Business Network Nov 23 by Kemps Publishing

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BUSINESS

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NOVEMBER 2023

DAWNING OF A NEW AGE IN ENERGY

EAST MIDLANDS HAS A POWERFUL ROLE AS COUNTRY SWITCHES AWAY FROM COAL - SEE PAGE 58

INTERVIEW POLITICS ENERGY RESEARCH ACCELERATOR TURNS IDEAS INTO REALITY

SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT KEEPS THE FOCUS ON NET ZERO

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THE FIRST WORD

CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2023

NEWS UPDATE 4

MEMBER NEWS Electric vehicle roaming service expanded

22 APPOINTMENTS Kirstie Lawrence earns major role with MoD

THE BIG INTERVIEW e often talk up the East Midlands as a Centre of Trading Excellence, a tag that predominantly lends itself to the region’s reputation as a place for making things (our manufacturing heritage), moving them (our logistics capabilities) and innovating in how we do this (our world-class, research-intensive universities). What is quickly becoming apparent is we also have a unique proposition when it comes to developing the future energy provision as part of the net zero agenda. Other regions, particularly in coastal locations, are home to nationally-critical assets such as in wind, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage. But the East Midlands, too, has a huge role to play in the UK’s energy transition, while also contributing to the significant economic opportunities it will bring. In Sept ember, Uniper announced plans to turn its Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site into a green hydrogen production facility, while in the same month the East Midlands Hydrogen industrial partnership was launched to coordinate this and a host of other activities within this space. Hydrogen is just one of three big bases of future energy systems being developed here, the other two being nuclear fusion an d nuclear fission. Rolls-Royce is spearheading the transformational small modular reactor technology that could provide affordable, flexible clean energy, while the former West Burton A power station in North Nottinghamshire will host the UK’s prototype for nuclear fusion production. Our focus feature (p58) gives an overview of these projects and many others. One of the main hurdles for turning net zero dreams into reality is what Faye McAnulla calls the “valley of death”, the gap between academic research and commercial development. Bridging this divide is the purpose of the Energy Research Accelerator, which has facilitated collaborations between its eight Midlands university partners and more than 1,000 businesses over the past seven years. Faye, the programme director, talks about key projects, her message to businesses and policy priorities for the next Government in our big interview (p25). Ultimately, this edition of Business Network only scratches the surface on the topic of future energy provision but if you would like to learn more or get involved with some of the exciting activities happening in our region, we’d love for you to join us at our Midlands Energy Summit on 30 November. Regis ter for free at bit.ly/MidlandsEnergySummit23

25 Faye McAnulla, programme director of the Energy Research Accelerator 30 STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS New centre for computing students 32 CHAMBER NEWS How to get involved with Chamber's Accelerator project

EVENTS 44 Sue Tilley, head of LLEP, honoured at the Enterprising Women Awards

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS 48 Cutting carbon emissions with LED lighting

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 50 Pharmaceutical testing firm aiming to realise global ambitions

POLITICS 52 Speakers at Chamber’s Sustainability Summit keep focus on net zero

FEATURES 54 Digital Media Services Don’t get left behind as region leads the way in digital revolution 56 Why 3D visualisation is good for business 58 FOCUS FEATURE How the East Midlands is developing three major bases of future energy provision

Dan Robinson, Editor, Business Network

64 Business Banking & Finance Why it’s time to take stock – and start planning ahead 66 Top tips on managing your money

Editor Dan Robinson T: 07764 431028 E: dan.robinson@emc-dnl.co.uk Contributor Jasmine Thompson All Submissions E: magazine@emc-dnl.co.uk Chamber Membership E: membership@emc-dnl.co.uk Follow the Chamber W: www.emc-dnl.co.uk Twitter: @EMChamberNews

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY 70 Is your business ready for the copper switch-off?

BUSINESS SUPPORT 72 LEGAL Greenwashing – and how to avoid it 74 FINANCE How underinsurance impacts business 76 SKILLS Energy consultancy rolls out its first graduate scheme 78 PROPERTY Funding boost for housing association 80 MOTORING Nick Jones drives a new Lexus UX SUV 93 INFORMATION Branding and business transformation explained

THE LAST WORD 94 Chamber president Stuart Dawkins on the increasing importance of an energy policy November 2023 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

Dr Lee Johnson

EV service is charging ahead

Funding helps power new battery research Research at the University of Nottingham into the development of new materials and technologies for next-generation batteries is one of four projects to receive additional funding from the Faraday Institution. Researchers from the School of Chemistry have been awarded funding to drive innovation in energy storage technologies with its FutureCat project, which will transform the UK energy landscape from transportation to the grid. The university’s project is one of four projects that will receive a share of the £19m funding pot from the Faraday Institution, which is the UK’s flagship institute for electrochemical energy storage research. The existing projects in three research areas – next generation cathode materials, electrode manufacturing and sodium-ion batteries – have been reshaped to focus on the areas with the greatest potential for success. The FutureCat project is led by Dr Lee Johnson together with Professor Darren Walsh, Professor Pete License and Dr Graham Newton, and will run over the next two years to target the development of new electrolytes that will open up the use of nextgeneration cathodes. Dr Johnson said: “As we push the limits of lithium-ion technology, instability at the interfaces becomes a limiting factor. The work at Nottingham will focus on the discovery of new electrolyte solutions able to tolerate these unstable conditions, which will greatly extend battery life.”

ENERGY HOME HAS TECHNOLOGY IN STORE New energy storage The BASF Research House, one of two technology, which homes with the technology installed could significantly reduce household bills and help the UK achieve net zero, has been installed at the University of Nottingham’s Creative Energy Homes testbed development. The installation is the latest step for the Advanced Distributed Storage for Grid Benefit Project (ADSorB) research consortium, which aims to commercialise the use of new thermal energy storage technologies developed at Loughborough University. Researchers are investigating how combining thermochemical storage and phase change material technologies could be used to store excess energy when renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind, are plentiful, so they can be released and used during peak times or to make up for shortfalls in supply. Following a feasibility study, the technologies have been developed and adapted to become modular thermal energy stores that can be slotted into homes alongside the household’s existing energy system.

business network November 2023

Octopus Energy’s cutting-edge electric vehicle (EV) roaming service has added InstaVolt to its platform to make charging easier for drivers. The Leicester-headquartered energy provider’s platform, Electroverse, provides a network of more than half a million public EV charging points across the globe. It now serves one in four EV drivers in the UK – more than any other public charging service in the country. InstaVolt joins more than 580

‘We’re incredibly excited to welcome InstaVolt on board’ chargepoint operator brands that drivers can access on Electroverse, including IONITY, Osprey, Mer, Fastned, Source London, Connected Kerb and Genie Point. The network operates more than 1,300 ultra-rapid and rapid charge points across 550 UK locations. An ultra-rapid charge point can charge an average EV from 20% to 80% in 15 to 20 minutes.

Switch to solar leads to major cost savings Energy costs at manufacturer Michael Smith Switchgear have dropped by more than £20,000 per year as investment in a solar photovoltaic (PV) energy system means about two-thirds of its power supply now comes from the sun. Results from its first full year of operation show the solar PV system is generating 102 kilowatts (kW) at peak and produces around 97,000kWh of electricity annually. The company’s Leicester factory has reduced its carbon emissions by more than 25 tonnes per year, the equivalent of taking five petrol cars off the road. Design and installation of the new energy system, which includes 284 solar panels on the southfacing pitch of the factory roof in

Braunstone Frith Industrial Estate, was completed by specialist renewable energy installer Geo Green Power. The Geo Green team worked for two weeks behind the scenes to install the solar PV system while the factory remained open and in full production of its range of electrical switchgear products. Michael Smith Switchgear expects to see a full return on its investment within three years while saving more than £500,000 on energy bills over the next 25 years. Managing director Sean Smith said: “The installation of Geo Green’s solar PV system has given us independence and control over our energy bills and is another important milestone as we continue to reduce our climate impact.

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MEMBER NEWS

New facility is in the pipeline Manufacturer Luxfer Gas Cylinders has invested more than £1m in a new European base in Nottingham. The site makes “virtual” gas pipelines that can distribute hydrogen across the UK and Europe. Luxfer Gas Cylinders, which is a division of Luxfer Holdings plc, is a world-leading manufacturer of high-pressure aluminium and composite cylinders.

‘This investment is the natural next step in continuing to build our European hydrogen capability’

Matt Davies, director at Octopus Electroverse, said: “As more drivers switch to electric, we’re making charging on-the-go as slick as possible. “We already have more than 580 chargepoint operators on Octopus Electroverse and we’re incredibly excited to welcome InstaVolt on board. “Its award-winning ultra-rapid and rapid charge points are a brilliant addition for drivers to access on Electroverse as we accelerate the drive toward a green energy system.”

Directors Emily and Sean Smith

“We became carbon-neutral in 2022 and we were the first, and are still the only, UK switchgear manufacturer to achieve the accolade. Our approach is to look at every aspect of our business in relation to its climate impact – for example, we redesigned our products to reduce our use of copper by 25% or more than 12 tonnes, every year.”

Its Nottingham site manufactures up to one million cylinders each year. These alternative fuel cylinders have been used to embed world-first hydrogen-powered systems into buses, trucks, trains, boats, tractors and even drones. This new purpose-built facility will also produce multiple element gas containers (MEGCs), with the first units available from summer 2024. Mark Lawday, vice-president and general manager of Luxfer Europe,

said: “This investment is the natural next step in continuing to build our European hydrogen capability and support the development of the hydrogen economy, which is going to be essential in enabling all of us to reach our decarbonisation goals in Europe in 2030 and beyond.” Available in 20ft, 40ft and 45ft containers, its flagship G-Stor Hydrosphere range can store between 0.5 and 1.4 tonnes of clean gas and transport it to where

Print firm celebrates top industry certification Nottingham-based Eight Days A Week Print Solutions (EDWPS) has achieved B Corp certification. As a B Corp in the direct mail and digital print industry, the company is counted among businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy. The process started in February 2022 and was confirmed in October following a substantial assessment and review period. EDWPS is now one of 1,500 UK businesses to have achieved the B Corp certification. The scope also includes its subsidiary business, Eight Plus, which was only launched last March. Lance Hill, managing director of EDWPS and Eight Plus, said: “This is an incredibly proud moment for us, on top of many other achievements over the past three to four years, where we have continually pushed the business forward to be best in class, which has always been my ambition. “Going for B Corp certification was the next logical step on our journey around social, environmental performance,

Lance Hill

transparency and accountability. While the process has been rigorous, it was made simpler by our ISO foundations across the four standards we already hold for quality, environmental, information security, and health and safety, plus already being carbon-neutral was also a factor. “All our certifications form the backbone of our business and will continue to do so going forward. We will never rest on our laurels or be complacent, as continual improvement is what differentiates us and it is what our clients expect to see, or even demand.”

it’s needed, opening up access to hydrogen for companies targeting greener operations. Mark added: “Thanks to our industry-leading G-Stor cylinder technology, combined with decades of experience in alternative fuel systems design and development, we have a product range to provide customers with a choice of technology, module capacities and features, to match current and future needs.”

Support to make homes efficient Homeowners in Chesterfield that have no mains gas supply to their property could benefit from financial support to help make energy-efficient improvements to their homes and reduce their bills. Chesterfield Borough Council, Marches Energy Agency (MEA), and E.ON Energy Solutions have joined forces to help residents to make their homes warmer and more energy-efficient – after the council secured £440,000 through the Government’s Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2. Grant funding will be used to help to improve the energy efficiency of at least 22 homes in the borough. Improvement measures will be dependent on the outcome of a technical survey, but could include the introduction of a range of improvements – from insulation and solar panels to air source heat pumps and smart heating controls. These measures can save residents money on their energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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MEMBER NEWS

Aviation engine research project is really taking off Gordon Docherty showcasing new hydrogen sensor technology

Pressure sensors making difference Leicester-based Druck has supplied its hydrogen-rated pressure sensors to energy technology company Baker Hughes for its latest products. Designed to offer longerterm stability and withstand harsh environments, the hydrogen pressure sensors can be used in applications including gas turbines and hydrogen filling stations. Baker Hughes’ latest Druck hydrogen pressure sensors apply high-performance barrier coating technology to protect the sensor element from the harsh effects of hydrogen, providing customers with a market-leading minimum lifespan of five years across a wide range of pressures. Gordon Docherty, general manager of Baker Hughes’ Druck product line, said: “Hydrogen plays a key role in the transition to a more sustainable, lower emissions future but also poses challenges for infrastructure and equipment due to hydrogen embrittlement. “Building on our legacy of leading industrial pressure measurement technology, the release of our new hydrogen technology enables customers to benefit from a pressure sensor that can withstand harsh hydrogen environments.”

A Rolls-Royce hydrogen research project, supported by Loughborough University, has taken a step towards achieving net zero aviation. Working with Loughborough’s National Centre for Combustion and Aerothermal Technology (NCCAT) and the German Aerospace Centre Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR), Rolls-Royce has proven a critical engine technology that marks a significant step in the journey to enabling hydrogen as an aviation fuel.

‘This is an incredible achievement in a short space of time’ The company has achieved an industry-first as it, alongside easyJet, looks to lead in the development of hydrogen combustion engine technology capable of powering a range of aircraft. Tests on a full annular combustor of a Pearl 700 engine at DLR in Cologne running on 100% hydrogen have proven the fuel can be combusted at conditions that represent maximum take-off thrust. Key to that achievement has been the successful design of advanced fuel spray nozzles to control the combustion process. They were initially tested at Loughborough’s recently upgraded NCCAT test facilities and at DLR Cologne before the final fullpressure combustor tests took place at DLR Cologne. Grazia Vittadini, chief technology officer at Rolls-Royce, said: “This is an incredible achievement in a short space of time. Controlling the combustion process is one of the key technology challenges the

UNIVERSITY HELPS TO IMPROVE HGV SAFETY Research by Loughborough University has led to the creation of a new European standard for HGV design that will help prevent hundreds of people from being killed or seriously injured each year. Adopted by more than 29 countries, including every EU member state and Japan, the legislation means all new HGV designs have to meet the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) from 2026, and all HGVs from 2029. The DVS requires significant changes to existing HGV designs that improve the ability of drivers to see cyclists and pedestrians, instead of relying on the use of six mirrors. It represents 13 years of work by the university’s Design Ergonomics Research Group into HGV driver vision and will vastly improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. Dr Steve Summerskill, who led the research in university’s School of Design and Creative Arts, said: “It is no exaggeration to say this change will save the lives of hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians. This series of projects highlights how UK academics have influenced policy around the world.” industry faces in making hydrogen a real aviation fuel of the future. “We have achieved that, and it makes us eager to keep moving

forward. I want to thank easyJet, Loughborough University and DLR for their dedication and support to reach this milestone.”

Bringing experts together hailed as smart move

Matthew Marson and Rob Pritchard 6

business network November 2023

An award-winning authority on smart building technology has praised a Derby IT firm after it brought companies together to discuss how innovation, design and data will revolutionise the workplace. Matthew Marson, an international speaker at events relating to emerging technology and net zero design in the built environment, said a conference hosted by smart building specialist Scenariio in September has helped raise awareness of the work being done to solve UK business’s most pressing issues. The event, which was called the Workplace Technology Conference and took place at the Chocolate Factory – home to the Bustler Market – in Siddals Road, attracted delegates from more

than 100 firms and organisations keen to explore how innovations making the workplace safer and more people and eco-friendly. It also featured talks and round table discussions tackling issues such as bringing people back into the workplace, achieving sustainability targets and, in Matthew’s case, looking at how AI technology can create a human-focused buildings with individual personalities of their own. Rob Pritchard, managing director of Scenariio, said: “Although we specialise in installing smart building technology, the conference has been a reminder that we operate in just one corner of a growing and multi-faceted industry which is already having a huge effect on changing the way our workplaces look and function.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Innovation festival returns to Leicester

New buses just the ticket Low-emission buses have started appearing on a trentbarton service that connects Nottingham, Hucknall, Kirkby, Sutton and Mansfield. Eighteen new buses are joining the three route as part of an investment in 20 new Enviro200s, built in England by Alexander Dennis – which are worth more than £4m. Each Enviro200 features three large skylights to create a light space inside and LED destination screens, under seat lighting and an illuminated front logo. They are equipped with USB power at each seat and wireless charging docks. The new buses will help reduce pollution in

Nottinghamshire, each emitting less nitrogen dioxide than a new car, and meet the latest Euro VI emissions standard. Tom Morgan, managing director of trentbarton, said: “Our customers on the threes are sure to notice the upgrade and enjoy journeys on these fantastic new buses. They’re replacing buses that are more than 10 years old, so will make a significant improvement to the quality of the service we deliver. “Trentbarton has always been committed to investing in our fleet, which enhances each journey and encourages people to see the bus as the best, greenest and most relaxing and productive way to travel.”

