connected issue 100

The official magazine for Chamber members

from the

Welcome ....

We’re really excited to be holding an event in aid of Maggie’s Cambridge, the Chamber Charity of the Year, on 28 October. The event coincides with their campaign ‘Go Outrageously Orange for Maggie’s’ and will provide a great networking opportunity with the chance to find out more about the Charity and hear from Mott MacDonalds. All the ticket price for this event will go straight to the charity thanks to the generous support from Novotel Cambridge North. Turn to our event pages for more details and how to register.

St Neots Business Expo is fast approaching with limited stands available. Turn to our events pages to find out how to secure your stand and the plans for the day.

We’re also taking bookings for our festive lunch events in Cambridge and Peterborough.

Our guest article this month is from the Internet Watch Foundation and highlights the important work that they do in protecting children online.

s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Design

Helen Dwyer

s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Membership

Bren Coleman 01223 209811

Jack Wilson 07564 054922

Kamla Sooriah 07955 439393

Chamber

Clifford House, 2 Station Yard, Oakington, Cambridge, CB24 3AH Tel 01223 237414

Email enquiries@cambscci.co.uk

Views expressed in connected are not necessarily these of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/ or omissions. The editor reserves the right to make amendments without notification.

SADIE PARR

from the

Chief Executive’s comments

I am delighted that Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce has been chosen to lead the development and delivery of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region.

The Chamber will be working very closely with our stakeholders to ensure we have a strong dialogue and engagement as part of our LSIP proposals for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough where we represent many companies. We look forward to driving this important agenda forward with our partners to ensure we deliver on the skills needs for the county.

Skills shortages are regularly highlighted by Cambridgeshire businesses in economic surveys as a key recruitment issue, and LSIPs, funded by the Department for Education, aim to put the voice of local employers at the heart of the learning and skills system to build a stronger, more dynamic partnership between employers and further education providers. It is hoped this will

Chamber Patron Members

allow provision to be more responsive to the skills needs of employers in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough labour market.

This is an exciting opportunity for the Chamber to bring together employers, training providers and other key stakeholders to set out the key priorities and changes needed in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to help ensure post-16 technical education and training is more closely aligned to local employer and labour market needs.

The Chamber is one of 32 Accredited Chambers of Commerce which will lead LSIPs across the country, supported by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

VIC ANNELLS Chief Executive

INTRODUCING CHAMBER CYBER ESSENTIALS

We know that our members in Cambridgeshire are aware of the significant threat of cyber-crime to their organisation. Nearly 40 per cent of businesses in the UK reported having a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months and of these businesses one in five lost money, data or other assets. Consumers and clients are also becoming more aware of this growing threat and organisations need to prove that they are taking cyber security seriously. So, what can you do to help protect your organisation from cyber-crime?

We are delighted to announce the launch of Chamber Cyber Essentials in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce and IASME. Cyber Essentials is a simple but effective Government backed scheme that helps protect organisations, whatever their size, against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks. Certification via Chamber Cyber Essentials will:

• Attract new business with the promise that you have cyber security measures in place

• Reassure your supply chain that cyber security and data protection is an important priority for your organisation

• Demonstrate to the ICO that you safeguard sensitive data and are on the right path towards GDPR compliance

• Allow you to bid for tenders and contracts that require Cyber Essentials certification.

Chamber members can access a discount on certification alongside a package of training, free cyber security guidance and the Cyber Essentials Readiness Tool.

To find out more about Chamber Cyber Essentials and access your exclusive discount and free cyber security tools, visit the member benefits page on our website.

Chamber connection scores

Cambridge United is pleased to announce a season-long partnership with Novotel Cambridge North as the official Hotel Partner for the Football Club.

The hotel, located next to Cambridge North Station with easy access to the M11 and A14, opened its doors in 2021. Part of the partnership will see Hotel Novotel branding at the stadium and use of facilities available to the First Team and Club.

Christophe Ughetto, Hotel Novotel General Manager, said: “We are delighted to partner with Cambridge United Football Club for the 2022/23 season.

Having opened our doors recently in Cambridge, we are determined to be involved and make a difference within the local community.

“The values and ethics of Cambridge United Football Club, as well as the wonderful work done by their

Community Trust, encapsulate what we believe in.”

“We are delighted to add another global brand to our partnership portfolio in Hotel Novotel part of the Accor Group,” Head of Commercial Neil Rowe added.

“The state of the art conference and leisure facilities will be valuable to the First Team and Football Club going forward.”

Mark Bonner and Saikou Janneh visited the Cambridge North Novotel Hotel to celebrate the launch of the partnership.

We provide Chamber members with many opportunities to widen their network of business contacts – building connections, creating opportunities and maximising the benefits of being part of Cambridgeshire’s most vibrant business network.

NETWORKING IN THE SUN

In August we welcomed guests to our annual Summer Garden Party, this year taking place in the stunning grounds of Madingley Hall. The pimms was flowing all afternoon and the canapes were beyond delicious with something for everyone. Guests enjoyed playing the garden games, who knew you were all so competitive!

We love seeing businesses coming together to enjoy a social event, networking in an environment so fun and relaxing that it doesn’t even feel like networking.

One of our active members Chloe Field, National Conference & Event

Sales Executive at The Jockey Club, said: “A huge thank you and well done to the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce for another successful networking event. The Summer Garden Party was a wonderful afternoon spent in the sunshine in the beautiful grounds of Madingley Hall. I really enjoyed meeting new connections and catching up with previous contacts while enjoying the garden games- I maybe had a little too much fun with the Croquet!”

We’d like to thank Madingley Hall for sponsoring and the team at TR Global Events for supporting us with the running of this event.

CHAMBER FINANCE FINDER

platform simplifies and speeds up the funding process, matching member businesses with the right funding solutions across loans, equity and grants.

Register for a free account and within minutes you could be matched to funding opportunities available, including grants for innovation and progress towards Net Zero. You will also find innovative products such as VAT loans and invoice finance alongside traditional loans and asset finance.

• Five days a week Chamber hotline

• Free financial health assessment

• Templates and advice to aid applications

• Finance updates.

Visit the Chambers’ Swoop Funding page at https://swoopfunding.com/ cambridgeshire-chambers-ofcommerce/

Many businesses are struggling to navigate the current funding landscape as interest rates climb. The Chamber Finance Finder

It’s quick and easy to check your eligibility and progress via the Swoop portal.

Chamber members will also have access to several exclusive benefits, including:

What is cultural intelligence and why is it important?

Top Tips from Iwona Lebiedowicz, founder of PAB Languages Centre

As the world seems to be getting smaller and smaller, people all around the globe find themselves much closer to each other - collaborating and connecting, regardless of their native culture or language.

Perhaps you are already working in a cross-cultural environment, whether you’re recruiting internationally, looking to move into new markets, or work with non-English speakers in your community? If so, congratulations! Diverse and inclusive teams and communities are providing organisations with a competitive edge over their peers.

The Wall Street Journal’s corporate ranking that examined diversity and inclusion among Fortune 500, which included 26 British companies, confirms that socially and culturally diverse groups are more innovative and productive than homogeneous groups. However, for global cross culture collaboration to unlock business success, regardless of the size of the business and type of organisation, we need cultural intelligence.

Harvard Business Review describes cultural intelligence as “an outsider’s seemingly natural ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures the way that person’s compatriots would”.

Cultural intelligence refers to the ability to work effectively and smoothly in culturally diverse situations. It goes beyond our existing cultural awareness by highlighting certain skillsets and capabilities needed to successfully navigate cross cultures and prosper in a multicultural environment.

As globalisation makes the world a more dynamic and competitive business environment, organisations that incorporate cultural diversity are more likely to attract businesses and top talent. For example, by encouraging applications from cross-cultural candidates, companies can increase their chances of recruiting the best talent with high cultural intelligence.

An individual possessing cultural intelligence is not just aware of different cultures – they are able to culturally adapt and tune to the values, beliefs, and styles of communication of people from different cultures.

Promoting cultural intelligence amongst the team can help develop others’ ability to adapt to an emerging demographic while also creating an environment in which everyone feels comfortable enough to voice their opinions.

Having a diverse team will boost innovative ideas and bring fresh perspectives. As a result, the team’s ability to identify opportunities for innovation, such as developing and implementing new strategies to sell a product in a new territory, increases significantly. Furthermore, diversity improves a cultural intelligent company’s performance when competing within the global market by bolstering confidence in interactions outside of its domestic market. Equally highly diverse teams under leadership lacking cultural intelligent will perform worse then homogonies teams. Cultural intelligent needs to be present through the business from top to bottom. If the team is highly diverse, but the leadership is lacking in cultural intelligence, it will affect performance. Lack of cultural intelligence is one of the key reasons why we go wrong about each other - resulting in misunderstanding and conflicts. However, the good news is that, according to researchers, knowledge combined with a practical training can improve cultural intelligence. That’s why – drawing on our research and the input of a global community of senior professionals from PAB Languages and ilc Communications – we have developed Intercultural Communications Training that helps leaders and their teams to understand inclusion, biases, and cultural differences and increase their cultural intelligence.

To download our brochure and learn more about our Intercultural Communications Training, and to find out how we can support your organisation go to https://www.pabtranslation.co.uk/ brochure-download/

Business tips: how to choose a supplier

Here are some top tips from WorldFirst to help you streamline your supply chain and improve your procurement process.

More companies are investing in technology to gain the visibility and insight they need to act quickly. Creating a register of all suppliers can help a business react to swings in demand or disruptions such as the coronavirus pandemic.

Over-reliance on practices designed to reduce costs has left many businesses with few options when traditional supply chains are disrupted. Reliability and security of supply should now be seen as far more important than price.

Using multiple suppliers helps to build resilience by reducing risk

and the potential for operations to be disrupted. Trust through association is another powerful approach, and networks of companies are starting to pool resources and work together. Due diligence when selecting new suppliers is as critical now as it has ever been. Organisations need to be confident a supplier doesn’t pose a risk to their reputation or the efficiency of their supply chain. For five tips to help you choose a new business supplier, visit worldfirst.com/uk

We’re your gateway to international trade, providing a unique combination of expert knowledge, essential documentation and the business connections needed to capitalise on new market opportunities overseas and succeed in a global marketplace.

“no ifs or buts in our commitment to the 2% inflation target”

The James Webb space telescope is delivering greater clarity deep into the beginnings of the universe, even this modern marvel would struggle to see how Andrew Bailey the governor of the Bank of England (BofE) is able to achieve his commitment to two per cent inflation!

‘Let me be quite clear, there are no ifs or buts in our commitment to the two per cent inflation target. That’s our job, and that’s what we will do’ is a line used by Mr Bailey a few times recently. Commentators are finding it hard to believe him.

Bailey had previously conceded that over 80 per cent of the current inflation levels were due to global events, primarily the war in Ukraine and covid-19 related supply chain bottlenecks. Global energy prices have again spiked and with the consumer energy price cap now reviewed every three months, global events could account for as much as 90 per cent of the 13.3 per cent inflation forecast from the BofE.

By publication, the BofE monetary policy

committee (MPC) has met again, with an increase from 1.75 per cent to 2.25 per cent expected. Recently appointed Prime Minister Truss will be under pressure to DO SOMETHING to support individuals and businesses. The establishment is being urged to think differently and be proactive. The war in Ukraine is not ending anytime soon, hoping for a mild winter is not a credible plan.

Sterling will face off against the Euro over the winter months. With the markets increasingly bought into the narrative and actions of the American Federal Reserve, a strong US Dollar has breached parity versus the Euro for the first time in 20 years. For now, forecasted, and actual inflation differentials between the UK and Euro Zone are not a factor. The Markets accepts transitional inflation however should commitment and actions (of central banks and politicians) not be sufficient, any sign of structural inflation would put pressure on either currency.

Meet Le Mark Group

Q&A with Manging Director Stuart Gibbons OBE

What is Le Mark Group?

Le Mark Group is an international, family-run business and manufacturer based in Huntingdon. We are a leading supplier of consumables, bespoke sector workwear and portable and installed stage flooring all aimed at the entertainment industry.

Where do you export?

We export to 67 countries, targeting new destinations, including Australia, with a goal to double our existing Canadian business.

With help from the Department for International Trade, we are hoping to create new distribution channels in Kazakhstan.

How did Covid impact your business?

It was, in a word, catastrophic. There simply was no entertainment industry to supply so instead, we turned over all our manufacturing resources to producing PPE – masks, screens and printed warning tapes and floor signs.

What steps did you take to weather the Covid storm?

Letting customers and suppliers know that we were still here and available and sharing our experiences was a valuable exercise in maintaining and developing our relationships and we made a real effort to plan overseas travel as soon as we could.

What support did you receive to help you bounce back?

The Internationalisation Fund was incredibly supportive in allowing us to return to one of the main Exhibitions, Prolight + Sound, in Frankfurt in April.

