East Midlands The official membership magazine of the IoD in the East Midlands
n Spring 2018
No longer the Apprentice East Midlands TV star has some lessons for young entrepreneurs
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We need a new way of thinking akin to our visionary Victorian ancestors by Garry Smith Chairman, East Midlands
country by spreading jobs, boosting productivity and modernising the construction industry outside of London and the South East. They will ensure that 60% of the procurement spend for expansion will be outside of London, proponents say, spreading the investment up and down the country. IoD Regional Director Ron Lynch and I took part in a roundtable discussion with representatives from Heathrow, East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, local authorities and key businesses from across the region to discuss how benefits from the expansion of Heathrow could be maximised here in the East Midlands. The numbers are staggering. Heathrow currently spends over £600m on construction projects annually; if the third runway is built, this will rise to £2.5bn a year. Its building bill is
Much has been made in recent years about UK plc’s relative lack of productivity compared with other countries in the G7 and G20, and media reports often point out how we lag a long way behind our counterparts in the United States, Japan, Germany and France. Why is that? Is it a lack of desire for hard work among British workers, are our managers less efficient – or are the reasons more complex than both these easy answers? One area people often point the finger at is our transport infrastructure, which so often leaves goods in traffic jams, delays trains and “By using logistics hubs not only has people taking tortuous routes to and from work every day. can the East Midlands grab a slice It’s a common complaint that too much of of this business but it opens up the our modern infrastructure is Victorian in its possibility for such hubs to be used planning, that our railways, roads and cities are those laid down by our visionary ancestors of for other major construction 100-200 years ago. projects – indeed, all construction So what is the cure to this particularly British projects in the future.” disease? Well, you could spend a whole lot of money... but assuming we can’t go down that route, perhaps we need to engage in a new way already believed to be heading towards a £1bn a of thinking to help our infrastructure to be fit year, third runway or not. for purpose? By using logistics hubs for construction The idea was brought into sharp focus by a projects, not only can the East Midlands grab a recent meeting in the region with senior figures slice of this business but it opens up the from Heathrow Airport. As you will know, the possibility for such hubs to be used for other country’s principal airport is going through major construction projects – indeed, all another consultation over its expansion plans as construction in the future. it hopes to add a third runway to ease current One thing all building works have in flight congestion and expand services. common is that they all start with a blank sheet The executives were visiting four sites in the of paper; every project is bespoke, built on site region which had been earmarked as potential and to a specific design. construction logistics hubs for any future Why not use logistics hubs to centralise Heathrow expansion plans. It is construction in a number of centres pioneering the use of these hubs, around the UK, and then move Cover photo: where components for the pre-built modular components to BBC Apprentice star airport’s expansion will be be assembled on site? With the Elizabeth McKenna. pre-assembled before being advent of HS2 and a commitment See pg 10-11 transported in consolidated to place more freight on the rails, Photo by Peter Nutkins, loads to the airport. could we remove some of the Peter Nutkins Logistics hubs are seen as pressure on our road network by Photography essential in ensuring Heathrow creating large-scale centres of expansion delivers for the whole excellence at the heart of a sophisticated
transport hub through which to ship components to their destinations? Could such a hub also make construction more efficient and boost productivity? This idea is taking shape in some business sectors. House builders are increasingly looking at modular components for new homes; other sectors are seeing the benefits of building components elsewhere in largescale sites, for shipping on to final assembly. The idea crystallised a little more as discussions turned to HS2. While some parts of the UK have raised an eyebrow over HS2’s benefits in terms of time savings down to London, for the East Midlands there is a belief that Heathrow will be within 90 minutes of its proposed station at Toton, midway between Derby and Nottingham. This station, known as the East Midlands Hub, is already looking at building an ‘Innovation Campus’ to take advantage of its new links to the capital, amid suggestions that it could create 10,000 jobs by the mid 2020s.... a decade before HS2 arrives, around 2035. Talking to executives from some of the big construction companies it was clear that within the industry there is an acceptance that they do not use logistics well; that too often individual ideas for new businesses are not tied in to others with which there may be good symbiotic links. Here I see a chance to right that wrong: why not use the coming of HS2 and the growing use of modular construction to revolutionise the way we build in this country? It is an idea that could be replicated around the country in well-positioned sites and links to fast motorways and high-speed rail networks. One of the other guests at the Heathrow Airport meeting was local MP Vernon Coaker who raised a salient point: if this is how the construction sector is going to develop, who will speak up for the East Midlands to make sure we play our role? With the loss of the devolution idea for the region, is it time to look again at our – often petty – regional rivalries, and pull together to make sure we speak, whether from Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton, Nottingham, or elsewhere – with one voice? • Heathrow Airport visit - see page 4
IoD East Midlands is grateful to our regional sponsors
IoD East Midlands Spring 2018 | 03
News
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
Heathrow eyes regional sites bidding to build airport’s third runway by Sally Payne, Heathrow Airport IoD East Midlands was on hand to join a delegation from Heathrow Airport on a visit to one of the eleven long-listed sites located in the Midlands, as part of a nationwide tour of 65 sites still in the running to be the offsite construction centres for Heathrow expansion. The final four Logistics Hubs will help ensure that businesses across the UK will form part of the airport’s supply chain, enabling Heathrow’s new runway to deliver a legacy of construction excellence in different locations around the UK. Heathrow expansion is set to deliver 21,800 new jobs and £23 billion-worth of wider economic benefits across the Midlands as well as improve connectivity to create better, faster connections between the Midlands and the UK’s only hub airport. Ron Lynch and Garry Smith, regional director and chairman for IoD East Midlands, took part in a roundtable discussion with Heathrow, East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, local authorities and key businesses from across the region to discuss how benefits from the expansion of Heathrow could be maximised for the East Midlands. The nationwide tour of the long-listed logistics hubs sites is another milestone in the delivery of Heathrow expansion, ahead of an expected Parliamentary vote on the policy framework in the first half of this year. Heathrow is pioneering logistics hubs, where components of the airport will be preassembled before being transported in consolidated loads to the airport. Logistics hubs
are essential in ensuring Heathrow expansion delivers for the whole country by spreading jobs, boosting productivity and modernising the construction industry outside of London and the South East. They will ensure that 60% of the procurement spend for expansion will be outside of London, spreading the benefits of local investment up and down the country. As well as the direct benefits, the latest research from WPI Economics shows that, if adopted more widely, the logistics hubs model could spur growth in off-site construction and lead to productivity boost worth £30 billion for the industry outside of London by 2025. Lord Deighton, chairman at Heathrow Airport, said: “Logistics Hubs are instrumental in our aim to ensure that expansion spreads the huge potential of its £187 billion of economic
benefits across the UK and will help to transform the construction industry and build a lasting skills legacy for future generations in various locations across the country and beyond London. “We are working in partnership with local employers, councils and entrepreneurs to support new opportunities for the Midlands arising from Heathrow expansion through new jobs, economic growth and easier and faster journeys to and from Heathrow and the Midlands.” Sites in the East Midlands longlisted for Heathrow’s logistics hubs include the Midlands Logistics Park at Corby; the Laing O’Rourke Explore Manufacturing centre at Worksop; the SEGRO Logistics Park at Derby; and the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal.
CONTACTS IoD East Midlands, Newton Arkwright Building, Nottingham Trent University, Burton St, Nottingham NG1 4BU Regional Chairman: Garry Smith t: 07747 696186
PR Officer: Janet Wootton Janet.wootton@ntlworld.com
Regional Director: Ron Lynch e: ron.lynch@iod.com t: 0115 848 6190 m: 07939 584626
Branch Chairs Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Nottinghamshire Chair: Steve de Looze e: chair.leics@iod.net t: 07595 414484
Head of Business Development: Sue Charlesworth e: sue.charlesworth@iod.com t: 0115 848 6190 m: 07939 584962 Regional Events Manager and Administrator Cari Grice e: cari.grice@iod.com t: 0115 848 6190
Lincolnshire Chair: Gary Headland e: gheadland@lincolncollege.ac.uk t: 07787 484448 Northamptonshire Chair: Sarah Canning e: sjc@franklins-sols.co.uk
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The Institute of Directors East Midlands membership magazine is published on behalf of the IoD by: Chamber Media Services, 4 Hilton Road, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 3AG Advertising sales: Colin Regan t: 01942 537959 / 07871 444922 e: colinregan001@yahoo.co.uk Production enquiries: Rob Beswick, t: 0161 426 7957 e: rob@chamber mediaservices.co.uk
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Please note... Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material contained within this magazine, neither the IoD nor Chamber Media Services can accept any responsibility for omissions or inaccuracies in its editorial or advertising content. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the IoD. The carriage of adverts in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised. All articles within this publication are copyright IoD East Midlands. Editorial consent must be obtained before any are reproduced either in printed form or electronically.