The sixth Leicestershire Innovation Festival will take place at venues across the county over two weeks in February. The Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) confirmed the annual festival will be staged from Monday 5 February to Friday 16 February. The fortnight will include the flagship LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards – run by festival media partner Reach PLC – on the evening of Thursday 15 February. Organisers are already in talks with potential partners for both the festival and the awards. Last year’s festival was the biggest to date, attracting 1,200 registrations across the course of the festival fortnight. Event hosts included Innovate UK, Leicester Startups, British Business Bank, BeGreat Consulting, and Ruth Coalson Consulting. Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, chair of the LLEP Innovation Board, said: “We’re actively developing ideas and growing our partnerships – to make the 2024 Leicestershire Innovation Festival our best and biggest yet.” To learn about sponsoring or participating in Leicestershire Innovation Festival 2024 contact LLEP economic strategy manager Irshad Mulla at bit.ly/InnovationEOI

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MEMBER NEWS

Local suppliers must be given rail opportunity The chairman of a UK rail firm says the work to upgrade the so-called Network North transport strategy should be given to businesses operating in the regions where improvements are delivered to make up for the remainder of HS2 being axed. Malcolm Prentice, chairman of rail depot maintenance firm MTMS, based in Moira, Leicestershire, said the Prime Minister had a duty to ensure the rail industry in the north and Midlands would benefit from his decision to reinvest the £36bn saving in hundreds of smaller transport schemes.

‘HS2 wasn’t just about offering faster passenger train times’ His comments came after Rishi Sunak announced his decision to axe the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 at the Conservative Party Conference in October, replacing high-speed rail with

Network North. Its schemes include building the Midlands Rail Hub, which will improve connections between 50 stations in the region, and improving A-roads. Malcolm said: “HS2 wasn’t just about offering faster passenger train times, it was about freeing up the infrastructure to increase the capacity on our rail system for freight, because we can’t live with what we’ve got. Mr Sunak talks about digitalisation and modernisation, but while that will make a difference, it won’t allow the network to take on heavy volume and so this is a sticking plaster, not a solution to the capacity challenges that we are facing. “It’s hugely disappointing, but if we are now going to develop and Midlands and northern network then it should at least be a British project with British suppliers drawn from the same areas to avoid it further widening the North-South divide.” • Read the Chamber's response to HS2 cancellation on p53

Entrepreneurs earn dragons-style funding A Dragons’ Den-style event hosted by Nottinghamshire Community Foundation rewarded two entrepreneurs with cash grants. The event was held at the Ingenuity Centre at the University of Nottingham, with the panel of esteemed entrepreneur judges awarding Spritely Sustainable, a sustainability training company, and Green Heart, which provides forest learning experiences for adults with mental health issues. Nina Dauban, chief executive of Nottinghamshire Community Foundation, said: “This is our 12th Dragons Den event, and we are always delighted to find and support so many exciting new businesses in Nottingham. The winners get so much more than a grant, as the panel always offers invaluable advice, gifts in kind and some even end up investing in the business.”

business network November 2023

MTMS EXTENDS TRAIN CONTRACT MTMS has been given the nod to extend one of its longest-running contracts after it signed a new deal with train operators Southeastern. The company has maintained the equipment at depots serving the busy South East England network since 2014 and agreed to extend its nine-year association. The contract involves the maintenance and renewal of carriage wash plants, controlled emission toilets and associated bowsers at 10 depots, including Ashford, Dover, Gillingham, Grove Park, Orpington, Ramsgate, Slade Green, St Leonards West Marina, Tonbridge and Victoria. The depots are home to Southeastern’s 399 trains, which deliver 1,700 services each day across the network, which links London with communities in Kent and East Sussex. Between March 2022 and March 2023, the network carried 29.9 million passengers – the fourth-highest in the country – serving 180 stations and covering 540 miles of track. MTMS services and maintains rolling stock and specialist equipment, as well as carrying out routine infrastructure tasks, at more than a half of rail depots across the UK, with its central location in Swadlincote helping it to serve customers as far afield as Penzance and Aberdeen. MTMS managing director Matt Frost said: “Our work is vital to supporting the quality of service that Southeastern is able to offer its passengers on what is undoubtedly one of the country’s most highprofile networks. “We’re also proud to operate within the Midlands rail cluster and it will be a matter of pride to our team that the trains it will be helping to service were built up the road, perhaps even by their friends or members of their family.”

Training firm delivers key workshops in Nigeria Nottingham-based Beaumont Training and Consultancy has delivered its first-ever intercontinental resilience training workshops to a key government agency in Nigeria. Beaumont, based in Wollaton, has been delivering resilience training across the UK and Europe since 2008, working in collaboration with countries such as Denmark, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Czechia. The family-run SME delivered a series of webinars for delegates

across the Nigerian states. Its offering includes a “say what?” resilience-building card game, the “be assertive” video game, in addition to its flagship online resilience programme. Managing director Jo Higgins-Cezza (pictured) said: “We were delighted to be asked to deliver resilience workshops to a high-profile Nigerian client. The work the agency does is so important, and it was a real honour to create a bespoke training package.”

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MEMBER NEWS

November 2023 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

Ethics of unclaimed holiday pay By Gavin Dilkes (pictured), director at Synergy Recruitment Solutions. ecruitment agencies play a vital role in connecting job seekers with potential employers and ensuring a smooth recruitment process. While most agencies operate with integrity and adhere to ethical standards, there are some who utilise unclaimed holiday pay to bolster their finances. This practice raises ethical concerns, not only for the affected employees but also for the reputation of the recruitment industry as a whole.

UNCLAIMED HOLIDAY PAY Unclaimed holiday pay refers to the unused paid time off (PTO) that an employee is entitled to but fails to utilise within a given period. Employers are required to provide their workers with paid time off as part of their benefits package, and it is essential for employees to take advantage of these benefits to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

THE UNETHICAL USE OF UNCLAIMED HOLIDAY PAY In recent times, there have been reports of certain recruitment agencies taking advantage of unclaimed holiday pay and using it to finance their operations. This practice often occurs when employees leave a job without utilising their accrued holiday pay, either due to unawareness of their rights, through the transient nature

of temporary work or various other reasons. Instead of ensuring the rightful owners receive their due, these agencies may exploit the unclaimed funds for their own financial gains.

THE IMPACT ON EMPLOYEES Employees who unknowingly leave unclaimed holiday pay behind face financial losses. This accrued holiday pay is rightfully theirs, and they should be able to access it when needed. The exploitation of unclaimed holiday pay by recruitment agencies deprives these individuals of their rightful compensation, creating an ethical dilemma that cannot be ignored.

DAMAGE TO THE RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY'S REPUTATION Recruitment agencies are entrusted with the responsibility of finding suitable job opportunities for candidates while maintaining the highest ethical standards. The utilisation of unclaimed holiday pay tarnishes the reputation of the entire recruitment industry, making potential jobseekers question the trustworthiness of these agencies. In turn, this could lead to a decline in candidates using such services, causing potential harm to both recruiters and job seekers.

CREATING A MORE ETHICAL RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY To preserve the integrity of the

recruitment industry and protect the rights of jobseekers, it is crucial for agencies to adopt ethical practices. Recruitment agencies must establish clear policies regarding unclaimed holiday pay and ensure the rightful owners receive their dues. Transparent communication with employees about their entitlements and benefits can also prevent confusion and help prevent unclaimed holiday pay from accruing in the first place. THE USE OF unclaimed holiday pay

by recruitment agencies to fund their business operations raises serious ethical concerns and undermines the trust that both employees and employers place in these agencies. It is essential for the recruitment industry to prioritise transparency and fairness, ensuring that employees are aware of their rights and entitlements. By doing so, the industry can uphold its reputation and maintain its role in connecting job seekers with suitable opportunities without resorting to unethical practices.

Automation can create greater opportunities

Val Anderson 10

business network November 2023

Gi Group is advocating the adoption of automation within the manufacturing industry to boost diversity and create new opportunities for people with disabilities. The latest estimates from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Family Resources Survey indicate that 16 million people in the UK have a disability but only 4.9 million have a job tailored to suit their needs, resulting in a high proportion out of work. With 25 years’ experience within the manufacturing industry and serving 1,500 clients from 87 UK locations, including each major city across the East Midlands, Gi Group has identified new technologies

and automation as an opportunity to champion diversity and inclusion. The HR and recruitment company says the unique skills and talents of candidates with disabilities should be matched with the evolving needs of the industry. Val Anderson, operations manager at Gi Group, said: “By embracing the power of automation, we’re helping to open doors for candidates with disabilities to excel in manufacturing. We believe new technology can serve as a bridge, allowing candidates with disabilities to access meaningful employment opportunities in an industry undergoing transformative change.”

The group invites manufacturers to explore new possibilities in their employment processes, and to open up a new world of workers. Within the industry, automation carries the promise of being a positive catalyst with the potential to increase productivity, raise efficiency, and make companies more competitive all while opening the doors to new pools of talent. Val added: “Transitioning to automation will have the capability to free employees from physically demanding tasks, which will instead be performed by robots under workers’ direction and control. The modern worker will instead be running sophisticated machinery and quality controlling.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

Ben French

Elliot Smith

Green light for exblue light vehicles National auction house John Pye & Sons has secured a four-year nationwide framework worth up to £50m to oversee the disposal and auction of end-of-life emergency service or “blue light” vehicles. The Framework for the Provision of Auction and Disposal of End-of-Life Vehicles and Items was awarded by BlueLight Commercial, an organisation established by the Home Office in 2020. John Pye, headquartered in Nottingham, will oversee the disposal and auction of emergency vehicles that are no longer fit for purpose, such as police cars and fire engines. The framework includes managing vehicles that must be scrapped or recycled with components made available for the “green parts” market and redistributing other premium vehicles suitable for resale. Zoe Wright, director at John Pye, said: “The resale and disposal of ex-emergency vehicles is highly sensitive, and we place our operations under intense scrutiny, carefully balancing income generation for the authority with supporting sustainability.”

Changing of the guard at long-running electrics firm Blaby Electrical has new faces at the helm following a management buyout. Tony and Karen Smith, who founded the Leicestershire-based company 37 years ago, have retired and sold to the management team, which says the deal will facilitate further growth. Two new co-owners, managing director Ben French, and director of fire and security services Elliot Smith, have taken their positions as 50/50 shareholders. The business partners said the buyout will allow the company to continue to succeed with a management team that already knows the client base, its ethos and values and workforce.

Tony said: “When I set up the business in August 1986, the longterm plan was to sell the business on, so we had a sum of money to enjoy our retirement. “Selling it to someone that hadn’t grown with the business didn’t feel right, which is why I couldn’t be prouder that Elliot and Ben have taken over the ownership. I know they both have ideas of their own to grow the business, and Karen and I look forward to seeing it grow.” Ben has been with Blaby Electrical for 20 years, starting off as an apprentice electrician, working up the ranks to managing director in 2019. Elliot is the son of Tony and Karen. He began working for his family's

business 16 years ago, also starting off as an apprentice electrician. He took on the title of fire and security systems manager in 2019. Ben said: “Ensuring the business is successful and continues to grow is key, not just for Tony and Karen, but for all the team and their families here at Blaby Electrical. Being one of the only out-and-out electrical, fire and security system contractors in Leicester puts us in a great position to build upon.” Elliot added: “We have now been given the exciting opportunity to take over the company and continue where Tony left off. I’m looking forward to taking the company forward into the future of fire and security.”

Merger creates major software company Leicestershire-based BrightBridge Solutions has been acquired by NoBlue2 to create one of Europe’s largest partners of cloud-based software company Oracle NetSuite. The merger brings together the two Oracle NetSuite solution providers to create a workforce of 130 and revenues of more than £16m. BrightBridge’s 400 customers were told it would be business as usual throughout and beyond the transition period. NoBlue2 was created through the recent merger of NoBlue and Elevate2 following a growth investment from FPE Capital. While the Nottinghamshire firm 12

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previously focused on delivering only Oracle NetSuite projects, the addition of the BrightBridge Microsoft Dynamics team will facilitate an expanded offering. Ian Robertson (pictured), co-founder, and sales and marketing director of BrightBridge, said: “By uniting our experience, skills and passion for designing and delivering enterprise resource planning systems, NoBlue2 will be a remarkable knowledgebase for customers. We aim to use our robust position to cast our net wider to help more businesses and non-profits across Europe to capitalise on using the very latest in business technologies.”

Payment app cuts costs Derby-based software company App4 has launched a new addition for its mobile app, online ordering and self-service kiosk product. The Mini-POS been designed to integrate with the App4 payments system, bringing all payments and orders together, thus simplifying reporting and accounting processes for the customer. It says the new product will mean customers could save more than £200 per month, and increase efficiencies by 25%, through having all in-store and online orders together on a single system. CEO and founder Ian Chambers said: “We are dedicated to making the lives of food and beverage businesses easier and are determined to ensure our total solution incorporates all the essentials that they need to service their customers as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Event will really do the business Leicester Business Festival (LBF) returns this month and the full events programme is now available to view. The 2023 festival runs from 6 to 17 November, and is backed by organisations including De Montfort University, Pattersons Commercial Law, University of Leicester, Everards of Leicestershire, The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity and Leicester Hospitals Charity and PPL PRS.

‘Great things happen when people get together with a shared mission’ LBF provides a fortnight of free events that showcase successes, celebrate collaboration and promote innovation. Each event is unique and focuses on key business areas such as wellbeing, sustainability, policy, finance, legal support and marketing. The line-up includes: • Activating inclusive growth and innovation, money to grow your business, routes to funding – 10

November, 10-1 • Pool and property – 14 November, 4-6.15 • Green goals: Creating a local sustainability sporting network – 15 November, 12-1.30 • Introduction to sustainable business practices: Key tips, insights and practical guidance – 15 November, 2-4 • The power of choice: Responding resourcefully under pressure – 17 November, 11.30-1. Helen Donnellan, director of research and enterprise at De Montfort University and LBF partner, said: “Each year, the festival creates a platform to collectively share knowledge, expertise, and skills from across the business sector. “Great things happen when people get together with a shared mission. The festival is always full of events that equip people with tried and tested tactics to navigate the ever-changing world of business.” To register for an event, visit www.leicesterbusinessfestival.com

A delegate signs in at last year’s LBF

CHAMBER JOINS AI PRESENTATION The Chamber is partnering with four businesses to deliver “The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business practices” at LBF. Delivered in collaboration with Nelsons, ER Recruitment, Mattioli Woods and Barclays, the event takes place on Tuesday 7 November from 8.30am to 10.30am. Delegates will learn about the transformative potential of AI technologies in streamlining operations, automating tasks, and enhancing decision-making processes within various industry and operational contexts. The panel of speakers includes the Chamber’s director of policy and external affairs Chris Hobson, Nelsons partner and head of employment Laura Kearsley, Mattioli Woods chief operating officer Iain McKenzie, Barclays head of mid corporate banking Amit Sonpal, and ER Recruitment owner Eileen Perry MBE DL. To register, visit lbf2023.ticketleap.com/the-impact-of-ai-onbusiness-operations

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MEMBER NEWS

Event offers pitching option

The Briight team

Training videos win agency more business A visual marketing agency’s workload has increased after creating campaigns for top learning and development companies across the UK. Briight has received critical acclaim for creating bold and eyecatching training videos for employees at councils, energy companies, transport bodies and supermarkets. The Derby-based agency – which has been applying its marketing strategies and engaging content creation in the learning and development field since 2018 – says 70% of its work involves creating content for companies that want to invest in their staff and engage their employees. Co-founder Drew Taylour-Davis

Team makes two award shortlists Nielsen McAllister has been shortlisted in two categories at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide Awards 2023. The Derby-based B2B specialist PR and communications agency is a Midlands finalist in both the Small PR Consultancy of the Year and Low Budget Campaign of the Year categories. The CIPR Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding public relations work. Winners will be announced at the CIPR Awards ceremony held on 17 November in Birmingham. Bob Bushby, managing director of Nielsen McAllister, said: “Both nominations reflect the efforts and expertise of our team in delivering for our clients.”

said: “Every big organisation knows the value of investing in its people, and learning and development is a big part of that.

‘Every big organisation knows the value of investing in its people’ “But the way in which it’s delivered needs to be effective. Investing in proper training videos and visual content, featuring staff and professional actors – and blending all this with great visual storytelling, animation and motion graphics – is key to keeping staff engaged.” Briight has helped t-three, one of the UK’s leading learning and

development companies, with its marketing and in delivering awardwinning people development programmes for Sainsbury’s, Transport for London and Mitie. Additionally, Briight has worked with Simply Brilliance – an online platform that enables users to access HR and learning and development providers with ease – to drive traffic to its website, connecting the likes of BrewDog and Nationwide Building Society with approved training suppliers. Fellow co-founder Rob Dawes added: “Our job is to bring the fun to learning and development with our videos and content, which makes the training far more engaging and more than just a box-checking exercise.”

The Pitching Platform is returning to the East Midlands Real Entrepreneurs’ Awards at Nottingham University Business School next April. It gives start-ups a chance to pitch their business ideas to successful entrepreneurs and win £10,000 of marketing and legal investment. In its second year, applications are now being accepted from anyone who has the foundations of a business or product, including students, the self-employed, small businesses owners and individuals in full-time work. Three applications will go through to the Pitching Platform, which will take place during the awards. This year’s winner was Kate Allan of ExpHand Prosthetics, which manufactures 3D printed limb prosthetics for children. She has since gone on to showcase her inventions at The Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement and Africa Health ExCon. Jenny Cross, CEO of Cross Productions, which organises the Real Entrepreneurs’ Awards, said: “We want our guests to see a broad range of entrepreneurs in front of them, so we’re keen for applications from all stages of the entrepreneurial journey.”