Sterling has deviated 16 per cent against the US dollar and six per cent against the Euro over the past year. Currency market volatility is one of the factors contributing to the increasing cost of doing business. There is often a subconscious as a well as conscious bias to any one individual forecast of a particular currency. As such, specialist support as provided by companies like Ascendant, can fill a gap not provided by larger financial institutions.

For more information on how Ascendant can benchmark your current supplier and to hear about how we are reducing the cost of foreign exchange for local businesses, contact karen.benson@ascendant.world 52 week range for GBP (up to 31 August) GBP v Euro – High 1.2190 - Low 1.1465

GBP v US Dollar – High 1.3913 - Low 1.162

During the three-day exhibition we were able to reconnect with our lead northern hemisphere distributors and were able to talk with clients from as far north as Iceland and south as Australia, plus all main EU countries.

What prompted your move into Australia?

Australia has historically been an attractive market for us. For example, our Dirty Rigger range of gloves and accessories, made for the entertainment industry, were really popular with the Australians in terms of quality, range and importantly branding.

How has the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement helped?

With the new FTA discussions we found a dealer that would truly commit to promoting and stocking a sufficient quantity of product and had the online presence to show our range.

What’s your top tip for UK businesses selling internationally?

My top tip, without a doubt, is to build your export department with staff that have language skills. We have Polish, Latvian, Russian, Spanish and Romanian speakers who often feel more comfortable doing business in their mother tongue.

Tuesday

We’re

gateway

international trade, providing a unique combination of expert knowledge, essential documentation and the business connections needed to capitalise on new market opportunities overseas and succeed in a global marketplace.

Chile: Open For Business

November, 4.00-5.00pm

Why Chile:

• Stable Economy

• East of Doing Business

• Sustained Growth

• Optimal Business Environment

• Solid Banking System.

Just some of the sectors of interest to Chile are:

• Food & Drink

• Agri-tech

Have you ever considered Chile as the next country you export to?

The opportunities are vast and Chile is definitely Open for Business!

We are delighted to be working with the British Chilean Chamber of Commerce and Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce to bring you this informative online session.

• Cyber Security

• Green/Renewable Energy

• Construction.

This webinar is FREE of charge. Why not take an hour out of your day to see if Chile, is a market that you’ve been missing out on?

Register your place via the Chamber website.

Update for Türkiye (formerly Turkey)

We have been promoting through our weekly Global Updates that a number of UK Certificates of Origins have been rejected by Türkiye customs officials as Türkiye officially registered its preferred name with the United Nations.

The electronic providers have been instructed to update the country name in their origin boxes to reflect this change. You will need to ensure consignee addresses are updated by yourselves before submission. Please ensure you amend the spelling on any manual applications that you submit.

Documents that are presented stating Turkey will now be rejected and the rejection fee applied.

If you have any questions on this, please telephone the International Trade Team on 01223 237414 or email internationaltrade@cambscci.co.uk

Our regular training courses provide the knowledge to assist with your international trade activities. Currently, all courses will take place online via Zoom.

CHAMBER TRAINING Course Dates

CUSTOMS PROCEDURES AND DOCUMENTATION

6 October

The course looks at the procedures required to deal with customs. It is vitally important that importers and exporters understand the information required to be submitted, fines and inspections are things that no company wants to endure.

UNDERSTANDING LOGISTICS

13 October

Understand the process of managing how resources are acquired, stored, and transported to their final destination.

INCOTERMS 2020

18 October

This seminar will explain Incoterms® and their importance in international trade contracts.

UNDERSTANDING A CUSTOMS DECLARATION

3 November

This course will highlight what you need to know to complete customs declarations accurately for both the import and export of goods, including taking you through step-by-step guidance on completing the SAD C88 form.

LETTERS OF CREDIT

15 November

This workshop covers the five main types of payment for exports, from advance payment to open account, including Sight Documentary Collection, Term Documentary Collection and Documentary Letters of Credit. It includes the use of Bills of Exchange with and without documents.

IMPORT/ EXPORT DIAGNOSTICS WORKSHOP

24 November

This workshop shows companies how to look at their SOPS and compliance, going through key areas of procedures and

compliance, preparing for trading internationally either by exporting or importing.

INWARD AND OUTWARD PROCESSING

1 December

The course will cover special procedures and the benefits of using IP and OP in your compliance.

UNDERSTANDING RULES OF ORIGIN

6 December

This course will explain all aspects of the Rules of Origin and Trade Agreements and how to understand and comply with them to help companies be more competitive in export markets.

UNDERSTANDING COMMODITY CODES

13 December

By attending this course we will ensure you are aware of what a commodity code is and what it is used for, understand the process of how to classify goods, successfully classify a range of goods and understand the importance of getting your commodity codes correct.

Full course details are available on our website www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk/training

TRAINING COURSES

Our training courses run from 9.30am-1.00pm.

Cost per course: £250.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £330.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

To register please visit our website, email j.mansfield@cambscci.co.uk or telephone 01223 237414.

National Highways plans to transform journeys between Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge given the green light

A vital upgrade to improve hundreds of thousands of journeys between Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge has been given the green light to proceed.

Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps granted planning permission (called a Development Consent Order) for National Highways to begin work on the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements, which will tackle one of the region’s most notorious congestion hotspots.

National Highways plans will see the creation of a new 10-mile dual carriageway linking the A1 Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire to the A428 Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire. Both existing roundabouts will be upgraded into modern, freeflowing junctions with a new junction added at Cambridge Road, improving access to St Neots and its train station.

The project will fill in the missing link of dual carriageway on the strategic road network between Milton Keynes and Cambridge, helping drivers save up to an hour-and-a-half on their journeys every week.

Lee Galloway, Project Director, said: “This announcement is a major milestone, not only for the us, but also for the many local communities who have long campaigned for improvements, as well as our stakeholders who we’ve been working with for several years.

“Our proposals to upgrade the route between the A1 Black Cat roundabout and A428 Caxton Gibbet roundabout with a new 10-mile dual carriageway and a number of junction improvements are good for businesses and jobs, will improve safety and make journeys more reliable.”

Dave Hodgson, Elected Mayor of Bedford Borough, said: “It’s great to see that we have passed another important milestone for the upgraded route.

“I know so many local residents support this project and look forward to the vital carriageway and junction upgrades. Together we are making the Borough a better place to live, work and visit.” National Highways aims to start construction later this year.

In the coming months National Highways will host a number of face-to-face public information events and online Q&A sessions to keep the local communities up to date on plans.

For the latest information about the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements:

• Visit www.nationalhighways.co.uk/a428

• Follow us on Twitter @A428Cat

• Facebook www.facebook.com/A428BlackCat

ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor (BCM): East of England Results

The latest Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) in the East of England shows business confidence falling into negative territory across the UK, as companies face a cost of doing business crisis, alongside the cost of living crisis that consumers are facing.

The Q3 East of England region key findings are as follows:

• The East of England’s Business Confidence Index has fallen into negative territory, even though domestic sales have grown at the fastest rate in the region for over a decade, and the outlook for exports is one of the strongest in the UK

• Supply-side problems are clearly weighing heavily on business sentiment. Problems with staff turnover and the

availability of skills are now more widespread than at any time in the survey’s history. This has led businesses to raise salaries at the fastest rate in nearly 15 years

• At the same time, input price inflation is running at a record pace, as businesses contend with major supplychain disruptions and higher energy costs

• Businesses are responding by increasing selling prices at the fastest rate in the region since the survey began in 2004

• Despite this difficult backdrop, investment spending is rising at faster rates than the UK average, but is expected to slow over the year ahead.

All reports are available at www.icaew.com

As a Chamber member you have the power to influence key decision makers and play a leading role in tackling the issues that are preventing your business from reaching its potential, while an experienced team of lobbyists represents your interests in Whitehall.

the power to

East West Rail – making travel across Britain easier

The East West Rail (EWR) scheme will re-establish a rail link between Cambridge and Oxford to improve connections between East Anglia and central, southern and western England.

Faye Holland, Chamber Board member and founder and director of cofinitive, was involved in a recorded interview with Stuart Edwards, Engagement Manager for East West Railway Company, to help showcase the benefits and opportunities to key stakeholders of implementing this rail line and connecting Cambridge to Oxford.

Faye commented on the opportunity for talent, businesses and communities and how a joined up approach between

public and private sector could be a huge benefit to the UK’s ambition as a centre for science and innovation, and the role that Cambridge had.

Also how the EWR had great potential to reach even further – out to Suffolk and Norfolk for the east and into South Wales from Oxford – this could only be a  good thing to cement our position as a global supercluster.

The East West Rail team will be speaking at our St Neots Business Expo on Friday 14 October at Wyboston Lakes. Turn to the event pages for further details.

The ENE project is funded by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding

HR & RECRUITMENT NEWS

HR & Recruitment Sector tackles DEO

Is it Equality or Equity?

Put simply, equality is striving to give everyone access to the same resources, opportunities and outcomes as everyone around them. Equity is treating people as individuals and providing them with the access, opportunities and outcomes that they need in order succeed.

For example, equality is giving all your employees a three per cent pay rise at the end of the year – everyone gets the same. Equity is understanding where your pay gaps exist, for example in gender pay, and applying appropriate awards that will close those gaps. The perception of fairness is based upon the equity of outcomes, not the equality of treatment.

What is Allyship?

I know DEI is scary. The terminology changes quickly, we want to get things right, but the prospect of saying or doing the wrong thing simply stops us in our tracks. I know it must feel like everyone else is taking action, and this can seem pretty overwhelming, especially when you don’t know where to start.

So where do you start? My advice is at the very beginning.

What is diversity?

Diversity is about recognising what makes each of us unique in the context of those around us. This includes our backgrounds, personality, life experiences and beliefs, and all of the things that make us who we are. It is a combination of our differences that shape our view of the world, our perspective, and our approach.

What is Intentional Inclusion?

Intentional inclusion is about recognising, respecting and valuing the differences that diverse groups bring. Inclusion at work is about the culture in which a mix of people can come together and feel comfortable and confident to be themselves, work in a way that enables them to thrive, and deliver the business needs. Intentional inclusion is putting action behind this statement. It’s about ensuring historically excluded groups or individuals are actively represented in your organisation. Actively means assessing your approach in terms of power sharing, decision making, and policy setting.

“An ally is any person that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole.” Sheree Atcheson, Demanding More.

Allyship is a verb. It is not a self-proclaimed title; it is momentary and exists in our actions and behaviours. Anyone can be an ally.

Why DEI isn’t an ‘HR only’ problem

Since 2020, the value of HR teams has skyrocketed. They’ve become overnight experts in responding to a global pandemic, rolling out previously unimagined flexible working options, the front-line in talent retention in “the great resignation” and solution architects in “the war for talent”. And now, HR leaders and People teams are expected to singlehandedly craft an operational plan to address racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, misogyny… the list goes on. But the truth of the matter here is that there is no single department that can resolve the issues of an entire workplace culture.

DEI at work is as much about our personal journeys and learning as it is about our strategies and policies, if not more so. We’re all familiar now with the concept of putting our own oxygen masks on first when it comes to wellbeing and our mental health. DEI work is actually no different. But instead of thinking about oxygen masks, think of lightbulbs!

As leaders in an organisation, you need to understand your own perspective, blind spots, and social identity, before you can

ask your people to follow your strategies and abide by your policies. In other words, you need to turn on the light bulbs for yourself, otherwise you will only be leading people around in the dark!

What motivates you?

Understanding what motivates you (personally) to take action is key to making progress with this work. Being clear on “why” you’re doing the work will make it easier to bring your organisation on the journey with you, explain to your people why you are making the changes that you are, and help you remain committed to action when things get tough. Which, spoiler alert, they will. This work is not easy, and you need to be prepared to celebrate the joy that intentional inclusion brings as much as you will need to sit in its discomfort.

What motivates your leadership team and your people?

In what ways are these things the same or different?

Things that HR can and should do…

• Provide data and feedback: Operationally HR holds the critical data you will need to understand what is going on in your organisation and where potential gaps to inclusion may exist

• Support Employee Resource Groups and other action groups, through facilitation and coaching

• Challenge as the people experts in the organisation

• Day to day oversight of actions, commitments and progress, where a dedicated DEI person or team is not possible.

What leaders must do…

• Lead by example: Walk that talk, engage and demonstrate that intentional inclusion starts with you

• Take ownership: This is a big one, as it’s really your responsibility. Senior stakeholder ownership is critical to making sure that progress is made. Be accountable for your organisation success

• Become comfortable talking about what is and is not acceptable: This is not as easy as it sounds, and this is where turning your own lights on first is vital for confidence, courage and clarity

• Prioritise action, resource, budget, and

Chamber membership provides access to key information, expert advice and legal protection, enabling you to stay informed, legally compliant and free to focus on what you do best – building your business.

sponsorship: This work is not an add on to other roles, or a nice to have. Treat it like every other project and support it accordingly

• Be prepared to experiment and make mistakes: There is no check list or copy and paste for this work. You need to figure

out what works for you, by being open to try and accepting feedback on what works and what doesn’t. You will find the right approach.

