connected issue 83

INSPIRING SUCCESS

ISSUE 83

The official magazine for Chamber members

The newest polymer bank note launches early 2020 PLUS. . . ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE CHAMBER NETWORK

this issue

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CONTENTS

Chief Executive’s highlights

43 24-25

Out & About

6-7

Connect

27

Fenland Chamber news

8-9

Transform

29

Huntingdonshire area news

10-11

Export

12-13

Inform

14

Protect

15

Ask the Expert

16-17

New members

18-19

Charity

20

Ely & East Cambs area news

21

East Cambs Business Boost

22-23

Cambridge & South Cambs area news

30-31 33 34-35

Peterborough area news Stamford area news Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership

39

Signpost 2 Grow

41

Marketing Insight

43

Peterborough B2B

45-47

Events connected 3

welcome from the

EDITOR

Welcome....

ISSUE 83 INSPIRING SUCCESS

Chamber members The official magazine for

note launches early The newest polymer bank

2020

R NETWORK NEWS FROM THE CHAMBE PLUS. . . ALL THE LATEST

Chief Executive John Bridge OBE DL

I am pleased to include within your connected magazine our 2020 desk calendar. The design reflects our new branding and website giving you information on some of the many benefits that Chamber membership provides.

This month we are delighted to feature our recent business exhibitions and introduce the fundraising team at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices – the Chamber Charity of the Year.

The Bank of England also contribute this month and talk about the £20 polymer note due out next year.

Exporters, please note the documentation dates for the festive period which you will find on page 10.

SADIE PARR

connected Editor

Editor Sadie Parr Published by

Print xlpress Design Jill Rowbotham Advertising Caroline Baker caroline.baker@trinitymirror.com Membership team Bren Coleman 01223 209811 Cambridge Clifford House, 2 Station Yard, Oakington, Cambridge, CB24 3AH Tel 01223 237414 Email enquiries@cambscci.co.uk Visit cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk @CambsChamber Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce

• DIARY DATES • JAN 2020

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Informal Networking Evening, Ely

Informal Networking Evening, St Ives

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Informal Networking Evening, Peterborough

16

CAMRA Elysian Beer Festival, Ely

16 21 22 23 24

Informal Networking Evening, Cambridge

Export Procedures and Documentation, Cambridge

28 28 Export Club, Cambridge

Storm in a Teacup, Ely

@CambsChamber

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.

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Informal Networking Evening, March

FEB 2020

Fine Dining Experience, Stamford

3

Informal Networking Evening, Huntingdon

Safari Networking Breakfast, Cambridge

4

Incoterms and Export Licence Controls, Cambridge

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Informal Networking Evening, Stamford

Informal Networking Evening, Ely

Safari Networking Breakfast, Peterborough

Informal Networking Evening, Peterborough

Informal Networking Evening, Cambridge

Informal Networking Evening, Fenland

view from the

BRIDGE

It was a pleasure to be asked to officially open the new Regus Offices in Huntingdon where, as well as all the guests, I had the privilege of meeting the General Manager, Ian Butler together with the franchise owner, Jeet Sohal, MD of ACCA Ltd. It was a special occasion being one of the first UK franchise centres for Regus, in partnership with ACCA Ltd, and is based on the Ermine Business Park in Huntingdon.

The centre offers start-of-the-art office space with private offices and co-working spaces, meeting rooms and interview rooms. Do take the opportunity to go and see these excellent premises where one of our members, CareerJuice, has already moved in and their photos can be seen on page 24.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Nigel De Soyza, Business Development Manager at KingsGate Conference Centre, when they hosted us for another successful Peterborough B2B Exhibition.

As usual we were very well looked after by the great team at KingsGate, and a recap of the event can be found on page 43.

KingsGate in Peterborough is one of the largest and best equipped conference centres in East Anglia and the East Midlands. Their modern, hi-tech venue has a 1,500 seater auditorium, welcome atrium, three large conference suites, seven medium meeting rooms and two discreet and comfortable informal rooms. The venue is easily accessible on the outskirts of Peterborough, with good links to major roads and convenient access to the train station, plus complimentary car parking and wi-fi.

I really enjoyed attending the War for Talent events that were planned and executed by our HR and Recruitment Sector where I found the content to be exceptionally beneficial. I met up with sector Chair Nicky Cockerill, Employment Lawyer at Buckles, and Vice-Chair Rebecca Ryan, Solicitor from Leeds Day Solicitors, after the final Retaining Talent session and complimented them on this very successful and well received series of events.

People and employment issues are key to business success and it’s a topic that is rapidly changing. Plans are already underway for another series of events in 2020 – watch this space!

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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.

Build new connections in 2020 Networking is key to individual and company development. Businesses network to develop relationships with people and companies they may do business with now, and in the future.

These connections help to establish rapport and trust among the business community. The Chamber provides many

opportunities for members to widen their network of business contacts through building opportunities and maximising the benefits of being part of Cambridgeshire’s most vibrant business network.

Turn to pages 45-47 to see what events we have taking place in January and February.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2020 Once again the Business Women’s Sector is hosting an event for International Women’s Day on Friday 6 March. The event, commencing at 9.30am, will take place in Peterborough Cathedral, an amazing setting to raise and discuss the learnings of the past the issues of today and the opportunities of the future.

With our amazing sponsors we intend to invite young people, our future work force from schools, colleges and universities across the county to join women and men already in the world of work.

The event will include inspirational speakers, workshop activities and time for some great networking opportunities, concluding with a buffet lunch!

Please put the date in the diary and look out for further details in connected or via social media as they are announced.

The theme for 2020 - An equal world is an enabled world. Individually we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements.

Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender equal world.

Let’s all be #EachforEqual.

If you are interested in sponsoring this sell out event, which will have an audience of 150 people, or would like to receive further details as they become available please contact Helen Bosett, Sector Co-ordinator, h.bosett@ cambscci.co.uk, or telephone 01223 237414.

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network and

CONNECT

An appeal to the community to support our Care Leavers into work Can you connect with Cambridgeshire County Council?

At Cambridgeshire County Council we are committed to helping our young people who have been through the care system get the same opportunities to engage in Employment, Education and Training as the general population.

Currently young people who leave care are drastically underrepresented in employment or further education.

Nationally, 40 per cent of care leavers aged 18-25 are not engaging in any form of work or education. This can often be due to their turbulent childhood. At 18 our young people must leave the care network and become residentially and financially independent from the County Council, many leave the care network under educated, under qualified or under experienced for many of our entry level jobs. Many of our care leavers struggle with their finances, living off a very small budget, with no backing from a family that many of their peers will receive. They can struggle with homelessness, mental health issues and are over represented inside our prison system.

As Corporate Parents we have a responsibility to ensure our young people have the opportunity to overturn these statistics and give them the hope that they can become financially stable and emotionally independent. We are working hard on various initiatives across the county to help overcome the obstacles they face. Many may seem like minor issues to people who have not been through the care system. For example transportation to enable them to travel to a work place or further education establishment is a huge issue for our young people. We are pleased to have been awarded funding recently to provide our care leavers with bicycles to help them access employment, education or training, helping to overcome the issues of transportation, social isolation and also improving physical health and mental wellbeing.

A free bicycle can be seen as a small gesture for many but has huge impacts for our care leavers.

We are reaching out to the community to help us develop a strong and sustainable support network throughout the county to guide our young people

into careers and higher education. We are currently building a network of Care Leaver Business Champions, offering our young people financial discounts, sponsorship funding and employment opportunities.

Example of initiatives we are looking for organisations to champion are; a mentorship scheme for our care leavers, made up from mentors within the local business community, or sponsorship to fully fund Duke of Edinburgh places, kit and expedition costs for seven of our care leavers, to help build employability skills, boost their confidence and help them develop their own skill set.

This is a really exciting opportunity for local organisations to make a real impact to young people who through no fault of their own have become one of the most

vulnerable groups in our society.

As a community we all have a social responsibility to support these young people. Whether through your social inclusion employment policies or through your Corporate Social Responsibility funding initiatives in the community, we would like to put care leavers on your radar and reach out to any organisations that feel they can support our young people.

To find out more, please contact our Specialist Personal Advisor, Joe Gilbert, who can discuss forming a partnership of support for our young people and naming you as a Care Leaver Business Champion.

Email: Joe.Gilbert@cambridgeshire.gov.uk Phone: 07767 013427 connected 7

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.

BANK OF ENGLAND HOLDS RATES STEADY The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) met last month to decide whether to change Bank Rate – the official base rate of interest in the UK. The MPC also updated its forecast for economic growth and inflation to reflect the details of the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration agreed with the EU. The latest forecast shows growth picking up to a little over two per cent by the end of 2022, as some of the Brexit uncertainties that have been facing businesses and households diminish.

The MPC also expects economic activity in the rest of the world, which has been weighed down by international trade tensions, to stabilise.

As spending in the economy rises, that in turn will put upward pressure on prices and help inflation to hit the two per cent target set by Parliament.

Based on those forecasts, a modest tightening of monetary policy (via higher interest rates) might be needed to keep inflation from overshooting the target.

The MPC emphasised that any such tightening would be at a gradual pace and to a limited extent.

For the time being, the MPC judged it appropriate to keep Bank Rate at 0.75 per cent.

The Committee also noted that there were risks around its forecasts: growth in the rest of the world might not stabilise and recover; and Brexit uncertainty might not fall as expected.

In those cases, monetary policy may need to be more supportive, to reinforce the expected recovery in the economy and make sure that inflation meets the target.

Helped by our business contacts in Cambridgeshire and the rest of the UK, the Bank’s Agents will ensure the MPC has the information it needs to make its decisions.

Low and stable inflation is important because maintaining the value of the money in people’s pockets helps households and businesses to plan with confidence.

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From 20 February 2020, that money will include a polymer £20 note featuring the artist JMW Turner.

Turner was chosen by the Governor out of 590 eligible individuals nominated by almost 30,000 members of the public.

Polymer notes last longer than paper notes and stay in better condition.

The Turner £20 will join the Churchill £5 and the Austen £10. A new polymer £50 note, featuring Alan Turing, will follow in 2021.

The paper £20 will be gradually withdrawn from circulation, and there will be six months’ public notice of its legaltender status ending.

Patrick Campbell, Deputy Agent, South East & East Anglia Agency, Bank of England

the power to

TRANSFORM

Parties must reignite business confidence and investment at this election Avoiding a no-deal Brexit and delivering an urgent confidence boost through action on infrastructure, immigration, skills and business costs must be at the forefront of the next government’s agenda, says the British Chambers of Commerce.