PR firm gets a pizza the action A Nottingham-based PR and marketing agency has been appointed by several sectorleading clients from across Europe. Professional services business Knights has recently appointed Cartwright Communications to undertake its nationwide PR strategy as it grows its extensive portfolio of offices. Knights has 25 offices across the UK and supports more than 10,000 businesses and private clients, making it operationally one of the largest clients that Cartwright has worked with. Fran Prince, who was recently appointed as a company director at Cartwright Communications, said: “We are achieving paralleled growth across our B2B and B2C channels, thanks in part to our ever-growing team that is garnering results and proving their expertise with existing clients, which is helping us to secure more new business opportunities. “A significant amount of legal PR success is down to a proactive

approach of being on the pulse of trending news and how this and legislation changes impact people every day. We have built long established relationships with our existing legal clients, which goes to show the reputation and quality of our coverage achievements in the national, legal and industry-specific press.” Cartwright has also secured The Wates Group – one of the UK’s largest privately-owned

construction, development and property services companies – as well as canned peaches brand Freshcano and Domaine Porta Carras, the largest organic vineyard in Greece, as clients. They follow recent additions including London-based artisan Italian food retailer Seggiano, which recruited the agency to promote an extensive range of sustainablysourced kitchen larder essentials via top-tier food publications. November 2023 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

Hospitality can help net business By Tracey Hallam (pictured), head of commercial at Leicester Riders Basketball Club. My involvement in sporting hospitality has opened my eyes to its often-underestimated potential as a powerful tool for business. It transcends the enjoyment of sport and serves as a dynamic networking platform with farreaching benefits for businesses. Participation in a sports club naturally integrates you into the community, fostering connections with local businesses and potential clients.

‘Sporting hospitality provides a relaxed atmosphere for building relationships with fellow business owners’ NATURAL NETWORKING A key benefit is the organic networking that takes place in this setting. Unlike formal and structured networking events, sporting hospitality provides a relaxed atmosphere for building relationships with fellow business owners against the backdrop of live sports action. The event helps ease the flow of conversations. Engaging in discussions about the game becomes a more natural and enjoyable experience, offering a softer sell for business interactions. The concept that “most business gets done in the pub on a Friday night” is mirrored in the environment created by sports hospitality. After a demanding workweek, attendees arrive at the event and are greeted by professional faces, ready to share in the week’s challenges and triumphs. It becomes a space to

unwind, discuss business matters, and forge connections that extend beyond the formalities of business. Seeing familiar faces at these events generates a sense of community. Sitting courtside at Leicester Riders games made me feel like a part of a family. The collective passion of the Leicester community coming together for the occasion creates an atmosphere that you can’t replicate.

YOUR BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY For fans, seeing a local business supporting their team adds an extra layer of connection. It goes beyond transactional relationship, and becomes a shared experience and a point of pride for both the business and the community it serves. Beyond the natural business opportunities that arise, it becomes a space where clients and staff can be invited to express gratitude for their hard work.

RIDERS PACKAGE IS A SLAM DUNK Leicester Riders has launched its new mezzanine hospitality package for the 2023/24 season. Britain’s oldest professional basketball club is inviting businesses to enjoy supporting the Riders from their home at Morningside Arena, where the team has lifted 17 trophies in the past decade. The mezzanine package offers guests an unobstructed view of the court, making it an ideal vantage point to watch the game unfold. Pre-game hot buffet dishes, a private cash bar, as well as complimentary season guides and game day sheets, are included in the package. The mezzanine also holds corporate events for up to 50 guests. Sponsors have, on numerous occasions, brought guests who later became sponsors themselves, illustrating the potential for longterm partnerships forged in this environment. We are blessed to do business in

the East Midlands, a region steeped in sporting glory. Seize the opportunity, connect with the sporting community, and experience firsthand the transformative power of sports in elevating your business.

Popular conference venue undergoes major refit

The Jubilee Hotel and Conferences Venue 16

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Nottingham Venues has completed a significant refurbishment and re-brand project at its Jubilee Hotel and Conferences venue. The project has seen the refurbishment of its meeting space in the East Atrium at the venue, and also the re-brand of its Spokes Café. Taking inspiration for its name from Raleigh, whose bicycle factory used to be on the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus site, Spokes has undergone significant changes to both its menu and décor, and is now aiming to make the most of its attractive lakeside location. Stephanie Moss-Pearce, director of marketing at Nottingham Venues, said: “We are privileged to have such a fantastic location with The Jubilee Hotel and Conferences, so wanted to

breathe new life into our facilities and start putting the location on the map. We are delighted with the results and have had great initial feedback from the public and our business clients who use the flexible meeting space on offer.” The organisation, which operates a collection of venues specialising in meetings and events within the grounds of the University of Nottingham campus, celebrated the launch of its new look with a “party by the lake”. Attended by its meetings and events clients and a wide range of people from Nottingham’s business community, the event enabled delegates to experience the venue and sample the menu.

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MEMBER FOCUS: BASELINE RECRUIT Tell us what your company does and a brief overview of its history? Baseline Recruit is an SME recruitment agency that specialises in areas including finance, HR, logistics, supply chain, manufacturing and engineering. Geographically, our client base is East Midlands-focused, but our mandates span across SMEs and global businesses across the UK. Who are your main customers and what is your USP to them? Our sectors include both commercial and not-for-profit organisations. The East Midlands is a region with a strong manufacturing heritage and many of our clients are within this sector. The directors are based in Derbyshire and Leicestershire, and have a rich network of connections in these localities. Collectively, the directors have more than 50 years’ recruitment expertise to board level. Our main USP is that all mandates are director-led and our research is carried out in-house. Our partnership approach builds strong insights and market knowledge, allowing us to act as ambassadors to our clients. The

emphasis is quality over quantity, ensuring clients receive ROI and value for money. What is your position in the business and what does your day-to-day role involve? I joined Baseline Recruit as a director in January 2021, having worked with my co-director Tracey Ellis back in 1999. The job can vary greatly day-today. Recruitment is an amalgamation of many things and encompasses extensive interaction with your prospective candidates and clients, business development activity, marketing, juggling the finances and travelling to meetings – no day is the same and you need to be able to multi-task. What challenges have you faced in recent times and how have you tried to overcome them? Covid-19 was obviously a difficult time for most businesses and recruitment was no different. Job numbers plummeted and the number of candidates looking for work skyrocketed. It was a really difficult time, and speaking to so many unemployed people made me extremely grateful to have a job.

NEW MEMBERS In September, the Chamber welcomed 34 new members:

• Ark Digital Agency • Blaby Electrical Inc Blaby Alarms • The CFO Centre • Chartered Institute of Building • Connected Perinatal Support CIC • Direct Electrical (Leicester) Ltd • Display By Design Limited • The Drawing Room (Architects) Ltd • Ecomotive Logistics • The Element-Sustainable Sauna • Era Energy • Infuse Technology Ltd • Katerpillar Graphic Design • KreatiViz • LK Metrology Ltd • Lloyds Bank Plc

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market. The number of high-quality candidates has been very low and this led to us working harder and approaching candidates already in work to generate a decent shortlist. Overcoming these changes in the market requires imagination, tenacity, strong networking and an innovative approach. Fortunately, our longstanding experience and rigorous training has enabled us to get positive results.

• Maggie’s Nottingham (pictured) • Marketing Labs • Midavlyn Mortgages • Mindflow • Mini First Aid Nottingham and Derby Ltd • NIC Services Group Ltd • Race@Home Ltd • Raven Sky • Realtime IT Solutions Ltd • Right Legal Group • SaveMoneyCutCarbon • Solar Fabrications • Streets LLP • Timbateq Ltd • Julie Langton Author • Tuxford Academy • Volspire Ltd (International) • Youth Sport Trust

What are the company’s plans for the future? While we have no plans to take over the recruitment world, we would like to grow and become the preferred recruitment partner for more manufacturing clients in the East Midlands. Location: Buxton, Derbyshire Number of employees: Three Spokesperson: Katie Kitson, director

Last year, we experienced the opposite where skill shortages were seen in almost all areas, and there was and still is reticence in the

How long have you been a member of the East Midlands Chamber, and how have you engaged with the membership benefits to support your business activity? We have only recently become a member of the Chamber but we’re really looking forward to getting involved in some networking, knowledge-sharing and getting to know some new businesses in the East Midlands area.

Allergy company passes the test to scoop awards An allergy and intolerance home testing company has won an international health award and been shortlisted for two regional business awards. Test Your Intolerance, based in Castle Donington, received an International Life Science Award from Global Health and Pharma Magazine in recognition of its innovation and cutting-edge technology. It was presented with the Food Intolerance Testing Company of the Year 2023 award, adding to its regional success having been shortlisted in the Chamber’s Derbyshire Business Awards in the Business Improvement through Technology and Outstanding Growth categories. The company, which has been running for 14 years and recently carried out its one millionth test, has become one of the country’s biggest suppliers of self-testing kits, using state-of-the-art equipment to enable customers to find out what health problems, allergies and intolerances they may have.

Cris Wootton

Cris Wootton, who runs Test Your Intolerance with business partner Jason Wootton, said: “We were overjoyed to win a national award earlier this year, but to win an international scientific award is absolutely thrilling and we feel this is conclusive proof that we are well ahead of the competition with our research, technology and innovation.”

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MEMBER NEWS

emc-dnl.co.uk/EMComingTogether

Sponsorship scheme is designed to provide hope Project helps turn Paul’s life around The wheels of fortune in the life of a former engineer from Derbyshire have been turned around thanks to a bike repair project run by Derventio Housing Trust. Paul Hudson, 39, of Alfreton, is now working as a paid coordinator of volunteers for Bike Back Derby, where he uses his engineering skills in helping others refurbish bicycles, and in doing so supporting people to get fitter through cycling. In 2015, Paul found himself unable to pay the rent after losing his job through poor mental health, which led to him being provided with accommodation by Derventio. Paul, who has now moved on to his own council property, said: “Derventio Housing Trust got me out of a very difficult situation. From Growing Lives, I went into volunteering and then from volunteering I went into this job – all from being on the bike project with Dave.”

Businesses are being urged to give families the gift of “hope” in a new charity partnership spearheaded by a Derby-based PR agency. The me&dee charity has launched a new sponsorship scheme allowing businesses to give families Hope – the name of a special keepsake elephant with a voice recorder in the zip-up pouch contained in its ear, which has been used by hundreds of families to record poignant last messages of loved ones, often children.

‘Having Hope the elephant can be enormously comforting’ The device allows families with a potentially life-limiting diagnosis to record the voice of a loved one, providing huge comfort in times of bereavement. The elephant has even been used to record the voice of a very ill boy’s snoring, which his mum listened to after he passed away. Now the charity is urging businesses to lend support with a 12-month sponsorship of the elephant, with the offer of one Hope embroidered with a business’s logo as the ideal friendly

Maria Hanson, Simon Burch, Harry and Meghan Birkin

companion around the office. The first business to offer sponsorship is Derby-based Penguin PR. Maria Hanson MBE said: “In times of bereavement, having Hope the elephant can be enormously comforting to families. “Providing Hope has turned into one of the most powerful things we

can do for people. We have had family members recording their heartbeat into Hope’s voice recorder so that if the worst happens, that comforting record of the person who has left us can live on. “We give Hope to all of our families who are facing short, uncertain or challenging futures.”

Appeal brings in a lorry load of food for families

Giving something back Ashgate Hospice has received a £1,000 donation from Chesterfield-based law firm Banner Jones. Providing palliative and end-oflife care for free to adults, the North Derbyshire charity looks after patients living with a life-limiting illness, including cancer, neurological diseases, and end-stage heart, kidney and lung diseases. In the last year alone, it has provided at-home care for more than 1,600 people and inpatient care for over 360 patients, in addition to providing counselling and bereavement support for more 20

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than 500 people who have lost a loved one. The funds received from Banner Jones will help the charity to provide homemade meals for up to 200 inpatients, bereavement support to around 80 individuals, or at-home visits for as many as 40 people. Ben Couch, commercial property solicitor at Banner Jones, said: “As a firm, it’s very important to us to give back to our local communities, and we are delighted to have been able to provide a contribution which will help ensure more people benefit from the work of this incredible charity.”

A Derby-based charity struggling to feed families in the city has received a lorry load of food after launching its 100 Club. Three tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables has been delivered to the Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance (DF4TA) – thanks to Wavensmere Homes, the company behind the £175m Nightingale Quarter residential scheme and the proposed transformation of the Friar Gate Goods Yard in Derby. The donation comes after the charity, which has supported 40,000 people in Derby during the costof-living crisis, issued an urgent appeal for help at a Marketing Derby bondholder breakfast event at Pride Park Stadium in September. DF4TA’s 100 Club campaign is asking 100 businesses to sign up and commit to supporting the charity by giving £100 a month, for the next 12 months. Councillor Baggy Shanker, leader of Derby City Council, said: “DF4TA provides a much-needed service to some of our most vulnerable families across the city. “Personally, I would hope we reach a time when this service isn’t required but while there is need, we all must do what we can to support.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Recycling scheme in volunteer call

DCCT Award winners celebrate

Rams legends turn out for trust’s awards night Derby County manager Paul Warne and Rams legends Roy McFarland and Roger Davies were special guests at an awards ceremony held at the club’s Pride Park Stadium. Derby County Community Trust – the charitable arm of the League One club – held its annual awards, where people such as Andy Nichols who signed up to the Team Talk project in 2021, after struggling with his mental health throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Andy was named Participant of the Year for his work with Team Talk and other projects including Dad’s

‘Making an impact across the city and whole county’ Space and Fit Fans – an initiative that aims to improve the physical health of participants. Andy recently raised more than £1,000 for the Trust by taking part in a sponsored walk through the city. Other award winners included Sam Redfern, who was named Education Champion, Inclusion Champion Caira McCausland and Zaytouna Primary School, which was named School of the Year.

Rose Eadson was credited for her work as a volunteer with the Trust, while Carly Burns and Lee Fearnley shared the accolade of Employee of the Year. There was a special mention to the Rams in Kenya initiative, which is celebrating its 10th year. Bev, owner of Vibrant Accountancy and sponsor of the awards, said: “The work done by Derby County Community Trust is invaluable. It is making an impact across the city and whole county and, as the owner of a business that supports its community, it was important for us to be involved.”

Vans and volunteers are needed to join Treetops Hospice's efforts as the endof-life charity’s tree recycling scheme returns this Christmas. From 5 to 10 January 2024, the hospice will collect real Christmas trees for recycling after the festive period, in return for a donation to the charity. Volunteers with vans collect trees from driveways and bring them to designated recycling points across Southern Derbyshire and neighbouring areas of Nottinghamshire. Vans or tippers, of Transit size or larger, are required to help the collection. Businesses, families and community groups with access to these are encouraged to get in touch and provide support. Vic Rocca, Treetops’ key events relationships manager, said: “Volunteers who can offer a day’s help or even a few hours will make a massive difference to collect all the trees booked over the festive period.”

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APPOINTMENTS

Bee Sanghera

Bee brings A game to sales position Derby-based Infuse Technology has appointed Bee Sanghera in the new role of sales executive as the firm continues to grow its client base. Bee has more than 20 years’ experience working within the IT industry in various business development management roles. Her diverse career to date also includes working as a head chef at a Nottingham restaurant and running her own business, which has given her a first-hand understanding of the opportunities and challenges local business owners may face. Paul Howard, managing director at Infuse Technology, said: “With Bee’s extensive experience in business development and working with IT-managed service providers, we are confident she will prove to be an asset to our specialist team and instrumental to our future growth.”

Employer engagement director called up by MoD Kirstie Lawrence has been appointed as the new regional employer engagement director for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the East Midlands. The former Sea Cadet is no stranger to helping businesses support reservists, service leavers, cadet volunteers, and spouses and partners, having been with the organisation since 2020.

‘The highest badge of honour for organisations that employ and support our Defence community’ She will continue to work closely with businesses looking to hire and retain Armed Forces personnel through engaging with the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) and the Defence Employer Recognition (ERS) Scheme. The AFC is a promise from employers that no member of the Armed Forces community will be disadvantaged by their service. ERS, which the AFC is the gateway into, awards organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support through the bronze, silver and gold awards, respectively. Kirstie will now focus on organisations which have achieved or are working towards the prestigious Gold ERS Award in the East Midlands. She said: “The Defence Employer Recognition

Kirstie Lawrence

Scheme is the highest badge of honour for organisations that employ and support our Defence community. “Our people add intrinsic value, and I am very proud to be continuing to provide support to people in their civilian employment and to repeatedly hear of the benefits this brings back to the employer.”