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IoD backs Britain’s Armed Forces as Director-General signs covenant to support nation’s service personnel The Director-General of the IoD, Stephen Martin, has signed the Armed Forces Covenant in the presence of Earl Howe, Minister of State for Defence, on behalf of the institute, committing its members and the wider business community to use workplace resources in order to help those in uniform and ex-service employees. Commenting on the IoD’s commitment Mr Martin said: “I believe this is a hugely important step for the IoD to take. “We have long valued our close engagement with the armed forces. Across the country, the IoD’s regional branches have helped to foster relationships between businesses and the forces. Indeed, IoD East Midlands has already signed the Covenant. “In signing the Covenant as a national body we want to underline the fundamental role our armed services play – for our society and for businesses. Each and every service man and woman contributes to providing the security and freedom that underpins our lives.” Mr Martin acknowledged that simply signing the covenant was not enough, however. “We have to think about what society offers back to former armed forces personnel. We also need to consider how to help them overcome the challenges they may face after leaving the forces. “For many, one of the foremost of these challenges revolves around mental health. The increasing emphasis on this issue in recent years has been an incredibly positive development. Across the country, there are a host of charities doing fantastic work in this area, and it is no longer a subject marked by stigma. But there remains much work to be done.” On employment, Mr Martin said: “No-one leaving the armed forces should have to see the workplace as being off-limits. Instead, it should be a place where assistance and openness is most readily available. But as we ensure that support is in place where it is needed, we must also ensure that we recognise the fantastic benefits that ex-service men and women can bring to businesses and the wider economy. “The sheer range of skills that individuals gain in the armed forces is phenomenal. Speaking from personal experience, I know that what I learned during my training as a Reservist has benefited me throughout my career. “At the same time, and while those who are part of the armed forces get first-rate physical training, and a whole host of technical skills, it is easy to overlook the soft skills they develop that make many ex-service personnel stand out from the crowd. “They gain experience in dealing with
IoD is backing our Armed Forces incredibly challenging situations, and in crafting solutions from limited resources. But perhaps most importantly, you gain a deep understanding of what it means to work as a team, and what can be gained when a group of people – with different skills and personalities – pull together in the same direction. “Show me a business leader who does not value these attributes.” The IoD will also pledge to amplify campaigns driven by the Ministry of Defence that are aimed at forging ever stronger links between the business community and the Armed Services. In particular, we would like to showcase those that highlight the benefits to employers of taking on ex-service personnel. This is in everyone’s interests, said Stephen. “All too often, we hear members complain that they cannot find people with exactly the skills that are in the armed forces toolkit. This covenant is a reminder of just how available these skills are . “But while the skills of ex-service personnel make them highly attractive to employers, it is these same skills and qualities – like resourcefulness, fortitude, and teamwork – that are also found in successful entrepreneurs. And
in many ways, those who leave the armed forces are perfectly positioned to found and grow the businesses of the future. “To ensure this entrepreneurial potential is able to shine, the IoD will also pledge to support ex-service personnel looking to establish and grow new businesses. In particular we will work with X-Forces in highlighting the network of founders and resources available to entrepreneurs through the IoD 99. “Our IoD 99 members regularly tell me that these events are of immense value to them. They allow the leaders of some of the UK’s most exciting new businesses to share ideas and expertise, and to learn from each other. I hope that this network can be a community for former services personnel who wish to make the most of their entrepreneurial potential. “By maximising the creative potential of ex-service personnel, by highlighting the qualities they can contribute to employers, and by helping to ensure the necessary support is in place, the IoD is seeking to recognise the immense contribution those in the armed forces make to our country. “I’m extremely proud to sign the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of the IoD.”
IoD East Midlands Spring 2018 | 05
IoD News
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
The benefits of membership... of the IoD IoD membership – it’s not ‘one size fits all’. Rather, we can tailor the right type of membership for you and your business. Start ups – join the 99 If your business started within the last five years and you have a turnover not exceeding £3million, then IoD99 is the perfect way to benefit from IoD membership at a reduced price. IoD ‘Standard’ membership Enjoy all the benefits of an organisation which is on your side in representing views to
Government and at your side in providing support including development, meeting facilities, networking events, advice and helplines. IoD Advance An exclusive, supercharged membership community dedicated entirely to you and your business; giving you access to all standard membership benefits and more. And don’t forget, members receive discounted prices on a host of IoD meetings and events, including Member Evenings at
our regional office free of charge (see below). Amazing gifts Introduce a new member and claim a free gift – Amazon kindle, six bottles of selected fine wine, six bottles of Prosecco, Credit Card pre loaded with £50.
Want to know more...
For more details about all types of membership or to introduce a new member, call Sue Charlesworth on 0115 8486190, 07939 584962 or email sue.charlesworth@iod. com Pictured at the members’ evening are (far left), Jon Burke, Sue Charlesworth, Sandy Groves and Daniel Westlake Left, Emma OlivierTownrow and Andrew Deighton with Sue Charlesworth
Better business under discussion at members’ evening There was an air of positivity and commitment to boosting business at the latest Members’ Evening, held in the Sillitoe Room at Nottingham Conference Centre. Many existing and new IoD Members attended, along with a range of business people from Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. IoD East Midlands Regional Director Ron Lynch and Sue Charlesworth explained the new opportunities available to members and future events they could participate in – and encouraged attendees to consider applying for or nominating others for the forthcoming IoD East Midlands Director of the Year awards.
Above, Mark Attenborough, Dan Severn, Nick Brooks and Stephen de Looze.
Alumni urged to help next generation of directors Nottingham Trent University is looking for former students to join its Alumni Fellowship Programmes. The Alumni Fellowship scheme was designed to provide a unique and structured way for the university’s talented alumni to donate their time to support and inspire our current students. It now has a programme based in each of the university’s schools. Being an Alumni Fellow allows you to support students to achieve their aspirations by sharing your knowledge, skills, experience and industry perspective. It is also an opportunity to raise your profile (or your company’s) while
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developing your own skills. Each Fellow is asked to volunteer for approximately 15 hours over the academic year. Your contribution is not onerous: it usually involves mentoring, conducting mock interviews, career talks and arranging company visits to your business, as well as helping students with their professional development
and employability skills. Applications for the 2018/19 academic year close in July 2018. To apply see www.ntualumni.org.uk/ getting_involved/alumni_fellows. For more information, email the Alumni Fellowship Team on alumni.Fellows @ntu.ac.uk
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Andy Price
Elaine Clowes
IoD 99ers highlight highs and lows of business IoD 99 members Andy Price and Yolanda Dixon gave Nottingham Trent University (NTU) students an insight into the life of an entrepreneur during an ‘Entrepreneurs Panel’ event that also included Ben Spray and Amanda Middlecote from The Hive at NTU. In what was an inspiring and informative event, they offered their take on the challenges of conceiving, launching and running your own business, with a ‘warts and all’ account of the high and lows involved.
First chance to join IoD Mastermind group Following successful pilots, IoD East Midlands is introducing Mastermind Groups. These offer a combination of brainstorming, learning, peer accountability and support in a group setting to sharpen business and personal skills. The ethos is to provide a positive, informal but challenging and supportive space to discuss issues that confront directors. The format is simple, with introductions and feedback before members share a summary of topics they would like to discuss.
These will be open to members only and will be facilitated by IoD members with experience and connecting and supporting business. Mastermind groups will be set up and available to join all of our East Midland branches, Notts/Derbys, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. To join a group now, please contact Cari Grice (cari.grice@iod.com) or Ron Lynch (ron.lynch@ iod.com). Places are limited and filled on a first come, first served basis.
Members and staff at IoD East Midlands were saddened to hear of the death of Elaine Clowes, who sadly lost her battle with cancer earlier this year. Elaine was an active member of the committee in IoD Northamptonshire and in previous years was a committee member in Lincolnshire. She was a Chartered Director and had worked with our colleagues in Pall Mall for a number of years, assisting with interviews for the IoD’s Chartered Director qualification, in which she was heavily involved in benchmarking the interviewertraining process. Our condolences are with her husband and son. The IoD was represented at Elaine’s funeral by Sarah Canning, Ron Lynch and Sue Charlesworth.
International students at Nottingham Professionals Lunch by Janet Wootton, IoD East Midlands PRO Two students who hail from Russia and Zimbabwe spoke of the high-quality support and friendship they had found while studying at Nottingham Trent University when they joined IoD business leaders at the Nottingham Professionals lunch held at Memsaab, Nottingham. Zlata Rudakova (21) from Moscow and Megan Carey-Smith (22) from Zimbabwe are both studying International Business Management. Megan, whose sports interests include yoga and climbing, had studied in France before coming to Nottingham. She spoke highly of NTU and its tutors and her personal mentor, IoD member Nic Olsen.
Zlata, who had studied finance before coming to NTU, also speaks English, German and Spanish and lists her other interests as yoga and cycling. She agreed that the studying opportunities at NTU had helped broaden her horizons. Both had been recently been involved in the NTU/IoD £10 Challenge, which had proved both enjoyable and offered insights into business decision-making and getting a commercial idea off the ground. They and other students were among the 30 guests at the networking lunch, during which Stephen de Looze reminded those present of the opportunity to nominate people for the IoD East Midlands Director of the Year awards and of other upcoming events.