For specific advice and support about how to approach diversity, equity and inclusion

work in your organisation, contact Katie Allen on katie@katieallenconsulting.com or visit her website

www.KatieAllenConsulting.com for free resources and information.

IT, SECURITY & DIGITAL SECTOR NEWS

The importance of cyber incident response

In the digital economy, technology can seem a mixed blessing: it enables commercial agility and success, but can also be exploited to cause chaos and disruption.

As recession looms, it can be tempting to cut costs by reducing your cyber security spending. However, understanding your business’s vulnerability to cyber-attacks and data breaches, and preparing for their impact, is critical.

When you suffer an attack or breach –which you almost certainly will – the speed of your response makes a significant difference to your recovery and costs.

For instance, according to IBM’s 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report, organisations that identify and contain data breaches within 200 days spend, on average, 26.5 per cent less than those that take longer.

To put that in context, the government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 found that 39 per cent of UK business identified a cyber-attack in the previous 12 months,

with attacks costing medium-sized and large businesses an average of £19,400.

If this sounds like it might be beyond your resources or expertise, don’t worry. IT Governance’s sister company GRCI Law’s Emergency Cyber Incident Response Service provides 24/7 support every day of the year to help organisations throughout

the incident response process.   GRCI Law’s specialists can quickly analyse any cyber security incident you might be suffering, and help you contain it so you can restore affected systems and return to business as usual as quickly and efficiently as possible.

www.itgovernance.co.uk

4 reasons to change IT support providers

As businesses become more reliant on technology, having an excellent IT support provider is crucial. This list will hopefully cause you to reflect on certain elements you may not have noticed. It also seeks to help you assess if you are receiving the best service you deserve.

1| SLOW RESPONSE TIMES

When your IT support provider is slow to react to a situation you have raised, this should sound alarm bells. Being passed onto one party to another within the organisation and acting slow on the ticket raised can be frustrating.

2| POOR COMMUNICATION

Good providers will always keep in touch and update you when required. Technical problems are often hard to explain to companies that are not technical. A good IT support provider will always maintain excellent communication and explain things in layman terms.

3| PERSISTENT ISSUES

Many of the small IT issues add up over time. When your staff start to become frustrated over these small issues that keep reoccurring, this will cost you time and money. Your provider should spend time to find the root problem and fix it for good.

4| TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING

Your IT support provider should make you feel that you completely trust they have your systems secure. They should create a strong feeling of trust within you that if the worst was to happen, they could fix it quickly and efficiently. Overall, your IT provider should understand your requirements and systems; if not, it might be time to leave.

Cambridgesupport.com ask@cambridgesupport.com 01223 901 900

The importance of cyber incident response

In the digital economy, technology can seem a mixed blessing: it enables commercial agility and success, but can also be exploited to cause chaos and disruption.

As recession looms, it can be tempting to cut costs by reducing your cyber security spending. However, understanding your business’s vulnerability to cyber-attacks and data breaches, and preparing for their impact, is critical.

When you suffer an attack or breach – which you almost certainly will – the speed of your response makes a significant difference to your recovery and costs.

For instance, according to IBM’s 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report, organisations that identify and contain data breaches within 200 days spend, on average, 26.5 per cent less than those that take longer.

To put that in context, the government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 found that 39 per cent of UK business identified a cyber-attack in the previous 12 months, with attacks costing medium-sized and large businesses an average of £19,400.

If this sounds like it might be beyond your resources or expertise, don’t worry. IT Governance’s sister company GRCI Law’s Emergency Cyber Incident Response Service provides 24/7 support every day of the year to help organisations throughout the incident response process.

GRCI Law’s specialists can quickly analyse any cyber security incident you might be suffering, and help you contain it so you can restore affected systems and return to business as usual as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Please contact us at www.itgovernance.co.uk

How B2B’s can use Social Media effectively

Social media can help achieve these objectives, and in a highly targeted way as over 66 per cent of people in the UK are active on social platforms.

Understand your audience

Who are your current customers? What needs and traits do they have? Why do they choose to work with you, rather than a multitude of competitors?

To create an engaging content plan, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and identify three-five themes that can become your content pillars. Then develop content that educates, inspires and entertains your audience.

DOES SOCIAL MEDIA FORM PART OF YOUR MARKETING ACTIVITY?

Social media is ideal for reaching and engaging with prospective customers cost effectively, but many B2B’s use it sporadically, or delegate ownership to the office junior who ‘gets’ it. These approaches often result in a lack of strategy, consistency and hit or miss results.

Dan Ince of BrandWorks Social shares his approach to develop an effective, resultsfocused social media strategy for B2B’s.

Define your objectives

For any marketing activity to be effective, you need to start with identifying your objectives.

With clarity of what you’re trying to achieve, you can define what success looks like and develop a strategy to deliver it.

• Want to get your business in front of more of your ideal customers?

• Want to help them understand who you are, what you do, and how you can help them?

• Want them to get in touch with you?

Taking the time to understand your existing customers and identify your target customers is worth it. It allows you to build up a picture of exactly who they are, their needs, interests and the problems your business solves for them.

Identify the right platforms

Which social media platforms should your business be using?

Simple. The ones where your customers and prospective customers are most active and receptive to your message.

93 per cent of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to reach and engage prospective customers.

With over 33m UK users, of which 30 per cent are active on the platform every week, LinkedIn is an extremely efficient way of reaching your target customers and educating them about what you have to offer.

Remember it’s important not to put all your social media eggs in one basket though. Many of our clients are also active on Instagram and Facebook for greater reach.

Plan and publish good content

While you want to use social media to showcase your business, it’s important to remember that no one likes to be ‘sold’ to.

Developing a visual look and tone of voice for your social activity that mirrors your existing marketing materials will help your content stand out and leave a positive, consistent impression.

Overall, ensure your content plan is engaging and balanced with a clear call to action where appropriate, and plan your content to go out consistently (typically every other day) to build your presence.

Take time to engage

To get results from social, it’s vital to not only share great content, but also engage with your audience.

Respond to comments on your content, like and engage with other people’s content, take time to get to know people and build relationships. It’s called ‘social’ media for a reason!

Review performance

It’s easy to ignore performance metrics, place far too much store in followers and likes, or swamp yourself in data when it comes to assessing performance.

Identify the metrics that matter to you - the ones that demonstrate whether your social activity is delivering your business objectives.

As a guide, most of our clients want to build reach and engagement - with the right people. These measures help

Chamber membership provides access to key information, expert advice and legal protection, enabling you to stay informed, legally compliant and free to focus on what you do best – building your business.

us understand whether we’re reaching and growing their audience, as well as identifying the type of content their audience are most interested in.

We recommend reviewing performance monthly to identify actions you can take to further improve performance.

Keep up to date

Social media platforms are constantly evolving and adding new features.

It’s important to keep up to date with changes on the platforms you’re using and understand whether there are any implications for your strategy.

One easy way to do this is to follow people who regularly publish platform updates such as Andy Lambert, John Espirian and Matt Navara.

Make sure you have the right resources Developing your social media strategy, producing regular content, and assessing

performance regularly to optimise your approach requires a level of expertise and can be time-consuming.

If you’d like the weight of social media management lifted off your shoulders, consider outsourcing it to a specialist agency who can develop a bespoke plan focused on delivering results to achieve your objectives.

For more support visit brandworkssocial.co.uk

Ripple Effects in Supply Chains: How Can Your Business Ensure Continuity?

The pressure on supply chains remains unrelenting. Businesses in the UK, and globally, ranging from semiconductors to cars to food are under enormous pressure to cope with the so many and diverse disruptions, which show no signs of abating. The RussiaUkraine war is adding to the challenges of global supply chains coupled with other pandemic- and climate-related disruptions, as we witness record-high inflation rates, fuelling cost increases, labour shortages and material scarcity around the world. The resulting ripple effects are alarming the supply of key food resources (e.g., wheat, sunflower oil), electronics, natural gas, and many other raw materials which are straining global supply chains. These factors are boosting interest in localising supply chains which has already started rising significantly. In the same vein, after the financial crisis of 2008, with a significant increase in oil price and several natural disasters (e.g., tsunami in Japan, flooding in Thailand), businesses started to increase local manufacturing to reduce exposure to global risks and be able to respond faster to disruptions. However, the benefits that global supply chains offer cannot be neglected and until there is sufficient infrastructure to support localisation strategies, businesses should pursue deep understanding and visibility into their supply chains as well as strategies to build resilience to keep their supply chains moving amid disruptions.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN

The big companies might be louder about the impact of supply disruptions on their business continuity but that does not mean that SMEs are not affected too. In fact, SMEs might have less power and/or understanding to deal with supply shortages than their larger rivals which makes the problem particularly challenging. To begin with, a good planning process for ensuring continuity within your business is asking the right questions about your supply chain.

A strong supply chain continuity capability rests on strong and well-chosen partners who can all work together during a disruptive event and increase the potential for business and supply chain success. However, most businesses have limited understanding of the multi-tier nature of their supply chain. UK-Centric Supply Chains has a complete set of diagnostic and mapping tools which you can undertake to help you gain a deep understanding of your supply chain and identify areas of strengths and weaknesses.

ENHANCING EFFIECIENCY AND BUILDING RESILENCY IN YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN

• Gain/increase transparency and visibility across your extended supply network via supply chain mapping: conduct a multi-dimensional diagnosis of the current state,

try to achieve end-to-end supply chain visibility, identify opportunities for improvements and reduce potential risks

• Continuously assess your suppliers’ capabilities: establish KPIs, evaluate and assess your suppliers’ capabilities and performance and take actions where needed. For example, consider your suppliers’ capacity, ability to upscale, reliability, financial health

• Review your sourcing strategies: dual or multiple sourcing strategies might be beneficial for your business to address supply shortages during disruptive events

• Review your supply chain relationships: establish partnerships where appropriate, share risks and information with your partners. The Kraljic Matrix, a well-established, strategic tool used by procurement and supply chain professionals, can help you to segment the vendor base, identify and minimise supply risks, classify the importance of your suppliers’ products/services, determine and build the right type of supplier relationship and eventually, use your time more efficiently

• Gather supply chain intelligence: identify supply chain risks, monitor the market, model supply scenarios and contingency plans, monitor financial stability of key suppliers.

• Build supply chain resilience: understand how well your suppliers are prepared, identify supply risks, avoid reliance on single sourcing, instead opting for multi- sourcing and the creation of buffer capacity.

As supply chains have become more sophisticated, interconnected and global, they have also become more vulnerable, but localisation is not panacea. Businesses should move from traditional risk management approaches to build resilience into the supply chains. That requires investments and effort, but it is fast becoming a necessity for increased efficiency and competitiveness in the long run.

UK-Centric Supply Chains team understands the challenges of getting the supply chains ready to meet the various requirements and at the same time be resilient to respond to disruptions. To find out more about how UK-Centric Supply Chains can help your business and provide a non-biased holistic view on your supply chain, get in contact today with the local Business Engagement Manager Alan Todd, a.todd@aston.ac.uk or 0121 204 3646, info@ukcentricsupplychains.co.uk

The benefits of using an insurance broker

expert advice you may be missing key features or exceptions that leave your business exposed.

And of course, on a comparison or aggregator website you only see the companies that have decided to partner with the aggregator, leaving you unable to consider policies from insurers not on the website.

A personal service

Getting the right insurance cover is fundamental to any business, whether legally required or not. No one can tell us what the future holds but knowing that you are as prepared as possible for an unexpected event will ensure that you can recover quickly and continue to operate with minimal disruption.

There are several ways to purchase a commercial insurance policy. You can buy direct from the insurer, use a comparison website or utilise the services of an insurance broker.

We believe that the best way to secure reliable, suitable insurance for your business, is through an independent and experienced broker. And we’d like to tell you why…

Risk assessment from experts

Understanding what risks your business may face is key to creating the right insurance solution. An independent insurance broker is best placed to help assess your risk exposure and explore the policies available to protect your business. Finding a broker that knows your sector and can work with you to uncover hidden risks can save you from distress down the line.

Advice not price!

Many businesses are focused on price rather than the scope and relevance of their policy. A comparison website will provide a quick, often lower cost quote, but there’s no one at the end of the ‘submit’ button that knows your business and your unique requirements. Without

Partnering with a specialist independent broker that really knows your industry, will ensure that you enjoy tailored advice and guidance on the best policy for your needs. Understanding exactly what you have purchased, and the extent of the cover is part of the added value of using a broker.

A cheaper policy bought without advice may seem like a great idea initially, but if it lets you down in the event of an incident you could pay so much more –in money, reputation, loss of income, or possibly the loss of your business!

Access to a wide range of insurers

As we have mentioned, comparison websites do not allow access to the wider insurer market, limiting your choice of policies. This is also true of a policy secured directly with an insurer. Going directly to an insurer will allow you to benefit from advice, of which we are true advocates, but it will only be advice around their own policy offerings.

The best way to explore solutions for the right insurance cover for your business, is to use an independent broker. This means that they have no allegiance to any one insurer and can provide impartial advice to arrive at an insurance programme that will suit your unique requirements.