Andy Cash (centre) with Kevin McGrath (left) and Andrew Oldroyd

New crime role for experienced solicitor

Promotions at Hacker Young From left: Iain Wheat, Abi Moore, Stacey Harland, Matthew Hart and Ben Bates

The Nottingham office of national accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young has made a raft of promotions – recognising their contributions to audit, accounts and tax teams, along with growing service needs of clients. In the accounts department, Stacey Harland has been promoted to senior manager. During the past 18 years, she has progressed from an apprentice, undertaking the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification, to 22

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now a qualified certified accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Additionally, Abi Moore, Matthew Hart and Oliver Wade have been promoted to manager, supervisor and senior respectively within the audit team. Iain Wheat – who specialises in research and development, share options schemes and company restructures – and Hannah Kasem – resident expert in inheritance tax, trusts and estate planning – have

also been promoted to senior managers in the tax advisory team. Ben Bates is promoted to a supervisor in the personal tax team. Andrew Timms, managing partner at the Nottingham office of UHY Hacker Young, said: “All seven promotions celebrate the success we have experienced across our accounts, audit and tax teams, which are committed to solving the complex challenges that clients are navigating in their specialist sectors.”

One of Derby’s most experienced criminal lawyers has taken up a new position at East Midlands law firm Smith Partnership. Andy Cash, who has more than 42 years’ experience in the industry, joins as a solicitor in its crime department. It is the latest staging post in a career which began in Devon in 1979. Andy arrived in Derby via a stint in Hong Kong, in 1986, when he joined city firm Eddowes Waldron, where he later became a partner. Ten years later, he joined fellow city firm Nelsons as a partner and was most recently a director for Derby-based Cartwright King, before taking up his new role at Smith Partnership. Andy said: “I’ve never lost my love of representing people in court or as a duty solicitor at the police station.”

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APPOINTMENTS

Trace to help you make the most of membership A new strategic partnerships manager has joined the Chamber – with a remit to help businesses get the most out of their membership. Trace Voss, who has a varied career background in education, business development, events and fundraising, took up the role in September. She will oversee commercial sponsorship opportunities across the Chamber’s awards, events and other initiatives. Trace will also work alongside the Chamber’s senior leadership team to develop new strategic partnership and patronage agreements, as well as support with the account management of existing partners. She said: “I thrive on making a difference and supporting others. Working in partnership and collaboration are very important values to me, along with integrity, respect and trust. All these values are equally important to the Chamber. “A word I often use when describing a strong working partnership relationship, and the reason for success, is ‘nurturing’. I truly believe in looking after the people I work with, our

Trevor’s bid succeeds at Notts auctioneers Nottingham-headquartered John Pye & Sons has bolstered its senior team by appointing Trevor Palethorpe (pictured) to its board of directors. Trevor began his career with auctioneer John Pye in 1997 as a junior to company co-owner Ann Pye. Since the early days he has held many roles within the business and is a key part of the team, led by managing director Adam Pye, that has transformed the small family firm into an award-winning, multimillion-pound business. Currently, Trevor jointly heads up the auctioneers business assets and property divisions, and over the past 24 months, his role has evolved to include overseeing the company’s marketing strategy. During this period, bidder registrations rates have almost doubled, and its website is ranked the number one auction site in the UK. Trevor said: “To be joining the board at such a pivotal time in the firm’s history is incredibly exciting and humbling. Since joining the firm as a trainee all those years ago, the business has evolved almost beyond recognition. It is my ambition that when I step down in the distant future the company achieves sustainable growth and is even bigger and better than it is today.”

members, strategic partners, patrons and sponsors, ensuring the relationship with the Chamber is a great experience.” Trace previously worked in education for 20 years, during which time she studied and graduated from a teaching degree in 2012. She worked in four primary schools, progressing to become a senior leader in education, before going on to specialise in supporting neglected and abused children within a pupil referral unit setting in local schools. After leaving education, she took a career change, working as a business development manager in a variety of industries including construction, marketing and advertising. Her most recent role as corporate events and fundraising manager was in the charity sector, where she hosted events for up to 200 delegates, and spoke at regional events to engage more than 500 guests to raise awareness of the charity. To speak to Trace about commercial partnership and sponsorship opportunities, call her on 0738 7141 583 or email trace.voss @emc-dnl.co.uk

Trace Voss

Law firm names new head for its IP team Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed partner Selina Hinchliffe to lead its East Midlands and South Yorkshire commercial intellectual property (IP) team. Selina specialises in transactional and advisory IP matters, including drafting and negotiating a range of agreements such as innovation R&D, sponsorship, merchandise and publishing agreements. She also advises on IP strategy and policy, regularly working on the IP aspects of wider commercial deals, corporate Selina Hinchliffe transactions and joint ventures. With more than 16 years’ post-qualified experience, Selina has joined Shakespeare Martineau after almost seven years as a partner at Browne Jacobson. Prior to this, she spent more than 11 years at Eversheds Sutherland, working her way up from associate to principal associate. In her new role, Selina will lead the commercial IP offering across Shakespeare Martineau’s Nottingham, Lincoln, Leicester and Sheffield offices, supporting the growth of the firm’s offering nationally. Selina said: “Shakespeare Martineau has an excellent reputation and a strong presence in the regions. I feel privileged to be joining a fantastic team and I am looking forward to helping to strengthen our offering as part of the firm’s wider strategy.”

Kevin Modiri

Nelsons partner joins cyber board Kevin Modiri, a partner and solicitor at Nelsons, has joined the board at the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre. Kevin, who specialises in data protection and privacy claims at the East Midlands law firm, has also been named a community ambassador at the centre. Cyber resilience centres educate organisations on the risk of cyberattacks, to encourage more to take preparatory steps and training. Kevin said: “Cyber-attacks continue to pose a significant threat to businesses, as client and staff information are valuable assets to cybercriminals. The scale of these incidents is at an all-time high with organisations of all sizes falling victim to such attacks. “The financial and reputational damage caused by a data breach can have devastating consequences, so it is important to prepare as well as act quickly when an attack occurs.” November 2023 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

GRW Logistics Ltd formed in early 2020 with one mission, to provide a first class service to its customers. We want to put a face to our business so all of our customers will benefit from a hands on team all working towards our common goal. GRW Logistics offers a full range of services from bulk powder transport, general haulage curtain & flat trailer deliveries right the way through to warehousing & storage services. General Haulage We offer a full UK delivery coverage on our general haulage division. We offer from one pallet up to 52 pallets per load. Bulk Powder Transport We can offer deliveries of all products throughout anywhere in the UK. We have a fleet ranging from small belly tanks right the way through to 60m3 tipping tanks, so you can rest assured that we will be able to move any product at a competitive price. Warehousing & Storage We offer a wide range of warehousing & storage services.

business network November 2023

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Future energy must also power our profits World-class research into future energy systems is happening in our region’s universities, but developing this into products and services with real commercial potential is one of the biggest challenges in achieving net zero. The Energy Research Accelerator, a partnership of eight research-intensive Midlands universities plus the British Geological Survey, is working with more than 1,000 businesses to do just this – as programme director Faye McAnulla discusses with Dan Robinson.

ext September will mark the end of an important chapter in the story of the East Midlands, indeed the country. The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, opened in 1968 and today Britain’s final remaining relic of a bygone era when coal was burned to energise a nation’s homes and businesses, will provide time for reflection among the tens of thousands who have worked on the site and the many, many more who have journeyed past its 650ft cooling towers, positioned off the A453 and visible for miles, over the decades. But as one piece of history is left firmly in the past, the shoots of another are sprung and a new age of energy production – with the East Midlands once more right at the coal face, so to speak – is ushered in. Uniper, the German energy firm that owns the Ratcliffe site, confirmed in September it will be transformed into a large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen production facility. It is the latest in a series of major recent announcements that place the region at the heart of the energy transition. Another former Nottinghamshire coalfired power station at West Burton won a bid to host the UK’s first prototype nuclear fusion energy power plant, while another Government competition for developing small modular reactors (SMRs) appears to place Rolls-Royce in pole position for building a generation of scaled-down nuclear reactors that would provide flexibly located, clean energy. Such projects are just the tip of the iceberg, with a plethora of initiatives underway in the region that also aim to develop the necessary skills and supply chain bases, providing opportunities for businesses and communities.

Faye speaking at an event hosted by manufacturer JCB November 2023 business network

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

“Our country obviously has some coastal resources for wind energy production but, alongside renewable energy, hydrogen and nuclear could be useful resources in the future energy mix – and the Midlands has a very interesting proposition in siting these,” says Faye McAnulla, a keen observer and partner in some of the developments as programme director of the Energy Research Accelerator (ERA). “The Midlands has always been a very important area for energy production, which is reflected in the high proportion of jobs in this sector and means we have people with many of the skills needed during the energy transition. “I was at West Burton when it was announced as the site for the nuclear fusion prototype plant and it was great to see so much happiness among people within the community as the next phase of energy generation was going to take place there. “Our manufacturing heartland is also a strength as we have the energy-intensive businesses to help accelerate the integration of new low-carbon technologies, which will not only enable these organisations to reach their own net zero targets but bring down operating costs too. “So when we combine these raw ingredients, it’s clear we don’t have to let go of our Megawatt Valley reputation as we will continue having an important role to play in future energy systems.” FAYE BRINGS MORE than 20 years’ experience in the low-carbon energy and cities space to the ERA, for which she is responsible for the day-today running. Established in 2016 with Government support, the £180m collaboration comprises eight research-intensive Midlands universities – including Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham in the East Midlands – plus the British Geological Survey, the world-leading geoscience organisation based in Keyworth. Together, the partners have worked with more than 1,000 companies and engaged 1,400 researchers in undertaking R&D and commercialising products. To date, this has delivered £110m industrial co-investment and catalysed £250m in follow-on funding, with a 9:1 performance benefit-to-cost ratio.

Faye with Lord Ravensdale (left) and Andrew Bowie MP, Minister for Nuclear

ERA is based at the RAD Building in Nottingham, which contains an array of energy research facilities

KEY ERA PROJECTS IN THE EAST MIDLANDS TRENT BASIN The Trent Basin community energy test bed provides a full-scale demonstration of an integrated energy system using both solar and thermal ground-source energy generation. Built by the regeneration company Blueprint, the £100m development will eventually comprise 350 low-energy homes across a 250-acre riverside site in Nottingham. Residents that opt into the community energy scheme will have solar panels installed on their roofs, and be provided with smart meters and voice-controlled speakers for access to live data on energy generated and consumed. There is also a two-megawatthours (MWh) community Tesla

business network November 2023

battery for storage and a hub comprising a digital twin of the development, enabling residents and visitors to visualise energy flows. Trent Basin has an energy supply company that sells excess energy to the grid to reduce residents’ bills. The scheme is estimated to save the equivalent of 34 tonnes of CO2 per year. The project, enabled by Innovate UK and ERA funding and managed by the University of Nottingham, brings together companies involved in the energy supply chain with key industry players, academics and house buyers to deliver new models for community energy schemes. Business model templates could eventually be used by developers of large-scale housing projects.

ERA has strong academic leadership directed by Professor Martin Freer, at the University of Birmingham, and representatives from each partner institute, along with close industry links. Its industrial advisory board comprises 12 senior leaders from across the energy sector, representing household names such as EDF Energy, National Grid and Siemens. By offering an industrial perspective, this helps to align ERA’s strategy and priorities with commercial, real-world opportunities and has so far created six “big ideas” for which there is strong business backing. One of the ERA’s biggest successes, believes Faye, has been in formalising academic partnerships that pre-dated the organisation into

HyDEX at Cranfield University

HYDEX HyDEX is a £6m programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation via the Research England Development Fund scheme, supporting and fostering the creation of a new hydrogen industrial economy in the Midlands.

It works with SMEs, established companies and multinationals to accelerate innovation, build markets and support the required skills transition. Seven of the ERA university partners are involved in the three-year programme, with each institution

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

now on phase three of a “sustainable neighbourhood” vision that will deliver at least 350 low-energy homes. These generate their own power and sell excess electricity back into the grid while deploying smart technologies. Across the border with the West Midlands, Aston University has hosted a microgrid gasification plant for converting biomass into a renewable fuel, Cranfield University is home to the HyPER demonstrator for producing green hydrogen from natural gas, and the University of Warwick has a world-class battery research facility at its Energy Innovation Centre, supported by Jaguar Land Rover. Some of those facilities are among 23 created with support from the ERA using an initial pot of £16m Innovate UK funding, another legacy of the partnership.

‘At the moment, we are producing a local authority toolkit that will support councils to help nurture the hydrogen economy in their patch’

long-term collaborations, a key ingredient in scaling up research into viable commercial products and services. “We help universities to commercialise and then scale their research by bringing them closer together with industry,” she says. “The space between having a good idea and getting into the marketplace is traditionally known as the ‘valley of death’, so this is a key focus area.” Examples include the Trent Basin, a housing development and full-scale community energy testbed in Nottingham. The project – led by a consortium of partners including the University of Nottingham, Loughborough University, Nottingham City Council, developer Blueprint and Siemens – is

making its hydrogen facilities, research capabilities and expertise available to businesses, which can adopt hydrogen technologies across transport, heating and manufacturing applications. Businesses involved include Worcester-Bosch and Cadent (hydrogen boilers and gas networks); Intelligent Energy (fuel cells); Toyota (hydrogen vehicles); FAUN Zoeller (heavy vehicles); Cenex, ENGIE (Hydrogen Networks); Progressive Energy and ITM Motive (hydrogen generation and transport respectively); and Siemens and ENGIE (hydrogen production and storage). Aligned to this, ERA is also working with international partners, helping Midlands businesses to access overseas markets and build links with hydrogen customers and suppliers across the world.

Another is the £7m Research and Acceleration and Demonstration (RAD) building, which opened on the former Dairy Crest site at the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus in 2017. It acts as a focal point for much of the university’s energy sector research, featuring test equipment for new technologies and laboratory space for work on everything from harvesting storing wind energy to developing new materials for hydrogen storage. One of the flagship schemes within the building is a demonstrator for a “flex fuel” engine, which has the ability to flex between hydrogen and ammonia as a retrofit solution for existing heavy-duty diesel engines used on ships and trains. This rolls into ERA’s HyDEX programme, which brings together all eight university partners with the ambition of building on the Midlands’

ENERGY FOR SPACE EXPLORATION The University of Leicester has built an international reputation for its space research work, with expertise in instrumentation and space engineering that makes it a major player in a space sector the Government wants to grow from £15bn to £40bn by 2030, creating 100,000 new jobs. In energy, it is leading the development of radioisotope thermoelectric generators and heater units as part of a European Space Agency (ESA) programme. This work is being carried out in collaboration with the National Nuclear Laboratory with a host of industry and academic partners in the UK, France and Germany. Missions using nuclear power offer greater versatility in challenging environments. In many cases,

A researcher at Aston University's bioenergy facility

strengths and expertise to put the region at the heart of the UK’s emerging hydrogen economy – which could support up to 100,000 jobs by 2050. Faye, whose core team is now funded by the universities within the partnership, says: “Each university has different kit and those demonstrators are effectively open to industry to come and look at the technologies being developed, helping them to understand what role they might have in the hydrogen economy. “About half the money in the programme has been spent on establishing those facilities and the other half has been used to support industry with innovation – whether it’s creating start-ups or collaborations. “We have spent a lot of time looking at international engagement, skills development and policy work. At the moment, we are producing a local authority toolkit that will support councils to help nurture the hydrogen economy in their patch.” NO SOONER HAD the leaves began to fall this autumn had a consortium of private and public sector organisations across the region joined forces to announce the launch of a landmark new industrial partnership. East Midlands Hydrogen, the group announced, “is poised to become the UK’s largest inland hydrogen cluster”. It will bring together 70 industrial sites in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and northern Leicestershire where more than

nuclear systems can enable missions that would otherwise be impossible. In 2019, the University of Leicester announced it had generated usable electricity from americium, produced during the radioactive decay of used fuel from nuclear reactors. It can emit power for more than 400 years and can be used as an alternative to plutonium-238, which has fuelled space missions since the 1960s but is produced only in the USA and Russia, where supplies are limited. As part of this work, a university team, together with industry partners, has developed the firstever working prototype radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) system, capable of providing 200 watts (W) of heat and 50W of electrical power in space.

ERA SKILLS ERA supports the development of skills in the Midlands energy sector. The ERA Skills Academy, run by Loughborough University, aims to meet demands for high-level skills across the spectrum of energy research and in industry through people development. It uses the research community as a source of innovation and ideas, while providing researchers with the skills to be active participants in delivering ERA’s research and innovation programme. ERA is also a founding partner of the Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure Cities and Energy (C-DICE), also based at Loughborough, which provides a range of training, development and problem-solving "sandpits" for postdoctoral researchers.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

10 terawatt-hours (TWh) of hydrogen will be needed in total by 2040 to enable decarbonisation. For these sites alone, access to green hydrogen would enable carbon savings of 1.9 million tonnes per year, the equivalent of gasrelated emissions from 860,000 homes, the group said. ERA will become involved as a wider stakeholder of the initiative and Faye agrees with the partnership’s claim the East Midlands has a unique proposition by being at the heart of the country. “It’s fair to say a lot of the hydrogen production activity has been focused in coastal clusters, whereas the Midlands’ inland location gives it a distinct offer,” she says. “There is a lot of industry here that needs to be decarbonised and hydrogen seems to be the best choice for many sectors. If we can produce and apply hydrogen locally, there is great potential for the region to become a major cluster.”