Above, Zlata Rudakova and Megan Carey-Smith with Emily Gunn and Gemma Grant
IoD East Midlands Spring 2018 | 07
News
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
IoD members urged to help improve access to university A Midlands IoD member whose career has taken him from the coalface to the boardroom is urging fellow members to support an initiative that helps disadvantaged young people improve their chances of getting to top universities. Businessman and business consultant Gary Jordan is the owner of GMJ Business & Engineering Services, and currently principal project delivery and transformation manager at The Coal Authority. It’s a long way from when, as a young miner, Gary was working the seams at Welbeck Colliery in Nottinghamshire. It was while there that he was involved in a serious coal face collapse – a moment that changed his life. Following the incident, he vowed to not work underground but instead move into management. He has since gone on to have more than 38 years’ mining experience in mechanical engineering, alongside 18 years’ water industry experience in project and operations management and as operations director and managing director. Gary is using his varied experience to help inspire young people of today, and he wants fellow IoD members to support The Access
“I’m passionate about helping those who need that extra little help, and I know a lot of my fellow IoD members feel the same way ...” Project, which has recently launched in the East Midlands from a base at Vision West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield. The project sees volunteer tutors, who are predominantly graduates and from the business community, offering an hour per week
face-to-face or online tutoring to selected youngsters at Vision West Nottinghamshire College, Ashfield School and Shirebrook Academy. Already successful in the Birmingham area, The Access Project works with high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and in addition to the volunteer tutoring provides in-school support to help learners gain access to the top universities. Gary said: “We, as business people, have a duty to help others. After all, we often talk about younger people needing the right skills and grades to make it in the business world. People often complain that we aren’t getting the right people through – now here is our chance to do just that. “I’m passionate about helping those who need that extra little help, and I know a lot of my fellow IoD members feel the same way. It would be great if we could donate a little bit of our time, as we would all benefit in the long term.” To find out more, email samantha@ theaccessproject.org.uk, or visit http://volunteer.theaccessproject.org. uk/
Even the weather ‘Beast’ can’t stop IoD 99 series
The first IoD 99 Social Series event of the year took place at the end of February, and despite the freezing temperatures and snow as the ‘Beast from the East’ came to town, we had a great turn-out in the sophisticated Saint Bar at the Lace Market Hotel. Three willing members pitched their business to the group in two minutes – which included the one piece of advice they would give to
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others starting their own business. It was great to see IoD 99 members from Leicester, Coventry and as far afield as Cheshire at this event. The IoD 99 group is a great way to improve connections and support for entrepreneurs who’ve been on their business journey for less than five years. More IoD 99 events are planned so see page 16, or check the IoD website for events updates.
IoD in conversation ...
Dr Nik Kotecha: Championing health equality and business success Janet Wootton, IoD East Midlands PRO, talks to Dr Nick Kotecha OBE about his business goals, successful exporting and the opportunities Brexit brings Anyone feeling a little down should arrange a meeting with Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd. While acknowledging the considerable challenges faced by his companies, his passion for business and supporting communities is infectious and a real tonic. Last year Dr Kotecha was named the IoD’s East Midlands Director of the Year after collecting two other awards: for his commitment to Corporate Responsibility and in the Large Company category. He was also awarded an OBE for services to entrepreneurship, innovation in pharmaceutical services and philanthropy. The awards keep coming ... most recently he was named among the UK’s most inspirational and innovative individuals from across the private, not-for-profit and public sectors in the ‘Faces of a Vibrant Economy’ list produced by business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK. Impressive but well-deserved accolades for a man who came to Leicester as a refugee from Uganda in 1972. He obtained a council grant and studied hard in higher education. He
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gained qualifications at Newcastle and a PhD in drug discovery at Imperial College, London, with further research at Cambridge University backed by a determination to succeed in his chosen profession and to give back to the local and international community. Meeting Nik at his Morningside Pharmaceuticals HQ in Loughborough we posed three questions to him that focused on his past work and future plans, both in the immediate and post-Brexit environment. Morningside’s vision is to make quality and accessible healthcare a reality throughout the world. What has been achieved so far and what are your plans for the future? In answering, Nik is immediately drawn to his company’s iconic sun logo “which represents life in our culture” and is the company’s branding for a mission statement, which is “to make quality healthcare an affordable and accessible reality throughout the world”. It has been there since the company’s inception in 1991, when Nik and his wife Moni started the business in a garage. Over the years Morningside has grown considerably and now exports to more than 100 countries. Originally its overseas markets were developing countries, predominantly in the Commonwealth, but now it includes Europe, the Middle East and Canada, with plans for further expansion to the Nordic States, China, Australia and New Zealand. Morningside is an established manufacturer, wholesaler and exporter of branded and generic medicines, with products supplied to NHS
hospitals and pharmacies as well as globally. The company’s key strengths are in drugs related to pain relief, diabetes, contraception, mental health, depression and oncology. Over the past five years Morningside has invested heavily in R & D to bring new generic products to the market. “We are a generic pharmaceutical company and we have to continue to innovate to bring new formulations to the market,” says Nik. “We’ve done this really successfully, saving the NHS money, and winning NHS tenders. Our future is about more innovation, more product launches and creating extra market share for ourselves in the UK and then, once we have licensed the drug in the UK, the significant export market”. One of his company’s proudest medicine developments, which has become a headline brand, has been Sukkarto tablets, a Metformin slow release medication suitable for treating Type 2 diabetes. “It is bio-equivalent to the innovator and has saved the NHS a lot of money.” It’s developing products such as that which won Morningside the coveted Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2012, while last year the company received the prestigious ‘Innovation in Generics’ accolade at the Pharmacy Business Awards. This honour recognised the role Morningside plays for its innovations in the generic market and in improving patient care. The international aid work remains significant, with multiple deliveries leaving the Loughborough site to aid agencies or their field offices worldwide every week.
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Nik says the adaptability of a business is very important: “We are small enough to do anything but we are also big enough to accommodate any sized project. We like difficult challenges.” To what do you attribute Morningside’s success? The family-run business, based in Castle Business Park, Loughborough, is imbued with a deep sense of community involvement. Nik speaks highly of his team and their contribution to the success of the business. There are around 70 people working at the Loughborough site and the company offers a number of opportunities for school leavers and university graduates. He says instead of relying solely on experience or relevant backgrounds, Morningside invests time and resources to develop employee skills and their education – and loyalty ensues, with many gaining management positions. He is a great fan of apprenticeships, believing they are good for business. Corporate social responsibility is significant at Morningside, with support for many good causes and charities at home and overseas. Sports fan Nik has associations with developments providing sports access for young and disadvantaged people. The latest development is the re-naming of the Leicester Arena – home to Leicester Riders Basketball team – to the Morningside Arena, Leicester. There is also a Morningside-funded medical centre at Leicester County Cricket Club’s Grace Road home. Nik acknowledges that businesses have a responsibility for achieving good environmental practice and is committed to reducing environmental impact and continually improving environmental performance. He and his staff have many achievements to be proud of but Nik restates that making high-quality, affordable medicines available to the UK market, charities, NGOs
and international aid agencies are what he is most proud of. How will Brexit impact upon your business? Nik has a clear mantra on this: “With all the geo-political and economic challenges facing business – including Brexit – our vision for further growth is clear; we continue to hire, invest and innovate.” Speaking about UK business generally Nik added: “I do feel we have relied upon the EU for too long, although of course it continues to be a very important partner. But there are many other attractive markets out there with better margins and other opportunities in developing countries. It is great to see Government, through the Department of International Trade (DIT), encouraging businesses to think further afield and embrace new markets.” Nik speaks with much experience on this issue as Morningside started as an exporting business. “We started the business as an export company and then progressed into the UK market, which is very different to the way most companies begin.” He advocates getting out and about to the new markets. Over the years he has been on many trade missions and made personal representations to government departments and embassies to make the trade links the company needed. “Feel it,Touch it, Do it. Travel to the markets you are planning to export to and do extensive research to ensure that your product is right for that market.” He is a Board Member of the Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), representing the life science sector and actively involved in the pursuance and support of the regional economy. His company had a detailed Brexit risks assessment prepared within three months of the referendum and is now evaluating and progressing their planning for the next stage.
“I do feel we have relied upon the EU for too long, although it will continue to be a very important partner. But there are many other attractive markets out there offering better margins and other exciting opportunities...”
Dr Nik with Janet Wootton
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Events reports
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
Elizabeth’s fragrant and flowering business By Janet Wootton IoD East Midlands PRO Semi-finalist in the 2017 series of The Apprentice, florist Elizabeth McKenna, shared her unusual business story during the March regional networking lunch held at the new venue: the Crowne Plaza, Nottingham. It was the coldest day of the year but West Bridgfordbased Elizabeth brought a warm glow and flowers to the occasion as she recalled the career-changing Apprentice experience . Sydney-born Elizabeth, who was raised in Leicestershire and now calls Nottingham home, admits to being “the lady with the hair-brained schemes”. But IoD members and guests were impressed by her business transformation story. Her florist business, Flowers by Susan, is now Flowers by Elizabeth and ‘Lizzies Bundles’, a neat new branding (see www. lizziesbundles.com). Garry Smith, IoD East Midlands Regional Chairman thanked Elizabeth for her presentation. He reminded guests to consider nominating someone or selfnomination for the up-coming IoD East Midlands Director of the Year awards. The event was sponsored by Nottingham Business School. Network lunches always produce some interesting surprises. At this event new IoD Member Peter Nutkins of Peter Nutkins Photography (www.peternutkins.com) showed off his skills photographing Elizabeth McKenna for our front page in this issue. Peter, who lives near Matlock, had been a secondary school headteacher for 25 years, making effective changes at many establishments, until ill health forced a
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Top left: IoD East Midlands’ Cari Grice and Regional Chairman Garry Smith flank guest speaker Elizabeth McKenna Above top: Janet Wootton and Abigail Curtis Above: Sandy Groves deep in conversation
new direction. He began his photography business a year ago after winning a Smithsonian Travel Competition photography award in 2016 which finally convinced him of his future path. Abigail Curtis (23), who is studying for her MSc in Economics at Nottingham Trent University, was attending the regional event for the first time and was impressed by the networking opportunities it presented. An IoD student Member, Abigail had already been involved with the winning team of Double Impact in the IoD/NTU £10 Challenge. Another of the guests was Rosie Smith, the new Bank of England Agent for the East Midlands, who took the opportunity to gauge the region’s economic weather, and feed back those views to the Bank in London.