Reputable A rated insurers

When selecting your broker partner, it’s a good idea to make sure that they have aligned with A rated insurers. Whilst in the UK, there isn’t a legal requirement to acquire A rated status, the rating does reflect the financial strength of an insurer and its ability to honour its policies.

Knowing that your programme of policies has been placed with an A rated insurer brings with it the peace of mind, that in the event of a claim you will be protected.

Partnering with a broker is the start of a new relationship. One that can be built over time on mutual trust and respect. A good broker will really get to know your business, so they can offer prudent advice on what will be best for your business. It’s more personal than contacting an insurer directly and certainly much more than a faceless comparison website!

Saving time

Independent brokers are likely to have a good network of reliable insurers partners that they approach on your behalf to find the best solution for your needs. This saves you the time of contacting each insurer separately and trying to compare policy details.

Why spend hours trying to decipher the differences between one policy and another and then deciding which is better, when this can be done for you!

Keeping you up to date

A further benefit of using an insurance broker is that they maintain an active and positive relationship with your insurer and the wider industry. They can advise of any legislative changes that are coming into force that may affect your policy, so you can discuss options and be prepared.

Additional services

Many independent brokers offer additional services which can add tangible value to your business such as health and safety courses, online learning courses and tools, and HR support, to assist in your risk management programmes.

Barnes Commercial Insurance Broker offers specialist independent broking and risk management services to SMEs to protect against commercial risk.

Telephone: 01480 272727, Email: enquiries@barnesinsurancebroker. co.uk

Schedule of Condition Surveys – why are they so important?

On acquiring the lease of a business premises in the UK, you may find that you have signed up to some pretty onerous liabilities. Full Repairing and Insuring (FRI) leases are popular with landlords, which place the responsibility of keeping a premises in good and substantial repair, upon the tenant. These responsibilities may go further than some simple repairs and redecoration to ensure that a property is handed back to a landlord in ‘good’ condition. A lease may also require full reinstatement of any tenant alterations (no matter how extensive or ‘beneficial’ they may be perceived to be), necessary repairs to the structural elements of a building and remedial or redecoration works to roof areas, which can prove to be both extensive and costly!

It is not uncommon to see clauses in a lease that state a premises must be kept in good and substantial repair ‘PROVIDED THAT the tenant is not required to keep the demised premises in any state of repair, condition or decoration which is better than that evidence by the Schedule of Condition’.

Documenting the condition of a premises at the commencement of a lease, by means of a professionally prepared Schedule of Condition, is therefore an important step which may limit your liabilities when it comes to the end of your lease.

Mark Thomas, Building Surveyor Associate at Savills Peterborough explains.

I am a landlord – do I need to worry about this?

In a word – yes. It may be perceived that a Schedule of Condition is a document aimed at limiting a tenant’s lease liabilities. However, it is similarly in a landlord’s interests to ensure the condition of their building is documented at lease commencement as it could be used as evidence that a premises has been handed back in worse condition than when your tenant commenced their occupation.

What happens if there is no Schedule of Condition?

Unfortunately it is all too common that when it comes to the dilapidations stage - the process by which a landlord claims for any breaches of the tenant’s lease obligations - a Schedule of Condition is either missing, is of poor quality (black and white photos of poor definition) or was never undertaken. This can prove problematic for both parties, protracting negotiation between the landlord and tenant due to the ambiguity over what condition the premises was in at lease commencement – sometimes several years or even decades previously. This can result in increased surveyor fees during the dilapidations negotiations and sometimes a significant degree of compromise over a final settlement. How much will this cost me?

The cost of a Schedule of Condition survey can vary considerably depending

on the size and complexity of the building, with fees ranging from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand pounds. The survey itself can vary considerably too, from a detailed descriptive written report to a more basic photographic-only inspection. Dependent on lease obligations, it may also be sensible to consider how best to capture the condition of those building elements out of normal reach, with the use of drone footage becoming increasingly valuable.

When considering dilapidations claims can run to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or an even higher value, even the most basic survey can prove to be a very useful investment.

There is a revolution in the banking industry called Open Banking. Have you noticed?

Open Banking came into force in January 2018. Its broad purpose is to increase competition in the financial services area. Simply put, Open Banking gives you the ability to share your financial accounts’ data in order to access financial services.

To help access Open Banking benefits, there is a growing marketplace of third party apps and offerings. For example, you may be paying too much for an overdraft. If you authorised an app to analyse your accounts and spending profile, you may find a better fit for your needs. For businesses, Open Banking has paved the way to cheaper faster payments.

How do card payments work today?

With card payments the merchant must set-up a contract with a payment service provider (Worldpay etc) that is connected to a merchant account service. The charges associated with this arrangement are based on a percentage of the transaction, and quite often accompanied by a per transaction flat fee of the order of 20p. They also tend to have ‘lock-ins’ of between one and three years. POS machines, real or virtual for online shopping, will also be required which also adds to the cost.

If the merchant wants greater certainty that the transaction is not a fraudulent one, possibly suffering a chargeback, then they can add greater security for which an additional charge maybe identified separately or else ‘included’ in a combined fee.

Likewise, to have the money transferred to the merchants account earlier than normal a charge may be levied. The norm being anywhere between three and seven days later.

There are obviously several bodies involved that all need paying which is subtracted from the original sale value.

How do Open Banking payments differ from card payments?

Open Banking makes it possible to pay directly from one bank account to another. By its very nature this is more secure and arrives in the merchants account immediately, at the full value.

Many of us have done this when transferring money to family or friends using online banking or a mobile phone app. The money is immediately transferred and has undergone what is called Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) e.g. a recognised device authorised by a password or biometrically.

Why is an Open Banking payment cheaper?

Card payments have traditionally charged a percentage of the payment value. To illustrate this: a one per cent charge on £500 would be £5 and on £5000 it would be £50. (£45 for an additional ‘0’!).

Open Banking can be offered at a flat charge, unrelated to the value of the transaction. This is a fundamental difference in the pricing metrics. There are examples out there offering 500 payments a month for £99, for which the savings on charges become obvious.

Why do Open Banking payments cost merchants at all?

To enable the benefits of this method of paying compared to card payments, it needs to be as frictionless and safe as possible for merchants and consumers alike. It must be easy to generate a payment request and easy for the consumer to action it with prepopulated details.

Enabling this for merchants by building these qualities into a payment mechanism whilst connecting to 1000’’s of banks are the main reasons for a charge.

Will consumers use this?

In short many already do use Open Banking. The technology is on their mobile phone.

Cybercrew (https://cybercrew.uk/blog/digital-bankingstatistics-uk/) collated various digital statistics of which one states that 76 per cent of UK citizens used mobile banking in 2020.

In the ‘UK Mobile Banking Competitive Edge’ report, their study showed 68 per cent of British adults use mobile banking apps.

Global Business Outlook online magazine reported that “Experts believe that 72 per cent of adults in the UK will use mobile apps for payments and transactions by 2023” https://www.

globalbusinessoutlook.com/the-rise-of-mobile-banking-inthe-uk/

This indicates that most of the public have the technology and confidence to pay this way if the opportunity presented itself.  The benefits of open banking payments are here now for merchants and consumers alike.

Nigel Brewin, Director, PBC Technologies Ltd

EXPERT

Withholding Payment for Construction Defects

When the final account and final payment must be considered when a construction project reaches completion, it is common for the paying party to withhold payment against what they consider to be defective works.

Most standard forms of construction contract contain mechanisms/provisions for dealing with defects in construction, normally in the form of a procedure which includes a notice that practical completion has been reached, a defects liability period and a notice of making good or defects.

NOTE: It is important that the contractual procedure is understood so that any rights to claim are not lost.

The types of issue that arise under the heading of construction defects relate to withholding payment on the grounds of defective work, pursuit of due retention or pursuit of damages for defective, including latent defects. It is also not unusual for one party to consider an item a defect and the other a variation, the latter of which does not have to be carried out after practical completion. This can often lead to dispute if other contractors are employed to carry out the work. Sewn into the financial remedies pursued will also be arguments in respect of what constitutes practical completion, valid service of notices and failures to carry out timely defects inspections.

NOTE: If not defined in the contract, there is no hard and fast rule as to what constitutes practical completion unless expressly agreed. This can lead to issues regarding Liquidated and Ascertained Damages (LAD’s) and defects. Often paying parties will accuse the Contractor or Subcontractor of non-completion for minor outstanding works whilst taking possession of the building which, in the absence of a definition, is likely to constitute practical completion.

Arbicon have dealt with numerous construction projects where works have been significantly non- compliant. We adopted our management expertise and adjudicated our Clients’ rights, saving them from lengthy court proceedings and expense.

NON-COMPLIANT EXAMPLE

Arbicon acted on a project where an office building was converted into numerous flats. The Contractor failed to obtain building control sign off due to a defective sound test, which is critical on flats and dwellings that adjoin one another.

The Client had not only endured incompetence with the builder, but the Contract Administrator was also negligent on numerous points, including certifying non-compliant work. Arbicon prosecuted the Contractor in adjudication and prepared the PI claim against the Contract Administrator which, in the end, became unnecessary as the Contractor was held liable for the defective works and the matter was settled. If the Contractor had gone bust the Contract Administrator would have had to pay for the negligence!

Pursuit of the final account and final payment, including retention, can be difficult when set off and defects are argued.

OTHER COMMON SITUATIONS

It is often the case that an Employer or Contractor as the paying party, will create contra charge claims that are very significant, these are often over-inflated by hundreds of thousands and are designed to make the payee give up so they can keep the money. We had a case recently where a contra charge claim in a pay less notice for £800,000 was levelled at the Subcontractor who was asking for £80,000. All of the contra charge claim was dismissed and the payment asked for was due. Such contra claims are nearly always worth nothing, we will use our expertise to evaluate such claims and give you an expert risk assessment and assist in nullifying such adverse tactics.

Arbicon are experts in resolving problem final accounts and collecting outstanding retentions. Get in touch with our team on 01733 233737 or email advice@arbicon.co.uk

ON A MISSION TO PROTECT CHILDREN ONLINE: the vital work of the Internet Watch Foundation

Last year was a record-breaking year for the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). However, success for the Cambridge-based charity is always bittersweet. This is because the IWF’s Hotline finds and removes child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the internet. In 2021, their skilled analysts identified more abuse imagery than ever before, acting to remove over 250,000 web addresses containing images or videos of children being sexually abused or raped.

The increase in the amount of criminal content found is staggering. The figure has risen by 64 per cent since 2020. Some of this is down to the charity’s world-leading technical expertise in finding and removing CSAM. But a good deal can be attributed to the pandemic and most of the world having been stuck at home because of COVID-19 lockdowns. More children have moved online and unfortunately, so have their potential abusers.

These figures serve to emphasise the vital work being conducted at the IWF. From the analysts in the Hotline who assess a webpage every one-and-a-half minutes to the tech team who develop stateof-the-art tools to support the Hotline’s work.

The IWF reviewed 361,062 reports of CSAM last year. Each report is manually assessed by analysts against UK legal guidelines. Their assessments are accurate and trusted by the police and the internet industry.

“We use technology to take the shocking child sexual abuse images and videos that our Hotline analysts assess, and create detailed, trusted datasets that are used by tech organisations and platforms to detect and remove that content across the internet,” says Dan Sexton, Chief Technology Officer at the IWF.

“With the scale of the problem growing exponentially, using technology to automate, augment and expand our efforts

to eliminate child sexual abuse material online is becoming increasingly important.”

WORKING HAND-IN-HAND

The success of the global-reaching charity would not be possible without the support of its Members and funders, and its partnerships with local governments, law enforcement, charities, funders and industry.

By joining IWF membership, organisations big and small help bring an end to the viewing, sharing and profiting from images and videos of child sexual abuse online while gaining access to the charity’s valuable high-quality data for blocking the spread of the content. Members include mainstream connectivity, hosting and internet industry platforms, as well as companies specialising in sectors such as gaming, online dating, crypto-currency and blockchain analysis, payment brands, filtering companies, digital forensics, cloud-based digital services, education and many more.

Collaboration is key with all Members to disrupt the sharing of CSAM online. The IWF is proud to include Members such as Cambridgebased video game developer Jagex who use the charity’s Keywords List to monitor game chat for potential concerns.

“As a business, one of our key areas of expertise is in how we monitor billions of lines of live chat every year – all day, all night, every day – to detect unwanted activity,” says Jagex. “To help this process, we have built our own heuristic computer-based tools, alongside a large and dedicated internal team. We are proud to continue to work closely with the IWF, the National Crime Agency and its Child Exploitation and Online Protection command, local police, as well as other organisations and the video games

trade bodies such as UK Interactive Entertainment to lean on their expertise. We form part of a network that helps identify trends and shape self-regulatory responses and official action.”

The charity provides a range of IWF datasets and alerts to Members, for example the Hash, URL or Keywords lists described below, to make the internet safer.