‘A lot of other areas have regional sector bodies so we felt it was right to establish one in order to co-ordinate all this’ Some 20 major businesses – among them Boots, Samworth Brothers, Nestle, Pepsico, Rolls-Royce, Toyota and British Sugar – have already signed memorandums of understanding to incorporate hydrogen into their activities, spanning those 70 sites. Faye believes sectors such as food and drink, power and aviation as having particularly strong use cases. Two days before East Midlands Hydrogen was launched during an event at Toyota’s car factory in Burnaston on 22 September, Uniper outlined its ambition to turn the Ratcliffe-on-Soar site into a low-carbon hydrogen production facility,

using electrolysis technology, once the coal-fired plant stops generating at the end of September 2024. It claimed the site will have capacity for 500 megawatts of hydrogen production by the turn of the decade, and said this could be used to decarbonise industry, transport and power throughout the East Midlands. “This site is right in the centre of these industrial areas,” says Faye. “It’s also near the logistics expertise we have around the airport, which is important because the other big potential application is in HGVs.” HYDROGEN IS ONE of three big bases of future energy production being developed in the East Midlands – the other two being nuclear fusion and fission. Nuclear energy was a key feature in the Government’s 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, published in 2020, and likewise in a localised version via the Midlands Engine’s Ten Point Plan for Green Growth that followed a year later. With the Government wanting to increase nuclear energy’s contribution to the grid from 6.5 gigawatts (GW), worth 15% of annual electricity production, to 24GW by 2050, it has created opportunities locally. Earlier this year, ERA established Midlands Nuclear, which brings together the supply chain, Faye McAnulla behind the wheel of a hydrogen vehicle

Trent Basin Community Energy Hub

HOW BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT FROM FUTURE ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES Businesses should start thinking now about how they are going to decarbonise, and the types of technologies that could help them reach net zero, says Faye. She has urged companies of all sizes to consider where they could collaborate with other businesses or universities to deploy green technologies that will also bring down running costs in the long term. “Things are moving quicker and quicker, so it’s important businesses really start thinking about their own decarbonisation journey,” she says. “We can’t get hydrogen facilities off the ground until we know end users are there in industry, so it’s important those that might benefit from the technologies being produced put their hands up to get involved. This will provide confidence for green energy producers to make those key investments.” In the short term, SMEs can take small steps by assessing energy efficiency at a lower scale within their operations. This could include a carbon footprint self-assessment, reducing energy consumption with LED lightbulbs and heat pumps, and switching to low-carbon energy providers.

business network November 2023

“There’s a lot of options out there to start making progress towards net zero now, rather than just waiting for things to develop,” adds Faye. “Hiring a decent energy adviser can make a big difference, and if you are a relatively large user of energy then you could look into installing your own solar panels on-site or find out where energy is being produced from waste locally. “The ‘boring’ housekeeping bits are a great start and being proactive can make a huge difference, rather than sitting around waiting for the silver bullet to happen.” ERA IS A DELIVERY partner in the Midlands Green Innovation Network, which provides SMEs with the support needed to maximise their potential for low-carbon innovation. The next event, titled “Start your business' net zero journey”, takes place on Thursday 23 November from 10am to 12.30pm at the Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill. For more information about the network, visit www.era.ac.uk

developers, generators, researchers and skills providers interested or already operating in this space within the region. This was one of seven recommendations in a January 2023 report coauthored by ERA and the Midlands Engine into reviewing the region’s nuclear and related industries. Its primary aim is to advocate on behalf of these stakeholders and the wider region to make the case for increased and sustained investment into nuclear and related industries in the Midlands. “With the fusion site at West Burton, RollsRoyce’s SMR development and Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby, plus the various R&D activities at our universities, there is a lot of work happening across the region,” says Faye. “A lot of other areas have regional sector bodies so we felt it was right to establish one in order to co-ordinate all this. Nationally, a lot of the debate around where to site some of these newer assets has been around current nuclear sites but we think there might be better sites in the Midlands – maybe within former coalpowered sites.” Another aspect is meeting the skills need. Data from the Nuclear Industry Association reports that in 2022, more than 64,000 people were employed in the UK’s nuclear industry. But with 39% of the workforce aged 50 or over and only 15% aged under 30, there are growing pressures on recruitment. The Nuclear Skills Strategy Group forecasted in 2019 that between 3,200 and 4,800 new workers would be needed every year until 2025 to meet the demand from new projects. There are risks of significant skills shortages if current trends continue. Faye adds: “We want to look at aspects like the skills provision required given the huge targets for nuclear set by Government. We’re going to need a lot of people so we need to know if we will have

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POLICY PRIORITIES FOR A SUCCESSFUL ENERGY TRANSITION A cohesive, long-term energy strategy is critical to the UK’s energy security and economic growth ambitions, believes Faye. She has worked in the energy industry for more than two decades across both academia and industry, including a role as UK environment manager for E.ON UK, and has been involved in projects in Central and South America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe. “During that entire, one of the biggest challenges has been the lack of a definitive national energy policy,” she says. “We’ve made some progress in certain areas and have made good progress with things like hydrogen and nuclear fusion, but we desperately need and coherent joinedup plan that helps to deliver decarbonisation and keep energy prices as low as possible. “Industry needs clear signals about the road ahead because too much chopping and changing doesn’t help when they need to plan for the long term.” This view is echoed by Chamber members, which ranked a long-term energy strategy as the number one policy priority for the next Government during a recent survey.

‘We have huge renewables targets but we won’t hit those if we can’t build the solutions in time’

The University of Nottingham is also involved in the HyDEX project

enough people trained up, help to develop apprenticeship and university programmes, and look at how we can reskill people from other sectors. Having a strong supply chain in place is also important so businesses have a big role to play in the consortium.” THE NEXT BIG milestone for the region’s energy policy is a Midlands Engine Energy Security White Paper, which is due to be published in 2024. It will aim to inform and help shape national policy and investment decisions while ensuring the Midlands is at the heart of UK energy security. Faye, one of the key stakeholders in this exercise as a member of the Midlands Engine Green Growth Board, is particularly interested in the idea of the region holding the keys to managing its own energy strategy, and how this might look. She says: “As a region, we have our own energy assets as well as our own energy needs.

There are local plans for housing and other key strategic areas of growth, so we should think about whether we might want to be selfsufficient from an energy perspective.” The white paper will be a collaborative exercise, bringing together many of the partners ERA has also built close relationships with over the past seven years. So how successful does she believe her organisation has been in its own stated mission? “Our biggest achievements are twofold,” she adds. “Firstly, bringing the partnership of the universities together in a way where they are working very closely on really important projects. “And then getting businesses involved – making them aware of how they can work with the universities and removing some of the obstacles for them. “It’s collaborative working between academia and industry that will solve some of the big decarbonisation challenges we face, and that’s why it’s really important organisations like ERA exist.”

A joined-up approach, says Faye, should encompass energy efficiency and decarbonisation within homes and businesses, renewables and nuclear infrastructure, and grid connectivity. “Heat pump uptake is very low compared to Europe as a whole, and we need investment levels for large infrastructure projects to be higher,” she adds. “We need planning decisions to be made quickly so we get things built. We have huge renewables targets but we won’t hit those if we can’t build the solutions in time.” Faye was at the recent Labour Party conference, where ERA’s director Professor Martin Freer spoke about independent assessment work the programme has carried out into the viability of a publiclyowned clean energy generation company alongside policy partners. This would enable strategic investment, either individually or in partnership with the private sector, in big energy infrastructure. Faye has a wishlist of what this a mooted GB Energy vehicle should feature, including a net zero delivery unit in Government, a focus on local energy planning and decarbonisation, an ability to invest in early-stage green technologies, strengthening the grid to cope with rising demand. “Providing initial funding for projects that the private sector hasn’t got off the ground on its own would be a really important step for the UK," she adds.

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STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS

New centre will create a range of opportunities A new centre for computing students has opened at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre. The facility, which is the first site of the new East Midlands Institute of Technology (EM IoT), will support teaching in a range of digital and engineering subjects, such as computer games animation, design engineering and mechatronics. Being a result of regional collaboration, the project will support the creation of a future-fit workforce for digital and lowcarbon economies across the East Midlands. To ensure the project’s delivery, the university is working with a host of partners – including Bloc Digital, Alstom, Fujitsu, National Grid, Uniper, Toyota, Rolls-Royce, Derby College Group, Loughborough University, Loughborough College – to gain industry insight.

‘A pipeline of outstanding graduates supporting businesses’ This will help shape the curriculum and opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience through placements and visits. The development of the EM IoT is supported by the Department for Education, which has provided the capital funding and strategic initiative of IoTs, and the Gatsby Foundation, which supports the delivery of IoTs. The University of Derby digital hub is the first of three hub sites, with others in development at Derby College Group and Loughborough College. Rachel Quinn, executive director of the EM IoT, said: “The EM IoT provides a huge opportunity to connect people across the region

From left: Professor Keith McLay (University of Derby), Keith Cox (Bloc Digital), Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL (University of Derby) and Rachel Quinn (East Midlands Institute of Technology) at the official opening

directly into the multiple and varied technical careers that are emerging as a result of the rapid and highquality growth that is taking place here. “Our partner employers are working closely with us to ensure education aligns with that growth and supplies the workforce they need for the future.” Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE

Students get Chamber support Eight University of Derby undergraduates will receive career development support from the Chamber after winning special prizes. The second-year students were each recognised with a Future Leader Award in recognition of their efforts to broaden their career horizons outside their studies and exhibit future leadership characteristics. These experience-focused prizes include opportunities to receive mentoring, carry out work shadowing, attend Chamber events ranging from skills development to policy engagement, and benefit from one-to-one advice for setting up a business. Winners of the award were Becky Woodfield, Brian Scanlon, Casey Langton, Chantelle Mohamed, Chloe Mogford, Hardeep Kaur, Kelvin Boateng and Veronika Geier. They were invited to the Chamber’s Generation Next Awards in July. As part of its wider strategic partnership with the Chamber, the University of Derby is headline partner of the Generation Next network for 18 to 35year-olds based within East Midlands businesses. Lucy Robinson, the Chamber’s director of resources and Generation Next lead, added: “As headline partner, the University of Derby has been a huge supporter of our Generation Next network ever since it was established three years ago. “We felt the Dean’s Awards were a great way for us to give back by connecting talented undergraduates with the business community and our support offer, while also using this as an opportunity to further develop the network’s mission of upskilling young talent in the region.” Rachel Mutters, head of careers and employability at 30

business network November 2023

Future Leader Award winners (from left) Chloe Mogford, Kelvin Boateng and Veronika Geier with Scott Knowles

the University of Derby, added: "We are thrilled that a number of our students have had such a valuable opportunity to develop their employability skills and professional experience with the Chamber. “The Chamber is a key partner for us and to be able to collaborate on projects that support the civic agenda and student development is fantastic. Well done to all involved.”

DL, vice-chancellor of the University of Derby, added: “The EM IoT will address the regional skills gap by producing a pipeline of outstanding graduates supporting businesses to upskill their existing workforce. It reflects the ambition we have for our region and the benefits that collaborative working can deliver for all involved.”

Making sense of the media A new centre that will focus research on disinformation in the media and the freedom of reporting has been launched at the University of Nottingham. The Centre for Media, Politics and Communication Research (CMPCR) is a joint venture from the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Social Sciences. Academics will explore the often fraught but important relationship between media and politics. The initial focus will be on the risks and potential benefits of artificial intelligence, the persuasive use of political storytelling, and other issues related to the spread of disinformation and how we argue about what is true and false. The centre will run seminars with leading experts on these topics and develop new research. It hopes to involve students and increase public engagement in these debates, including on the media literacy skills we all need to navigate the risks of disinformation and misinformation.

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STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS

Remote working overseas will have tax implications Businesses that are allowing employees to work flexibly overseas could find themselves in hot water if they are not aware of the tax requirements, says RSM UK. According to the audit, tax and consulting firm’s latest The Real Economy Report, a third (33%) of businesses have allowed existing employees to work remotely outside the UK in response to staffing challenges. Labour shortages are being felt across the board, with 88% of companies finding employee turnover a challenge.

‘The pandemic has proved this new way of working is possible’ Of those offering hybrid working options to attract or retain employees, 31% have set restrictions on the length of time employees can work abroad. Businesses are also looking overseas to source labour, with the vast majority (79%) of international workers sourced from the EU. Of those that have taken on labour from outside the UK due to staffing challenges, 52% have increased the amount of overseas labour they have taken on in the last year. Sheetal Sanghvi, office managing partner in Nottingham at RSM UK, said: “It’s clear the flexible working option is important to employees, and the pandemic has proved this new way of working is

Sheetal Sanghvi

possible, so businesses may find they need to incorporate this offering to attract and retain staff. “That said, allowing employees to work overseas may seem like a great benefit, but often both employers and employees don’t fully understand what they’re signing up for, and they could be entering a tax minefield.”

Minister joins menopause event

Mims Davies, minister for social mobility, youth and progression (seated second from right), visited RollsRoyce for a menopause roundtable discussion. The Department for Work and Pensions representative gained insights from businesses about

regional and sector-specific impacts the menopause has on employers and their employees. Delegates shared best practice and discussed potential collaborative opportunities to support other companies with education on how to support staff.

Chief executive looks to the future Lindsey Williams (pictured) has announced she will step down as chief executive of Futures Housing Group after 20 years in post. The immediate past Chamber president has run the Castle Donington-based housing association since 2003, when it was established as Amber Valley Housing following a large-scale voluntary stock transfer. Under Lindsey’s tenure, the organisation has grown to provide 10,337 homes having developed new properties since its very first year, consistent achieving top regulatory ratings, launch a coowned training company, and brought Daventry and District Housing into the fold to create Futures Housing Group. She will continue in her role into 2024 to support the effective handover to a new leader, a position the group is now seeking to recruit. Board chair Mike Stevenson said: “I wish Lindsey the very best and I’d like to thank her for her commitment to Futures and its colleagues and customers over so many years. She has created a lasting legacy with a culture that fosters innovation, holds true to our social purpose and brings out the best in people, while ensuring effective leadership and financial stability. “To keep our connections rooted in the community, Lindsey has always ably balanced her chief executive hat alongside many other social purpose roles including board roles as vice-chair of a local hospice and most recently as president of East Midlands Chamber. “I am sure with Lindsey’s passion and ambition the opportunity to further explore this social purpose drive once the handover is complete, is a new chapter she will relish and equally succeed at.”

THE CHAMBER IS HONOURED BY THE SUPPORT OF ITS STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS

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CHAMBER NEWS

How you can get involved in the Accelerator project Delegates at last year’s expo

Chamber sponsors Love Business Expo The Chamber is set to continue its support for the Love Business Expo as headline sponsor of the 2024 event. Next year’s expo, which takes place at Holywell Park Conference Centre, in Loughborough, on 15 February, will build on the success of the 2023 event, which welcomed a record number of delegates. With a “Blast to the Future” theme, the 2024 expo will takes a closer look at what’s on the horizon for businesses, including how artificial intelligence and digital tools will drive business growth, and how best to bridge the skills gap and introduce the next generation of talent into the workforce. Once again, thousands of delegates, hundreds of exhibitors, and dozens of sponsors and partner organisations will attend the annual showcase of local business success. It will feature a mix of high-profile guest speakers, exhibitors and activities, and high-level networking opportunities. The Chamber is a long-term partner of Love Business, having supported the event since it started in 2012. It first became the event’s headline sponsor in 2015 and has continued in that capacity ever since. As well as sponsoring the expo, the Chamber is heavily involved in planning and delivering the speaker agenda. It also ensures some of the seminars, presentations and keynotes support its policy aims, address members’ concerns and enable local businesses to feed into its lobbying activities. The annual Question Time-style Q+A, which the Chamber helps to facilitate, is always well-attended and has become a firm fixture on the Love Business calendar. This year’s panel will be themed around strategic thinking for future growth. David Pearson, the Chamber’s director of partnerships, said: “We’ve backed this event since the very start and have seen it grow to become the region’s biggest and best free business event, which attracts people from businesses across all three counties and further afield. “Events like Love Business give us the platform to engage with local businesses, celebrate their successes, understand their concerns and shape our policies to reflect the support they need.”

After the Chamber secured £8.9m of funding until March 2025 to deliver a new generation of business support schemes via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Innovate UK EDGE and Made Smarter schemes, deputy chief executive Diane Beresford (pictured) explains how the Accelerator programme will work. East Midlands Chamber’s ambitious new Accelerator project offers businesses the opportunity to start, sustain and grow. It is very much place-based, with each participating district determining where it wishes to focus efforts. The project’s support is varied, ranging from action-planning workshops, sustainability events, growth vouchers to fund expert consultancy, access to grant funding and support with decarbonisation and energy-saving initiatives. Key activities delivered under the strands of net zero, innovation, digital and financial will help businesses achieve the following: • Develop new-to-the-firm technologies • Improve productivity • Safeguard and create jobs • Adopt new digital technologies and processes • Engage in new markets • Improve productivity • Introduce new products and services • Increase revenue • Make progress on their journey to net zero.

SUPPORT STARTS WITH A BUSINESS ADVISER For businesses seeking support, the first port of call is to arrange a meeting with a member of the Chamber’s team of locally-based advisers and specialists.