Left: Elizabeth with a bouquet from her newly rebranded business, Flowers by Elizabeth
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Events Diary
Kate gets to grips with ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’
Above: Govind Singh, Nic Olsen, Emma Price-Olsen, Barbie Nash and Lucy Hoyes Left, Elizabeth shares her experiences with lunch guests Below: Neil Harvey in conversation Bottom: Abigail Curtis and Sandy Groves
Date: Tuesday, 15th May Time: 10am - 3pm Venue: Sillitoe Lounge, Nottingham Conference Centre, Nottingham Cost: Free of charge. Recent research says that the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ is now the ninth biggest lender in the UK. This is often seen as a ‘bad thing’ and evidence of an affordability problem for 20-somethings getting on the property ladder. However, with BBC research showing that ‘in 58% of wards, residential properties are selling for less now, after accounting for inflation, than they were in 2007’, is the Bank of Mum and Dad a requirement or something that parents just want to do, especially in the East Midlands where a two-bed house can be bought for less than £70,000? And, if you do gift money to your kids to buy a property – how do protect this gift if problems occur? If you would like to find out more on how this can affect you, come to one of these one-to-one sessions with Kate Faulkner, Managing Director, Designs on Property Ltd. Kate is an acclaimed local expert in this field and regularly appears in the media to discuss property issues. To book onto this event you will need to book an appointment with the office by calling 0115 848 6190. Each appointment is for 30 minutes.
Regional lunch offers update from IoD senior economist Date: Thursday, 28th June Time: 12noon-2pm Venue: Nottingham Conference Centre Cost: Members £28 + VAT Non-members £35 + VAT The IoD’s senior economist, Tej Parikh, will be giving a mid-year economic review to IoD members and guests. Before joining the IoD Tej worked as an economic analyst at the Bank of England in roles across monetary and financial policy. He then moved to Cambodia to work as a journalist focusing on economic and private sector development. He has since been a freelance political risk consultant and journalist, covering Europe and Asia. This is a perfect networking opportunity with a very informative speaker over a two-course lunch. The event is sponsored by Nottingham Business School.
IoD East Midlands Spring 2018 | 13
Events News
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
Last year’s winners pose with their trophies and citations
Celebrating the successful directors in our region IoD East Midlands Director of the Year Awards 2018 Date: Time: Venue: Cost:
Friday, 8th June 12.00pm - 3pm Crowne Plaza Nottingham, NG1 5RH Members’ £50 + VAT Non-members £65 + VAT Table of 8 £350 + VAT Table of 10 £450 + VAT Student £35 + VAT
Join us to celebrate with some of the most successful Directors from across the region at this year’s Director of the Year Awards. Guests will experience high-quality networking, while nominees discover whether they have won one of our prestigious awards. Each year this is an exciting and energising event that shines a deserving spotlight on the finest business leaders and entrepreneurs the region has to offer.
Last year saw Dr Nik Kotecha take home the principal award as Director of the Year, and it also rewarded a host of other directors drawn from across the business spectrum: and from public sector to multi-nationals, from family businesses to not-for-profit organisations. So don’t miss this opportunity to meet some of the most engaged directors in the region. Book early to avoid disappointment.
IoD Lincolnshire in the swing for annual golf day Date: Time: Venue: Cost:
Thursday, 5th July 12.15pm with tee off times from 1pm Lincoln Golf Club, Torksey, Lincoln LN1 2EG Individual £46 + VAT Team of 4 £167+ VAT Prices applicable for members and non-members
14 | IoD East Midlands Spring 2018
Join us for one of our premier sporting events of the calendar, the IoD Lincolnshire Annual Golf Day. This is always a very convivial but competitive day’s golf, with participants looking to land one of a host of prizes and trophies on the day. Our host club this year is Lincoln Golf Club, one of the finest courses in the East Midlands where the greens, fairways and tees are always in excellent condition. Over the years it has hosted several significant events including both the Men’s and Ladies’ County Championship finals last year. The main prize on offer for IoD members is
the Carl Ross Trophy, which is played for by Lincolnshire branch members. In addition there are prizes for nearest the pin and longest drive. There is also a prize for the leading guest/ non-IoD member and the best team score from each fourball. Don’t worry if you are entering as a sole player or pair, as teams will be arranged on the day. The format is Stableford on 90 per cent handicaps with a maximum of 24. The day will conclude with an evening meal and prize presentation. You are not limited to the number of guests you bring. The dress code for the meal is smart casual.
Join the IoD East Midlands LinkedIn group – at https://uk.linkedin.com/groups/IoD-East-Midlands
Hinckley & Rugby offers a helping hand for local businesses Hinckley & Rugby Building Society has launched a 90-day business deposit account paying 1.25 per cent interest (gross/AER) that’s designed to give local businesses a meaningful return in a market dominated by accounts paying less than one per cent. The 1.25 per cent interest puts the Hinckley & Rugby’s new account in the top four of 90 to 100-day notice products and it is the only building society in the top seven*. It’s the mutual’s second business savings account and sits alongside the existing 30-day account which pays 0.80 per cent interest (gross/AER). Both rates are variable and both accounts are available for companies with a registered or principal trading address in the LE, CV, DE, NG, LN or PE postcodes. The minimum balance is £25,000 and the maximum is £500,000. The new account requires 90 days’ notice for penalty-free withdrawals, which are made by electronic funds transfer to a nominated company bank account. Business account
“With the Bank of England Base Rate continuing to remain low we decided we wanted to help local businesses who are earning next to no interest on their reserves...” holders also get access to a dedicated telephone helpline, with the ability to give notice of withdrawals and arrange the transfer of funds. Hinckley & Rugby’s operations director Dean Waddingham, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, said: “As a local business ourselves, we understand the importance of trying to maximise the return on your hard-earned cash reserves. “Many people do not appreciate that building societies are like other businesses and need to use the services of a high street bank,
experiencing the low rates of return on offer first hand. “With the Bank of England Base Rate continuing to remain low we decided we wanted to help local businesses who are earning next to no interest on their reserves. “Our 30-day notice account has been popular with businesses in our heartlands since it launched in January 2012 and we are now pleased to be offering a very competitive interest rate for a 90-day version. “Local businesses will not only enjoy a competitive return on their deposits, they can also look forward to receiving outstanding customer service from a local building society.” • Details of the accounts are at: hrbs.co.uk/savings/business-accounts * Moneyfacts search February 1 2018
Events diary
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands Nottingham Conference Centre + NCC
IoD East Midlands Events Diary Date
Event
Branch
Location
Time
17th April GDPR - Last Chance Saloon & Open Event
Greater Lincolnshire
Lincoln College
10am-2pm
24th April Members Evening
East Midlands
NCC
5.30pm-7pm
24th April GDPR Nelsons
Notts/Derby
Notts County FC
8.30am-10.30am
25th April GDPR – 1 month to go!
Northampton
Holiday Inn, Crick
6pm-8pm
25th April Real Entrepreneurs Event
YDF
Lace Market Hotel
12noon-2.30pm
25th April Expo East
Notts/Derbys
Newark Showground
8.30am-4.30pm
2nd May GDPR with NTU Legal Advice Centre Notts/Derby Park Plaza Hotel, Nottingham 8.45am-3.30pm 8th May
Nottingham Professionals Lunch Sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors
10th May The Globalised Workforce: Enabling Diversity
Notts/ Derbys
MemSaab, Nottingham
12.30-2.30pm
Greater Lincolnshire
University of Lincoln
8am-10am
15th May Cyber Security: business breakfast and workshop Greater Lincolnshire Sponsored by Lincoln College
Sessions Restaurant, Lincoln 8am-10am
15th May Kate to the rescue of the Bank of Mum and Dad
Notts/Derby
NCC
10am-3pm
17th May IoD 99 Social Series
IoD 99
DOCK, Leicester
4.30pm-6.30pm
18th May Women as Leaders Convention
East Midlands
Crowne Plaza, Nottingham 12noon-3.30pm
6th June
Visit to Somerby Vineyard
Greater Lincolnshire
Somerby Vineyard
3pm-6pm
6th June
CPD Derby
Notts/Derbys
Derby Enterprise Centre
1pm-5.00pm
8th June
Director of the Year Awards
East Midlands
Crowne Plaza, Nottingham 1noon-3.00pm
14th June Leicester Professionals Lunch Sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors
Leicestershire
Chutney Ivy, Leicester
18th June Phipps Brewery Visit
Northamptonshire
Phipps Brewery, Northants 6.30pm-9.30pm
19th June Summer Social BBQ & Driving Range
Notts/Derbys
28th June Regional Networking Lunch Sponsored by Nottingham Business School
East Midlands
NCC
12noon-2pm
3rd July
Members Evening
East Midlands
NCC
5.30pm-7.00pm
5th July
Annual Lincolnshire Golf Day
Greater Lincolnshire
12.30-2.30pm
Nottinghamshire Golf Club 4.30pm-7pm
The Lincoln Golf Club
from 12noon
6th July Leicestershire Sporting Lunch Leicestershire
Radisson Blu East Midlands Aiport
12noon-3.30pm
10th July Nottingham Professional Lunch Sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors
Notts/ Derbys
MemSaab, Nottingham
12.30-2.30pm
26th July Gin Tasting & Comedy Night
Greater Lincolnshire
New Theatre Royal, Lincoln 6.45pm-late
September Good Governance for SMEs
Greater Lincolnshire
Tbc
tbc
6th Sept
Leicestershire
Chutney Ivy, Leicester
12.30-2.30pm
12th Sept Lincolnshire Business Breakfast Sponsored by Lincoln College
Greater Lincolnshire
Sessions Restaurant Lincoln College
7.30am-9am
13th Sept Regional Networking Lunch Sponsored by Nottingham Business School
East Midlands
NCC
12-2pm
18th Sept IoD 99 Social Series
IoD 99
tbc
5.30pm-7.30pm
27th Sept Bank of England joint event
Northamptonshire
tbc
tbc
28th Sept CPD Nottingham
Notts/Derby
tbc
9am-1pm
Leicester Professionals Lunch Sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors
For more details or to book on any event, contact Cari Grice on 0115 848 6190 or email cari.grice@iod.com. Alternatively, see www.iod.com/emidlandsevents For more events throughout the year, check the IoD website for updates in your area as we are regularly adding to our 2018 calendar of events. 16 | IoD East Midlands Spring 2018
Join the IoD East Midlands LinkedIn group – at https://uk.linkedin.com/groups/IoD-East-Midlands
IoD East Midlands Events Diary 2nd Oct
Members Evening
East Midlands
NCC
5.30pm-7pm
4th Oct Visit to British Steel Greater Lincolnshire
Scunthorpe – rendezvous point tbc
10.30am-4.15pm
10th Oct
Mental Health Conference
East Midlands
tbc
12.00-3.30pm
17th Oct
Leicestershire Breakfast Network
Leicestershire
tbc
8.30am-10.30am
18th Oct
Director of the Year Awards National Final
National
London
November Joint event with LIBS Connect Roundtable
Greater Lincolnshire
tbc
tbc
2nd Nov
YDF
tbc
tbc
13th Nov Nottingham Professionals Lunch Sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors
YDF/IoD 99 Convention
Notts/ Derbys
MemSaab, Nottingham
12.30pm-2.30pm
22nd Nov CPD Lincoln
Greater Lincolnshire
University of Lincoln
9.00-1.00pm
30th Nov Notts & Derby Christmas Social
Notts/ Derbys
tbc
tbc
4th Dec
IoD 99 Social Series
IoD 99
tbc
5.30pm-7.30pm
7th Dec
Annual Lincolnshire Lunch
Greater Lincolnshire
Bentley Hotel, Lincoln
12.00-3pm
Leicestershire
Chutney Ivy, Leicester
12.30-2.30pm
13th Dec Leicester Professionals Lunch Sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors
Make the most of your membership Whether you’ve been a member for two months or 20 years, are you sure you understand all the benefits IoD membership gives you? Join us at one of our FREE Members’ Evenings, at which we’ll run through a short presentation on full benefits of membership. You’ll also have an opportunity to meet the regional team alongside a tour of the facilities that members can use. We will be providing some wine and canapés so would appreciate your confirmation if you plan to attend – but there’s no cost. The next events are: Date: Tuesday, 24th April and Tuesday, 3rd July Time: 5.30pm - 7.30pm Venue: Nottingham Conference Centre NG1 4BU Cost: Free of charge We look forward to seeing you there! • If you are unable to attend but would like to chat about your IoD membership, call Sue Charlesworth on 0115 848 6190 or email sue.charlesworth@iod.com
“A great way to network with like-minded individuals and ensure you’re fully utilising your IoD Membership.”