• Hash List When IWF analysts discover new illegal content, or it is reported to them, they give this content a unique digital fingerprint or ‘hash’. IWF Members can use the organisation’s Hash List to prevent copies of these images being uploaded to their own network so they can block them and prevent copies from being uploaded in the future.

• URL List Sometimes content can be removed in minutes, other times it can take longer. The IWF’s URL list of web pages (and NPI – non-photographic image URL list) allows companies to proactively block the content until the criminal imagery can be removed. This prevents users from innocently stumbling across content and makes it harder for criminals to access criminal images and videos. The IWF URL list is dynamic, updated twice per day, and blocks at webpage level so there’s no danger of over blocking websites.

• Keywords Online communities of child abusers have developed a coded language, which they use to search for criminal content using common words and phrases. The IWF maintains a keyword list of thousands of these phrases, which companies, including mainstream search engines, can use to scan for relevant words and limit any searches that could return illegal content.

PROTECTING CHILDREN WORLDWIDE

Using ‘tech for good’ has been at the core of the IWF’s mission since they were founded in 1996 to protect children online. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the charity’s staff and partners less than one per cent of the world’s child sexual abuse imagery is hosted in the UK. That knowledge and expertise has now taken the fight against CSAM to countries across the world.

The IWF’s new breakthrough IntelliGrade technology makes it easier for agencies in other countries to take hashes from the UK and apply them seamlessly into their own systems. It correlates the different legal classifications for CSAM around the world and allows swift and appropriate action without the need for additional reassessment work.

“Harmonising child sexual abuse laws around the world would be a major step in enabling all of us to better fight those who share child sexual abuse imagery online,” says Chris Hughes, the IWF’s Hotline Director. “But we can’t wait for a day that might never happen.

“IntelliGrade is helping us achieve that. At IWF, we’re enriching the hashes of millions of child sexual abuse images to create one, harmonised, world-compatible dataset.”

The IWF also breaks down international barriers through its participation in a network of more than 50 CSAM reporting hotlines worldwide, which provide people with a safe and anonymous way to call out abuse if they should stumble across it, wherever they are in the world.

Additionally, the charity provides reporting portals to countries which do not already have a way of reporting criminal content. Working with local organisations, the IWF gives people a place to report CSAM, linked directly to Hotline analysts in the UK. Today, there are 50 of these reporting portals, and last year, portals in Kenya, Morocco, Guatemala and Argentina were welcomed to the fold.

RAISING AWARENESS

Although the figures show that the IWF is breaking records, they’re certainly not sitting on their laurels. As the charity has grown, their remit has expanded to not only remove CSAM from the internet but to try and stall its growth in the first place. The IWF regularly works with national and international partners in the private and public sector to bring attention to child sexual abuse online, how to report it and how it can be prevented.

Other ways that organisations work with the IWF include through corporate partnerships. For example, law firm BDB Pitmans which has offices in Cambridge, has chosen IWF as its Charity of the Year, enabling their employees to raise funds and awareness for the important cause.

Child sexual abuse has a devastating impact on survivors’ lives and the IWF helps stop the revictimisation they experience every time images or videos of that abuse are shared, sold or viewed online. The organisation remains committed to its vision of creating an internet free from child sexual abuse that is a safe place for children and adults to use around the world. To achieve that vision would truly be sweet success for all involved.

JOIN AND SUPPORT THE IWF

If you are a tech business or platform, becoming a Member (iwf.org. uk/membership) of the IWF can help you:

• Provide a safe service for users and protect employees

• Establish your reputation as a responsible company committed to combating criminal content online

• Connect to a global network that’s working to create a safer internet and protect children.

You can donate to the IWF at www.iwf.org.uk/get-involved

how to

CHAMBER FOUR SERVICES

a Chamber member you have unlimited access to four services - HR, Legal, Health & Safety

– HR,

HR,

that contains almost 800

DISCOVER

Find out how to make the most of the Chamber HR Service and see how it can help you and support your business. A Quest Business Support Manager will cover the scope of the Chamber HR service, how the HR advice line can help you, what is included in the Document Library, other featured services available via the website, how to access the service and hours of operation.

REVIEW

An opportunity to talk to a Quest Business Support Manager about how your business may be changing, where you were and where you are going. What HR issues does this raise? The meeting will cover areas of risk, your responsibilities and what you need to have in place to ensure you are compliant and

protected. Effectively this gap analysis will identify what you need to do.

COMPARE

If you have an existing outsourced HR service you may wish to do a comparison with Chamber HR to see if Chamber HR can fulfil your needs. A Quest Business Support Manager will look at your current provision and explain how Chamber HR differs from it. Chamber HR is included in your membership fee so it may be that you don’t need to pay anything extra to anyone else!

NEXT STEPS…

To request an appointment, please contact Bren Coleman on 01223 237414 or email b.coleman@cambscci.co.uk

To access these services please visit the protection page on the Chamber website or call our membership team on 01223 237414.

from

What is ‘phygital’ marketing?

Likewise, the differing types of digital marketing become blurred too. Whether it’s your website, social media or content marketing, potential customers will make little distinction.

The good news is that within B2B marketing – and phygital marketing in particular – digital marketing can do much of the heavy lifting!

Through email, social media, website and content marketing – including blogs, press releases, white papers and guides – you can steadily build brand awareness and demonstrate your expertise in what you deliver. Physical marketing can then swoop in to seal the deal…

THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL MARKETING

Perhaps the most popular and powerful use of phygital marketing is direct marketing.

Most businesses appreciate that digital marketing – websites, social media, blogs, interactive content, PPC, SEO etc – is at the core of modern marketing.

However, that perhaps underplays the effectiveness of more traditional marketing – branding, PR, events, advertising, brochures, sales aids etc – which still play a critical role in B2B success.

So, in a world where your customer expects both, how do you apply the best of digital and physical marketing to achieve greater results?

Sarah West, of B2B experts Full Mix Marketing, takes a look at one of the latest buzzwords in marketing…

PHYSICAL MEETS DIGITAL

In its broadest sense, phygital – a portmanteau of physical and digital –means a blend of virtual and physical experiences.

It’s something which consumer (B2C) brands use a lot.

For example, car manufacturers carefully marry their showroom and aftersales experiences with the digital marketing they deliver via email and social media. Energy drinks and snack food brands often support their enormous spend on digital marketing with experiences at shows, festivals or a high street near you.

Within B2B marketing, phygital is used to describe blending digital and physical (or traditional) marketing to get the very best from both.

PHYGITAL FOR B2B

Particularly in business-to-business (B2B), one form of marketing is often used to support another.

For example, digital engagement with a business through their website or social media may result in a physical mailer landing on your desk.

A physical meeting with a sales representative could be followed up by an online proposal or other digital content.

THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Digital channels are critical to the success of phygital B2B marketing. They are either used to persuade recipients to engage with physical experiences – such as visiting a showroom – or to back up a physical experience – such as sending an email to attendees of a networking event.

As with all marketing, it’s important to remember that your recipients rarely make the distinction between digital, traditional or physical marketing.

If you work in a B2B sector – serving other companies, organisations or professionals – chances are you can identify your ideal clients and the businesses you’d like to work with.

As the name suggests, direct marketing is simply the act of using email, social media and physical mail to contact them directly.

Despite high engagement with digital content, a physical mailer can ensure potential customers stop, look and pay attention. They are frequently retained and actioned.

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

Like phygital marketing, account-based marketing has become another popular buzzword in B2B marketing.

It suggests you adopt a strategy that directs marketing efforts and resources towards engaging a very specific set of existing or potential clients.

It’s perhaps no surprise that account-based marketing is one of the areas where phygital marketing is most frequently and successfully used.

As well as engaging with potential customers online, it gives companies the opportunity to target potential clients with mailers, experiences, events, samples and more. Again, direct marketing is key.

WHY GET PHYGITAL?

Experience shows that adopting a single form of marketing rarely creates transformational results.

Whilst PPC, content marketing, SEO, trade events and direct marketing can all make an impact on their own, they typically work much more effectively as part of a full mix of marketing.

Your potential clients are exposed to your brand – and your competitors’ – in many different ways. Putting all your eggs in one basket with a single form of marketing is unlikely to create the desired outcome.

TAKEAWAYS

The emergence of the ‘phygital’ buzzword simply highlights how much importance successful marketers are giving the right blend of digital and non-digital marketing.

Phygital marketing is nothing new. Digital marketing has been integrated into most B2B organisations over the last 20 years. Physical marketing – be it experiential, face-to-face or printed –remains part of a successful mix for most businesses.

By carefully delivering a mix of online and offline marketing which support and complement each other, more businesses and professionals can be introduced to your company, recognise your strengths and become loyal customers.

For more help, visit www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk

Peterborough tattooists raise thousands for charity

Talented tattooists from city studio, Flagship Tattoo, used their creative skills to raise an incredible £3,040 for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in July.

The team of tattooists, which included owners Jordan Butler and Alex Balding, plus Ben Abrahams, Oli Atkins and Gareth Watson supported by Luke Porter all gave up their time and money on Saturday 2 July to offer local tattoo fans unique inks and artwork, in a bid to raise money for the hospice which provides expert care to people living with life-limiting conditions.

Customers were queuing for two hours before the shop, located on Park Road in Peterborough, opened its doors at 10.00am. The team continued to be so busy throughout the day that although they planned to shut up shop at the usual time of 6.00pm, they continued to work late into the evening, to make sure no one missed out and that they raised as much money as possible.

Eager punters were given a raffle ticket and called one by one to sit in the chair. There were a wide range of designs to choose from and people could choose to be tattooed anywhere on their arms or legs. There was also the opportunity to bid on two original paintings designed by shop tattooist, Oli, and limited edition t-shirts, featuring artwork produced by Oli and Ben specifically for the charity day, were available to purchase.

Alex Balding speaks about why they wanted to support Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice: “A number of the team have a personal connection to the hospice. It’s particularly special to me as my wife and I got married at the hospice.

“The charity day was hectic, but great. Everyone was in good spirits and just wanted to support us. Some of our regular customers, who couldn’t stay for a tattoo that day just popped in to make a donation, because they too knew people who have been cared

for at the hospice. We had no idea we would raise the amount of money we did; it was just incredible! Thank you to everyone.”

Asif Shaheed, Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, commented: “I can’t thank the team at Flagship Tattoo enough for their efforts on their Sue Ryder fundraising day. I popped into the studio on the day and there was a real buzz about the placeand not just from the tattoo guns! Jordan showed me a photo of the queue beforehand and it’s amazing how the people of Peterborough got behind the initiative. They really did go the extra mile to maximise the amount raised for Sue Ryder, which is truly humbling.”

If the Flagship Tattoo’s fundraiser has inspired you to take on a charity event of your own, contact the fundraising team on 01733 225999 or email thorpe.fundraising@sueryder.org for support and inspiration.

Supporting women with medically induced menopause at Maggie’s Cambridge

You may think menopause is something that happens to you in your 50s, but that is not always the case. Our centre head, Lisa Punt, shares how support can really help women deal with the triple impact of cancer diagnosis, treatment and induced menopause.

Lisa manages the Menopause Workshop and says: “We support women with cancer who experience a treatment induced menopause through a virtual or in person workshop. The two-hour workshop offers practical information alongside the opportunity to meet other people in a similar position.”

The areas we cover are:

• What symptoms to expect including hot flushes/night sweats, heart health, bone health, genito-urinary changes, libido, low mood

• How to manage symptoms and optimise well-being including medical and non-medical intervention

• Relationship changes

• Psychological changes.

It is important that possible changes are discussed as part of the consent process but the time at which more detail is helpful can vary from one person to the next. At Maggie’s we run the workshop every two to three weeks so people are able to access the information at a time that feels right for them.

What does induced menopause mean?

If you have had your ovaries removed or are on medication that has stopped your ovaries from working, you will experience surgical or medically induced menopause.

Key facts:

Surgical menopause is when you have your ovaries removed due to cancer or to reduce the risk of certain hormone sensitive tumours

Medical induced menopause is due to medication This may be chemotherapy or anti-oestrogen therapy such as tamoxifen Radiotherapy to the pelvis may also cause an induced menopause

Levels of oestrogen drop off much quicker following an induced menopause as compared to a natural menopause

Induced menopause can be permanent or temporary, depending on your diagnosis and the type of treatment

It can be very distressing if you are going through a diagnosis, significant treatment, and then need to deal with menopause symptoms

Induced menopause symptoms can be more intense for women who are premenopausal

There are over 34 menopause symptoms, and you may get some or many of these

A woman’s menopause is completely unique.

One lady summed it up perfectly by saying: “You get hit with a cancer diagnosis and then the menopause comes along. The two are as big as each other but all you get is sympathy for cancer and how awful it is. Yes, I should be grateful my cancer has gone and I’ve had my treatment but here I am dealing with menopause, something that I would not normally be dealing with at my time of life.”

To find out more about The Menopause Workshop or to speak with Lisa, email cambridge@maggies.org or call 01223 249 220.

Would you like to become a Chamber member?

Get in touch today to find out the many benefits.