A business adviser will complete a diagnostic review of the business using the balanced scorecard model. This is a performance metric used to identify, improve and control business functions. It measures the four key aspects of a business: learning and growth, business processes, customers and finance. A business action plan is then produced, with guidance offered to the business on key actions to meet agreed outcomes. Recommended actions will be tailored to what the business needs to take its next steps in development, including improving skills and knowledge in areas such as digital and net zero, producing a decarbonisation plan, tapping into expert consultancy and securing funding for investment.

ACCELERATOR TRAINING WORKSHOPS The Chamber has contracted a team of expert trainers to deliver a range of workshops on topics including finance, HR, digital marketing, sales and much more. As well as in-depth course material that delegates can refer back to long after the training has taken place, the workshops include a strong element of action-planning. Each delegate is provided with an actionplanning template to complete, so they can

UPCOMING ACTION-PLANNING WORKSHOPS • WordPress masterclass: 7 November, 9.30-4 – Reach Events Derby and 16 November – Strelley Hall, Nottinghamshire • Operational versus embedded carbon – What is the difference and why would I do one, the other or both?: 8 November, 10-11 – online • Sustainability Sprint Series – sustainability basics: 9 November, 10-11 – online • Negotiating sales through excellent customer care: 14 November, 9.30-4 – Reach Events Derby • Getting started with paid search advertising: 15 November, 9.30-4 – Cromford Mills, Matlock • Carbon footprinting – the next steps: 21 November, 10-11 – online • How to plan, build and launch a killer website: 22 November, 9.30-4 – Mansfield Innovation Centre • Modern SEO: 22 November, 9.30-4 – The Grand Hotel, Mercure Leicester • Making the most of Google Analytics: 9.30-4 – Reach Events Derby • Sustainability Sprint Series – ESG basics: 23 November, 10-11 – online

Stand bookings for the 2024 expo are open and can be secured at www.lovebusinessexpo.co.uk/ book-your-exhibition-stand

business network November 2023

• Start-up accelerator: 28 November, 9.30-4 – Reach Events Derby • HR essentials: 28 November, 9.30-4 – Reach Events Derby • PAS2060 – Carbon matters and does not have to cost the earth: 29 November, 10-11 – online

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CHAMBER NEWS

Six local towns to get regeneration funding

The Chamber's business advisers, including Aruna Bhagwan (centre), have helped businesses across various funded projects

document the actions they are going to take, responsibilities, timelines, resources needed, whose help they need to enlist, and how they will monitor progress. For the latest events, see the accompanying panel or visit bit.ly/AcceleratorEvents

ENERGY-SAVING AND IMPROVEMENTS AUDITS An area of Accelerator support that is likely to have universal appeal is the energy-saving and improvements audits. The fully-subsidised audits are designed for businesses seeking to reduce their energy bills and increase their overall efficiencies. This new-to-the-Chamber service, delivered by Nottingham-based environmental consultancy and training provider Loreus, provides a business with the following: • A full audit of their premises • A full assets register • An action plan on how to save costs, including guidance on training staff in areas such as carbon management and identifying grants to support sustainability activities. The service is suitable for any business seeking to embark on or develop their journey to net zero.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED Businesses interested in benefitting from Accelerator support are invited to contact the Chamber’s business support team on 0330 053 8639 or info@emc-dnl.co.uk to arrange an exploratory meeting with a business adviser. Alternatively, they can select their district from the dropdown box on the Accelerator landing page at www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk/accelerator and complete an expression of interest form.

Businesses represent region at BCC awards

EAST MIDLANDS MANUFACTURING NETWORK East Midlands Manufacturing Network membership is open to makers across the region. It brings together key knowledge and skills to form a dedicated, supportive peer network where members can champion the industry, share best practice, learn from industry experts, stay informed about financial support and get involved in lobbying activity. Businesses can attend whichever forum meeting they choose, regardless of where they are based. Upcoming forum dates include: • 21 November: Leicestershire Manufacturing Network – Space Park, Leicester • 22 November: Nottinghamshire Manufacturing Network – University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus, Nottingham • 12 December: Derby Manufacturing Network – Enterprise Centre, Derby • 15 December: Dales and Peak Manufacturing Network – Devonshire Dome, Buxton • 10 January: Nottinghamshire Manufacturing Network – NTU, Mansfield.

Six towns in the East Midlands will benefit from a £1.1bn Government programme to invest in local areas. Chesterfield, Clifton, Mansfield (pictured), Newark-on-Trent, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Worksop were among 55 locations named in the Long-Term Plan for Towns initiative. The Government has pledged to “empower communities to take back control of their future” by providing a £20m endowment-style fund to be spent over a 10-year period on regenerating high streets and town centres, or securing public safety. It will also set up a Towns Board – comprising community leaders, employers, local authorities and the local MP – to delver the long-term plan for each town. A suite of regeneration powers will also aim to unlock more private investment by auctioning empty high street units, reforming licensing rules on shops and restaurants, and supporting more housing in town centres. The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said the initiative felt like “a vision our country has lacked for a long time for towns to deliver on their economic potential”, citing how they are inhabited by a large portion of the population. He added: “Local decision-making by those who know the area is crucial to this and gives us the best opportunity to create good jobs for local people.”

WHAT IS UKSPF? The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the Government’s levelling up agenda and provides £2.6bn of funding for local investment by March 2025. The fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/ uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

Seven East Midlands businesses flew the flag for the region at a national awards programme run by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). After being named regional winners in different categories of the BCC Chamber Business Awards on 28 September, they competed against companies from other parts of the country in one of the UK’s most prestigious business awards on 18 October. The organisations, all recognised in last year’s East Midlands Chamber Business Awards, were: • BrightER Futures programme (De Montfort University and ER Recruitment), Leicestershire: Problem Solver category • Scope Construction, Leicestershire: Rapid Riser category • TTK Confectionery (trading as The Treat Kitchen), Nottinghamshire: Workforce Developer category • Copley Scientific, Nottinghamshire: Global Player category • Future Life Wealth Management, Derbyshire: Game Changer category • Cosy Direct, Derbyshire: Planet Saver category • Leicestershire Cares, Leicestershire: Community Champion category. To view the list of winners, visit www.britishchambers.org.uk/chamber-awards November 2023 business network

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CHAMBER NEWS

Businesses hit by inflation and interest rates

Chris Hobson

Bank of England’s interest rates policy now hitting East Midlands businesses, reveals Chamber study. QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY - Q3 2023

The impact of high inflation and rising interest rates is now being felt in the economy as demand slows for East Midlands businesses, new data shows. Research from the Chamber shows both domestic and international sales, as well as advanced orders, have dipped in recent months. While growth in the workforce remained similar in the three months to September compared to the previous quarter, future prospects for employment have dropped by a third – suggesting the region’s low unemployment rate could be set to rise slightly.

‘It is important the economy can find its new level quickly and confidence can return’ The Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) for Q3 2023, delivered in partnership with the University of Leicester School of Business, also shows investment intentions – a key ingredient in driving forward productivity and reducing inflation – remain low and business confidence is subdued. The Chamber’s director of policy and insight Chris Hobson said the results “suggest the impact of 14 consecutive interest rate rises between November 2021 and this summer may be starting to have effect”. “For several quarters now, the results of this survey have run counter to the wider mood music in the economy,” he added. “However, 34

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for the first time since the start of the year, the Chamber’s State of the Economy Index – a barometer measuring a combination of activity and sentiment indicators – has dropped back, albeit only slightly. “With regards to what this all means, next quarter’s results will be telling. The September decision by the Bank of England to keep interest rates as they are has been welcomed by many businesses. They feel the Bank’s desired impact – to soften demand – is already being felt, with a lag time between rate decisions and any actual effect taking hold. “Key now will be to see how far the slowdown will go. Any talks of a recession are premature, and with inflation now coming down steadily – and the uncertainty of a General Election on the horizon – it is important the economy can find its new level quickly and confidence can return to consumers and businesses alike.” Professor Mohamed Shaban, associate dean for business and civic engagement at the University of Leicester School of Business, said the findings were almost identical to Q2 expectations. “Most investors envisage marginal or no increase in the interest rates soon,” he added. “The critical question that currently swirls inside investors' heads is how long interest rates will stay at such a level. The longer the period, the longer the economic slowdown will be, as investors will opt to delay investments until they observe a reverse in the upward trend.”

QES Q3 2023 HEADLINE RESULTS Key findings from the Quarterly Economic Survey Q3 2023 for the East Midlands, which was completed by 296 organisations between 21 August and 14 September 2023, included: • UK and overseas sales each fell by a net 2% and 14% respectively between the second and third quarters of the year, with no movement in advanced UK orders growth and a net 1% drop in international advanced orders • 63% of businesses added to their headcount in Q3 2023, compared to 62% in the previous quarter and 60% before that to illustrate a slight growth in the region’s workforce. However, employment prospects look weaker going forward with the proportion of businesses expecting to recruit falling by a net 8% • Many employers continue to face challenges with filling job vacancies – 58% of organisations attempted to recruit and, of those, two-thirds (67%) experienced problems in finding suitable staff • Rising prices resulting from cost pressures for energy, raw materials, people and fuel continue to ease, with a net 27% of businesses expecting they will be forced to raise their own prices – down from a net 31% the previous quarter and net 52% in the first three months of 2023 • Worries over access to cash also eased slightly, with a net 1% increase in firms saying cashflow was up • Intentions to invest in plant and equipment increased for a net 4% of companies, but was down by a net 4% for investment intentions in people • Business confidence shows a mixed picture, with confidence in turnover prospects down by 2% compared to the previous quarter but up by 1% for profitability expectations. To read the full Quarterly Economic Survey report for Q3 2023, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/services/have-your-say/qes-reports

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CHAMBER NEWS

Study reveals concerns ahead of General Election Long-term strategies for energy and industry are top of the wishlist for the region’s businesses ahead of the next General Election, according to a new Chamber study. Speeding up the rollout of full-fibre broadband and 5G connectivity, greater investment in road and rail infrastructure projects, and better incentives for upskilling and reskilling people followed closely behind as priorities. In its latest Quarterly Economic Survey, the Chamber asked businesses to score 20 policy asks based on the importance to their organisation, providing additional comments as to why. Results were compiled to establish a list of top priorities for businesses, with the development of a longterm energy strategy for the UK ranking highest. Chris Hobson, director of policy and insight at the Chamber, said: “With a General Election drawing closer on the horizon, it’s important for the voice of businesses to be heard by the next Government in order to drive sustainable economic growth that delivers jobs and prosperity. “After many years of policy flip-flopping, economic shocks and the resulting uncertainty this has created for businesses, long-term planning appears to be front and centre of minds. “A long-term energy strategy is understandably top of the list given the huge rise in utilities costs for firms and households over the past two years combined with the opportunities business see to deliver future

Improving infrastructure will ‘spearhead growth’

solutions in this space. It’s closely followed by a comprehensive industrial strategy that finally addresses the UK’s perennial productivity problem – which is crucial to growing output, creating jobs and bringing down inflation.” Chris said the Chamber’s regional economic blueprint launched in Westminster last year, A Centre of Trading Excellence: A Business Manifesto for Growth in the East Midlands and Beyond, highlighted the importance of infrastructure – both digital and transport – as one of ‘four Is’ to spearheading growth. “Businesses are telling us they want to see real improvements across broadband and 5G connectivity, which are both crucial to 21st century working, while investing in our roads and rail is crucial to their future success – an

TOP 10 POLICY PRIORITIES FOR BUSINESSES • The development of a long-term energy strategy for the UK • The development of a long-term industrial strategy for the UK • Speeding up the rollout of full-fibre broadband • Greater investment in local infrastructure projects (road, rail) • More flexible/generous incentives for investment in staff development/reskilling (including the Apprenticeship Levy) • Greater investment in major infrastructure projects (road, rail) • Speeding up the rollout of 5G technology • Comprehensive reform of the business rates system • Greater investment in integrated public transport networks • More flexible/generous incentives for developments associated with the green agenda. important consideration at a time Government is deliberating over the future of HS2 and our region continues to be bottom of the pile for public transport investment,” he added. “We have also spoken in our manifesto about ‘getting the basics right’ and ‘growing our competitiveness the right way’, and both these themes are reflected in our survey as firms tell us they want the broken business rates to be made fit for purpose and better incentives to support the net zero agenda.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

Semi-rural location brings opportunities and threats The Chamber is the responsible body for Business Peak District, a membership organisation that represents businesses in and around the Peak District. In each issue, Business Network will shine a spotlight on a different member. Tell us a bit about your business? We specialise in the historic built environment and provide accredited conservation architect and consultancy services for a wide range of clients – from charitable trusts, to universities and private individuals. We assess a building’s condition and design repairs, research and assess their historical development and significance, then help others to unlock their potential in a creative, viable and sustainable manner. What recent successes have you had? We have recently completed a visual condition survey of the entire Cromford Mills site. This informed a bespoke costed maintenance plan. With much praise from the Arkwright Society CEO (a former Historic England regional director), we continued our service with an outline,

costed schedule of repairs to address maintenance needs in preparation for implementing the plan. We have forged excellent working relationships with other architects locally, providing them and their clients with accredited conservation expertise. This has added value by informing and steering their projects and, in turn, given them confidence they have the best chance of being supported by conservation officers. Our location in Cromford Mills has been of great value. After many years of working in different regions, being based here has provided an opportunity to grow the business as part of a community, while maintaining and developing networks in our neighbouring regions. What is it like to do business in the Peak District? There are fantastic opportunities

Snakes Pass

Anniversary highlights importance of A-roads The Chamber has highlighted the importance of major road infrastructure as Britain marks a century of its road numbering system. It is 100 years since the first A-roads were numbered in the UK and they have played a major role in helping economic growth across the country. National Highways, the Government-owned company responsible for England’s motorways and A-roads, highlighted the impact of the A57 – which spans from Manchester in the North West, through the Peak District and to Sheffield, and into Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, taking in the famous Snake Pass – in its celebrations for the landmark anniversary. Scott Knowles, chief executive of the Chamber, said: “The A57 is an important east-west connection that brings parts of the East Midlands closer to the North West, enabling our businesses and communities to tap into the economic opportunities that are created in another part of the country. This, in turn, ultimately drives investment, jobs and wealth creation in our region.” 36

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Name: Cymes Conservation Location: Cromford Mills, Cromford, Derbyshire Number of employees: One Spokesperson: Simon Revill, director and conservation architect

for promoting wellbeing by working in Derbyshire, from breaks beside the canal, to travelling through its countryside and working within historic villages. It is also well positioned to access neighbouring counties. For example, we are only an hour away from Macclesfield, where we are providing services to re-roof the Silk Museum, while an hour in the opposite direction is Nottingham Trent University, where we informed options to improve accessibility to the Arkwright Building. Conversely, a semi-rural location is a key challenge and threat by not being strongly associated with any particular city, given our broad reach to five cities surrounding the Peak District.

Simon Revill

What are your future plans for the business? While we have many years’ experience, as a new business we are committed to growing over the next two years. Raising awareness and our profile are, therefore, a key target for us. This is where Business Peak District come in, by facilitating networking, events and nurturing that sense of collective community to be a resource to those five cities. It provides the opportunity to share, understand and discuss the various opportunities and challenges that other Derbyshire and Peak District businesses face. For more information about Business Peak District, visit www.businesspeakdistrict.com

Stapleford businesses get help from grant scheme Some 75 businesses have received a share of a £1m grant scheme designed to regenerate and revitalise Stapleford’s high street after the economic downturn of the pandemic. Grants issued via the Town Centre Recovery Fund, which is part of the £21m Governmentfunded Stapleford Towns Fund, have enabled external building and signage work to modernise premises and improve the look of the high street. It has also aided businesses in decoration, accessibility and energy efficiency improvements, equipment, furniture and marketing. Beneficiaries include Peak My Body fitness centre, Sewing Bee, Wake Cup Café, Millepede micropub, Larry’s Bar, Rowells, Gurkha Nights, Affinity Dance School and Little Driver’s Play Centre. Business owners shared their achievements at the first instalment in a series of business networking events on 25 September. They also

heard from business support experts at the Chamber, Nottinghamshire County Council and Broxtowe Borough Council. Mike Millers (pictured), owner of Peak My Body, said: “The business grant has helped grow membership of the gym and install app access for members so they can come to the gym around their own schedules. It would have taken eight to 12 months to do this on my own – the scheme has been fantastic.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

Region can be a powerhouse for energy transition Key activities that could position the region at the heart of the UK’s energy transition will be showcased at the Midlands Energy Summit on 30 November. At a time when energy costs and security remain a top concern for businesses, the event will explore the region’s role in accelerating the adoption of clean energy technologies and a move towards cleaner new energy sectors. The Chamber – hosting the annual summit in partnership with the University of Nottingham Energy Institute and Energy Research Accelerator – will bring together experts to discuss how businesses, academia and policymakers can work in partnership to ensure clean growth underpins the Midlands’ future economic landscape. Chris Hobson, director of policy and insight at the Chamber, said: “The Midlands has all the components to lead the development of future energy

‘All the components to lead the development of future energy provision’ provision, storage and distribution, with cutting-edge developments in energy creation through fission, fusion and hydrogen. “We are home to businesses operating at the cutting edge of the practical application and global rollout of future energy technologies, as well as universities that are at the global centre of developing expertise in the commercial application of nuclear and hydrogen technologies. “The Midlands Energy Summit will bring all these components together to help delegates understand the various initiatives happening in our region, how this impacts businesses today and tomorrow, and highlight some of the opportunities and threats to business models.”