Cheers! We’re off to the brewery! Date: Monday, 18th June. Time: 6.30pm - 8.30pm Venue: Phipps Brewery, 54 Kingswell Street Northampton NN1 1PR Cost: Members £25 + VAT, Non-members £30 + VAT Join the IoD Northamptonshire branch for an evening of beer and cheer at the Phipps Brewery – producers of Northamptonshire Ale, beer and celebrated stout. It’s been 14 years since they first started to look at a Phipps revival and nine years from their first beers coming back to East Midlands Pubs. Now IoD members are being given an opportunity to discover the history behind the Albion brewery . In addition to the tour, Managing Director Alaric Neville will give a brief talk on the growth of the brewery business. Price includes an evening meal and refreshments after the tour.
IoD East Midlands Spring 2018 | 17
Events diary
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
IoD on hand to help you meet challenge of GDPR regulations The GDPR deadline is looming: do you need help in putting together your business’s response? The IoD is co-hosting a number of events in April that will examine the implications of these new data regulations. Coming as they do on the back of the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica media storm, it has never been more important for you to get your data house in order. See the facing page for more details of the events, which are being held in conjunction with partners Lincoln College, Nelsons Solicitors and CIMA. In addition to events, the IoD has arranged a number of other ways for you to obtain assistance. The IoD’s Business Information Service can currently provide a small range of GDPR-compliant template documents to members, via our legal database provider Practical Law. These include a template Privacy Standard, template Data Protection Impact Assessment, and a Privacy Notice for employees; PL will add further compliant model documents to this list as they develop them. Please note the team only send documents that a member requests and cannot
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/ register/4287481108502511875 https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/ register/8131968589953660930
advise on what a member might need to do to become compliant. GDPR: What every business should know The IoD’s Legal Helpline can advise members on points of law or questions about GDPR; however they are not GDPR specialists. The Advisory Service does not have a specialist GDPR advisor and therefore we are not promoting the Advisory Service in relation to GDPR. Webinars The IoD Advance team has run two open webinars on GDPR and the Academy team plans to release a repurposed video of the more recent Advance GDPR webinar. Members can access these webinars via:
10% discount on specialist training
Many members have been in touch regarding GDPR and requesting information and advice. In addition, some members have asked about the availability of training. IoD East Midlands has arranged a 10 per cent discount with Peritus, whose MD, Steve Walker, is an IoD Member. To take advantage of this offer, see www.perituslearning.co.uk. When prompted to make a payment enter the code: IOD10 to receive your 10 per cent discount.
Nelsons Solicitors offers clarity on GDRP regs With the GDPR compliance date fast approaching, IoD members signed up to attend a GDPR breakfast overview with Harpreet Sandhu, Head of Commerce and Technology at Nelsons Solicitors. This event was fully booked weeks in advance and provided attendees with an overview of the key requirements of GDPR, the similarities and differences with the existing UK Data Protection Act and the new requirements to be introduced. Demand was such that a second event has been arranged for 24th April. To book please see pg 19 or the IoD East Midlands website.
NBS offers alternate path to degree via apprenticeship The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship provides employers with an alternative to graduate recruitment. The course incorporates a combination of work-based learning and business education, which leads both to a degree and professional recognition through the award of Chartered Manager status (CMgr. MCMI).
18 | IoD East Midlands Spring 2018
Nottingham Business School (NBS) has over 15 years’ experience in the delivery of in-company work-based learning degrees in business and management, and delivers this innovative programme for organisations across the public and private sectors, in partnership with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Employers who pay the apprenticeship
levy can use this to fund the cost of this apprenticeship. For non-levy employers the Government will fund 90 per cent of the cost and the employer is required to co-invest the remainder. Cohorts run in April and September. Call 0115 848 88139 or email NBSDegreeApprenticeships@ntu.ac.uk for more details.
Join the IoD East Midlands LinkedIn group – at https://uk.linkedin.com/groups/IoD-East-Midlands
GDPR: Are you ready for the new regulations?
On 25th May 2018, the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will be applied in the UK. Non-compliance with the GDPR could result in a penalty of more than €20 million or four per cent of your global turnover. The IoD has partnered with three organisations to present events in April to cover this important new business regulation.
Avoid the last chance saloon on GDPR
Key requirements and links with UK data regulations
Make sure your business has full compliance
Date: Tuesday, 17th April 2018 Time: 10am - 2pm Drop in sessions 2-3.30pm Venue: Lincoln College, Monks Road, Lincoln LN6 5HQ Cost: Free of charge
Date: Tuesday, 24th April Time: 8:30am - 10:30am Venue: Notts County Football Club, Meadow Lane, Nottingham NG2 3HJ Cost: Free of charge
Date: Wednesday, 25th April Time: 6.00pm—8.00pm Venue: Holiday Inn Crick, Northampton NN6 7XR Cost: Members £17.50 + VAT Non-members £20 + VAT
The IoD and Lincoln College invite you to join an insightful workshop to learn how you can prepare your business for the upcoming introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations. Join a discussion on how to begin planning for GDPR, what business changes public sector organisations typically need to make, how to assess your readiness based on your current infrastructure and what solutions are a priority for you. Experts from Microsoft and Risual will speak at this event. After this session, there will be an opportunity to hear from IoD East Midlands about the benefits of membership. Whether you are a member or not, it would be great to hear how the IoD can help you. Refreshments will be available. The Institute of Directors will be in partnership with Lincoln College, Microsoft, Risual and Streets Chartered Accountants.
Nelsons Solicitors and the IoD are holding a free business seminar relating to the new regulations and will look at the following: • The key requirements and themes of the GDPR to help you understand the new framework • Similarities with the existing UK Data Protection Act 1998 • The new and different requirements being introduced Harpreet Sandhu, Partner and Head of Nelsons’ Commerce & Technology team, will be leading the presentation.
This evening business seminar, organised in conjunction with CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), will discuss how you can bring your organisation into a state of compliance. Are you prepared to take the risk of the heavy sanctions that can be applied, or would you prefer to find out more? Christopher Buck and Andrea Smith from Franklins Solicitors will discuss the impact of GDPR on businesses and other organisations. Further, they will discuss GDPR in respect of recording keeping requirements, appointing a Data Protection Officer and breach notifications, as well as how compliance (or lack of it) could potentially impact on the due diligence process when a business is sold. Light refreshments will be available.
IoD East Midlands Spring 2018 | 19
Events
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
Women as Leaders Convention 2018
No more barriers as women take lead in business IoD East Midlands Women as Leaders Convention Date: Venue: Time: Cost:
May 18 Crowne Plaza, Nottingham 12noon-3.30pm £35 + VAT – member £42 + VAT – non member £250 + VAT – table of 8 £315 + VAT – table of 10
IoD East Midlands is delighted to announce a high-profile panel of speakers for its 2018 Women as Leaders Convention. To be held on 18th May at the Crowne Plaza Nottingham, the event sees Carolyn Radford, the current CEO of Mansfield Town FC, as its keynote speaker. In addition we have drawn speakers from across the worlds of business, the military, sport and the not-for-profit sector to offer their thoughts on leadership in the modern age of business, as well as insights into their own careers as they rose to the top, often in areas of limited opportunities for women. The event will be hosted by Louise Third and will include lunch and opportunities for networking with business leaders, addresses from the main speakers and a Q&A with our panel. Louise Third MBE Integra Communications Limited Louise is a highly experienced and respected PR and comms consultant whose interest in enabling business growth has taken her though a career as a business adviser, project consultant, government policy adviser and PR expert. She is also a speaker coach.