2020 and beyond: business priorities for the next UK government – compiled with input from the 53 accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK and the BCC’s growing global network – sets out key priorities that would enable businesses of all sizes to reignite the country’s stagnating economy.

BCC Director General Dr Adam Marshall said: “The message from business communities all over the UK couldn’t be clearer: the next government must deliver an end to the Brexit stalemate and take decisive steps to improve the business environment here at home.

“To say business leaders are angry and frustrated would be putting it mildly. They are doing their bit for the country – and think it is high time politicians do their bit too.

“We cannot afford to allow our infrastructure to fray, for the gaping holes in our training and skills system to go unfilled, or for governments to pile on new costs that stop firms from investing in growth.

“Millions of businesspeople across the UK pay their taxes diligently, and care deeply about their communities and the environment. They should never be seen as the enemies of progress, and Westminster should never be distracted from delivering the conditions needed for growth, jobs and prosperity here at home.

“Our proposals would help an incoming administration reignite business confidence and investment – and would pay lasting dividends for our communities and the UK economy.”

Key business priorities for the next administration are: ON BREXIT: • Avoid a messy and disorderly exit from the European Union. Ensure the smoothest possible shift from a transition period to the future UK-European Union relationship. Introduce a temporary SME Brexit tax credit to support businesses that need to undertake specific activity to adjust to changes in trading conditions.

ON PEOPLE: • Introduce a simple and flexible new immigration system that minimises the administrative burden on businesses

and allows access to all skill levels – including temporary, seasonal and permanent roles – with recognition of professional qualifications.

• Increase funding for apprenticeships to ensure SMEs can access training, at all skill levels, in their local area and reform the Apprenticeship Levy in England to allow businesses to use all forms of accredited training.

ON BUSINESS INVESTMENT AND COSTS: • Launch a business-led review of the business rates system in England and Wales, and work with the Scottish government to co-ordinate these reforms to provide a level playing field.

• Extend the £1 million Annual Investment Allowance for a further two years and widen its scope.

ON INFRASTRUCTURE: • Raise public investment in infrastructure to at least 1.4 per cent of GDP per year – exceeding the funding guideline of 1.2 per cent recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission.

• Complete the legal frameworks for all phases of HS2; deliver promised investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail; and proceed to deliver a UK-wide high-speed rail network as soon as possible.

ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE: • Ensure continuity of trading conditions with third countries so that businesses can continue to benefit from the levels of market access that they have had under European Union free trade agreements.

• Secure the future of the UK-European Union trading relationship, minimising cross-border trade frictions and avoiding a hard border with Ireland.

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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.

Documentation dates over the festive break The Chamber will close for the Christmas break at 12.30pm on Tuesday 24 December and will re-open at 9.00am on Thursday 2 January.

During the closure documents submitted electronically will be processed on Tuesday 31 December from 10.00am1.00pm. Please ensure you upload all supporting paperwork to enable us to process these applications.

The last date for submitting consular

documentation is 11.00am on Wednesday 18 December, documents submitted after this time will not be processed until Thursday 2 January.

Due to an office move over the Christmas period there may be a delay in documentation processing (rather than our usual two hour estimation) from Thursday 19 December until we close for Christmas. Please bear with us during this period.

CHAMBER EXPORT CLUB

There are changes on the horizon for networking opportunity. It’s designed so you can drop by at the end of the day export documentation as a result of the between 4.00pm until 6.00pm, connect United Kingdom leaving the European with others and exchange ideas, ask Union. At this event we welcome questions and offer advice.

Margaret Chadwick, from Chadwick Export Services, who will speak about You don’t need to book in advance to how to ensure you are ready for Brexit attend this event, simply join us at our and beyond. Every day brings new offices in Oakington from 4.00pm. discussions about what will happen Free parking is available on-site when the UK exits from the EU. What is and refreshments are provided. For the future of our border controls? How more information, please call Karen will you manage moving goods between We are delighted that Export Club is Cash on 01223 237414. returning to the Chamber events calendar the UK and the EU? for 2020 - an informal networking event How will Brexit affect your suppliers and for exporters, international service customers? Be ready providers and those interested in for the decisions accessing new markets overseas. looming up on our Whether you are already involved horizon. Know your in international trade or considering expanding into new markets, Export Club supply chain and plan EXPORT CLUB DATES: your strategy going offers a unique informal environment to forwards. Join us for share experience and expertise. a lively discussion!.

TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY • Learn more about markets and The Chambers’ successful strategies by talking to International Trade other exporters team will also attend • Form relevant connections across the to offer further advice MAY JANUARY MARCH globe and answer your • Hear the latest initiatives and meet queries. those that can help to support your international trade activities This free event TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY • Obtain export documentation is open to all advice from the Chambers’ in-house businesses and you international trade team. don’t need to be a Our first event will take place on Chamber member NOVEMBER SEPTEMBER JULY Tuesday 28 January from 4.00-6.00pm to take advantage at our new office in Oakington. of this specialist

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List of customs agents and fast parcel operators Find customs agents and fast parcel operators who can help submit customs declarations in a no-deal Brexit.

It can be complicated to submit import and export customs declarations, so you may want to use a company 10 connected

which specialises in this area.

These include: • Customs agents and brokers • Freight forwarders • Shipping companies • Fast parcel operators (for example, couriers or next-day parcels services)

• Agents who specialise in a certain industry, for example fresh foods or pharmaceuticals.

Visit www.gov.uk/guidance/listof-customs-agents-and-fast-parceloperators for further details.

Go

EXPORT

Brexit and global uncertainty bite as majority of exporting manufacturers report drops in orders and cashflow A majority of UK manufacturing exporters are reporting a stark worsening in sales and orders, with indicators showing a substantial drop compared to 2017 and 2018 levels.

The Quarterly International Trade Outlook for Q3 2019, released by British Chambers of Commerce and DHL, reveals that indicators for exporting manufacturers in Q3 2019 have undergone large declines, with several key indicators for orders and cashflow now in negative territory.

The percentage balance of exporting manufacturers reporting an increase in export orders fell to – one per cent, down from +9 in the previous quarter. The balance of those reporting increased domestic orders fell to -4 per cent in Q3, down from +8 per cent in Q2.

The balance of exporting manufacturers reporting improved cash flow stood at -5 per cent in Q3, down from +6 per cent in Q2. In Q3 2018, one year ago, the balance stood at +13.

While exporting manufacturers saw large declines across the QITO indicators, the exporting services sector also saw indicators well below historical levels.

In Q3 +8 per cent of exporting service sector firms reported an increase in domestic orders, down from +12 per cent in Q2. A balance of zero per cent reported an increase in export orders, down from +5.

BCC Director General Adam Marshall said: “A strong and balanced economy needs healthy exporters at its core. But while there are some companies bucking the trend, future sales and orders are now well into negative territory, after a steady downward trend in export performance this year.”

Vice President of Marketing at DHL Express, Shannon Diett said: “This quarter’s report shows clearly that it continues to be a challenging environment for UK exporters.

“Whether expanding to new markets within the EU or elsewhere in the world, diversifying the portfolio of countries in which you operate will help stabilise your business in the coming months and provide a future engine for growth. In this regard a number of non-traditional markets present

a significant opportunity for UK exporters.

“Working with logistics providers to ensure the transition to any new trade arrangement is as smooth as possible will be vital for exporters looking to mitigate the uncertainty and thrive into the future.

“Along with broadening exposure to more markets, taking simple actions like ensuring you are electronically transmitting your customs documentation or sharing your EORI number with your shipper is advisable regardless the ultimate outcome.”

INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAINING COURSES High quality, accredited training for your team The Chamber runs a rolling programme of training courses that culminate in the nationally-recognised Foundation Award in International Trade.

The courses provide the knowledge to assist with your international trade activities and you will receive detailed notes to take away for build up a toolkit of reference information.

Export Procedures and Documentation Tuesday 21 January Incoterms and Export Licence Controls Tuesday 4 February Finance Options: Focusing on Letters of Credit Tuesday 3 March

Customs Declarations focusing on Import Compliance and Savings Tuesday 24 March Customs Special Procedures: focusing on Inward Processing and Outward Processing Tuesday 28 April Rules of Origin: Preference and Non-preference Tuesday 19 May Cost per course: £300.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £450.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members.

All course will be held at our Chamber offices in Oakington.

Register online at www. cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk/ training or contact Rose Griffiths on 01223 209817.

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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.

Get ready for off-payroll tax rules in private sector A local accountancy firm says medium and large private sector companies must be ready for new off-payroll working rules which come into effect from 6 April 2020.

The same ruling was applied to the public sector in 2017 and now, to boost the objectives of the original IR35 legislation, HMRC is casting its net wider to the private sector.

Two decades ago, IR35 legislation was introduced to ensure that suppliers – working through intermediaries or personal services companies (PSCs) – paid similar levels of tax and National Insurance contributions to those paid by employees of the end user.

The objective is still the same but, from 6 April 2020, responsibility for working out whether the rules apply will shift from the PSC to the end client and, where they do, the fee payer must deduct tax and National Insurance from payments made to the worker’s PSC. If the end client is a small private sector organisation, the existing IR35 rules apply. A private sector organisation is not small if at least two of the following apply: • Turnover of more than £10.2 million • Balance sheet total of more than £5.1 million • More than 50 employees.

Helen Peak, certified chartered accountant at Mapus-Smith & Lemmon, says many of the firm’s clients will be affected by this new ruling.

“We are working with a number of clients to make sure they are ready for the new rules. It is important to identify individuals within current workforces who are supplying their services through personal service companies and to determine whether the off-payroll rules will apply for any contracts that extend beyond 6 April 2020.

“Equally important to remember is that the underlying rules as to whether a worker is employed or self-employed have not changed and that these rules are still aimed at combatting disguised employment. Equally, workers should consider whether it is worth remaining off-payroll.”

DO YOU WORK ‘IN YOUR BUSINESS’ OR ‘ON YOUR BUSINESS’?

Some organisations see business planning as a marketing exercise or an exercise to get funding. But planning the success of your business is vital if you are to grow your business and achieve the potential of your company.

You would be amazed at how many businesses go from day to day meeting challenges without a plan.

Without a plan how do you know if you are successful? Many people think that looking at finances tells you if you are successful. It may give you a snapshot but is it an indication of success?