Faye McAnulla and Chris Hobson address last year’s Midlands Energy Summit

Confirmed speakers include: • Professor David Grant, director of the University of Nottingham Energy Institute – how cuttingedge research informs real-world solutions • Steve Atkins, head of global trades at Consultus International Group – review of wholesale energy markets and what can be done to mitigate challenges • John Malpas, senior manager for environment and carbon neutrality project at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK – carbon neutrality at Toyota in Burnaston • Dr David Parfitt, senior data analyst at National Grid ESO –

VA vs PA – what’s the difference?

future energy scenarios, energy insights and analysis • Tom Newman-Taylor, CEO of East Midlands Freeport – latest developments • Faye McAnulla, programme director for the Energy Research Accelerator – regional energy collaboration and innovation for the net zero agenda. The Midlands Energy Summit takes place at the University Park campus in Nottingham on 30 November from 9am to 1pm. Book a free place at bit.ly/MidlandsEnergySummit23 Nick Page

By Cath Harrison (pictured), East Midlands PA Awards committee member and director at Bee-Assisted My journey as a virtual assistant (VA) began in 2020 when I launched my own virtual personal assistant (PA) company, Bee-Assisted Ltd, after working in PA and executive assistant (EA) roles for more than 35 years. I am often asked what the difference is between a VA and PA – VAs are business owners who provide the services of a PA remotely and on an hourly or projectbased basis, depending on the needs of the client. How we work differs in several ways.

NATURE OF WORK VAs primarily work remotely on a freelance basis, providing support to clients from a distance. We often use digital tools and technology to complete tasks. There is a huge choice of apps and tools available now for supporting clients remotely. PAs, meanwhile, typically work in physical proximity to their clients as an employee of the company.

PAs are usually employed directly by an individual or company, working on a full-time or part-time basis.

LOCATION A VA can be located anywhere in the world with an internet connection. The freedom and flexibility this gives you is something that attracts many people into the VA world. PAs are typically physically present in the same office as their employer, which can limit the pool of available talent.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES VAs normally focus on specific tasks or areas of expertise. Some will specialise in a sector while others, like myself, niche in the services provided for any client. PAs may have a broader role that often includes other tasks, such as organising office supplies, covering reception and supporting other staff on leave.

COMMUNICATION WORKING ARRANGEMENT As a VA, I work on a freelance basis, serving multiple clients simultaneously. This can be a challenge to juggle, so prioritising and setting expectations with clients is key. We have flexibility in our work hours and can support clients from different time zones.

Communication with VAs typically occurs through email, telephone, video calls or digital tools such as Trello and Slack. We don’t normally have face-to-face contact with clients. PAs have direct, in-person interactions with their employers, as well as the other forms of communication.

Stand-up comic to star at festive event Comedian Nick Page, a Britain’s Got Talent finalist in 2018, will provide entertainment at the Chamber’s annual Christmas lunch. After making his name by reaching the ITV prime-time programme’s latter stages, Nick has won English Comedian of the Year, sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and performed in more than 100 countries – even being awarded the operational service medal by the British Army for numerous gigs in warzones. He will now perform for Chamber members at Athena, in Leicester, on 1 December. Hundreds of members gather every year for the lunch, which features a threecourse meal, live entertainment and networking opportunities. The event runs from 12pm to 4pm. Tickets cost £75 + VAT for members. Register at bit.ly/EMCXmas23 November 2023 business network

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CHAMBER NEWS

Contract bid success is just the job More than 1,200 out-of-work people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will be given employability support by the Chamber after it won bids to deliver two contracts. The Chamber’s employment services team will deliver the Working Well – East Midlands programme in Nottingham city and South Nottinghamshire in contracts worth a combined £1.8m. Part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care Initiative (IPSPC) scheme, Working Well – East Midlands helps adults who have a long-term physical or mental health disability to move into sustainable employment, as well as assisting those who are in work but are off sick or struggling in the workplace.

‘The Chamber has extensive experience in helping people develop their confidence, skills and employability’ Working with partners Futures and Inspire, the Chamber has a target to enrol a combined 819 people on the programme and secure 370 job starts in total between September 2023 and March 2025. The Chamber will also deliver Pioneer, an expansion of the Government’s Work and Health Programme, in the Nottingham, Gedling, Ashfield, Mansfield and High Peak local authority areas. The £500,000 scheme, delivered on behalf of Reed, aims to provide specific support to more than 400 people who are deemed economically inactive and have a disability, as well as disadvantaged young people, with a target of placing 60% of participants into sustainable employment. Having started in September this year, it will take referrals up until September 2024.

Individuals will be matched with a personal adviser and receive up to 15 months’ guidance and support, and six months’ in-work support, which may include debt advice or help with networking and housing. Paul Needham (pictured), head of employment services at the Chamber, said: “Understanding that everyone faces different challenges in finding and thriving in work is key to helping people into sustainable, competitive employment. “The Chamber has extensive experience in helping people develop their confidence, skills and employability, and matching them with a partner network of flexible employers that are ready and able to find the right fit for their vacancies. “Regardless of disability, health conditions, lack of experience, family, housing or financial

worries, we are able to tailor practical, ongoing support to help people make informed choices and quickly move into a role that’s right for them.” The Chamber’s out-of-work support includes CV and skills development, interview practise, managing health in employment workshops, and job start support. Its in-work support includes help with securing reasonable adjustments from employers, signposting to existing services, employment and clinical meetings, and skills development. Seven new employment advisers are being recruited to help deliver the new contracts, taking the team to nearly 40 people. To find out more about how businesses can work with the Chamber’s employment services team, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/ services/recruitment-services

Former CBI Midlands director joins Chamber

Richard Blackmore 40

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One of the region’s most prominent business leaders has joined the Chamber to help expand its engagement work with key Government decision-makers. Richard Blackmore, the former Midlands director of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), has been appointed head of special projects. Sitting within the policy team, the newly-created senior role supports its work in lobbying politicians and senior civil servants at a local, regional and national level. Richard left the CBI earlier this month after seven years in the role and nine years with the organisation, where he had worked closely with the Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles and director of policy and insight Chris Hobson in presenting a unified business voice for the region.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining East Midlands Chamber and working with Scott, Chris and the wider team. Now, more than ever, business needs to be a leader in shaping the future economy and, working with our members across the East Midlands, I look forward to helping deliver this.” A key pillar of the Chamber’s remit is to work with Government to develop policies that create a positive trading environment for the local business community – which in turn leads to economic growth and job creation. Last year, it launched a regional economic blueprint, titled A Centre of Trading Excellence: A Business Manifesto for Growth in the East Midlands and Beyond, in Westminster. The 12-page document presented local MPs with the region’s economic priorities and

a series of national policy asks to help businesses achieve these. This work will be expanded upon as the Chamber gathers intelligence from the East Midlands business community ahead of the next General Election and development of the East Midlands devolution programme in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Richard will support this work, as well as the Chamber’s ongoing engagement with the East Midlands Freeport team in developing the region’s unique proposition to foreign investors. The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said: “Richard brings a wide breadth of knowledge and great understanding of the East Midlands region and our thriving business community. We are very excited to welcome him to the Chamber team.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

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EVENTS

Business icon among the stars on a big night

2 4 Leicestershire business leader whose 45-year career has span entrepreneurship, large corporations and local economic development has been honoured with a special award by East Midlands Chamber’s Enterprising Women network. Sue Tilley, head of business and innovation at the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Enterprising Women Awards 2023. She was one of 10 winners at the network’s gala dinner celebration, held at Winstanley House in Leicester on Friday 6 October in association with headline partner Michael Smith Switchgear.

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business network November 2023

Sue’s career began in 1978 with establishing Leicester-based textiles business Classy Rags. Specialising in uniforms and corporate clothing, she grew the company to secure contracts with blue-chip companies before selling it in 1995. The next 12 years were spent working in corporate business development and sales in Bristol, before returning to Leicestershire to lend her commercial leadership skills and experience to the public sector.

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EVENTS

ENTERPRISING WOMEN AWARDS 2023 WINNERS 6 1. Sue Tilley, of the LLEP, with her Lifetime Achievement Award

• Alice Lees, Rolls-Royce and Sophie Shapcott, Smith Partnership (Derbyshire)

2. Jaz Kaur, Fraser Stretton Property Group - Business Woman of the Year

SOCIAL COMMITMENT AWARD (SPONSORED BY SHE INSPIRES GLOBAL)

3. Asiya Parekh, Leicester Hospitals Charity Female Employee of the Year 4. Mary Storrie, CEO of the Rosie May Foundation, was given a special award by the Enterprising Women co-chairs

• Cosy Direct (Derbyshire)

FEMALE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY NELSONS)

5. Enterprising Women co-chairs Eileen Perry MBE DL and Jean Mountain

• Asiya Parekh, Leicester Hospitals Charity (Leicestershire)

6. Ruby Birks, Purpose Media - Rising Star

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY FUTURES HOUSING GROUP)

RISING STAR (SPONSORED BY AMANDA DALY – THE TURNAROUND CEO)

7. All of the Enterprising Women Awards 2023 winners

• Ruby Birks, Purpose Media (Derbyshire)

FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY FRASER STRETTON PROPERTY GROUP) • Sally Faulkner, Bond Street Distillery (Leicestershire)

TEAM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY BREEDON CONSULTING) • PPL PRS collections team (Leicestershire)

SHE WHO INNOVATES (SPONSORED BY PICK EVERARD) • Therese Lord, Jacob Lord and Jason Lord, Construct3D (Lincolnshire)

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY UNIQUE WINDOW SYSTEMS) • Katapult (Derbyshire)

7 Since 2008, Sue has headed up inward investment and economic strategy and innovation roles at Prospect Leicestershire and LLEP, where she steered the Business Gateway Growth Hub – a European Regional Development Fund-backed programme that has supported more than 4,000 businesses, provided £2m in grants and created 212 jobs since 2019. After winning the Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Paradigm Wills & Legal Services, Enterprising Women co-chair Eileen Perry MBE DL said: “Throughout her career, Sue has been a passionate advocate for women in leadership roles, using her own positions to provide opportunities to others. She has also led a business growth and innovation agenda, engaging with senior figures from industry,

business and public sector to get the best deal for Leicestershire.” In a speech, Sue spoke about her career and the hurdles she has overcome, before telling the audience: “I truly understand the challenges that entrepreneurs face. I’m so proud of you all – you fuel the economy, you are brilliant and just keep going.” The other headline award for Business Woman of the Year was Jaz Kaur, co-founder and CEO of Fraser Stretton Property Group. Combining her property law knowledge with new technology adoption and a bold vision, she has been the driving force in establishing a property group that has evolved to offer services for landlords, new-build developers, business owners and property buyers.

BUSINESS WOMAN OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY MICHAEL SMITH SWITCHGEAR) • Jaz Kaur, Fraser Stretton Group (Leicestershire)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (SPONSORED BY PARADIGM WILLS & LEGAL SERVICES) • Sue Tilley, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (Leicestershire)

MORE FROM THE ENTERPRISING WOMEN AWARDS 2023 ON THE NEXT PAGE... November 2023 business network

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EVENTS & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Network has helped to build our business One of the key objectives of the Chamber’s East Midlands Manufacturing Network is finding out about new opportunities, including grant funding. Richard Cohen (pictured), head of operations at Pennine Healthcare, outlines the benefits to his business from attending the network.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS?

Pennine Healthcare takes pride in being one of the UK's leading employee-owned manufacturers and distributors of single-use sterile, and non-sterile, ward and theatre consumables and custom procedure packs. With a rich history spanning over 60 years and located in the heart of Derby, we’ve established ourselves as a trusted and reliable provider of high-quality healthcare products.

HOW HAS THE NETWORK HELPED YOU LEAD YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH THESE CHALLENGING TIMES?

HAS ATTENDING THE NETWORK MEETINGS HELPED YOU ACHIEVE ANY PARTICULAR OUTCOMES?

1. PPL PRS collections team - Team of the Year 2. Sophie Shapcott, Smith Partnership, and Alice Lees, Rolls-Royce - Apprentice of the Year 3. Sally Faulkner, Bond Street Distillery Female Entrepreneur of the Year 4. Luzahnn performed for guests at the Enterprising Women Awards 2023

She has overseen huge growth in the Leicesterbased agency’s managed portfolio of properties and turnover, and is now planning for UK and international expansion. A special award was also presented by Enterprising Women co-chairs Eileen Perry MBE DL and Jean Mountain to Mary Storrie, CEO of the Rosie May Foundation. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of when she founded the charity in memory of her daughter Rosie May, who was murdered aged 10 by a 17-year-old boy she knew in December 2003. Mary’s leadership skills, strength and resilience have enabled the foundation to grow from a kitchen table to a small international charity that supports vulnerable families and children. About 350 people attended the gala dinner, which was hosted by ITV weather presenter Emma Jesson and featured a performance from 46

business network November 2023

East Midlands Manufacturing Network has provided insight into the local challenges that all manufacturers face in the area. For example, challenges such as recruiting skilled labour or dealing with inflationrelated energy costs. These open discussions enable us to confidentially share potential solutions and experiences. The Chamber also invites experts in these fields to discuss available support. During the meetings, there is no judgment – I observe companies of all sizes encountering similar challenges. It's comforting to know these challenges need not be faced alone.

4 Luzahnn, best known for being part of 1990s house music group Livin’ Joy. The celebration is the main event in the calendar for Enterprising Women, which supports and champions women in business across the East Midlands via a series of networking events, interactive workshops and guest speakers throughout the year. Jean Mountain, who founded the Enterprising Women network 26 years ago and is co-chair, added: “There is a wide breadth of female talent across the East Midlands business community and we are proud to once again celebrate their achievements with the support of our fantastic partners.” For more information about the Enterprising Women network and to view upcoming events, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/services/enterprising-women

This network serves as an excellent platform to promote action, exchange ideas and provide support through a valuable networking community. I have acquired a wealth of information that has proven valuable to Pennine. We have applied for grants that we wouldn't have known about otherwise and established valuable connections within the local network. We were extremely proud to host the network’s first “away day” meeting at Pennine HQ earlier this year, where we were able to showcase our journey in continuous improvement. We presented some of our DMAIC (define, measure, analyse, improve and control) projects, led by colleagues who had recently achieved green belt certification. Additionally, we shared the positive results we've experienced so far from implementing this programme – benefiting both our colleagues and the business. For the latest regional network meeting dates in Buxton, Derby, Nottingham, Mansfield and Leicester dates, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/emmn

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BUSINESS NETWORK

Start your journey to a greener future Since their inception back in 1994 when they started out as The Energy Brokers, the Consultus International Group has grown to become one of the UK's leading Net Zero Consultancies. Employing around 200 people and winning several awards for their commitment to building a more sustainable future in innovative ways, this year they have also introduced a new graduate scheme.

Testimonial by: Alison Whiteman

Starting at The Energy Brokers Ltd in 1994, I joined as a receptionist (third member of a growing team). As the business began to grow, I was successful in setting up our Procurement Team, who were responsible for all fixed price contracts. During this 10-year period I achieved three further promotions, all in leadership positions. In 2010, I changed my career path and moved over to the customer facing side of the business, where I successfully managed a Client Management team. This continued until 2015 when, after a management buyout, the Consultus International Group was formed.

The final piece of the jigsaw was then formed when I applied for the Executive Leadership Programme that Consultus had launched for its Senior Leadership team. The programme was designed to find the Directors of the future. I was successful after proposing and implementing a business case for the future, initially as an Associate Director and more recently as Customer Experience Director.

focus and determination, the sky is the limit. Investment in our people is paramount to the success of our business. I am thrilled that we have been nominated for six East Midlands Chamber awards as it is amazing recognition for the efforts we have put in to recruiting grass roots talent and focusing on providing outstanding customer service.

”

Working for Consultus provides huge opportunity for its employees and I am living proof that through hard work,

Consultus work with a wide variety of businesses of differing sizes and sectors throughout the UK and the world. Services offered stem from energy procurement through to net zero consultancy, advising businesses on the best path to take to reach their carbon neutral goals.