20 | IoD East Midlands Spring 2018
Carolyn Radford Keynote speaker: Carolyn Radford, CEO, Mansfield Town What is leadership? Carolyn Radford is the Chief Executive Officer at Mansfield Town Football Club, one of only two female CEOs in professional football. She took up the post at 29, making her the youngest football CEO in the country. Since then, she has helped mastermind the club’s return to the English Football League and has transformed the previously plummeting finances, to become a business that is now primed for success on and off the pitch. Convention Panel Sarah Walker-Smith – Chief Operations Officer, Browne Jacobson, will focus on how her education prepared her for a leadership role. Sarah is a chartered accountant with an MBA and a healthy dose of creativity to balance all that process and logic out! Sarah is a member of the Board of Governors for Nottingham Trent University, and has recently won Business Women of the Year 2017 at the Nottingham Post Women in Business Awards. Debra Charles – Novacroft, will reflect on her leadership journey and her own personal battles in overcoming dyslexia and the other challenges she faced as a woman in a technology business. Debra is the CEO and Founder of Novacroft. After beginning her career in robotics and
computing, where she saw the potential of technology to simplify complexity, Debra founded Novacroft in 1998, with a vision to bring talented individuals together to embrace technology and innovation and change the way things are done for the better. Lisa Wainwright – CEO of British Basketball – will be offering insights into the world of international sports governance. Lisa has significant experience in sports administration and governing bodies, having previously held senior roles at Sport England, England Netball, internationally and most recently, CEO at Volleyball England for eight years. Lisa relishes challenge and continues to strive for improvement both personally and in others, recently graduating from the UK Sport CEO Executive Leadership Programme. Her motivations are simple, to enable people to better themselves through the wonderful medium of sport. A representative from the Armed Forces will discuss leading in a challenging environment. Sue Smith – Cherwell District Council. Sue will discuss role models in leadership from experience. Her career in local government began in 1980, rising through the ranks until, in 2001, she was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of Lichfield District Council. Sue then became Chief Executive of Harborough District Council before taking on the role of Joint Chief Executive of Cherwell District Council and South Northamptonshire Council in 2011. Sue is a Fellow of the IoD and a Chartered Director.
Join the IoD East Midlands LinkedIn group – at https://uk.linkedin.com/groups/IoD-East-Midlands
The business of sport Date: Friday, 6th July Time: 12pm - 3pm Venue: Radisson Blu, East Midlands Airport, Castle Donington DE74 2TZ Cost: Members £40 + VAT; Non-members £45 + VAT Table of 8 Table £295 + VAT; Table of 10 £365 + VAT We invite you to join us for our first Sporting Lunch at the Radisson Blu Hotel, East Midlands Airport where Lisa Wainwright, recently appointed to the British Olympic Association’s board and CEO of British Basketball, will be our keynote speaker. Our event host and compere is Vicky Bailey, who has worked with a number of top athletes as they re-adjust from the sporting environment on their retirement. A diverse panel will explore the lessons for business from the world of sport. Confirmed panel members for the lunch are Rob Bracken from Leicester Racecourse; Holly Morgan, captain of Leicester City Women’s Football Club; Kevin Routledge, chairman of Leicester Riders Basketball team, and Wasim Khan MBE, Chief Executive Officer of Leicester County Cricket. This lunch promises to be a lively and inspiring
afternoon, offering members and the wider business community an opportunity to network, listen to experiences of local sporting personalities with an excellent two-course lunch. You can make great savings by booking a table of eight or 10 so why not invite your colleagues or clients? Contact the IoD regional office for more details.
BBQ and a spot of golf – a perfect combination Date: Tuesday, 19th June Time: 4.30pm - 7pm Venue: Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club, Cotgrave, Nottingham NG12 3HB Cost: Members £19 + VAT Non-members £25 + VAT
From top, Lisa Wainwright, event host Vicky Bailey, Rob Bracken of Leicester Racecourse, Leicester City FC’s Holly Morgan, Wasim Khan and Kevin Routledge
Book now for our ‘networking with a difference’ event at the Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club this summer. Whether you are a keen golfer or a enthusiastic amateur you will have the opportunity to give it your best shot on the driving range. A summer BBQ and drinks, with a great opportunity to network with like-minded business professionals from across the region. Included in the price is the BBQ, an arrival drink and a bucket of balls for the driving range. Book now to our networking with a difference event to avoid disappointment as spaces are limited.
Prepared to be hacked! IoD Greater Lincolnshire Cyber Security: Business breakfast and workshop In association with Lincoln College Date: Tuesday, 15th May Venue: Lincoln College Time: 8am-10am Cost: Free of charge (complimentary breakfast included)
The IoD Greater Lincolnshire and Lincoln College are delighted to invite you to a cyber security interactive workshop. The event will be held in the college’s state-of-the-art Risual Microsoft Academy. Delegates should be prepared to be hacked in a safe environment to learn how to protect their business from attack. Last year national cyber experts received 1,131 incident reports, with 590 classed as ‘significant’. These attacks are happening around you and unless you are prepared, your business
could be next. Nationally-renowned cyber security expert Stuart Green, of SJG Digital, will disclose the hackers’ secrets and equip you with a toolkit for cyber safety. Interactive workshop will include: • Real-time cyberattack experience, resilience and prevention • Toolkit for cyber safety • Access to firms showcasing cyber security products and services.
IoD East Midlands Spring 2018 | 21
Events
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
Networking on the menu for region’s professionals IoD East Midlands is delighted to announce the latest dates in its popular Professionals Lunches series, sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors.
IoD Nottinghamshire Date: Tuesday, 8th May & 10th July Venue: MemSaab, Nottingham Time: 12.30pm - 2pm Cost: Members, £19 + VAT; Non-members, £25 + VAT (including a drink, courtesy of Nelsons)
MemSaab
Join us at the award-winning MemSaab Indian Restaurant in the heart of Nottingham for this ever-popular quarterly event which is a firm favourite with professional firms across the county. Network with fellow professionals in a relaxed environment over a delicious Indian lunch, with a welcome drink courtesy of our events sponsors, Nelsons.
IoD Leicestershire Date: Thursday, 14th June & 6th Sept Venue: Chutney Ivy Restaurant, Leicester, LE1 1TR Time: 12.30pm-2pm Cost: Members £19 + VAT; Non-members £25 + VAT (includes a drink courtesy of Nelsons)
The award-winning Chutney Ivy Restaurant will be our host venue for the 2018 IoD Leicestershire Professional Lunch series, sponsored by Nelsons Solicitors. This is always a convivial and relaxed event, drawing professionals from across the county to network over a delicious Indian buffet. A welcome drink is included in the price, courtesy of Nelsons, our events sponsors. Chutney Ivy
Derby Professionals
We are currently finalising details for a re-launch of our Derby Professionals Lunch series. Please keep an eye on the website for more information.
Leicester to host second 99er’s event Date: Time: Venue: Cost:
Thursday, 17th May 4.30pm-6.30pm DOCK, Pioneer Park, 75 Exploration Dr, Leicester LE4 5NU Free of charge
The second IoD Social Series of the year will be held in Leicester. Join us and 99 members from across the region to network in Leicester’s new hub for high tech, low carbon and innovative businesses. Included are two free drinks and nibbles, with a business card draw enabling three lucky delegates to pitch their business in two minutes while enjoying an evening of networking. This event is highly recommend for IoD 99 members and those who want to network with SME owners.
“Better directors, better business” - The Institute of Directors 22 | IoD East Midlands Spring 2018
Join the IoD East Midlands LinkedIn group – at https://uk.linkedin.com/groups/IoD-East-Midlands
Thursday, 26th July Time: 6.45pm - late Venue: New Theatre Royal Lincoln Clasketgate, Lincoln LN2 1JJ Cost: Members £25 + VAT Non-members £30 + VAT
A taste of success with Somerby Vineyard Date: Time: Venue: Cost:
Wednesday, 6th June 3pm - 6pm Somerby Vineyard, Barnetby DN38 6EX Members £25 + VAT; Non-members £35 + VAT
Today there are over 500 vineyards in England producing English wine for a new generation of connoisseurs. At this event the IoD is visiting one that has proved extremely successful right on our doorstep – Somerby Vineyard in Barnetby – where we will explore all aspects of the wine industry in England. The event will consist of a short presentation regarding the history
Come and unwind at the end of the working day at Lincoln’s Grade II-listed, New Royal Theatre for what we’re sure will be an entertaining and enjoyable event. It includes history, jokes and gin – what better combination can there be? First, IoD members and their guests will enjoy an informative gin tasting experience, after which we’ll take our seats an be ‘royally’ entertained by a line-up of top professional comedians. The evening will commence at 6.45pm where guests will experience gin tasting in a private lounge, to hear about Lincoln Gin, how it is it made and its history. You will have the best seats in the house for an evening of comedy. Line up to include Geoff Norcott, Lost Voice Guy, Alfie Moore and MC James Cook. Book now to avoid disappointment as places are limited.
of English wine, followed by a tour of the vineyard and concluding with a wine and cheese tasting session. Delegates are recommended to arrive for 2.45pm, with the event to be scheduled to begin at 3pm. As well as the presentation, tour and wine and cheese tasting session, this event presents a good networking opportunity. Please note tickets for this event are limited to 20 people. We recommend you book early to avoid disappointment.