A plan is there to ensure your company is moving in the right direction, in the right time-frame.

The business plan looks at the opportunities your company has and the issues it may face. One of the significant advantages is that the project is agreed amongst the leadership team and so everybody understands their role in the success of the business, and also understands the implications if they cannot meet their targets.

Spend just one day a month on Business Planning, and you will see a dramatic improvement and understanding of where your company is heading.

How do you successfully manage workplace stress?

UK employer’s carry the cost burden of £42 billion per year due to poor mental health, most of which is preventable.

Vikki of Skylark was a high performing employment lawyer when she burnt out.

Read her Seven Top Tips to Successfully Manage Workplace Stress, which would have 12 connected

prevented her burnout, continuing with: TOP TIP 5: KNOW YOUR VISION Why is visioning so important? Well, imagine a car journey and ask yourself “if I don’t know my destination how will I know the route to take; how to manage challenges along the way; and when I’ve arrived? Now replace the car journey for your life journey and ask again.

If you are a leader, perhaps consider; if you don’t know where you’re going how does anyone following you?

So why not try this: Place three pieces of paper in front of you. Label each one in turn, Year one, Year five and Year 10.

Ask yourself what you would want your life to look like at each of these stages. Get started with open questions before getting into the detail. Try questions like: • What does success look like (explore your work and personal life) • What’s your environment (material items, people and location) • What are your hobbies • How and when do you work?

Through visioning you can then gather meaningful data about how to create your vision and the change that is required. Marry this with key leadership skills and you’ll create high performance without risking burnout.

learn and

INFORM

Ultrafast Fibre – the biggest change ever Information provided by The Stamford Telephone Company ‘Ultrafast Fibre’ to the Premises (FTTP) provides an Internet Connection to your Business with a current maximum download of 330Mbps. You can also reach upload speeds of 50Mbps. Speeds are expected to rise to 1Gbps in the future. That compares to 80/20 Mbps for existing ‘superfast’ Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC). Ultrafast is also a pure fibre connection, meaning no copper wires or ‘phone line’ is required.

Reliability is improved and you can use this single connection for all your requirements. As no ‘phone line’ is required, it purely carries data services. For telephony, only IP voice services (VoIP) will work.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE Openreach have an availability list on their website under Fibre First Towns - www. openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fibre-first There are two ways to get Ultrafast or

‘Fibre To The Premises’ (FTTP) as it is officially known. The easiest, and lowest cost, route is to order an available service from your preferred Communication Provider. The other way is to request a connection through a Communication Provider for a survey to be carried out.

This establishes the installation cost of connecting your premises. Once the cost is established, you can decide to proceed or cancel the order.

Eventually most of the country will have on demand availability but it may be some time before it is available in your area. Without a bespoke connection and the costs associated with that, we would advise that you ensure you choose a Communications Provider who can give you the fastest connection now and be able to upgrade you later when FTTP is available.

It is important to choose a well-

established provider with experience of connecting businesses to the Internet using top tier carriers. It is also important that your provider gives a high level of responsiveness and understands your business needs, which may also include Telephony and Wi-Fi.

ADOPTING A GRATITUDE ATTITUDE IN B2B TELEMARKETING

By Blue Donkey Intelligent Telemarketing

Lots of things in life make us happy or sad. Telemarketing is one of those workplace activities many people will actively seek to avoid. Why? Because the knock-backs hurt, speaking to strangers feels uncomfortable, being unable to see the person we’re talking to compromises our senses, or because we’re afraid of saying something silly and embarrassing ourselves. Sadly, those people who dislike telemarketing often have bad experiences fixed in their mind, and since our fears are made up of negative experiences, it colours our perception and expectations of the world. Put simply, if you expect unpleasant outcomes, they will probably happen.

On the other hand, for those of us who do enjoy telemarketing, or at least link the activity of telemarketing to success and achievement, unsurprisingly, we see things a little differently!

CARRY GOOD BAGGAGE To make a success of B2B telemarketing, instead of fixing the negative aspects in your mind, we suggest you focus on the positives. Keep good experiences front of mind as you move through your calling and keep reminding yourself of successful interactions and fun calls. Remember the great stuff: the time you called someone and had such an effective conversation that they went on to become your best client. Remember the person who gave you some vital information that led to you taking some good new ideas to your boss.

Or how about the time someone said they were actually in the process of reviewing and you got to the table just in time to take the business away from the competition.

HAVE COURAGE, SHOW CARE Most of us will have examples of great occurrences, yet many chose to remember the odd time they were hung-up on, or where they made a gaffe and felt silly.

Having the courage and confidence to move through call after call, taking time

to treat everyone with care and respect takes energy and passion but the payback is invariably worth the effort. Not just for performance metrics but for the satisfaction our jobs afford us. It’s not by accident that the happy, fulfilled and optimistic folk are the nicer to be around.

BE GRATEFUL At the bottom of all this feel-good power is the ability to adopt an attitude of respecting and being grateful for the time people give us over the phone. We call them out of the blue, they’re not dutybound to take or respond to our calls, they could be under pressure, unhappy, in the middle of something important, or maybe they just don’t feel like speaking to a stranger.

DON’T JUDGE We’ve all been in the room when a colleague expresses an opinion, or just plain anger with someone they’ve just spoken with on the phone. Good B2B telemarketing relies on discipline and competence to engage with decision makers in business, on their terms.

Tempting as it may be to express or even feel judgement for those whose manner or words don’t please us, it’s healthier and far more professional to resist and move on.

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how to

PROTECT

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

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS Chamber membership, through our Chamber Protection Package, provides access to key information, expert advice and legal protection, enabling you to stay informed, legally protected and free to focus on what you do best – building your business.

You are protected by a comprehensive legal expenses insurance policy covering business and employee cover across 11 sections, with up to £100,000.00 per claim and £1,000,000.00 in the annual aggregate, plus there is no excess to pay.

• Employment disputes • Health and Safety prosecutions • Tax protection – HMRC enquiry, aspect enquiries, PAYE disputes and VAT disputes • Criminal prosecution defence • Statutory licence protection

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• • • • • •

Property disputes Data protection Personal injury Motor disputes Wrongful arrest defence Jury service allowance (£100.00 per day / £1,000 per claim).

This protection gives you access to four key services provided by Quest: ChamberHR, ChamberLegal, ChamberH&S, ChamberTax

ALL OF THESE FOUR SERVICES ARE UNDERPINNED BY: • One advice line which gives you unlimited access to experienced, specialist advisers covering HR, employment law, legal, health & safety, tax and VAT. Telephone the helpline on 01455 852037 • One website that offers a

comprehensive library of over 750 documents that are free to download and can be customised to suit the needs of your business. These cover everything from employee recruitment to exit, legal documents and health & safety documents • Comprehensive legal expenses insurance which covers you for employment disputes, tax investigations, property disputes, data protection and more.

The Four Services Handbook is available to view on our website.

ask the

Everything you need to know about occupational health Alison Lambert, Occupational Health Advisor from Workfit-UK explains all.

WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH? Occupational health is a specialist field of medicine that focuses on the promotion and maintenance of health in the working population. We look at the impact of health on work, and work on health and make sure that workers are fit to undertake the role they are employed to do.

DO I HAVE ANY LEGAL OBLIGATIONS? There are legal duties placed on employers to prevent ill health which can be caused by work. Health surveillance allows for early identification of ill health and helps identify any corrective action needed. Health surveillance consists of a series of ongoing checks and may be required by law if your employees are exposed to noise or vibration, solvents, fumes, dusts, biological agents and other substances hazardous to health.

HOW DO I MANAGE SICKNESS ABSENCE? Absence management provides employers with a professional opinion and guidance about employees’ sickness absence. Early referral to occupational health can expedite a successful return to work. It facilitates a consistent approach to absence management within businesses, helps reduce the cost and

EXPERT

impact of absence, provides advice about employee’s health problems and their fitness to work, including any adjustments or restrictions and allows for further advice and suggestions to reduce the likelihood of further absence.

WHAT ARE FITNESS MEDICALS? These are designed to make sure an individual is fit to perform the task involved effectively without risk to their own or others health and safety. Unlike health surveillance, this is not legislative, rather it is deemed best practice.

Examples of fitness medicals include driver medicals, working at height; confined space and safety critical and construction site working.

WHAT ABOUT WELLBEING? Wellbeing is an overarching term encompassing a range of strategies to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of the workforce and is ideally promoted and implemented by occupational health within the workplace to support good health.

If you are considering using an occupational health provider, ideally look for companies that hold SEQOHS accreditation – this is the recognised industry standard for occupational health services.

How to complete a worthwhile review of your commercial insurance arrangements

Most people dread reviewing and renewing their commercial Insurance programme. I have completed 100’s maybe 1000’s of reviews over the years and would recommend focusing on the following points…

MAKE SURE YOU ARE CLEAR AS TO WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH Prepare for your review. Make a list of what’s important to you and make sure these points are covered off.

INVEST THE TIME AND COMMITMENT TO COMPLETE A THOROUGH REVIEW It is important that you allocate enough time to spend with your broker.

The broker needs to have a thorough

understanding of your business, its risks and what you are looking for. A half hour fact find meeting for a complex insurance programme just won’t cut it.

CHOOSE THE BROKERS TO BE INVOLVED CAREFULLY Anyone can ‘give you a quote’. A Chartered Insurance brokerage with Professionally Qualified staff will give you peace of mind that you are dealing with experts. Don’t involve too many Brokers. Your existing broker and two competing brokers are ample. Too many cooks can definitely spoil the broth!

MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE PROCESS Treat the review as a tender, setting guidelines as to what you expect and your timescale. Too many times I have seen companies making pressurised last minute uninformed decisions. Potentially leading to incorrect cover being purchased, this could seriously affect

the chances of your business continuing following a major loss!

NEVER MAKE YOUR PURCHASING DECISION BASED UPON PRICE ALONE The cheapest option might be fine if the insurance programme has been designed correctly. It is however the overall proposal which needs to be considered. First and foremost is the cover right? Will it work? Will it guarantee the survival of your business following a major loss such as a fire?

Secondly is the premium reasonable for the right cover.

Cowens Group has many years’ experience in completing insurance reviews.

If you would like to discuss further please contact Robin Chubb at our Stamford Office on 01733 375630 or by email at r.chubb@cowensgroup. co.uk

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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

Blue Diamond

THIS MONTH’S NEW MEMBERS

Blue Diamond helps disenchanted professionals reignite the passion in their work or find the next challenge, via 1:1 coaching.