Tel: 01223 237414 Email: enquiries@cambscci.co.uk

NEW MEMBERS

Agentis Wealth Management Ltd

Apprilis Ltd

ARC Survey & Design Consultants Ltd

Bluewolf Communications Ltd

Brown & Co LLP

Cambridge Kinetics

Carter Jonas LLP

CITB

City College Peterborough

Cratas

DIGI Europe Ltd

Ecolab Pest Elimination

Harry Specters Ltd

www.harryschocs.co.uk

Harry Specters is a Cambridgeshirebased chocolatier creating quality products for a quality cause.

Having started the company in 2012 following concerns surrounding their Autistic son Ash’s future, Mona and Shaz have since built an amazing all-Autistic team and received over 30 awards for both their extraordinary flavours and incredible social mission.

Each artisan chocolate contains fresh, gluten-free ingredients and the promise that it has helped Autistic people gain paid employment, work experience, and training opportunities.

Legitimate Leadership

Liquid Corporate Finance

New You Coaching & Consultancy Services

Nichino Europe Co Ltd

Noble Rebels Ltd

Parkeray Ltd

PBC Technologies Ltd

Resourceful People Group Ltd

Safety Smart

Steadfast Training Ltd

Stowmarket Skills T/as SunSkips

The One Group (Cambridge)

MV Training and Investigation Solutions (MVTIS Ltd)

www.mvtrainingandinvestigation.co.uk

If you’re an SME producer or importer who thinks there’s something not quite right with the prices of your products in the UK market then you probably need to look into how the UK trade remedies framework can support you. Trade remedies has long been an important tool used by governments to ensure that the domestic market is a fair place to trade for both producers and importers, but it is a complex legal framework, wielded frequently by large cooperations, creating a market-space that supports their needs.

At MVTIS Ltd, we are experts in UK trade remedies investigations and have established our consultancy to provide a full-range of services to UK SMEs, to empower you to engage and have your voice heard in the trade remedies investigations, so that government decisions can reflect your needs. Your business should not be excluded from the decision table.

For a free no obligation consultation, contact us on services@mvtis.co.uk

Steadfast Training Ltd

www.steadfasttraining.co.uk

Steadfast Training Ltd is an Ofsted Good rated local skills provider. We partner with employers, their employees, volunteers and unemployed people to increase skills, qualifications, recruitment and performance across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We are a Prime for the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and a Registered Apprenticeship Training Provider.

www.liquidcf.co.uk

Liquid Corporate Finance is an independent, award-winning finance brokerage; dedicated to helping SME’s across the UK acquire the finances to fund their growth and expansion. With funding available from £10,000 up to £10million, we are able to offer both traditional and non-traditional finance products using our diverse and expansive panel of lenders, expertly placed to assist small and medium sized businesses. If you’re unsure which product is right for you, we can help you find the most suitable financial solution that works best for your business.

ADVERTORIAL

Safety Smart

www.safety-smart.org

Here at Safety Smart as a Health, Safety, Environmental, Wellbeing and Quality Consultancy, we believe ‘Smart’ means, innovation, uncluttered, engaging, agile, effective, simple and efficient.

Based in St Neots we can provide you with a wealth of over 40 years of knowledge, experience and expertise, tailored to ANY business type or size.

We would welcome your call and/or to meet in person to discuss our extensive range of workplace services on offer, including:

· Company representation as your competent Safety provider

· Policy creation and review

· Risk profile creation and review, including fire risk assessments

· Safe Systems of working

· Industry accreditations, including ISO 9001, 45001 and 14001

· Inspection and auditing

· Accident and incident investigation

· Environmental, wellbeing and quality advice and guidance

· Training requirements

· Fleet management

· Safety culture change

· Mental and Occupational health advice and guidance

NEWS from New Chamber of Commerce Member STAPLEFORD GRANARY

We hear a lot that business and studio space is often at a premium in the city centre and is often hard to find. Stapleford Granary offers a unique setting for Business Space/Studio space to rent with FREE parking and our newly opened onsite café… A great alternative only a few miles south of Cambridge city centre.

Stapleford Granary Stable Rooms are the perfect business space or ‘studio’ option - set in the heart of the tranquil Cambridge Countryside. The lovely light rooms are situated in our stable block overlooking our pretty orchard and meadow and come equipped with self-contained kitchenette and toilet.

We also have free parking and a brand new onsite cafe with various meeting break out areas around the site. We are happy to discuss long term and short term lets.

Key Information

• Dimensions: 8.50 M Length / 4.60 M Width

• Suitable for: Private rental all year round

More info: https://www.staplefordgranary.org.uk/hire-our-spaces

Please contact us to discuss your bespoke requirements & pricing: kirsty@staplefordgranary.org.uk. 0777 589 2575

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Cambridge appoints new Chief Risk Officer

The Cambridge Building Society has appointed Sandhya Kawar as its new Chief Risk Officer and member of the Board.

Sandhya joined The Cambridge in January this year to lead the society’s Risk and Compliance department. She was recently confirmed in the position following approval by the financial regulators.

“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to come to The Cambridge to lead the Risk and Compliance team,” said Sandhya.

“I am constantly impressed by the passion and commitment shown by everyone in the department, and across the Society, for protecting our members, our people and the wider public.”

St Peter’s School Annual Careers Fair

At the beginning of July, for the first time since lockdown, St Peter’s School were able to welcome 50+ local businesses, employers and FE/HE providers into school for our annual Careers Fair and what an exciting and educational event it was!

Students in Year 11 and 13 were able to meet a range of different people who talked to them about their industry, education/working backgrounds, job roles/career paths, amongst lots of other things. Our students had a chance to

interact, ask questions and not only learn but be inspired and enthusiastic about their options Post 16 and Post 18.

There was such a buzz around school on and after the event and we would like to again, send the biggest thank you everyone who took part and made it the success it was!

Heads up! We are already making preparations for next year and have set a date of Tuesday 4 July 2023 so if you are interested in supporting, please do get

Stone King strengthens two key teams

Chief Executive, Peter Burrows, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sandhya to our Board. She brings a unique combination of strong technical capability combined with a mutual ethos and culture. I am confident she will make a real difference to our risk management capability, to the benefit of the Society and all its members.”

Since joining The Cambridge Sandhya has further strengthened the risk management capabilities and resources of the Society, including overseeing its recent teaming with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership (CAPASP) a local scam prevention initiative aimed at raising awareness and sharing resources about scams and financial crime.

Zoya Ustado Lucie Green Malik Siddique

Cambridge law firm Stone King has strengthened two key teams with new appointments.

The firm’s Private Client Property team has welcomed Solicitor Aisha Choudhury and Zoya Ustado as a Paralegal.

in touch with our Careers Advisor, Amber Walker, awalker@stpetershuntingdon. org who will be more than happy to answer any questions and provide further details.

Sarah Lane, Head of Business and Private Client Property, said: “I am delighted with the new appointments of Aisha and Zoya and am pleased to welcome them to the firm. They have joined an excellent team at an exceptionally busy time and I am pleased they share Stone King’s ethos of helping and supporting our clients so we can continue to deliver the best possible service.”

Aisha has experience in residential property transactions and will focus on residential sales and purchases, re-mortgages, transfers of ownership, re-financing and international clients and will be working closely with Sarah Lane and Philip Askew.

In addition, Solicitor Malik Siddique has joined the firm’s Crime team, along with Paralegal Lucie Green.

Head of Crime Matthew Graham said: “Malik is an experienced solicitor advocate with strong community values and a real commitment to justice. I am very pleased to welcome both him and Lucie to the team.”

Nurturing Computing Technology Talent

Cambridge Regional College (CRC) is working with Arm® Education, part of technology leader Arm, to raise awareness of career opportunities in the computing technologies sector and to attract and nurture new talent to the industry.

Arm Education is the latest strategic partner to join CRC in addressing local skills needs. The partnership includes supporting CRC with curriculum development and providing access to teaching and learning materials.

Deputy principal at CRC, Michelle Dowse, said: “The computing technologies sector continues to grow exponentially, with particular intensity in Cambridgeshire.

Working with Arm Education will allow us to bring industry expertise directly to the young people studying at CRC, ensuring that they are aware of the opportunities available to them, and trained in the skills and knowledge required to succeed in the industry. Career readiness is a key priority for us at CRC ensuring that our students gain the professional and technical skills

needed for their next step as well as the employability skills needed by employers. Our strategic partnerships enable us to identify common goals with employers in

the region and work together to secure positive outcomes for young people and employers. We are thrilled to be working with Arm Education.”

A Cambridge company has announced the creation of a new senior HR role as it further strengthens its engagement with employees globally across a range of areas and embraces the shift to hybrid and flexible working.

Domino Printing is appointing Sharon Budworth as Director of Engagement signalling the importance of employee experience, health and wellbeing,

recognition, diversity and inclusion and internal communications.

Forming a central part of the company’s CSR strategy, Sharon will continue to build on the change and impact she has made over the past three and a half years as Director of Human Resources UK & EMEA.

Sharon has played a key role in the creation of new policies and practices which support hybrid working and promote a good work/life balance.

A major building project has been carried out at the company’s Bar Hill headquarters, creating new team spaces and hot desks to enable greater collaboration and improve the facilities for all employees.

Other initiatives to date have been the launch of a Wellbeing Programme, which offers resources, support and access to courses and webinars, as well as a formal recognition of the importance of mental health with a cohort of trained Mental Health First Aiders. ‘Menopause At Work and Home’ was launched in 2021

to support employees and to educate people managers.

Speaking of her appointment, Sharon said: “I am very excited to start my new role which will enable me, and Domino more broadly, to focus on engagement. It signifies the importance we place on employee experience and will allow us to build on some of the great initiatives already developed. People are at the heart of the business and we want to continue to build a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can thrive, be happy and successful.”

Chris Webb, Group HR Director, added: “I am delighted that Sharon has accepted the position of Director of Engagement, a new role which highlights our commitment to our team and the importance of making Domino an even more attractive place to work.”

Domino Printing recently won Employer of the Year award in the Cambridge Independent Science & Technology Awards 2022.

NEW DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT AT DOMINO PRINTING

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New Director of Operations and Communications joins the Cambridge Science Park

Trinity College, Cambridge and managing agents Bidwells LLP have appointed Jane Hutchins as Director of Operations and Communications for the Cambridge Science Park (the Park).

Working in partnership with Trinity and Bidwells, Jane will be responsible for delivering the College’s future vision for the Park. This includes an ambitious new cycle of investment focused on sustainability, amenity enhancement and, the creation of diverse and inclusive employment opportunities for the wider Cambridge community.

In addition, Jane will play a key role in supporting existing and new tenants, building upon the success of the Park’s recent expansion which has seen tech leaders

Wyboston Lakes Resort reports record results with strong outlook for 2023

Wyboston Lakes Resorts has delivered a record six months of Meetings and Events business for the first half of 2022, despite restrictions around events in January and February following the Omicron outbreak. Business on the books at the six-month point is up by 47 per cent on 2019 with a solid base already in place for 2023.

Bookings remain relatively short lead but there is a welcome uplift in demand for long-term bookings and a commitment to securing multi-event deals across a diverse range of sectors.

The resort’s sales strategy has been focused on specific sectors for many years and the sales team has reported a 75 per cent increase in demand for events when compared with 2019.

At the start of pandemic in 2020, Wyboston Lakes Resort’s management team took the decision to continue with planned refurbishments, which saw more than £3m invested into the resort’s Meetings and Events offering. Along with an overhaul on the delegate experience, such as enhanced Food

& Beverage products and alternative dining options, the uplift on average booking value has increased substantially since 2019.

Christine Gomez, Director of Revenue, commented: “This year, we have seen meeting agendas evolve and, whilst the meeting content itself is the priority, the social aspect is also very important. The fact we had products in place to cater for this has really paid off.”

Richard Smith, Sales Director of Wyboston Lakes Resort, added: “The resort’s commitment to the environment, to investing in the team and our physical assets will keep pushing the costs base up. Therefore, to keep offering our guests the high quality, value for money, and best in class service, our prices will need to reflect this. The focus now is to maintain the margin and we do this by being focused on what business is good for the resort. We know those sectors we specialise in, but we are also clear on what business we don’t take, and we have moved away from noncore sales lines, such as weddings.”

MathWorks, Roku and Frontier occupy 360,000 sq ft of new Grade A office space; and the creation of a 40,000 sq ft Bio Innovation Centre which is currently incubating 40 fastgrowing UK life sciences start-ups.

Commenting on her appointment, Jane said: “Cambridge is one of the best-known science, technology and innovation ecosystems in the world and the Cambridge Science Park has been at the very heart of the sector for more than 50 years.

“The social significance of the innovation and work being carried out across the Park has never been more apparent. It’s an absolute privilege to be joining such an ambitious, supportive community of world-class scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.”

The resort’s management took the decision not to furlough the Business Development team during the pandemic and the team believes this has been a key benefit in keeping relationships with agents and clients strong, open, and based on trust.