“Established in Lincolnshire in 2006, Somerby Vineyard started with 150 vines and two grape varieties of Regent and Phoenix...”
Geoff Norcott
Lifting the lid off the globalised workforce A seminar organised by Lincoln International Business School (LIBS) Connect and Chattertons Solicitors, in conjunction with IoD Greater Lincolnshire, on Thursday, 10th May will attempt to lift the lid on issues surrounding immigration and business. Called The Globalised Workforce: Embracing Diversity, the event will discuss all the challenges facing UK businesses looking to
attract global workers, particularly in relation to the current situation regarding Brexit. The event will be held at the Executive Development Centre, LIBS, University of Lincoln, from 8am-10am. Refreshments will be served and there will be time for networking. The event is free of charge and you can register to attend on the Eventbrite website (www.eventbrite.org)
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The complicated issue of ‘self-help’ in divorce proceedings Emma Davies of Nelsons Solicitors looks at the controversial practice of ‘self help’ in divorce cases
The term ‘self-help’ in the context of divorce and financial remedy proceedings was brought to the forefront in a landmark case eight years ago, but still remains somewhat of an issue, even today. It refers to parties to the divorce process helping themselves to documents or digitally stored information about their husband or wife’s financial circumstances, in the hope that this might help them when it comes to dealing with how the assets of their marriage should be divided. Speak to any family lawyer and they will tell you that at some point in their career, they have been provided with a shopping bag full of documents that do not belong to their client but to the person that will, in the not-too-distant future, be their ex-spouse. Sometimes, these might have been documents just lying around the house for anyone to read. Sometimes, however, those documents are not those which a separated spouse may have had any wish to share. They may be documents kept privately in the study used only by the businessman husband, in a locked drawer or, in the digital age, password protected or even encrypted on a personal laptop; documents considered to be entirely confidential and not for the consumption of others, even a spouse. The first piece of advice a family lawyer will give their client who is encountering separation is that, in order to provide them with comprehensive advice as to what they are entitled to, we need to exchange full and frank financial disclose with their husband or wife. For nearly 20 years, it was established practice to go so far as to advise your client that they were perfectly at liberty to look for, copy and provide to their solicitors, documents that did not belong to them but that might have been of assistance in establishing an accurate picture of their spouses financial circumstances, so long as the originals were returned promptly. In the case of Hildebrand v Hildebrand, reported in 1992, a husband had obtained and copied documents in his wife’s personal box file and then requested information he was already aware of, as a result from his wife in financial remedy proceedings. Although the court did
refuse to order that the wife had to provide this information, the husband was not penalised for it and somehow, the ‘Hildebrand’ rules were born, endorsing the practice of self-help. In Marco Pierre White’s divorce in 2008/2009, the practice of obtaining and copying documents was said to be acceptable, so long as no force was used in obtaining the documents, they were not intercepted or retained and did not involve the removal of any hard disc recording information electronically. The court said ‘the evidence contained in the documents, even those wrongfully taken will be admitted in evidence because there is an overreaching duty on the parties to give full and frank disclosure’. However, chinks in the armour of the Hildebrand rules were starting to appear and Mr White, although not successful in his attempts to sue his wife’s solicitors, did elicit an apology from them. Only a year after Marco Pierre White’s divorce, the law of ‘self-help’ was changed by the Court of Appeal completely, leaving divorce lawyers having to quickly adapt and reject what had been the long-standing advice they had given to their clients. Vivian Imerman was incredibly wealthy and the former CEO of the tinned fruit company, Del Monte. He married Lisa Tchenguiz in 2001 and they separated in 2008. At the time that the couple separated, Mr Imerman shared an office with his brother in laws, two wealthy property investors. One day the brothers locked Mr Imerman out of the office and downloaded 250,000 pages of documents (Mr Imerman’s said that it was nearer 2.5 million). The brothers presented them to their sister, Ms Tchenguiz, who duly provided them to her lawyer. She sought to rely on them in financial remedy proceedings relating to the couple’s divorce, even before the court had ordered that both of them
“to help yourself to documents or information that is kept private and confidential to your spouse could result in costly injunction proceedings”
should provide their financial disclosure. Of course, Mr Imerman was not happy and applied to the court to prevent his wife from being able to admit the documents into the proceedings. The case made its way through the courts at significant cost to both parties and ultimately, the Court of Appeal decided that Ms Tchenguiz should return all of the documents and all copies to Mr Imerman. She was told that she could rely on her recollection of those documents in raising questions of Mr Imerman’s financial disclosure once he had provided it. What is the moral of this tale? First, the law is clear that any spouse’s duty to disclose their assets only arises when they are required to file their Form E (a financial statement setting out full details of their financial circumstances in financial remedy proceedings) with the court. It is not enough to assume that they are not going to be honest or that they will try and conceal assets before they are given the opportunity to disclose. Second, to help yourself to documents or information that is kept private and confidential to your spouse could result in costly injunction proceedings preventing you from using that information and, if your solicitor looks at it, it may well be that they are no longer permitted to act for you. Additionally, you may find yourself subject to civil or even criminal sanctions if you do. What should you do instead? Other remedies are available: freezing orders can prevent the dissipation of assets and Anton Piller or search orders will allow spouses to enter their estranged spouse’s premises in order to obtain essential evidence. These are, however, costly courses of action and should only be used when there is clear evidence, or you may end up paying for not just your legal representation in respect of an application but the legal representation of your husband or wife as well. The court has wide powers, and the discretion to draw on what are called “adverse inferences” if they suspect that a party to a broken down marriage is dishonest about their finances and final financial orders can be set aside if it transpires, after the divorce process has concluded, if assets have been concealed. The best course of action is to seek advice from a solicitor as soon as possible about any concerns you have. Emma Davies is a Partner in Nelsons’ Family Law team. For more information, please contact Emma on 0800 024 1976 or email newbusinessteam@nelsonslaw.co.uk
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IoD News
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
Short, sharp courses develop directors IoD East Midlands has a number of director CPD courses running in late spring and summer. These half-day seminars cover two topics, led by an experienced facilitator.
Date: 6th June (pm) Subjects: Top 5 things every director must know, and Strategic change Venue: Enterprise Centre, Derby Course leader: Jean Pousson Top 5 things every director must know This practical session will explore the top five things every director must know, looking at the following questions: • Who is a director? What do directors do? • What authority does a board have? • What personal liabilities do directors have? • What is a conflict of interest? Strategic change Successful implementation of strategy relies on considering the most effective approach to leading the planning, implementation and review of strategic change. This highly interactive session will position the strategic change process and share examples of best practice in the leadership of strategic change. Date: 28th Sept (am) Course leader: Chris Wilkins Subjects: Strategic decision making, and Practical tips for becoming a NED Venue: Nottingham (venue TBC) Strategic Decision making Based on cutting-edge research into how senior teams make strategic decisions, this interactive workshop will equip you with an understanding of effective strategic decisionmaking and provide insights into the main challenges. You will then focus on assessing your own organisation’s competence in strategic decision making and consider the areas you will need to focus on to strengthen this ability. This workshop looks at all three of what Cliff Bowman called the ‘zones of debate’: the role of ‘comfortable debate’ – and the limits to its value; the notion of ‘uncomfortable debate’; and the impact of ‘assumptions’ that underpin debate about strategic decisions.
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Practical tips for becoming a NED Choosing to become a non-executive director (NED) could be prompted by a number of reasons: a desire for a lifestyle change, an ambition to do something worthy in the third sector or to support enterprising organisations, or wanting to become involved without taking on an executive role. Whatever the rationale, it is essential to know how to access such roles – and how to make yourself the most desirable candidate. This workshop will also explore the risks and responsibilities of the NED role, with recommendations on best practice for assessing contracts in an increasingly litigious environment.
Date: 22nd Nov (am) Subject: Risk Management and Value Creation, and Strategic decision making Venue: University of Lincoln Course leader: Jean Pousson Risk Management and Value Creation This interactive workshop provides a boardlevel introduction to risk management: understanding the true nature of risk, exploring how businesses can prepare for uncertainty, and examining the director’s role in managing risk. Based around interactive discussion and a practical case study, the session will help delegates to understand how risk management improves decision-making, thereby adding value, and will focus their attention on the roles and responsibilities of directors in managing risk across the organisation.
Key information – all sessions Timings and prices AM sessions – 9am arrival, 9.30am-11am for first topic, 11.30-1pm for second topic PM sessions – 1.00pm arrival 1.30pm-3pm for first topic, 3.30-5pm for second topic The fees for 2018 are: Member rate - £75; Non-member rate - £150
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Cultivating innovation and enterprise in your business One of the challenges many businesses face is that entrepreneurship is often locked in an individual. If that person leaves, how do you unlock the potential for innovation and entrepreneurship across an organisation? Professor Mat Hughes of Loughborough University Business School has been conducting research into firm-level entrepreneurship, looking at how a firm is organised and managed so that it can capture entrepreneurship and develop innovation across its business. Looking at a firm across its life-cycle, Mat dissects the problems and challenges that are most likely to arise. When the business environment or marketplace changes, firms, especially established ones, find it very difficult to evolve and innovate. “On the surface, organisations are different,” explains Mat, “but there are consistent similarities across their life-cycles. Young firms often undermine their own entrepreneurship at the point of growth, because they tend to create specialisations and departments to boost and organise momentum. But when you compartmentalise, you create barriers.