They also run workshops on topics including overwhelm, imposter syndrome, confidence, assertiveness, resilience, work life balance, and aspirations and goals. These are run as open courses as well as within organisations. www.bluediamondcoach.com

Blue Diamond Cambridge Strategy Centre @_CamStrat ctm it support @ctmITSupport DC Intelligence Ltd @DCisquared Force One @ForceOneLtd Integrated Resources Ltd Skyline Wireless Ltd @skylinewireless The Fellows House The Wildlife Trust BCN @wildlifebcn

face2faceHR demonstrate commitment to our Chamber network We are pleased to welcome face2faceHR to Chamber membership - with expert HR Consultant Lorraine Canham on hand to offer support in the local area. Access to the right HR support can offer tremendous benefits for small businesses, leading to improved morale, better performance and increased profitability. The face2faceHR team offers practical tailored employment law advice, but with an emphasis on removing HR stress from SME’s so they can fully concentrate on growing their business. www.face2facehr.com

Hot Sauce Design Offering cutting edge graphic and digital design solutions, branding campaigns through to printed marketing, promotional videos adding motion into your brand and everything else in between. Their goal is to help you as an individual or an already established business, thrive through using their background and knowledge of all things design related and creative. www.hotsaucedesignltd.co.uk

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Chartered Accounting Firm offering full financial support to help businesses grow, reduce costs and improve profitability Wilkinson Accounting Solutions is a professional accounting firm with a difference. They are passionate about using their expertise to help customers see beyond their numbers, taking the time to fully understand your business goals and objectives.

Their mission is to offer ‘More than just tax accounting’, they are true business partners that support their customers by delivering financial expertise including objective, strategy and financial planning, cash management, cost saving initiatives along with backend services including bookkeeping

and tax returns.

Their virtual business model provides clients flexible bespoke packages, enabling them to have expert financial and strategic support on a basis that is tailored to their requirements.

Contact them today to find out how Wilkinson Accounting Solutions can help your business grow. www.wilkinsonaccountingsolutions. co.uk

news from

Performanta Ltd

Performanta is a pure play information security specialist with a global footprint. From their UK offices they can offer managed and professional security services, consultancy and leading technology to customers that vary from the largest corporates to the smallest SME. Your account manager Andy Sutherland is based in East Anglia. www.performanta.com

NEW MEMBERS

REVOLUTION

Say hello to the Cambridge University Press Pitt Building The Pitt Building event team is super excited to confirm its Chamber membership – the fabulous historic conference venue in Cambridge city centre offers eight rooms for hire, including the impressive Oriel Room. The outstanding range of modern conference facilities is matched by a historical atmosphere and first-class hospitality. Being only a twominute walk from the river and King’s Parade, its excellent location is perfect for meetings, away days and conferences alike. www.pittbuilding.org

THE FELLOWS HOUSE The Fellows House Cambridge, Curio Collection

by Hilton, is a brand new boutique, extended stay, apartment style hotel on Milton Road. An exclusive destination with an inclusive spirit. Inspired by great university fellows past and present and designed for the discerning clientele of Cambridge and beyond, seeking somewhere to eat, drink and stay in style. www.thefellowshouse.com

Omneluxe Omneluxe helps companies grow brand equity. With branding being the most significant, single financial asset a company owns, developing your brand matters to them.

They drive business growth by understanding human behaviours, utilising quantifiable findings and employing an intuitive knowledge of aesthetics and their touchpoints, to ensure coherent messaging reaches the people that matter the most – your customers.

To find out more about how Omneluxe can help you visit www.omneluxe.com

Revolution Cambridge is a vibrant bar and restaurant perfect for all kinds of events. A venue based over four floors and five rooms it offers a different experience in each! From Adhoc social events to big corporate bookings this is the perfect venue for you all to enjoy!

Skyline Wireless Intelligent Communications SWIC is a unified communications company providing products and services to suit all businesses with internet connectivity, broadband for any requirement, VoIP telephone systems, mobiles and connections. They have access to cost savings for activating high speed leased lines enabling businesses to upgrade existing technology. They also offer project management of data cabling infrastructure to decommissioning old systems. www.skylinewireless.co.uk

Straightahead UK Straightahead UK is a relationship building business that helps other businesses to grow through intelligent and respectful prospecting. Because they do not use a typical telemarketing approach, they are able to investigate each prospect’s concerns, issues, wants and needs. Their service lends itself to virtually every market sector and size of business; they help sole traders and SMEs, right the way through to international organisations, by professionally promoting their business to potential new clients. www.straightaheaduk.com

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Support our board member on his cycle challenge Joe Hemsley-Rudd, Sales Director at Ellgia Ltd and Chamber Board member, is taking part in a four day cycle challenge from London to Paris in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Joe explains why he is taking part in this challenge: “In 2018 my son Louis was diagnosed was a condition called Craniosynostosis, which one or more of the fibrous sutures in his skull prematurely fused by turning into bone, thereby changing the growth pattern of the skull. Because the skull could not expand perpendicular to the fused suture, it compensated by growing more in the direction parallel to the closed sutures.

“In some cases, where the skull size does not provide enough space for the growing brain, craniosynostosis results in increased intracranial pressure. We were fortunate that Louis did not suffer from raised pressure, however in children that do suffer it can cause issues with speech and language and development delays.

“So, in May 2019 the Craniofacial Team at Great Ormond Street Hospital, led by Mr Jeelani and Professor Dunnaway, performed a full 360 reconstruction of Louis skull.

The operation went well and Louis will continue to be monitored for raised pressure throughout his childhood years.

“The period of time between diagnosis and recovery from the operation was really difficult for our family. However we were well supported by those closest to us and the fantastic team at GOSH. “This has inspired me to do two things: 1) Fundraise for Great Ormond Street Hospital and in particular the Craniofacial Team 2) Raise awareness about Craniosynostosis as it affects one in 2000 births.

“If you can help me in my challenge to cycle 300 miles from London to Paris in four days in the sweltering heat in July 2020 I would be extremely grateful.

“Any donations would be greatly appreciated however big or small as it would massively help. Please find my link to my Just Giving page and depending on level of sponsorship I can offer the

possibility of your brand on my shirt/ website for the ride to provide some brand awareness for you in return.

“Thank you for reading my story and If you would like to support me in my challenge then please do not hesitate contact me on 07935 396861 to discuss further.”

Please support Joe here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joehemsley-rudd

KING’S ELY COMMUNITY RAISES A WHOPPING £34,000 FOR GOOD CAUSES A feast of fundraising initiatives has resulted in students, staff, families and friends of King’s Ely topping up a total of £34,000 for the school’s charities of the year.

Over the last 12 months, the King’s Ely community has been doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things to raise money for the school’s two chosen charities for 2018/19 – Cancer Research UK and the Wildlife

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Trust charity.

An incredible £34,000 has been raised – £10,000 of which is from a Charity Ball organised by a group of King’s Ely parents and which took place in Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel in June.

The rest of the funds were raised in a whole host of ways, including nonuniform days, cake sales, sponsored challenges, King’s Ely Junior’s Soapbox Race and the inaugural King’s Ely Colour Dash, to name just a few.

Heidi Connell, senior local fundraising manager for Cancer Research UK, attended the school’s Michaelmas Mid Term Service at the Cathedral on 18 October to receive a cheque for £17,685. The Wildlife Trust charity will be receiving their £17,000 soon.

Mrs Connell said she was

‘overwhelmed’ by the amount raised and said every penny will go towards funding vital research at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute – the charity’s hub closest to King’s Ely. She said: “The King’s Ely community has fundraised tirelessly over the last 12 months and this amazing contribution will enable Cancer Research UK to carry out more research in the labs, which in turn means better education around prevention and better treatments for those who are sadly diagnosed with cancer. All the money donated by the school will stay local and go directly to our Cambridge Institute. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the overwhelming amount raised and for helping Cancer Research UK work towards their ambition of wanting three in four people to survive cancer by 2034.”

chamber supports

CHARITY

Meet the EACH Team We are East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) a charity that cares for local life-threatened children and their families. Our support includes short break care, end of life care and wellbeing support like art and music therapy, counselling, hydrotherapy and specialist play.

As we draw closer to the New Year, you may be thinking about choosing a new charity to support in your workplace. So, we wanted to introduce you to your local EACH fundraisers Lottie, Kellie and Emily, and let you know a little more about what it’s like to work with EACH, in the hope you’ll consider us!

Whether you’re keen to get the collection buckets out, run a raffle or a marathon, or host a spectacular event or challenge, we are here to help! A few other ways to work with us: EACH offers exciting challenge events like the Cambridge Half Marathon and Ride London; mass participation events that are fun for all the family like Bubble Rushes and Splash Outs; local events to help you engage with your community like carol services and gala days; and much more besides!

If event sponsorship is your thing, we have a range of opportunities that allow you to engage with up to 1,400 participants, have great publicity at events, and also benefit from EACH’s extensive reach in the press and online.

We understand that every company is different, and every company will have different reasons for wanting to support a charity. The vital support of you and your colleagues will help local lifethreatened children and their families – supporting them on an unimaginably difficult journey.

There are also other benefits of your company working with EACH. We can work with you to create a bespoke calendar of activity that gives you extra opportunities to work together as a team and achieve something really powerful and important together. We can help you reach your CSR goals and increase your brand awareness too. In return, we will offer you tours of our Milton hospice, presentations to your staff, regular updates and newsletters, as well as of course lots of thanks and recognition for your amazing support!

If any of the above spikes your interest, we would love to hear from you. Partnerships make things happen, and by working together we can help make sure that we can care for as many local lifethreatened children and their families as possible.

“Working with companies, big and small, is a great thing.

I love thinking of different ways EACH could work with a company, and then working with my contact at the company to help make those plans come to life. I also love that my job is so varied – there’s never a dull moment.”

Lottie Driver – Corporate Fundraiser (Cambridgeshire and West Essex)

“My favourite part of my job is showing supporters the Milton hospice, and talking about all the amazing services EACH provides.

Our care is made possible by our supporters, so I love being able to show people exactly how their support has contributed to our wonderful, happy hospice!”

Emily Rose – Assistant Corporate Fundraiser (Cambridgeshire and West Essex)

“I really enjoy meeting so many different people including our corporate supporters, community groups, friends groups and event participants.

It is always a privilege to meet the amazing children, young people and families that we provide care for, and to help raise funds to enable EACH’s support to continue.”

