more than 33,500 people nationwide and involved 430 schools. In addition, 20,000 people watched an online video showcasing apprentices and employers sharing their stories. The week is designed to encourage people to consider apprenticeships and Sue Husband, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “The 11th annual National Apprenticeship Week has shown me how apprenticeships continue to be seen as a brilliant career path for individuals and also a great opportunity for employers to shape the workforce they need to deliver. “I attended many events over the course of the week and the message I get is that apprenticeships work. From celebrating the new apprenticeship programme with the BBC to meeting inspiring employers committed to diversity, whilst seeing so many apprentices receive the

recognition they deserve at class of 2018 graduation ceremonies, I am satisfied that the whole apprenticeships community values the opportunities apprenticeships present. “We need to build on this momentum, to encourage individuals – regardless of age or background – to find an apprenticeship and get on the path to a brilliant future.” To mark the week, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton took part in a tour across England, including London, to meet apprentices, businesses, schools and colleges. She said: “I have heard incredibly inspiring stories from apprentices working across a huge range of sectors and at all levels and from such different backgrounds women with children returning to part-time work doing degree apprenticeships, people who started university and decided it wasn’t for them and young people who didn’t do well at school but for whom an apprenticeship has opened

a new world of work and learning, building not only their skill but also their confidence and self-esteem.

advantage of this chance to invest in training and see their business grow.

“I’ve also met businesses and employers in the retail, agricultural, banking and digital sectors who are really positive about the benefits taking on apprentices can bring them.

“All of these stories show that apprenticeships change lives, lead to rewarding jobs and change businesses for the better. National Apprenticeship Week may be over for this year but every week needs to be about apprentices.

“Many of them have already kicked off new apprenticeship programmes following the introduction of the apprenticeship levy last year and I’m excited to see where these go and to see more businesses take

“We will continue to make sure everyone knows how amazing apprenticeships can be. Whatever your background and wherever you come from they change lives and change business for the better.”

“We need to build on this momentum, to encourage individuals – regardless of age or background – to find an apprenticeship and get on the path to a brilliant future.” INSPIRE

Skills

Careers Day 2018 Wednesday 21 March heralded our largest ever Careers Day, with the aim of educating our Year 10 & Year12 students on the full array of opportunities available to them post A Level including School Leaver, Apprenticeship Programmes and Graduate Schemes.

In the morning our Yr 12 Students were joined by their peers from Samuel Ryder and Bushey Academy to attend 6 talks which they had selected from a carousel of 60 presentations delivered by Industry professionals. In the afternoon, our Yr 10 students attended the Careers Fair, in response to many STEM companies requesting this early engagement. The companies commented how maturely they conducted themselves and they were impressed with the questions they asked and their levels of interest. Over the course of the day over 1000 students joined us from 9 different Secondary Schools, a fact that helped us to retain and attract a high calibre of local, national and international companies with 70+ Organisations filling our Sports Hall to capacity and all offering our young people specific information on post A Level Career opportunities within their own companies. Affinity Water, Britvic, Thomson Reuters and MBDA were among some of the new companies we welcomed this year and once again we attracted 8 of The Times Top 10 Graduate Recruitment Employers:

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3aaa AECOM Affinity Water Alban Federation Amazing Apprenticeships Aon Army Barclays BBC (Three Counties) BDO BP BRE Bretherton Law Britvic BT Burtons Biscuits Chamber of Commerce City of Expertise Civil Service Computacenter CVS St Albans Deliotte Easyjet EY Fire Service Fundamentally Children Gist Goldsborough Grace Foods Grant Thornton Grey London GSK Head Start Recruitment

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Henkel Herts County Council Hill Jarvis John Laing Training John Lewis King KPMG Liebherr London Inst Of Banking & Finance M&S MBDA Microsoft NCS Oxfam Pearldrop Plowman Craven Police PWC RAF RWH Travel Rate My Apprenticeship Rayden Solicitors Royal Navy RVC Scurr Scholars' Education Trust Spire Health Care Strutt & Parker Terrain Surveys Tesco Thomson Reuters TJX Europe

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UCFB Wembley Volver Wessels UK Wenta What Uni Whitbread Willis Towers Watson Willmott Dixon Interiors Youth Connexions

Our students had spent considerable time researching the Companies attending and this was really appreciated by the employers, many of whom commended our students for their knowledge, the quality of questions they asked and the professional way in which they conducted themselves. In fact, once again many have secured much sought after relevant work experience and contacts to support their future aspirations. But the final, words must go to our Yr 12s. They have already evaluated the day and the results shown below demonstrate the impact the event has had on their confidence about their future careers choices: Our greatest thanks go to all those who supported us in making this event so successful. Mrs Honour-Jones Sixth Form Manager

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Last Word

Connecting with the local business community Neil Cundale Principal Hillier Hopkins LLP Q What do you do? I am a Principal focused on corporate and pension scheme clients.

Q Who do you work for? Hillier Hopkins LLP, but answerable to all my clients!

Q Why did you join the Chamber? To connect with the local business community.

Q What you do get from it? The ability to attend events and interact with, and learn about, local businesses.

Q How has it helped your business network? It has created the opportunity to meet local businesses in a more relaxed and open environment, providing the chance to talk to them away from the office and all the distractions this holds.

Patrons

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Q What advice would you give someone starting out? In accountancy? – Study hard and pass all your exams, clients take technical expertise as a given. Once you have done that, you can start to really learn about what being an accountant in the current age means by getting out of the office and into the local community to meet people and learning about them and their needs.

Q What do you think is the biggest challenge affecting running and growing a business? Clearly the macro economic uncertainty created ahead of BREXIT represents a huge challenge, this is however broadly out of our hands. In my view a key challenge for local SME businesses is attracting and retaining the right staff at the right levels.

With a key part of this being how they balance the business needs with modern changes to flexible working and employee preferences.

Q What support do you want from government? Certainty over the short and medium term impact of BREXIT – but that is wishful thinking. At a local level, continued support for local businesses and ensuring that Hertfordshire remains an attractive prospect as a business location – part of which is ensuring that the road and rail communication links are fit for purpose.

Q How confident are you your business will grow in the 2018/19? Whilst we remain confident that our core business offering remains competitive and attractive in the market place, uncertainty in the broader economy usually results in businesses delaying key decisions – which can result in a reduced volume of advisory projects.

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