Steve Jones, Managing Director of Wyboston Lakes Resort, concluded: “We are delighted with the business performance so far in 2022 and the future looks extremely bright for us. We will continue to invest in our team and are extremely proud to be a Real Living Wage Employer. We will also be investing in further capital projects in the coming months. Our culture is at the heart of what we do and ensuring we have a robust and stable business for our team members and shareholders is fundamental and, despite the economic pressure, we will endeavour to remain strong.”

IMET given new lease of life as Encocam head office flagship building

Award winning Huntingdon manufacturing and engineering company Encocam Ltd announced the freehold purchase of iMET, the former advanced technical training centre located on the Alconbury Weald Enterprise Campus, from Urban and Civic plc.

The building, which has remained empty since the training centre closed its doors for the final time in 2021, will be relaunched as the flagship head office for Encocam, one of East Anglia’s leading employers, manufacturers and exporters. The iMET name, which stands for Innovation, Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology, will be retained by Encocam as it represents the

four cornerstones of Encocam’s success. The announcement comes just one month after Encocam’s Cellbond business unit was named as a recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2022, in recognition of outstanding export performance.

In a boost to the local economy, iMET will become home to the CellbondATD project team – specialist engineers and technicians who design, develop, build and test innovative crash test dummies. iMET’s extensive workshop space will be developed into a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited test facility with three times the equipment currently available.

This will free up valuable space at Encocam’s three existing Huntingdon facilities which will be converted for manufacturing aluminium honeycomb foil, crash test barriers, vacuum tables, motorcycles and bespoke composite panels.

Founder and Chairman, Dr Mike Ashmead OBE, is looking forward to the expansion.

“This is an exciting time for Encocam. We celebrate 35 years in business next year and the organisation continues to grow and develop. The investment in iMET will allow us to employ more staff to develop new products and services, and increase the output of existing goods.”

King’s Ely Sixth Form students reap benefits of Mentor Match Programme

their future career paths. Mentors come from a wide variety of fields, including medicine, law, business and academia, to name just a few.

One of King’s Ely’s new mentors is Monika Olanrewaju, who is an Architectural Designer at award-winning RIBA Chartered Practice, NP Architects in Cambridge. Monika heard about Mentor Match through a member of staff at King’s Ely and having passed the necessary safeguarding assessments, she has been supporting Year 13 student, Gabe Boon, for the last 12 months.

Gabe has received several conditional offers to study Architecture at University.

An initiative which enables Sixth Form students at King’s Ely to join forces with a professional in a field that they are keen to pursue at University is growing from strength to strength.

King’s Ely’s ‘Mentor Match Programme’ has been running for several years now. However a recent campaign to involve a larger number of mentors has resulted in more Year 13 students than ever safely drawing on the knowledge and experience of professional graduates through the scheme.

Mentors include King’s Ely parents, King’s Ely alumni and friends of the school. There are also professionals who have no ties to the school, but who want to support those preparing to embark on

Monika, who holds a BArch, an MA in Typography and Graphic Design, and who is also a trained interior designer, said: “My first involvement with King’s Ely’s Mentor Match Programme was in 2021. I thought it looked like a great opportunity to help inspire and support the younger generation. Having contributed to successful internships in previous practices, I was keen to explore Mentor Match to expand my outreach and encourage students to pursue architectural education.”

Through the programme, mentors support Year 13 students and the King’s Ely Sixth Form and Higher Education Team by exploring career avenues, the choice of universities and degrees, relevant work experience and internship placements. Their help is also available to students after they have left King’s Ely, supporting them with that essential transition into work.

If you are interested in supporting the Mentor Match Programme at King’s Ely, please contact Gill Smith, Director of Higher Education and Graduate Careers, by emailing: gillsmith@kingsely.org

Do you have some exciting news to shout about that could be featured on this page?

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Cambridge is number one In UK for quality events venues

Event organisers choosing a space in Cambridge to hold their conferences and meetings now have added reassurance that 38 venues have been awarded the Meetings Industry Association’s official seal of approval – more than any other destination in the UK.

The AIM Secure accreditation is an independent quality check showing that venues have met stringent criteria which demonstrates they can deliver an exceptional standard of service.

Meet Cambridge, the official events bureau for the city and surrounding area, has been instrumental in working with venues to secure this accolade, resulting in a total of 33 venues from its own portfolio being included.

AIM Secure scrutinises a range of areas: the quality of the meeting and events facilities, commitment to delivering a healthy and hygienic environment, standard of service delivery, compliance with legislation and a commitment to diversity, inclusion and the environment.

Judith Sloane, Head of Meet Cambridge, said: “We are delighted that Cambridge

is out in front when it comes to quality venues, including 33 of our own members, who have succeeded in achieving the high standards demanded by AIM Secure.

“It provides a valuable shortcut for event organisers who can be confident that all

key elements have been independently assessed and awarded this quality accolade and endorsement by our industry’s leading trade association. This reassurance, coupled with the unique spaces and experiences Cambridge can offer, reinforces its appeal for meetings of all kinds.”

Roythornes strengthens team with 13 senior promotions

founded in 1934 – Desley Sherwin and Rebecca Jackson have been promoted to partner, Talat Mahmood to senior associate, and Alex Murray and Robert Carter to associate level.

The Birmingham team, which is celebrating moving into a brandnew office on Newhall Street following two years of impressive growth and expansion across key sectors, has promoted Jessica Duck and Tasha Tabannor-Robinson to associate level.

Gillian Nash-Kennell, HR Director at Roythornes, said: “We are delighted to announce our annual raft of senior promotions as recognising and rewarding the hard work of our staff is incredibly important to us.

Roythornes Solicitors has made a raft of senior promotions with 13 team members taking on partner, senior associate, and associate roles.

The Alconbury office sees Alex Forster and Georgina Worley become a partner and Mary Sargent, Navroop Kaur and Joseph Stoehr all join the associate rank. In Peterborough, Kelly Eagers has been promoted to partner. In Spalding – where the company was

“All 13 staff members have been, and continue to be, great assets to the team and this is reflected with their promotions – giving a boost to the Alconbury, Birmingham, Peterborough, and Spalding offices as well as their departments.”

The top 150 national law firm has five strategically located offices across the Midlands and East Anglia and adopts a one team ethos. Working across a range of sectors – including agriculture, real estate, and food and drink – Roythornes’ team of recognised experts offer trusted advice to clients across the UK.

Alex Forster

Georgina Worley

5 Ways to Wellbeing –A personal approach at work

Connect

Building and maintaining constructive relationships at work is an important part of wellbeing and considering one is at work for a vast majority of the time, this is quite important. Spending time around people at work and developing positive working relationships means that you are more likely to be confident and face difficult times in and outside of work.

Be Active

NEAT is something that you may or may not have heard of. In exercise terms this stands for NonExercise Activity Thermogenesis and means the energy expended outside of formal exercise. How can we take part in this activity at work, you ask? So, if you are desk bound, perhaps you can set an alarm for every 25 minutes and get up and take a stroll around the office, or even outside. Maybe take your calls whilst on a walk in the local area. Waiting for the kettle to boil? Get in a couple of squats!

Take Notice

How can we take notice at work? Maybe you could really enjoy that cup of tea, drink it in peace, no distractions. Eat your lunch outside with nothing but the landscape of your surroundings to keep you company. Take notice of your team, your colleagues. What are they up to? How are they finding life at the moment? Check in and take notice of one another.

Keep Learning

Is there something that you would like to learn at work that you keep putting off? Maybe that extra qualification that would enhance your skills and compliment your role? We are a curious lot and putting that curiosity into new things can help you to expand your knowledge and increase your confidence.

Give

Does your organisation take part in any charitable events? We are so much better now in our understanding of how your skills and interests outside of work can be beneficial in the workplace and how they can in turn benefit the outside community. Fancy arranging a workplace charity event? Go for it.

Using the above approach can be beneficial to our sense of wellbeing and during the past couple of years, the focus on our happiness and wellbeing has provided a great opportunity for self-development.

Action for Happiness has a fantastic approach to this by developing a program and series of

resources designed to help us reach our own versions of happiness throughout our lives. They have developed the 10 Keys to Happier Living and here is a snippet of what they encourage us. For further information on these steps, take a look at the website.

https://actionforhappiness.org/10-keys

Danielle Bridge, CEO, ABC Life Support CIC

How can Human Resources professionals and practice contribute to environmental sustainability?

The impact of climate change and the potential for reputational risk has increased the need for organisations to address environmental sustainability. Human Resources professionals have a unique role in organisations as they have connections with all employees at points throughout their employment journey through a wide range of practices and activities. HR professionals are partners within the business, and having a sustainability remit, can increase stakeholder involvement and collaboration to progress pro-environmental actions across the organisation.

Consider your organisation’s Values, Strategies and Plans

Rising profiles of purpose-driven organisations or roles that contribute to society and the environment demonstrate an opportunity to recruit and retain talent when your values and mission clearly, and credibly show how you are working on your sustainability journey. Has your organisation already included sustainability in its overarching principles and translated these into actions? If not, can you influence those who implement the organisational strategies to incorporate relevant issues? Does your organisation have an Environmental Sustainability Strategy or a Net Zero Plan that you could influence and relate to a People Strategy and Plan? Human Resources practitioners and managers could also facilitate and role-model through the whole range of Human Resources practices. For example, consider the carbon footprint of recruitment activities - can you reduce paperwork or conduct interviews online to reduce travel?

Create an environmentally sustainable culture

More and more people are expecting organisations to demonstrate positive actions to protect the environment. An organisation’s culture can influence employee and customer attraction and retention. Culture can be described as ‘How we do things here’. Ensuring consistency between espoused

values and actual outcomes creates trust and loyalty. Human Resources should integrate environmental sustainability through all of the organisation’s policies, procedures and practices, and articulate this to all stakeholders.

Check your organisation’s competency framework

Competencies should contain knowledge about the environmental impact of companies in general, and specifically of those in your sector, as well as recognising the effects of climate change on the activities of your organisation. Skill competencies should be role-specific, and behavioural competencies should cover aspects of ethical decision-making at all levels of the organisation. As we move toward a net-zero future, employees will need encouragement to get onto learning pathways that will help them incorporate green skills into their roles. These learning pathways will need to embrace general awareness alongside the adoption of the technical skills that may be required to help the company meets its sustainability targets.

Incorporate environmental sustainability into Job Descriptions and Person Specifications

As well as being used for recruitment and selection, Job Descriptions and Person Specifications enable employees and managers to understand what is required in any role. Reference could be made to relevant competencies, as well as explaining what the person’s responsibilities, authority and accountability are in terms of environmental sustainability.

Include environmental sustainability in the induction process

This is often the employee’s first experience of socialisation in the organisation and where its values and culture can be established and encouraged. By explaining ‘how we do things here’, ‘what is important to us’, and ‘what we expect from you’,

Photo by Appolinary Kalashnikova on Unsplash

GREEN

the induction process can reinforce how the organisation aims to achieve its sustainability targets. You can also refer to generic environmental sustainability competencies and highlight those which are job specific for the new starters.

Include sustainability objectives in Performance Management targets and goals

Specific individual and team objectives can be agreed upon around sustainability targets to help your organisation reach its objectives. Performance objectives could include oneoff targets to be completed by specified dates or ongoing standards to be met.

Embed sustainability into learning and development processes

Consider sustainability and the environmental impact of both the content and the process of your learning and development. All programme content should reference the organisation’s green ambitions and the process of delivery should consider the resulting carbon footprint, for example, face-to-face versus online.

Align rewards and recognition with sustainability considerations

Make sure that your employee rewards or benefits have a positive environmental impact, and that any recognition is aligned with the organisation’s values. Feedback and praise can have a greater effect on individuals’ self-esteem and engagement than extrinsic motivators. Examples include, are your pension fund investments in line with your organisation’s ethical and environmental standards? Are reward schemes or prizes environmentally friendly?

Ensure that leaders demonstrate environmentally sustainable behaviours

Senior management, including senior HR professionals, must be supportive of environmental initiatives. Leaders must be seen to be green if they are to encourage employees to be green too. All your managers can be exemplars for this, including those in Human Resources, and encourage and enable people throughout the organisation to participate in environmental behaviours and initiatives. At this level, the leadership should be contributing to that culture of sustainability and mentoring employees through this journey.

The contribution of Human Resources to environmental sustainability

From this brief review, it is clear that there are many opportunities for Human Resources practices to promote environmental sustainability in organisations through adjustments to existing processes – from awareness to empowerment. In this way, Human Resources can assist an organisation’s plans for Net Zero or the implementation of its Environmental Management System and the support offered by Investors in the Environment.

For more information read the guide Dr Jan Maskell wrote for CIPD: Embedding environmental sustainability in your organisation: A guide for HR professionals https://bit.ly/3RljCND

Also, see: Green skills for the green economy report by Deloitte UK https://bit.ly/3KQWBj9

This article was submitted by Dr Jan Maskell, Principal Consultant and North West Regional Lead at iiE.

Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

LOCAL INDUSTRIAL COATINGS COMPANY THRIVING THANKS TO GROWTH WORKS SUPPORT

HC Technical Consulting and Contracting services are an industrial coatings company. Having founded and run the company on her own, Hannah Cox incorporated the business as a limited company in January 2014 as demand for both the contracting brand of her business and the consulting side had increased beyond the capabilities of her home office.

The challenge: Running the business alone with little support

Hannah realised she needed more than financial support. That’s when she started “searching around for assistance… we weren’t just looking for funding. We were looking for some sort of mentoring as well.”

Hannah had previously reached out to other mentoring schemes before but had been disappointed. She explained how “normally the mentoring that you get as a small business is very narrow, and most of it is not appropriate for our particular business or industry. No one seems to get what we actually do.” Being in a niche industry, HC Technical needed more personalised advice to grow.

HC Technical needed to re-evaluate their business plan and how they operate. Expanding the team was an essential part of the plan. Hannah knew she was holding the business growth back. She explained her “goal was to increase the number of staff on the books because essentially, I was doing everything within the business. And that is not helpful. The business can’t grow if one person is doing everything.”

Her lack of confidence coupled with trying to run things alone left Hannah feeling stuck. That’s when she reached out to Growth Works to help move the business forward.

The solution: Funded three-step plan with Growth Works for progression Growth Works helped HC Technical to identify key opportunities to focus on and created an initial three-step plan:

• Total business planning support and courses.

• Funding for a new website to generate more online business.

• Business mentoring for Hannah, including personal mindset and confidence.

Hannah said the business course helped to focus, and “through Growth Works, we built a proper business plan.”

The website redesign was a key part of growing the business by generating more organic traffic. The funding helped pay for expert services to maximise the new website’s impact.

Hannah said: “The lady that I worked with on the website, her expertise was second to none.”

As Hannah was working alone, a big challenge was tackling her own personal mindset and confidence. She explained how “through working with Growth Works” she realised “we’ve got permission to fail a bit. It’s perfectly okay to try something and discover it hasn’t worked for the business.”

Hannah also came to terms with being able to “schedule some actual time off for myself because you can’t run a business if you’re tired.”

As a result of the coaching, Hannah had a “swing in attitude” towards achieving success. She was encouraged to “think about what we wanted from our personal lives”, and had a “light bulb moment” where she recognised “you shouldn’t be working all the time. That’s not how it works”.

The results: Smashing growth targets with newfound confidence

They have already employed two more people, with plans to employ another three. Hannah can now focus on improving quality by “getting our teeth into achieving ISO 9001, which is becoming more and more important within the circle of clients that we deal with.”

HC Technical has seen monumental change since working with Growth Works, by “changing our mindset, being more organised, and having an actual plan to work with.”

Hannah set various growth goals for HC Technical. Through the business support, website grants, and mentoring, she beamed when telling us, “we’ve hit the aspirational target for every single milestone that we set… that’s really down to working with Growth Works and increasing staff so that I’ve got more time”. Comparing this month to the previous year, they’re up 63 per cent on website traffic.

They have already hit 57 per cent of their total training revenue from the previous year. That’s in only their first four months of the financial year!

HC Technical can set its sights on even bigger goals: “Now we’re growing exponentially, which I mostly think in the last year has been down to the involvement of Growth Works. I genuinely think it’s made such a big difference”

Could your business benefit from expert support and funding to help you unlock further growth? Register your interest at www.growthworks.uk/get-started and we’ll get started!

SMART ENERGY

Don’t let the soaring temperatures mean soaring energy usage for your business

This summer we’ve faced scorching temperatures across the UK and Europe.

The recent heatwave has had a real impact on businesses who have seen energy usage increase with the need for additional air conditioning and cooling equipment to keep staff, customers, and products fresh.

After all, who’s going to want to come into a stifling shop or a boiling office? And that’s before you start to consider the challenges of keeping your chilled products chilled and your frozen products frozen. So, no matter what the weather’s like, now is the time to start thinking about how you can control your energy usage. Making small steps, like installing a smart meter, could help your business avoid spending more on energy than it needs to.

HOW CAN A SMART METER HELP ME?

If your business has been running fans or air-conditioning units 24/7 in the hot weather, you may be thinking about how much energy you’ve been using. A smart meter could give you valuable insights into how your business uses energy, day, and night.

Smart meters can help your businesses take control of energy bills as they enable accurate, not estimated billing. This means that you will only pay for what you use, helping to take the stress out of business budgeting.

ADD SMART METERS TO YOUR BUSINESS CASH FLOW STRATEGY

Every business owner knows that cash is king, and this is as true in hot weather as it is in the depths of winter! Installing a smart meter can help you closely monitor where you spend your money, helping with planning and projection of costs in the short, medium, and long term. They allow you to spend less time worrying about cash flow and more time running your business.

HOW DO I FIND OUT IF I AM ELIGIBLE FOR A SMART METER?

Firms with 10 employees or less could be eligible for a smart meter. To find out more please visit https://bit.ly/3CROGjr You can also contact your energy supplier or broker.

Informal Networking Evenings

Take this free opportunity to catch up with familiar acquaintances you haven’t seen in ages, mingle with new business contacts and share knowledge and skills with like-minded professionals.

Countrystyle Recycling, Woodhurst

Wednesday 12 October, 5.00-6.30pm

The Wine Bar, Stamford

Tuesday 18 October, 5.00-6.30pm

Metro Bank, Cambridge

Thursday 20 October, 5.00-6.30pm

Poets House, Ely

Monday 24 October, 6.00-7.00pm

Chamber HR Coffee Club and Employment Law Update

Tuesday 11 October, 9.00-10.30am

Holiday Inn Peterborough West, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SG

Network informally with likeminded HR professionals, share ideas and have a chat over a coffee. This month you will also hear the last updates in employment law.

Cost: Free to attend but we encourage you to register via the Chamber website.

organised by the HR and Recruitment Sector.

Thursday 20 October, 10.00am-12.00pm

Cambridge Guildhall Council Chamber, Peas Hill, Cambridge

We find ourselves in an employee-led market with employees wielding newfound leverage in the workplace and jobs market.

Today’s employees are redefining their relationship with work and what they want and expect from their employers – and so it’s never been more important for employers to get their ‘people strategy’ right.

So how do you make your business more appealing to employees? How do you attract and retain the best talent? More pertinently, how do you address employees wanting less pressured roles and an improved work/life balance?

Nikki and Danielle, from global life science company Abcam, will be taking us through the challenges of recruiting today and how to overcome this as an employer including addressing the skills shortage, retraining and retirement. They will be sharing their tips, best practices and the imaginative ways they recruit and retain their employees.

Please register via the Chamber website.

Construction Networking Lunch

Friday 21 October, 12.00-2.00pm

Peterborough United Football Club, London Road, Peterborough, PE2 8AL

Network with other construction and property-related companies at this specialist informal event.

Our event sponsor and speaker for this event is Savills, Peterborough.

Cost: £15.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £22.50 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

How do we adapt to the new labour market?

EVENTS

Chamber members can register for events via the Chamber website www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk or please contact Zoe McCabe Brennan, Events Co-ordinator on 01223 237414 or email z.mccabebrennan@cambscci.co.uk

‘Go Outrageously Orange’ for Maggie’s

Friday 28 October, 9.30-11.30am Novotel Cambridge North, 2 Cambridge Square, Cambridge, CB4 0AE

This unique networking event allows delegates to take part in networking whilst supporting the Maggie’s ‘Go Outrageously Orange’ weekend that runs from Friday 28 October – Tuesday 1 November.

Delegates will enjoy refreshments on arrival before hearing from the charity about how architecture can affect wellbeing and how all Maggie’s Centres are unique in their design. The Cambridge Centre plans have been approved and we will be allowed a sneak peek of the new design.

Saiman Miah, Senior Architect at Mott MacDonalds, will explain the role of an architect in projects such as the Maggie’s Centre build and talk about some of the work they are currently undertaking. Delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in our popular speed networking. There isn’t a moment to spare as you move around the room with just 60 seconds to highlight your company’s unique selling points to each delegate.

We’re asking delegates to wear orange to support the ‘Go Outrageously Orange’ theme – it can be head to toe orange or just a few accessories, anything goes! By supporting our theme, you will have the chance to win a flight experience, donated by Marshall Cambridge.

Cost: £10.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £15.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

Payment is to be made at the time of booking. All income from tickets will be donated to Maggie’s.

This event is supported by Novotel Cambridge North.

Growing Globally Networking Lunch

Wednesday 19 October, 11.45am-2.00pm

Peterborough United Football Club, London Road, Peterborough, PE2 8AL

We’ll be working with World First, Smart Manufacturing Alliance, PEM and Department for International Trade to deliver this event.

The four entities will cover a panel discussion surrounding the latest news in the international world and how your business can grow globally.

There will also be a networking lunch which will give you time to connect with like-minded professionals, all whilst overlooking the pitch at Peterborough United.

We will also be holding a business card draw which will give you the chance to win two hospitality tickets to watch Peterborough United.

Cost: £20.00 (plus VAT) per person.

SAFARI NETWORKING BREAKFASTS

Take the opportunity to meet new business connections through safari networking. This relaxed but structured format offers guests the chance to move around the room and form connections with new business contacts from a wide range of industry sectors.

Tuesday 25 October, 7.45-10.00am

Peterborough United Football Club, London Road, Peterborough, PE2 8AL

Connect with businesses from Peterborough and beyond over a full English breakfast.

Our guest speaker is Antony Gough, Grant Scheme Project Manager at Peterborough Environment City Trust.

Cost: £20.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £30.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

Tuesday 22 November, 7.45-10.00am

The Haycock Manor Hotel, Wansford, Peterborough, PE8 6JA

Keep an eye on our website and social media for details of our guest speaker.

Cost: £20.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £30.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

Business Breakfast with Herfordshire Chamber of Commerce

Wednesday 2 November, 8.30-10.30am

Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridge, CB22 4QR

Join us for a networking breakfast, in partnership with Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, at the impressive IWM Duxford.

Enjoy a light breakfast and refreshments, followed by a networking opportunity, providing the chance to build some excellent business connections with our neighbouring Chamber.

Cost: £15.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £22.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

Chamber members can register for events via the Chamber website

www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk or please contact Zoe McCabe Brennan, Events Co-ordinator on 01223 237414 or email z.mccabebrennan@cambscci.co.uk

Friday 14 October, 10.00am-3.00pm

Wyboston Lakes, Great North Road, Wyboston, MK44 3AL

We’ll be showcasing the best of St Neots and the surrounding areas at this new and exciting expo event. Exhibit what your business has to offer, connect with over 250 companies from St Neots and beyond, hear from a range of speakers and take part in some speed networking.

Looking to exhibit? We have limited stands available. Register via the website or contact Zoe on 01223 237414.

Cost: £80.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £100.00 (plus VAT) non-members.

Our keynote speaker is Jem Hills. After Jem’s career in the military where he experienced life or death situations, he has continued his service to the public with his skills as a coach and mentor. Over the years Jem has amassed a memoir of awe inspiring and motivating scenarios for business owners to draw inspiration from.

We’ll also hear from George Hay who will be delivering a seminar on ‘conversations with your accountant during times of challenge and opportunity’, and Hannah Staunton, Head of Communications for East West Rail Company explaining the proposed new rail line and taking your questions.

During the afternoon, after a Speed Networking session, you will be able to visit representatives from our Chamber sector groups: Construction, IT, Security & Digital, Inspiring Women, HR & Recruitment and International. You can gain advice from the range of businesses covering the stands and find out more about what our sector groups do and how you could get involved.

Sponsored by:

Supported by:

Save The Date For Our Christmas Lunch Events

Inspiring Women’s Christmas Lunch

Thursday 1 December, 12.00-2.30pm

Orton Hall Hotel and Spa, Peterborough, PE2 7DN

Join us for a very special start to the festive season with the return of our Inspiring Women’s Christmas Lunch.

A festive two-course dinner, glass of wine, inspirational speaker and excellent company are all wrapped up in the ticket price.

This is a great opportunity to make new connections and share knowledge in a fun and relaxed environment.

This event is organised by our Inspiring Women Sector Group. Anyone is welcome to attend!

Tickets will be available to book shortly.

Sponsored by Savills

Christmas Lunch

Thursday 8 December, 12.00-3.00pm

Homerton College, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PH

Enjoy reception drinks of mulled wine and non-alcoholic punch in the Great Hall whilst mingling with other guests, before feasting on a fabulous traditional three course meal with wine. You will then enjoy tea, coffee and mince pies.

This event will give you the opportunity to make those final 2022 connections through networking with local businesses. Keep an eye on our social media channels for the announcement of our guest speaker!

Cost: £50.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £60.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

Sponsored by Alan Boswell Group

At both events we will be raising money for our Chamber Charity of the Year, Maggie’s Cambridge, through a raffle. If your company is able to donate a prize, please get in touch with Zoe McCabe Brennan on 01223 237414 or email z.mccabebrennan@cambscci.co.uk

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