Kellie Charge – Corporate Fundraiser (Peterborough)

If you would like to find out any more, please contact Lottie Driver using:: Tel: 01223 800765 • email: cambs@each.org.uk • www.each.org.uk • Twitter: EACH_hospices • Facebook: EACHhospices Registered Charity Number: 1069284.

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TELEVISION AND RADIO WRITER INSPIRES KING’S ELY STUDENTS AND STAFF Writer Richard Pinto – whose credits include The Kumars at No. 42 and Elvenquest – was guest speaker at this year’s James Bowman Lecture at King’s Ely. Richard, who is a King’s Ely parent, talked to Sixth Form students, members of staff, Old Eleans and guests, including the Mayor of Ely, about his fascinating career so far. For radio, Richard co-created and wrote Elvenquest, and he was the lead writer on both the radio and the TV series of Goodness Gracious Me. Other television writing credits include Small Potatoes, The Kumars at No. 42, Bromwell High, Mutual Friends, Fresh Meat, Armstrong and Miller and Citizen Khan.

Richard’s talk, which was illustrated with clips from his own and other classic comedy sketches, was light-hearted and humorous but with plenty of important underlying messages. In addition to advice on the serious business of comedy writing (“don’t do it”), the story of how he found success was a transferable message to many of the diverse careers King’s Ely students will go on to pursue.

He encouraged students always to be themselves, not to try and please others

all the time, and to ignore those who doubt them, always pursuing their goals and dreams.

John Attwater, Principal of King’s Ely, said: “Richard’s talk was a perfect blend of creativity, laughter, humility, serious thinking and great careers advice; all things we value so highly here. It was a real privilege to have the opportunity

to listen to someone at the top of their profession and for our students to appreciate what that takes and the possibilities for their own futures.”

The James Bowman Lecture was established by King’s Ely five years ago to promote the creative and liberal arts at the school. The annual lecture is generously supported by the Old Eleans’ Club.

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news from

ELY & EAST CAMBS AREA

Successful Business Boost event for East Cambridgeshire

Celebrity chef Levi Roots was the headline speaker at this year’s event which was attended by more than 300 people at Littleport Leisure Centre on Thursday 14 November.

Run by the Chamber, East Cambs Business Boost has become the district’s largest business to business networking event.

The event brought together East Cambridgeshire businesses through networking, an exhibition and engaging seminars.

After finding fame on TV show, Dragons’ Den, Levi Roots used his speech to talk to local firms and entrepreneurs about his rise from street vendor to a multi-million-pound brand to help inspire businesses looking to expand, branch out and develop.

He said: “I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to share my story and

experiences with local businesses in East Cambridgeshire.

“Having built my own brand from the ground up, I know how important events like Business Boost are to businesses looking for help and support.

“I would encourage every small or medium business to attend events like these to overcome challenges, grow your network and rise to success!”

Alongside Levi Roots other highprofile speakers at the event included an expert from Google Digital Garage, who talked about how to use digital marketing techniques as well as exSpecial Forces and Counter Terrorism expert, Jem Hills, who explained how businesses can overcome adversity to achieve success.

John Bridge OBE DL, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “It was great to see so many vibrant businesses continuing to succeed and grow despite the politicians who do not appear to live in the real world.

“There is no doubt the local economy is going to continue its long-standing economic success through the positivity of so many successful businesses.”

Photos: Shaun Scott Photography connected 21

DOMINO PRINTING SCIENCES APPOINTS NEW GROUP HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

ASHTONS LEGAL WINS LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR Ashtons Legal is thrilled to have won Law Firm of the Year at the recent LawNet Awards 2019. The national event, held in November, brought together a wide range of highly accomplished law firms from across the country, with Ashtons winning the final award of the night.

The judges recognised that since 2013 the firm has been on a journey of investing heavily in its people, premises and technology having built a new culture, invested in IT and moved to brand new premises in Bury St Edmunds while embarking of a comprehensive modernisation programme in its other offices.

Chris Marston, the CEO of LawNet, said: “Ashtons’ greatest achievement has been their people.

Their collaborative and trusting environment was illustrated across the legal community when they deployed a Paid Time Off policy in 2015; a policy which has subsequently been copied by a number of other firms including those within the LawNet community.

The journey continues with an ever greater degree of flexible and agile working and outcome focused objectives.”

Ashtons’ CEO Ed O’Rourke comments: “I am hugely proud of my team here at Ashtons; this award recognises everything they do to make this firm one that stands out against our peers as the law firm of the year.”

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Domino has appointed Chris Webb as its new Group Human Resources Director and the latest member of the executive team, following the retirement of Hilary Wright who was in the role for the last three years.

With responsibility for the HR function, Chris will concentrate on advancing both Domino’s employee development framework and its leadership and talent strategies, which he believes are central to the company’s ‘Do more’ commitment to delivering best-in-class customer satisfaction.

Chris says: “I am delighted to join CEO Robert Pulford and the Domino team.

Domino has such a strong track record on innovation and customer focus, with great people at its core.

“It’s an exciting time to join, as we move forward into the next chapter in our journey, with an enhanced focus on global strategic organisational development.

With so many opportunities ahead for the business, I’m looking forward to what the team can achieve.”

Multilingual, with a degree in Russian, French, and Economics, Chris has had exposure to human resources on a global

level, having lived and worked in Italy, Russia, and France.

Chris adds: “The executive team is already going through a process of reviewing our purpose, brand and values, so it is the perfect time to reassess how our leadership behaviours and talent strategies can support this work. Research clearly indicates that if you want to improve the support to your customers, begin by supporting employees to succeed and grow, and so that’s a key focus for me in my new role.”

Scrutton Bland gets fit for the future The Scrutton Bland Group has strengthened their senior management line-up with the announcement of Faye Howard as the latest professional to join the firm’s Partner team. Qualifying as a chartered certified accountant in 2004, Faye joined Scrutton Bland in 2014 as a Private Client Tax Director to develop the firm’s Private Client tax offering.

The leading financial services group has been undergoing a period of growth and expansion over the past 18 months, and the promotion of Faye to the Partnership Team is a further sign that the firm is committed to continuing its development over the coming years.

Jason Fayers, Managing Partner, said: “It is a very exciting time for Faye to be joining the Partner team, we are continuing to grow our service lines, employing more staff and investing in our operational structure. Our Tax Advisory service is a core offering for us and an area in which we have developed and excelled over recent years, and Faye has been pivotal in that progression.”

Speaking about her appointment, Faye said: “I am thrilled to have been invited to join the Partner team. We have a fantastic suite of advisory services across the firm and I am delighted to be joining the senior team at a time where we are looking for the business to be taking its next steps into the future and exploring the opportunities which will come with that.”

news from

CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS AREA

The Cambridge announces new Chief Executive Officer The Cambridge Building Society has announced Peter Burrows as its next Chief Executive Officer after a summer-long search.

Stephen Mitcham, the Society’s Chief Executive Officer for the past 12 years announced his decision to step down earlier in the year to spend more time with his family and pursue other interests.

With 20 years’ experience in financial services gained in a combination of executive and consulting roles in the UK and overseas, Peter joined the team at The Cambridge as Finance Director in March 2016. During his tenure as Finance Director, Peter has been integral to the Society’s on-going commitment to its local community and members. From investing in the digital enablement of their network and infrastructure, to the launch of the pioneering ‘Rent to Home’ initiative,

the Society has proved that they have an ambitious commitment to focus on innovations that will serve the Cambridge community over the long term.

Peter Burrows, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of The Cambridge, comments: “I’m delighted to be taking over as Chief Executive Officer of The Cambridge Building Society. Continued growth and financial stability are essential components of the sustainability of The Cambridge, but even more important is our ongoing commitment to our customers and the local communities in which we serve. I am confident that we can build on our success as a thriving, independent mutual business, and continue to support people to have a home, remain a trusted place for people to save, and further invest in our ‘Making The Difference’ initiative aimed at supporting our members.”

EVE WALDRON DESIGN SHORTLISTED FOR A 2019 FX INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR DESIGN AWARD

Amongst the most prestigious of its kind in the industry, the shortlist recognises EWD for its recent project work on the Cripps Building for St John’s College, University of Cambridge.

The project involved designing the interiors and supplying all furniture and window treatments for a Grade II* listed penthouse apartment, to be used by visitors to the college. This mid-century building was designed in the 1960s by

Kenneth Powell and Hildigo Moya and is of historical significance.

The team were inspired by the mid-century features of the building, alongside the wonderful views, cool concrete, teak floors, and bronze ironmongery that informed their choices for the refurbishment. The result is stylish, modern and sympathetic to the history of the building and incorporates thoughtful design choices from Eve and

her team, including soft furnishings of Eve’s own design.

Eve says: “We were delighted to work on this building of historical significance and update the interior to reflect its importance; it was a very enjoyable project.”

The award recognises the very best of interior projects and products and is judged by a multidisciplinary panel of 20 industry experts. connected 23

Send us your photos each month and we’ll include the best of the bunch!

Email images direct to s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

PUDSEY BEAR VISITS HUNTINGDONSHIRE This year Beacon Wealth Group were joined by the BBC as they celebrated 10 years of escorting BBC’s Pudsey Bear around the St Neots area. Over the last 10 years Beacon Wealth Group and the local community have raised over £32,500.

New home for CareerJuice Deborah Moulson from CareerJuice is one of the new tenants at the recently opened Regus in Huntingdon. This space was officially opened by John Bridge OBE DL in November.

A14 Integrated Delivery Team receive award Eighteen local businesses, including the A14 Integrated Delivery Team, receive Silver Employer Recognition Scheme Award from the Ministry of Defence at Emmanuel College, Cambridge in recognition of their support to the Defence Community.

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it’s happening

OUT & ABOUT

GEORGE FREEMAN MP GUEST OF HONOUR AT DINNER

George Freeman MP was guest speaker at this year’s Old Eleans’ Club Dinner at King’s Ely which welcomes Old Eleans (former King’s Ely students) of all ages and aims to promote fellowship amongst the school’s former pupils.

Mr Freeman is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk since 2010. He is a founder member of the 2020 Conservatives group and a member of Bright Blue's advisory board.

WAR FOR TALENT Our series of War for Talent events concluded recently with our final workshop looking at retaining the talent companies have already within their businesses.

We thank all members of the HR & Recruitment Sector that presented at these events.

Businesses connect at informal networking events Early November saw businesses come together to build new connections at our Informal Networking Evenings at the George Hotel in Huntingdon and Poets House in Ely.