“Established firms can encounter problems because they might have been set up in a specific environment and then that environment changes.” With the global economy having undergone a fairly quick succession of shocks in the last decade, the UK is now experiencing another shock: Brexit and the uncertainty around it. “Generally speaking, businesses don’t like uncertainty,” says Mat. “It’s harder to predict and harder to take ensuring actions. But what it does do is create lots of opportunities.” Mat believes that Brexit will offer an increase in export opportunities, and the chance for firms to rethink where and how it sells its products and services, and what those products and services should be. “Businesses must reorient to be more entrepreneurial. This might mean changing the structure or senior management.” Innovation tips for firms: • Ensure your business is set up for innovation,
with incentives and rewards. • Identify your innovation leaders and get them to bring people on board. • Don’t create barriers to innovation or entrepreneurship by locking people into departments or specialisms. • Look beyond the firm: many opportunities lie outside your business, so don’t be afraid to seek expert help. Mathew Hughes is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University, and can be reached on m.hughes2@lboro.ac.uk Loughborough University’s School of Business and Economics is the official provider of the IoD Company Direction programme for the East Midlands. To find out about individual modules or if you would like details on the programme, please contact Liz Taylor on e.taylor@lboro. ac.uk or ring 01509 223140.
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IoD News
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
IoD members have their say Every month the IoD seeks members’ views on key policy issues affecting their organisations through our Policy Voice panel. In the past 12 months we have successfully influenced Government policy and lobbied for changes to the law in many areas on the back of your responses to Policy Voice surveys. Brexit naturally dominated much of the debate last year and we have continuously pushed policy makers to provide businesses with more clarity on the Government’s objectives in the negotiations. In fact, securing a transition period before the UK officially exits the European Union went top of the Government’s agenda after pressure from the IoD, which led to a transition period being agreed with the EU. In the initial proposals on what the UK’s future relationship with the EU should look like, British Government was exploring a plan to introduce a £1,000 per EU worker immigration tax on employers. Seeing that skills shortages have consistently been a top concern for IoD members, we urged policymakers to ditch the proposal, which contributed to a Government U-turn on the issue. Additionally, most of the rights of EU citizens resident in the UK were guaranteed in December following consistent and vocal
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lobbying by the IoD and others. Despite the uncertainty caused by the Brexit vote, IoD members have continued to get on with business – and so have we. Throughout 2017, we lobbied for more and faster fibre optic broadband provision, which resulted in Ofcom’s decision to reform the communications market. We raised concerns about business rates changes with the Chancellor ahead of Budget 2017, leading to provisions to help SMEs deal with rates. We also helped to influence the regulator’s decision to launch a GDPR helpline
for small businesses as awareness of the new data protection changes among Policy Voice members was very low even in the middle of last year. Last year was also a great year for our start-up members, who will be benefiting from the Government’s decision to retain Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax reliefs after the IoD consistently argued for the importance of financial incentives to encourage investors to look at new businesses. Following our extensive work with start-ups, the IoD was also appointed as the UK representative to the G20 on behalf of young entrepreneurs. 2018 is proving to be another busy year for business leaders – the one year countdown to Brexit has now begun and GDPR regulation comes into force in May. The IoD will continue to be the voice of business and to represent members in regular high-level conversations with senior politicians and civil servants. So why don’t you get involved? The stakes of voicing your opinion as an IoD member are therefore high – sign up to Policy Voice to influence the agenda in 2018! Register now at iod.com/policyvoice and make your voice heard.
Join the IoD East Midlands LinkedIn group – at https://uk.linkedin.com/groups/IoD-East-Midlands
A change is emphasis and talking to companies already exporting is proving a success for the DIT
If we can... why peer-to-peer links are boosting UK exports If we can…
Some of you may have noticed that the Department for International Trade (DIT)’s strapline has changed – or perhaps not: we are under no illusion that this is headline-grabbing news, but for DIT it signals a change in the way that we are seeking to engage with companies. We have been aware for some time that, for some companies, the thought of approaching Government for business advice does not necessarily come naturally. Concerns may be of the ‘what does Government know about day-to-day business concerns’ variety, or even that it represents some kind of Whitehall ‘Big Brother’ agenda. So our new strapline turns away from Government advice – ‘The demand is out there. You should be too’, and instead puts the advice-giving in the hands (mouths) of the companies with whom we work. Clearly this is very much in tune with the 21st century zeitgeist. Peer-to-peer recommendation and review is ubiquitous, from the important to the banal: I probably do want to know whether the hotel I have chosen is clean, but if I am buying knives I’m pretty much assuming they’re sharp – unless that’s just me, because a quick look at a knife set on Amazon reveals 468 (yes, that many) customer reviews, including this: The serrated knife cuts tomatoes without
squishing them and the other 2 knives are very sharp…I use the small knife for cutting onions and other veggies. The serrated knife for tomatoes, harder vegetables and even baguettes. Knives…they cut things! Who knew? But the serious point remains: what other people think and do is important to us, and digital age technology makes this messagespreading extremely easy. We are able to learn from others experiences and fast-track our way to answers or advice, and it is eminently sensible that DIT is leveraging this approach to inspire the next generation of exporters. Of course, there is a secondary benefit to this kind of ‘marketing through peer recommendation’, and that is that it enables us to showcase the range of companies that we work with, possibly exploding some myths along the way. The exporting agenda is not only for men in suits, but for all segments of society. Diversity is key for us, not only because our service is
designed for all taxpayers to benefit from, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation, but also because we will only be successful if we engage with the entire UK business population: it’s a numbers game. To exclude, however unintentionally, parts of society from the exporting effort would be a grave tactical error. (How much further on would society be if women had been allowed to contribute to all parts of it in the past, not just the home-building/child rearing bit? But that’s a whole different article…) So DIT’s new Export Heroes are companies chosen from all sectors and all walks of life, representing all sizes of business in all parts of the UK. The clear intention is that they help other businesses who are not yet exporting, to see themselves and their own preoccupations and aspirations reflected, and to show that overseas trade is possible for them – and hopefully desirable. The Export Heroes will be featuring on billboards, flyers and DVDs across the country in the coming months, encouraging companies of every kind to talk to DIT about exporting. And for those readers who are already trading overseas, perhaps you too can spread the message: If we can, you can.
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Business spotlight
Keep up with the latest IoD news and events - see www.iod.com/eastmidlands
Earth Buds is ready to give children key life lessons There’s a new kid on the block offering schools and businesses a chance to inspire today’s youngsters – and it’s not your average school programme. Leicestershire-based Earth Buds is set to take the nation by storm with its educational programme focusing on helping children build key life skills through its innovative Cook & Create programme. The programme focuses on giving children experiences of the world of business and enterprise while growing a positive mindset towards healthy eating. Sessions are fun, engaging and, needless to say, very tasty, offering foods of all tastes to the children – including that perennial favourite, chocolate! Founder and managing director (and IoD member) Bina Sitaram wants every primary school child to benefit from the programme nationwide. “The programme really gets children to think about what ‘healthy’ really means and one where they are able to understand that foods such as chocolate, if eaten in the right form, is actually very healthy.
We help them to make wise, informed choices about the food they eat. “We’ve been told by teaching staff at the schools we’ve worked with that the programme has completely changed the way children look at food and helped them develop healthier eating habits” The programme boasts a large enterprise element as well. “Children should be encouraged to pursue their dreams and aspirations, and by listening to founders and inspiring adults and also taking part in visits to various business settings children are inspired. Social backgrounds and limitations should not hamper a child’s dream.” Bina says that she wants children to grasp the entrepreneurial bug early. “I waited until I was in my late 30s to start my own business. I want children to learn from an early age, that with the right mindset and focus you truly can achieve anything you set your mind to.” The company has piloted a programme in several schools across the Midlands and received incredibly positive feedback, and it’s now ready to roll out nationwide.
To reach as many children as possible, Earth Buds is looking to partner with businesses who wish to sponsor schools. In return businesses have a multitude of benefits including valuable corporate social responsibility, direct marketing to families and parents and also increased brand awareness. Previous sponsors include global organisations such as Mars Food UK to smaller companies like Big Barn CIC. The programme has been nominated for a host of awards and its success has seen Bina share platforms with companies like National Rail and Mondeleze. The BBC has also shown an interest and has filmed a Cook & Create session for its Mr Bloom Here & There programme. “We hope that businesses help support us in reaching children nationwide and giving rise to a generation of healthy future entrepreneurs and innovative leaders,” added Bina. For information email Bina at bina@earthbuds. co.uk, or see www.earthbuds. co.uk Follow on Twitter at @Earthbuds
Events extra
Chance to catch up with the Real Entrepreneurs Joint meeting with the Real Entrepreneurs Date: 25th April Venue: Lace Market Hotel, Nottingham Time: 12-2.30pm Cost: £29 + VAT (Members/non-members) On the 25th April the IoD Young Directors Forum will be hosting a joint event with members of the Real Entrepreneurs Club. With four well-known, successful local business professionals sitting on the panel, the event will hold a topical discussion around business growth and the commercial
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pitfalls that tend to go hand in hand with this. These expert panellists will be there to answer questions and give advice, with the opportunity to ask questions and debate the subject. Confirmed panel members are Fiona Duncan, founder of RSViP; Shaun Cole, account director at Born Agency; Martin Sandhu, managing director of Roller Agency
and Jennie Holland, managing director of Jennie Holland PR. The event will be held at the Lace Market hotel in Nottingham from 12pm - 2.30pm. Tickets are available by booking through the IoD website directly at www.iod.com/ emidlandsevents Please note places are limited as this is not an open networking event, rather, targeted at entrepreneurs who have a hunger for growth.