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news from

FENLAND AREA

Cambs’ community ‘heroes’ recognised for station voluntary work Over 20 veterinary nursing students from the University Centre West Anglia’s (UcWA) Cambridge Campus attended their graduation ceremony on Saturday 5 October at Alive Corn Exchange at King’s Lynn.

The students studied the BSc in Veterinary Nursing and Applied Animal Behaviour and FdSc in Veterinary Nursing and Applied Animal Behaviour at UcWA’s Cambridge campus based in Milton.

The students took to the stage to take the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons pledge and declaration, overseen by Matthew Rendle of the Veterinary Nurses Council, to officially become registered veterinary nurses, certified by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

The students repeated the RCVS pledge, after Matthew Rendle, below: “I promise and solemnly declare that I will pursue the work of my profession with integrity and accept my responsibilities to the public, my clients, the profession and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and that above all my constant endeavour will be to ensure the health and welfare of animals to my care.”

This addition to UcWA’s annual graduation proceedings is a direct result of the college receiving accreditation from the RCVS, which means that all UcWA veterinary nursing graduates who complete either the college’s veterinary nursing or veterinary nursing with applied animal behaviour degree or

foundation degree, will now be fasttracked into the profession.

The approval by the RCVS means that students graduating from the above courses can now join the Register of Veterinary Nurses without having to undertake a pre-registration examination, which otherwise would be an additional exam sat on top of their degree at a later date.

CWA principal, David Pomfret, said: “This summer our HE students demonstrated their confidence in our HE provision with UCWA achieving an overall satisfaction score of 100 per cent in the National Student Survey on both the BA Hons Psychosocial Studies and BA Hons Early Childhood Studies programmes. The 2019 graduands also achieved great success with over 75 per cent of all completing students achieving ‘Good’ degree outcomes (first class or upper second classifications). Our HE students have sacrificed much to achieve success, but with the support of their family, friends and ongoing support from staff they have overcome many obstacles. Our graduates

should be extremely proud of themselves and what they have achieved.”

FdSc Veterinary Nursing and Applied Animal Behaviour student, Rachel Mason won the award for overall UcWA Student of the Year for her outstanding achievements during her time at the university centre.

Rachel Mason’s tutors said: “Rachel has shown true resilience throughout the duration of her course. Rachel joined us as a mature student following a very successful career as a health and safety officer. From the outset Rachel has been wholeheartedly committed to achieving her career change and her dream of becoming a veterinary nurse.”

Rachel is currently working as a veterinary nurse at Village Vet.

‘WE LOVE OUR COLLEGE’ Staff and students from the College of West Anglia’s Cambridge campus held a series of events from 14-18 October to celebrate Colleges Week.

The day-long Love Our Colleges fair included saw students, staff – and even animals - engage in wide range of activities.

Students were able to fill in some of the reasons why they loved their college. One student said he loved his college because ‘it supports me to achieve my dreams’ and

another commented ‘I love my college because it cares about the environment’.

Other activities during the week included a cross-college debate on topics such as fairer funding and how college builds employability.

The Love Our Colleges fair was held to support the nationwide Association of Colleges (AoC) initiative, Colleges Week. The aim of the week is to encourage students and staff involvement to highlight all the fantastic work colleges do, both internally and in the wider community to push the government for fairer funding for the FE community.

CWA Principal David Pomfret said: “Colleges already contribute so much to the fabric of people’s lives, working in partnership with schools, the wider community

and businesses to offer education and training where everyone can achieve. I am delighted by the amount of support staff and students have shown during Colleges Week and I hope it will help us in our nationwide-push for fairer funding in FE.” Colleges across England educate and train 2.2 million people every year and there is a growing acceptance that their role is vital in improving the country’s productivity and reducing the nation’s growing skills gap.

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news from

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

Get in touch. Tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

HUNTINGDONSHIRE AREA

New Chief Financial Officer appointed at Mick George Group The Mick George Group has developed into the leading, independent construction services business in the East Anglia and East Midlands region, recently being listed 178th in the Sunday Times Top Track 250 which ranks Britain’s private mid-market companies with the biggest sales, with annual turnover now exceeding £200m.

Recognising the significant contribution that their employees have made in the Group’s sustained success story to date, they continue in their quest to attract talented individuals that can join the existing team to add further value across the company.

The Group continues to grow in all areas; employee headcount, geographically, and the variety of service provisions on offer, and while that creates further opportunities for many areas of the business, it has particular implications for the group’s finance team as the need for more detailed information

and drive for automation increases.

Historically Jon Stump has played a key role in everything financial but with the demands of being joint CEO ever growing the time was right to strengthen the team.

Consequently, Alan Hardy has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for the Mick George Group.

Arriving with more than 20+ years’ board level experience, Alan is tasked with developing and delivering a long-term financial plan for the Group, while concurrently improving financial processes and systems.

As a member of the Board, Alan’s specific focus areas include financial planning and analysis, improving profitability and cash flow, streamlining processes and systems, leadership and development of the finance function and financial support and advice to the Board.

Alan’s previous experience with BOC,

Dr Mike Ashmead, Founder and Chairman of Encocam Ltd receives his OBE The Investiture ceremony for Dr Mike Ashmead was held on Friday 25 October 2019, when he received his OBE (Order of the British Empire) award from HRH Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

The OBE was specifically awarded in recognition for services to exports and innovation in engineering. He was awarded this great honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list announced on Saturday 8 June 2019.

Capita, UK Government and Transport Systems Catapult has covered major capital investment and business change programmes including, multiple ERP system implementations and transformation programmes.

TALLERES LUCAS NAMED AS OFFICIAL WEBTEC SERVICE CENTRE In line with Webtec’s successful strategy to expand its global Service Centres, Talleres Lucas in Santiago Chile, has been appointed as its authorised partner for South America.

With over 50 years’ experience in the hydraulic market, Talleres Lucas offers high-quality design and service facilities to its customers.

The company has been an authorized distributor for Webtec for more than 20 years and already has a first class test rig in place. This long and successful relationship, together with the companies established service facilities and excellent industry reputation makes them the ideal choice for this new venture.

The new Service centre will be kitted with the same testing equipment, both hardware and software, and an identical data acquisition system as used by Webtec.

Webtec’s International Sales Manager, Steve Thorpe, will be implementing a full training programme and audit to ensure the team are fully experienced and qualified. Software updates will be carried out via the cloud system which will ensure that this new Service Centre will mirror Webtec’s own

testing centres.

The agreement is part of Webtec’s global strategy to offer the same high level of service and support to customers through specially selected partners who have the same business and technical values in areas where there is no Webtec owned facility.

Steve Thorpe, commenting on the agreement, said: “This latest service centre strengthens the network of support that we offer our global customers and will complement our existing service centres in the UK, US, and Australia. Located in Santiago, Talleres Lucas is ideally placed to offer our South American customers the great level of service that they deserve.”

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

Get in touch. Tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk

Buckles Solicitors celebrates acquisition of Lyndales Solicitors with launch party Following the announcement on 1 October that Buckles Solicitors had acquired Lyndales Solicitors, the Buckles Lyndales team celebrated the news with a London launch party.

Around 100 attendees, including clients, stakeholders, staff and friends of the firms attended the event at Malmaison London.

The Buckles Lyndales team are now working out of new offices at 40 Furnival Street, continuing to work hard to provide a seamless transition to existing clients whilst developing their presence in the London market.

Buckles has offices in Peterborough, London, Nottingham and Stamford and the

acquisition of Lyndales reflects the awardwinning firm’s recent emphasis on growth with a strong focus on the London market.

Buckles’ Chief Executive, Duncan Jackson, says: “We are delighted to officially announce the acquisition of Lyndales to strengthen our London proposition. Based on a long history of client-led service, Buckles has a strong regional reputation acquired mainly through organic growth. The legal market has changed and we don’t want to rest on our laurels. Building on a position of strength and safeguarding our clients UK-wide, we are implementing an exciting growth strategy. Lyndales is a perfect fit for us as they are also a people-driven business.

Lyndales is an established London firm and we are thrilled to merge our teams’ expertise to offer our clients an even wider range of legal expertise.”

OUTDOOR WEDDINGS AT ORTON HALL HOTEL & SPA Ever dreamed of getting married in the great outdoors under blue skies, surrounded by family and friends? Well that dream has now become a reality at Orton Hall Hotel & Spa. Thanks to our newly constructed gazebo, nestled in the beautiful parkland setting of Orton Hall, you and your loved one can now say “I do” in a romantic ceremony outdoors.

The elegant wooden structure sits sympathtically on the lawns with the magnificent 17th century hotel as it’s backdrop. The perfectly placed flower

boxes allow you to add a touch of colour to the proceedings whilst your guests look on in awe.

We can cater for up to 140 guests for an outdoor civil ceremony but it is worth noting that it is the Registrar that makes the final decision as to the suitability of the weather on the day.

As we all know, the great British weather can be unpredictable but never fear, our experienced team will have everything organised in the event that your ceremony needs to move indoors.

HELP INCREASE TREE COVERAGE IN PETERBOROUGH With support from local residents, community groups and businesses, PECT has recently reached a milestone of planting more than 100,000 trees across Peterborough. Now the charity is asking for your help to reach its target of planting 230,000 trees in total.

PECT is creating a ‘Forest for Peterborough’, with the aim of planting a tree for every resident in the city in order to improve our green spaces, create vital wildlife habitats, improve the biodiversity value of existing green spaces or planted areas and to help the environment.

To tie in with National Tree Week, held from the 23 November to 1 December 2019, and Tree Charter day held on 30 November, the charity is calling for local landowners to get in touch if they have 30 connected

potential land for planting on. National Tree Week is an annual celebration that marks the start of the winter planting season. It is a great opportunity for communities and businesses to do something positive for their local environment.

“Through landowners nominating their green spaces, it enables us to form a more comprehensive ‘city forest’ in Peterborough,” explains PECT’s Natural Environment Lead Tony Cook. “We need to secure these pockets of land for planting to help increase tree coverage, improve our local environment and to help tackle climate change.”

If you have land or know anybody who has available space and an interest in creating a new woodland, forest,

shelterbelt or wildlife copse, make sure to get in touch with PECT. If you’re interested in finding out more or would like to discuss arranging a site visit, please contact forest@pect.org.uk.

news from

PETERBOROUGH AREA

ROYTHORNES WELCOMES LARGEST COHORT OF LEGAL TRAINEES

A move into legal services is the next step for progressive top 40 UK accountancy practice Streets Law has been set up as the dedicated legal services practice of Streets Chartered Accountants, a top 40 UK accountancy firm. The move is one that is certainly pioneering for a mid-tier multi regional firm like Streets.

Whilst the ‘Big 4’ accountancy firms have taken the lead in establishing a legal services provision in one form or another, most accountancy practices have not followed their lead.

Following changes in government legislation, accountancy practices can now own and operate firms that are independently authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

When asked why Streets has set up its own legal services firm, Streets’ Chairman and Managing Partner, Paul Tutin, said: “The pace of business has never been so fast and our clients’ affairs seem increasingly complicated. As such the demand for a much more holistic and commercially minded approach is one we continue to experience, especially from our corporate and business clients.

“The ability to offer a multidisciplinary approach, including financial, tax, business and legal advice is becoming ever more essential.

“For those clients to whom Streets provide accountancy, tax and financial advice, there is a real benefit in also using Streets Law. With a mutual understanding of clients’ affairs and a close working relationship, we are well placed to provide legal solutions that take into account their particular circumstances, as well as being able to carry out work in a timely and efficient manner.”

Ten new trainees, the largest cohort ever welcomed by top 200 national law firm Roythornes Solicitors, have joined the firm to take the next step in their careers and begin supporting its growing client base.

The 10 trainees will specialise in an array of areas including agriculture, food and drink, private client, property and litigation.

Roythornes has some ambitious growth plans for 2019 and so far, has welcomed 41 new starters and celebrated 14 internal promotions across the firm’s four offices in Alconbury, Nottingham, Peterborough and Spalding. This recent intake of legal trainees brings the firm’s total employee count to more than 220 members of staff.

Gillian Nash-Kennell, HR director at Roythornes, said: “We pride ourselves

in being ahead of the curve in supporting the next generation of legal professionals, so we’re delighted to welcome our biggest intake of trainees to date. As they take the next step in pursuit of a legal career we are committed to their development, both academically and practically, and look forward to watching them flourish within the business.”

Traders team up to offer SOS Garden Makeover A group of property and landscaping professionals from Safe Local Trades recently joined forces to come to the rescue of an elderly Peterborough widow; who was on the verge of being scammed out of hundreds of pounds by rogue traders.

The 91 year old victim became suspicious when she was greeted by a smartly dressed man claiming to be a gardener from a local company her daughter had found online.

The man quoted an initial £200 to cut back a small number of branches in her overgrown garden. The lady became worried when he said the workers would return in few days to continue the job at

an additional £700.

On contacting the police, the branches were found fly-tipped in the cemetery close to the victim’s home.

She was then put in touch with Safe Local Trades – which has been championing the consumer, promoting tried and tested local tradespeople and working to stamp out rogue traders since 2008.

Members responded with offers of help and gave their time and service for free.

Eileen Le Voi, director of Safe Local Trades, said: “Members like these are the very essence of Safe Local Trades, and thank goodness for this lady that she they were able to answer and deliver on her SOS – she was very lucky not to have parted with her money.

“All these fantastic trades showed true professionalism as well as compassion for one of the growing number of elderly people in this area who suffer misery from rogue traders.

“I cannot reinforce enough the message to only used tried and tested tradespeople – and never to be pressured into agreeing to works suggested by doorstep builders and even more so, handing over cash if you are unhappy with the finished work.

Leaflets and vehicle signage can also look very professional – along with offers that sound cheap and enticing.” connected 31

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news from

STAMFORD AREA

Questions and answers with Jonathan This month we meet Jonathan Hand, Managing Director of Talkspace Group - commercial property experts based in Stamford.

CAN YOU SUMMARISE YOUR BUSINESS CAREER IN A FEW SENTENCES? Like a rollercoaster. There are so many things to consider when running a business and it’s not always plain sailing.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING IN BUSINESS? Making a difference for our clients. Seeing their businesses flourish on the back of a property move or a lease or purchase deal that we have agreed for them.

WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOU MOST IN YOUR LIFE, WHETHER BUSINESS RELATED OR NOT? It has to be my parents, they have been incredibly supportive over my 48 years!

WHAT IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? Starting Talkspace Group in 2012; I’ve not looked back.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED? Never give up, especially when the going gets tough.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS? To continue to build Talkspace Group and to help even more businesses with their property transactions. By 2026 we want Talkspace Group to be the number one ‘go to’ property advisor for SMEs in the UK. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BUSINESS BOOK AND WHY? One of my favourites has to be Atomic Habits by James Clear. Getting into good habits is the bedrock for success and this book explains how to create and maintain good habits and get rid of the bad ones.

And yes, it is a work in progress!

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE AS A CHILD? A lawyer and work in the city.

IF YOU COULD INVITE THREE PEOPLE TO A DINNER PARTY - DEAD OR ALIVE, REAL OR FICTIONAL – WHO WOULD THEY BE? Neil Armstrong, Richard Branson and Eddie Jones.

IF YOU COULD MAKE A RULE FOR A DAY AND EVERYONE HAD TO FOLLOW IT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Everyone has to be treated with fairness.

DESIGNER APPOINTED FOR THE BURGHLEY HORSE TRIALS CROSS COUNTRY COURSE Joe Weller has been appointed as the Cross Country Course Designer and Builder for the BE80(T) Championship at Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

Joe’s three year term will begin at the inaugural BE80(T) Championships to be held in the beautiful parkland of Burghley Estate in 2020 and will see him working alongside a course design mentor. Joe has extensive experience of building and designing at the grassroots level of eventing, including at the Pony European Championship at Bishop Burton in 2018.

No stranger to Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, his skills as a course builder have previously seen him working with the team to deliver the carved rugby ball and Kukri knife for the CCI5*-L course.

A Silver Course Designer and Platinum Course Builder, Joe launched his own building and design company in 2005

before setting up Norton Disney Horse Trials, which runs two BE fixtures per season.

On his appointment, Joe said: “It gives me great pleasure in accepting the design and building of the BE80(T) Championships at Burghley, and I look forward to the challenge of producing the course for this new and exciting competition. This prestigious site with its amazing terrain and setting will give riders a truly memorable experience.”

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Event Director Elizabeth Inman, added: “We are all looking forward to hosting this competition and to working with Joe. There may even be a future Burghley Horse Trials 5* winner amongst the entry and nothing would give us greater pleasure than to have set one of these aspiring riders on the course to competing at senior level.”

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

Tel: 01223 237414 email: s.parr@cambscci.co.uk connected 33

Fighting Scams in Partnership I

T WAS great to see Nigel Sutton’s article ‘Protecting your business from cyber crime’ in issue 81 of connected.

Nigel and his employer, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, are a member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership (CAPASP), a county-wide partnership of public, private and voluntary sector organisations committed to working together to stop scams and doorstep crime across the county. I am pleased to say CAPASP is going from strength to strength in its first year since launching in December 2018 and I bring you this article today on behalf of the partnership.

As Nigel pointed out, fraud and cybercrime now account for almost half of all recorded crime - so it really is crucial that we all do our bit to protect ourselves, our staff and customers from the threats that this poses. However remember that the internet is just one way that criminals target potential victims with their attempts to defraud. In the modern age it is very easy and cost effective for fraudsters to send fake letters, make bogus telephone calls and, to some extent, knock on the door of their targets in order to trick them out of money.

Money which all too often goes to fund

34 connected

serious organised crime such as drug trafficking, people trafficking, prostitution and terrorism.

There are some great resources available to make you, your staff and your business safe from scams. For example, ‘Stay Safe Online – Top Tips for Staff’ https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/ static-assets/training/top-tips-forstaff-web/story_html5.html and the Barclays cyber-security webinar at https://labs.uk.barclays/cyber-securityawareness#webinar are both effective ways to equip you and your colleagues with the skills and knowledge to avoid different scams that threaten your business. Both of these online learning sessions are free and take less than 30 minutes to complete.

We recommend that you make fraud and cyber security training part of your staff induction or mandatory training since 95 per cent of losses are attributable to human error in cases of business fraud and this will help you reduce the risk of your business becoming one of the statistics.

As a snappy refresher you might also like the one minute video produced by one of our CAPASP partners, NatWest, to remind employees to make double-checking second nature.

See https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HFxmKIBq2Tw

Certainly CAPASP recommend independent research to double check any request you receive for money, banking or personal information or for access to your property (whether by post, on the telephone, online or on the doorstep) to verify that the request is genuine. Look up the contact details you know to be correct for the supposed requester to verify that the request is genuine, remembering to use a different handset or to wait at least 10 minutes if the suspicious contact was by telephone.

Independent research like this is essential to avoid losses to mandate fraud (which amounted to £92.7m of losses from business accounts in 2018).

UK Finance describes mandate fraud as ‘where the victim attempts to pay an invoice to a legitimate payee, but the criminal intervenes to convince the victim to redirect the payment to an account they control.’ This type of fraud often involves the criminal intercepting emails or compromising an email account but may also be conducted by bogus letters or telephone calls. Common examples include criminals targeting consumers posing as conveyancing solicitors or tradespeople such as builders, or targeting businesses posing as a supplier, and claiming that their bank account details have changed.

KEY TIPS: • Be suspicious of any request to change a bank account or payee details • Emails may have been hacked, meaning that an apparently legitimate email from ANYONE requesting bank account changes need to be verified. This includes from within your organisation.

Always do your own individual verification checks • Payment details must be checked against known and original details, never from the details given with the request. Changes must be verified with whoever is asking for the changes. This request could come from within your company or from your supplier. Take a sceptical approach.

Get Safe Online offers excellent advice on regular ‘good housekeeping’ you can do

report from

to avoid the pitfalls of fraud. For example: • Check your bank accounts and Companies House records for irregularities, on a regular basis.

• Reconcile bank statements and company credit card statements meticulously and regularly.

• Be aware of registration of new domains that are similar to yours. Consider registering common misspellings and variations of your company name.

See https://www.getsafeonline.org/ businesses/business-fraud/ for a full list of tips to protect your business from the risks presented by fraud.

For businesses who deal with consumers, CAPASP encourage you to also play your part in spotting signs of victimisation amongst your customers, particularly if your business involves

visiting customers in their homes. The ‘Friends Against Scams’ e-learning can help with this as, whilst not originally designed for business use, it does include useful information about spotting the hallmarks of victims of scams and also gives examples of some factors that may make people more susceptible to falling victim to scams. The learning takes approximately 20 minutes and can be found at www.friendsagainstscams.org. uk/elearning/Cambridgeshire Finally, it is worth mentioning that CAPASP advises consumers not to deal with cold callers on the doorstep since this is a common tactic of rogue traders and can catch people unawares. We therefore encourage your business to avoid doorstep calling, especially in areas marked as No Cold Calling Zones or at homes where a ‘We do not buy at the door’ sticker is displayed.

CAPASP

CHARLOTTE HOMENT Charlotte Homent is the Community Protection Manager at Cambridgeshire County Council, one of the founding members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership (CAPASP). The Community Protection Team are part of a national network of Local Authority teams working with the National Trading Standards Scams Team to support victims of scams.

Businesses are invited to register as a supporter of CAPASP to receive information about the latest scams as well as good practice tips from other supporters. See www.cambridgeshire. gov.uk/against-scams for more information.

We recommend that you make fraud and cyber security training part of your staff induction or mandatory training connected 35

connect with

SIGNPOST 2 GROW

Planning for Growth Getting to the stage that you’re looking to expand your business is a really exciting time. All of the hard work establishing the business is paying off and you can now start thinking about the next steps to grow your business.

Expanding or growing doesn’t always mean getting bigger, it can also mean being able to do more with the structure you already have, being able to offer a broader range of products and services, advertising and marketing to gain more customers, or being able to supply to customers who are geographically further away.

However you wish to grow it is important to have a plan in place to be able to achieve your goals effectively.

Tries and tested methods include: - Goal setting - SWOT analysis - Competitor analysis.

SETTING GOALS When setting goals, it is important to think about the big picture; what is your end goal? Keep it broad and open then record all the steps or ideas related to your end goal.

It is also important to make your goals ‘SMART’: - Specify the goal - How is it going to be Measured?

- Is it Achievable?

- Is it Realistic?

- Is there a specific Time frame?

Once you have a list of end goals, start with the first one and work backwards asking ‘why?’ until there are no more steps needed to achieve it. This will give you a starting point for what you need to do to achieve your growth goals.

SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analyses are also an effective way of setting goals as it allows you to uncover growth opportunities that you may not have thought of. It will give you a broad overview of your business’s strengths, weaknesses,

potential opportunities and threats.

Once you have completed this you will be able to see the complementary factors between sections and how these might become items to add to your growth planning.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS Researching and understanding who your direct competitors are and what they do well or not so well may give you ideas for your growth planning, help you understand your customers (or potential) better and see where you’re already doing well.

There are multiple ways you can complete competitor analysis. These include: • Using the major search engines on the internet (such as Google) and entering the key words you’d associate with your own company and the area you work in • Asking people who use similar companies/services to your own, ‘what three companies would you recommend me to and why?’

• Checking with the industry bodies and professional organisations that cover your sector. Who else is located near you?

Once you have completed your competitors research you can then collate you research capturing their: • Service offering • Pricing • Key messages • Target audience • Your overall impression as a consumer • Strengths and weaknesses.

This information should then give you ideas of the direction you wish to take you business when creating your marketing and sales strategies or service offerings.

For more information on growing your business, visit the Signpost 2 Grow website www.signpost2grow.co.uk

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insight from

How to Create Effective Email Marketing Email marketing is a powerful and cost-effective tool for communicating with your customers, promoting your products and helping reach your business goals.

Sarah West, marketing expert and founder of Full Mix Marketing, gives us her tips for creating effective businessto-business email marketing.

DEFINE YOUR GOALS Email marketing is a great way to get your messages directly to your clients and prospects, and strengthen existing relationships. With around 269 billion emails sent each day, there’s definitely competition for your audience’s attention.

If your emails aren’t getting read, it’s

important to figure out why.

Goal setting is crucial for email marketing success. Before you start designing and sending an email campaign, define why you’re sending it. Your goal will be the guiding factor in who you send the campaign to, what you say to them, what action you ask them to take and how you measure the campaign’s success.

CREATE VALUABLE CONTENT It’s important to create email content that your recipients will want to read.

Create content that is informative, helpful, useful, entertaining, educational, inspiring and convinces the user to take action.

MAKE IT PERSONAL It’s a good idea to add a personal element to your emails whenever possible to show your customers you are paying attention to who they are and what they care about most. There are many ways you can personalise your emails, for example, addressing customers by their first name or tailoring

SARAH WEST

emails based on their habits or interests.

DON’T OVERDO THE DESIGN Email design can have a big impact on the success of a campaign. As with many things in marketing, the simpler it is the more effective it may be. Using too many images or too much text can overwhelm the reader. A minimal design will help you to deliver a message that’s cohesive, quickly comprehended and enticing.

ENSURE IT’S MOBILE-FRIENDLY Even for business-to-business, a large proportion of emails are opened on a smartphone or tablet. If your emails aren’t optimised for viewing on these devices, you’re potentially missing out on a large number of clicks.

At Full Mix Marketing, we specialise in creating B2B email campaigns that grab attention, communicate the right message and drive leads or sales.

If you would like help with your email marketing visit www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk

MOORE THE NEW NAME FOR MOORE STEPHENS At Moore, our purpose is to help people thrive.

Whether you’re a business, a not for profit organisation or a private individual we can help. As well as audit, accounts and tax compliance we also offer a complete payroll service, accounting software training, bookkeeping, tax returns and much more. www.moore.co.uk

Get in touch today T 01733 397300 east.midlands@moore.co.uk

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CAMBRIDGE

B2B

Sponsored by

Over 250 visitors attended the Cambridge B2B Exhibition at Cambridge Regional College where 50 businesses exhibited to showcase their products and services.

Speed networking and seminars took place

Another successful event at KingsGate Conference Centre where over 300 people attended the Peterborough B2B Exhibition.

Google Digital Garage provided the keynote seminar on building your personal

throughout the day covering apprenticeships, the opportunity to meet the regulators and hear from the Small Business Commissioner plus find out how to benefit from the effective use of custom software.

brand online plus there were others throughout the day covering Facebook, sales, business support, development of a BID for Peterborough, custom software and Brexit, plus a networking session.

connected 43

chamber

INFORMAL NETWORKING EVENINGS Start the New Year by forming new business connections across the county.

January 2020

6

St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club 5.00-7.00pm

13

Poets House, Ely 5.00-7.00pm

15

The Solstice, Peterborough 5.00-7.00pm

16 22

Barclays Bank, Cambridge 5.00-7.00pm

Oliver Cromwell Hotel, March 5.00-7.00pm

February 2020

3

George Hotel, Huntingdon 5.00-7.00pm

5

The Crown, Stamford 5.00-7.00pm

10

Poets House, Ely 5.00-7.00pm

19 20 26

NatWest Cathedral Square, Peterborough 5.30-7.30pm

Ashtons Legal, Cambridge 5.00-7.00pm

Mapus-Smith & Lemmon LLP, Wisbech 5.00-7.00pm

EVENTS

CAMRA Elysian Beer Festival DATE Thursday 16 January TIME 4.00-7.00pm LOCATION Maltings, Ship Lane, Ely, CB7 4BB PRICE £22.50 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £25.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members CONTACT Hannah Shaw on 01223 209803 or email h.shaw@cambscci.co.uk We have teamed up with CAMRA for a special networking event taking place on the opening night of the District CAMRA, 11th Elysian Winter Beer Festival.

During the evening there will be an exclusive networking area for attendees and a wide selection of real ales and ciders on offer for your enjoyment.

Ticket price includes entry, tasting beers, beer tokens and a commemorative glass.

Fine Dining Experience DATE Thursday 23 January TIME 6.00-9.30pm LOCATION Kitchen Gallery Restaurant, New College Stamford PRICE £30.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £37.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01223 237414 or email h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk Join us to experience the fine dining delivered by students at New College Stamford from the Gallery Kitchen Restaurant. You’ll also meet Stamford Chamber committee members and network with other local business people.

The price includes a glass of wine (or soft drink) on arrival, a five course dinner, tea/coffee and petit fours.

Chamber members can book events online at www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk connected 45

SAFARI NETWORKING BREAKFAST DATE Friday 24 January TIME 7.45-10.00am LOCATION Cambridge Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club, Cambridge PRICE £20.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £27.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members CONTACT Hannah Shaw on 01223 209803 or email h.shaw@cambscci.co.uk At our Safari Networking Breakfasts you have the opportunity to meet new business connections through our popular safari networking.

The relaxed but structured format offers guests the opportunity to move around the room and form connections with new business contacts from a wide range of industry sectors.

Storm in a Teacup DATE Tuesday 28 January TIME 9.30-11.00am LOCATION Poets House, Ely PRICE £12.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £17.00 (plus VAT) non-members CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01223 237414 or email h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk Organised by the Business Women’s Sector Looking for some inspiration or support with a business idea, or do you have some knowledge and experiences to share with others? In a relaxed, supportive and welcoming environment you are invited to share and discuss your ideas.

46 connected

chamber

EVENTS

EXPORT CLUB DATE Tuesday 28 January TIME 4.00-6.00pm LOCATION Chamber office, Cambridge PRICE free to attend CONTACT Karen Cash on 01223 237414 or email k.cash@ cambscci.co.uk We are delighted that Export Club is returning to the Chamber events calendar for 2020 - an informal networking event for exporters, international service providers and those interested in accessing new markets overseas.

Further details on page 10.

Safari Networking Breakfast DATE Friday 14 February TIME 7.45-10.00am LOCATION Holiday Inn Peterborough West PRICE £20.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £27.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members CONTACT Hannah Shaw on 01223 209803 or email h.shaw@cambscci.co.uk You’ll have two minutes at three different tables to make those initial introductions and explain what sets your business apart from its competitors, with additional networking over a continental breakfast for the tables you don’t meet the first time around.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY DATE Friday 6 March TIME 9.30am-1.30pm LOCATION The New Build, Peterborough Cathedral PRICE £25.00 (plus VAT) Chamber members, £35.00 (plus VAT) non-Chamber members CONTACT Helen Bosett on 01223 237414 or email h.bosett@cambscci.co.uk Organised by the Business Women’s Sector This popular event returns to the Cathedral and again promises to bring you a morning of inspirational speakers and workshop activities. Welcoming everybody from business plus our young people from schools/ colleges. There’ll also be time for some great networking, concluding with a buffet lunch!

The theme for 2020 is #EachforEqual.

The speaker line-up will be announced as they are confirmed. Look out for announcements on social media, via email or in further issues of ‘connected’.

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