+44 (0)330 221 1000 ❘ sales@consultus.com ❘ www.consultus.com November 2023 business network

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

Recycled flooring is a real step forward Recycled plastic has been used by a Leicestershire firm to make new floors in a major refurbishment for one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of piping, underfloor heating and energy-efficient ventilation. Abacus Flooring Solutions installed the same flooring systems it has previously fitted at venues including Wembley Stadium and JCB’s headquarters as part of the £15m makeover at Doncaster-based Polypipe’s factory. Polypipe invested more than £300,000 in new flooring at its Edlington site’s two production halls, which are home to plastic injection moulding machinery. Its parent company Genuit Group, which supplies the construction industry, aims to use 62% of its tonnage from recycled plastics by 2025. Coalville-based Abacus deployed its innovative Abaplas technology for the installation of 33,000 sq ft of flooring, finding a new use for 1,275kg of recycled plastic and two eight-yard skills of empty resin containers in the process. Nick Megson, managing director of Abacus Flooring Solutions, founded the firm in 2020 after more than 30 years in the resin flooring industry. He said: “We are delighted to have been able to have not only provided a fantastic product to a much-valued customer as part of its refurbishment, but also to have provided a product that runs parallel to its sustainability goals. “By reusing plastic, we are able to save thousands of tonnes of plastic from going to landfill, which is extremely satisfying.”

business network November 2023

Cut your company’s carbon emissions with LED lighting By Roger Timms (pictured), director of CJ Timms Electrical Are you currently embarking on a journey to lower your carbon emissions as a company? Have you considered the impact that switching to LED lighting could have on your strategy? Many companies overlook LEDs, with the impression they're costly to purchase and aren’t much better for the environment. Let’s shed some light on how LEDs can help you save energy and cut carbon emissions.

FALLING PRICES LEDs did used to be notoriously pricey, as the technology was new and just hitting the market. Since 2010, though, the price of LED lights has fallen considerably. Nowadays, a typical LED light bulb is likely to cost you between £10 and £20, with an LED tube coming in closer to £20 to £40. Although there is a higher initial investment with LEDs compared to incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), the savings soon start to roll in.

HOW LEDS MAKE ENERGY SAVINGS So how much can installing LEDs actually save you in energy? Impressively, LEDs use up to 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, meaning LEDs could save your business up to a whopping 90% on your energy bills. Impressive, right? Not only is the monetary saving great, but as LEDs use so much less energy, they reduce your carbon footprint

‘LEDs could save your business up to a whopping 90% on your energy bills’ because generating electricity produces carbon dioxide. Incandescent and CFL bulbs are renowned for feeling hot to the touch and emitting heat from the bulb. LEDs, on the other hand, transform 95% of the energy used into light, meaning only 5% is lost as heat. For comparison, incandescent bulbs typically waste 90% of their energy as heat and CFLs waste 80% of the energy used as heat. Not only does this make LEDs so much more efficient than traditional bulbs, but it also hugely reduces the risk of fire caused by overheating bulbs. A win-win!

A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT With an average lifespan of 17 years, you certainly won't need to replace bulbs as often as you would with traditional lighting, either. This also means fewer bulbs will need to be made, resulting in less carbon emissions being sent out during the manufacturing and distribution processes. LEDs really are the way forward for businesses. So much so that currently, LED lightbulbs account for two-thirds of the lights sold in England, and experts believe LEDs will account for 85% of all light bulbs sold by 2030. Don’t get left behind, make the switch today.

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Service to help manage our natural environment

A new consultancy service aimed at ensuring as much space as possible is being positively managed for nature has been launched by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Wild Solutions is the name given to a new ecological consultancy and ecosystem service provider within the trust, backed by the organisation’s 60 years of experience in creating and managing space for nature across Derbyshire. Its team of advisers, ecologists and land managers want to work with as many people and organisations as possible to provide end-toend, nature-based solutions – ranging from ideation and project development to delivery and practical implementation – with nature recovery at the heart of them. Phoebe Cox (pictured), consultancy development manager at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “We’ve been dedicated to doing exactly what Wild Solutions can provide for more than 60 years and have already implemented these solutions at our own sites across Derbyshire, so we are well placed to offer this service to others. “Through Wild Solutions, we want to continue working with a wide range of clients, stakeholders and partners including parish, town and district councils, private landowners, land managers and businesses to support them with the bespoke, well-rounded solutions they need, while driving change to take action for wildlife, making more space for nature and helping its recovery.

“All the profits generated through the Wild Solutions consultancy will be reinvested to secure the best outcomes for nature and have a greater impact for wildlife.”

‘There is growing focus on nature-based solutions to meet environmental and climate emergencies’ Wild Solutions is composed of three core service areas: • Nature recovery advice and strategies, habitat and species surveys, site restoration and management plans • Wilder contracts specialising in practical habitat creation and restoration, land management, smallscale and urban habitat enhancement and interventions • Ecosystem service provision, from biodiversity net gain habitat units and natural flood management to nutrient neutrality and reduction, and carbon sequestration and storage. The Wild Solutions team will offer advice and expertise at any stage of an ecological challenge or opportunity, with a broad range of other services including species reintroductions and nature-based finance, or a bespoke approach to meet the client's requirements. As part of the services provided by Wild

Solutions, the trust is developing a pilot approach to funding even more space for nature, maximising opportunities presented by changes to the planning process as a result of the 2021 Environment Act. The act includes a requirement that by autumn this year, all new developments – such as housing developments and commercial sites – need to leave wildlife habitats in a better state than before the development. This improvement, which must be at least 10%, is referred to as biodiversity net gain (BNG). “There is growing focus on nature-based solutions to meet environmental and climate emergencies, which offers a significant opportunity for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to leverage its expertise to operate commercially, while remaining true to its charitable status and strategic goals,” added Phoebe. “For example, we recently secured the purchase of 60 acres of land for nature and local people to enjoy at Old Whittington, to the north of Chesterfield, which will be known as ‘Wild Whittington’. “The piece of land is set to be rewilded, creating new habitats, which is great news for nature and local people, but will also enable us to use BNG units to raise further funds to protect land and nature, as we always have done, while generating income to make more space for nature.”

Event will help open business eyes to sustainability A new B2B festival is launching to help businesses of all sizes learn about, and implement, sustainable practices – with the first event to be held in Leicester. Sustainability ROX aims to provide delegates with the knowledge and resources they need to make a positive impact on the environment and economy while achieving growth. It will be held across the UK in March and April 2024, and will feature sector-specific

events across sustainable design, sustainable transport, energy solutions, sustainable sport, and marine and oceanography enterprise. The first major event in the series focuses on sustainable design in partnership with De Montfort University (DMU). Held at its Leicester campus on 5 March, it will present ideas, solutions and practical steps to help all types of businesses move forward for green growth. Professor Christine White, deputy dean of DMU,

ranked by the UN as a top 50 university in the world for sustainability, said: “We have a wealth of sustainable design industry experience here at DMU which we are keen to share with companies. “Responsible sourcing, adoptions of new technologies and how to produce fibres from materials that do not damage the planet, greenwashing, new product design – we’re here to help whether through innovation projects, consultancy or working with our students.” November 2023 business network

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Many businesses are unaware of new regulations New research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has uncovered that the vast majority of businesses are unaware and unprepared for a swathe of fast approaching changes in UK-EU regulations. When asked about their knowledge of a number of changes coming down the track, the survey of more than 700 firms found that four out of five manufacturers do not know about new reporting requirements on exports of goods containing high-carbon steel, and selected other products, to the EU starting in October. In addition, the report also found that 87% of exporters are either unaware or unprepared for new EU VAT requirements due in January 2025, while 43% of manufacturers are still unaware of the UK’s, now voluntary, alternative product safety marking system to the EU’s CE one The lack of knowledge and preparation for the changes, mean that some traders with the EU could face a whole range of new delays and unexpected costs. In some cases, exporters could also find their goods unable to be transited to EU customers. William Bain, head of trade policy at the BCC, said: “It is just the start of a series of changes, that will gradually ratchet up over the next three years, to deter the use of cheaper but higher-carbon steel, and other goods with highly embedded climate damaging emissions, being imported into the EU. “This first phase covers only a limited number of iron and steel products, fertilisers, hydrogen, cement, aluminium and electricity, but any UK company which then includes any of these items in their goods, for example in nuts and screws, will now have to declare them. “This is a very complex set of rules, the EU’s published guidance runs to more than 200 pages. It is likely manufacturers that export will have to think about allocating dedicated staff resources just to deal with these reporting requirements. “So, they need to start thinking about this now, and working out what their response will be, but there are very few trusted sources of information.” The Chamber’s international trade team can help exporters and importers navigate the international trade landscape, offering support with documentation, customs declarations and training. Your Export Office is a service that provides support for every aspect of export administration to ensure businesses stay compliant when trading overseas. A part of the service, the team can check and amend commodity codes and raise documents such as certificates of origin, EUR1s, commercial invoices and packing lists. To get in touch with a member of the Chamber’s international team, email internationaltrade@emc-dnl.co.uk

business network November 2023

Main image: The product assembly team at work. Inset, above: EnviroMate is one of the company’s latest innovations. Inset, below: Copley pharmaceutical test equipment is used in laboratories across the world

Global ambitions are another test we’ll meet head on Nottingham-based Copley Scientific manufactures pharmaceutical testing equipment, with its products used globally by some of the world’s largest companies. As the company prepares to hand over its title as the reigning Nottinghamshire Business of the Year this month, managing director Jamie Clayton (pictured) speaks to Dan Robinson about the company’s international trade operations and ambitions. What does your company do? We make pharmaceutical testing equipment. Our products are used globally, by the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, to develop new pharmaceutical products – tablets, capsules, skin creams, suppositories, inhalers and nasal sprays – and to verify the safety and quality of manufactured products. Orally inhaled and nasal drug product (OINDPs) testing is a speciality and we’re the market leader in that area. What does your international trade operation involve? We have customers in almost 100 countries and it’s amazing to think that our equipment is in almost every OINDP testing lab in the world. In some countries, we deal with customers directly, but we also work with specialist distributors and like-minded companies that share our values. With this approach, we’ve established a global network that can be relied upon not just for products but for service and support at the point of need. In-depth training, both at customer sites and at our purpose-built UK facility, helps users get the very best from our products with respect to accelerating R&D and meeting regulatory

requirements, which is a core aspect of what we do. Which are your biggest markets and how would you compare your relationships/ approaches between each of these? India and China are two of our biggest single markets and despite their differences, our approach is necessarily similar in each. We work closely with strong local partners that are known and respected in the market. In India, it’s a well-established, family-owned company with a history not unlike our own, while in China it’s a team with expertise known in the OINDP arena. These partners are our trusted representatives in those key markets, so we’ve worked hard to identify the right people. We nurture these critical relationships, and they are longstanding. How have the events of the past few years affected your importing and exporting activity? Exiting the EU has made exporting more complex and challenging, introducing paperwork and delays, and increasing costs in certain

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAINING COURSES

COURSE OF THE MONTH: EXPORT FOUNDATIONS The export foundations course introduces the role of export, enabling teams to access an overall picture of how the many elements of international trade fit together. Delegates get hands-on experience of some of the administration involved in getting an export consignment ready for a journey, and learn the best ways to be sure of getting paid. Designed for newcomers to international trade, a clear insight into basic procedures enables them to learn good practice and the essential documents they are likely to use. The workshop programme includes an overview of export office organisation, Incoterms® 2010, transport modes, freight forwarders, shipping essentials, basic documentation, methods of international payments and customs and excise. The next course will take place on 23 November, from 9am to 4pm, and costs £285 + VAT for Chamber members. To book a place, visit https://bit.ly/46E7yie geographies. We’ve revised our systems, tackled the resulting issues and we are, of course, clear the UK is very much open for business. That said, we do still encounter customers with concerns that it’s harder to work with UK companies, a myth we’re working hard to dispel. Post-pandemic, we saw an increase in business as markets bounced back. China was essentially closed for business for a while, which obviously had an impact, but more generally business just became unpredictable with respect to sales and particularly supply. However, the pharmaceutical industry, notably respiratory therapeutics, had an important role to play in enabling us to live with the Covid-19 virus, and we were pleased our technology played a part in those efforts. What made you turn to the Chamber and what type of support have you received? The Chamber provides valuable support that aids international shipping and invoicing, including documents such as certificates of origin, to confirm the source of goods, which are critical. A more recent challenge has been shipping products to exhibitions in Europe postBrexit, and the Chamber has been instrumental in helping us generate the required documentation. Another service we’ve turned to the Chamber for is training. All our customer account managers undertake the Chamber’s International Trade Operations and Procedures (ITOPS) course, which is invaluable in supporting their daily activities. How has this support helped you to overcome any challenges or pursue opportunities? Global sales can be very bureaucratic,

particularly when shipping to markets such as India and China. Support from the Chamber helps everything goes as smoothly as possible. When you export as much as we do it’s crucial to have effective systems in place, to safeguard levels of service and protect the bottom line, so we’re grateful to the Chamber for that support. The ITOPS training has proven helpful in building familiarity, expertise and independence across the team. We pride ourselves in having knowledgeable and confident staff and giving them the tools to succeed and grow is extremely important to us. What does the future for your business hold and where does international trade come into this? Growth in both established and newer markets is the plan. Today’s pharmaceutical industry is truly international with developing countries increasingly investing in innovating new drug products, instead of just developing generic equivalents. Expanding our service and training offering is a priority as this, along with innovation and our reputation for exemplary engineering, underpins our success, setting us apart from competitors supplying products with minimal support and considerably less expertise. In the past 12 months, we’ve seen the international conference landscape properly reestablish, albeit with some considerable changes. This is key for us as we’ve always been keen to play our part in developing the science associated with pharmaceutical testing, especially for OINDPs. Collaboration is crucial to drive innovation and the refinement of new products, so it’s pleasing to see examples of progress such as the UK reengaging with Horizon Europe.

Understanding commodity coding DATE: 9 November TIME: 9-12 COST: £160 + VAT Navigate the complex and difficult international system for coding products for customs purposes

Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) DATE: 22 November TIME: 9-12 COST: £160 + VAT Introduction to AEO, the “trusted trader” status and an internationally recognised quality mark for the international supply chain

Customs special procedures DATE: 22 November TIME: 1-4 COST: £160 + VAT Introduction to the facilitations offered on customs requirements by HMRC to help speed up the movement of goods in and out of the UK, and help save money

Export documentation DATE: 30 November TIME: 9-4.30 COST: £285 + VAT Get a detailed and focused commercial view of the latest Incoterms 2020 standards used for moving goods *Prices listed are exclusively for East Midlands Chamber members Book on to courses at bit.ly/EMCinternationaltraining

November 2023 business network

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POLITICS

Prof Chris Bushell, of the University of Derby

Ian Meikle, of Innovate UK

Summit keeps the focus on net zero Net zero is at the heart of the future energy agenda but, on the day of the East Midlands Chamber Sustainability Summit on 20 September, the Prime Minister shifted the goalposts for the UK’s net zero policies. Dan Robinson summarises the key discussion points at the event, held at Reach Events in Derby in partnership with the University of Derby, Mazars, Thompson Tree Services, Epson UK and Blueprint Document Solutions. CONSISTENT POLICY APPROACH INTEGRAL TO NET ZERO SUCCESS

BUSINESSES SCALING BACK GREEN GROWTH PURSUIT

As delegates arrived for the Sustainability Summit, the morning’s headlines focused on how the Government was set to push back some of its net zero commitments. Confirmation later arrived as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the ban on new petrol and diesel car sales will be pushed back from 2030 to 2035, and delayed the target for eliminating gas boilers. The move prompted condemnation from the automotive and energy industries, whose businesses are already pivoting towards lowcarbon products and services, while speakers at the Sustainability Summit also expressed their disappointment. Stuart Dawkins, the Chamber’s president, referenced findings from the Green Growth Trends in the East Midlands research by the Chamber in partnership with the University of Derby (more on this below), in which only 13% of businesses stated that current policy allows them to fully engage with green growth. There has been a consecutive three-year decline of 6% in business confidence level about green growth policy. “Chamber members tell us of the need for clear Government leadership on energy and transport policy, but we are regressing to posturing on sustainability rather than providing any clarity on net zero,” said Stuart. While net zero is a major economic and social challenge that Stuart admitted will take effort and short-term sacrifice at individual and corporate level, the key to success rests on a mindset that leads with growth, believes Dr Polina Baranova. The Derby Business School associate professor of strategy and sustainability said green growth could be achieved by “balancing economic and environmental aspirations”, but echoed how challenges remain in operationalisation, policy and support mechanisms.

Far fewer businesses are generating turnover from low-carbon goods and services, there are major disparities in engagement according to business size, but green diversification maintains. These were some of the headline findings in the Green Growth Trends report, co-authored by Dr Baranova and Dr Fred Paterson, the university’s lead for sustainable business and clean growth. It showed the proportion of East Midlands businesses to have made any income from environmentally-friendly goods and services dropped from 45% in 2022 to 36% in 2023.

business network November 2023

And while 68% of large firms reported to be actively pursuing green growth opportunities, this figure dropped to 31% of microbusinesses. Taking a glass-half-full perspective, the 36% figure above was still 20 points higher than in 2015, when the research began, and there has been a three-fold increase in firms reporting up to half of their turnover is made from supplying green goods or services over the past eight years. Dr Baranova also pointed out a “worrying” trend that showed an increase in businesses turning their back on green growth markets, while observing that smaller companies lag far behind larger firms in decarbonisation investment.

THE CHAMBER’S VIEW By Chris Hobson (pictured), director of policy and insight. We heard at our Sustainability Summit about some of the great things that businesses are doing in pursuing green growth and the very tangible rewards they are reaping with innovation and financial growth. These are the shining examples of success we can glean from embracing net zero, which means viewing it as not just a challenge but a golden opportunity. Yet while our national leaders correctly talk up the research and development strengths of our businesses and ambitions to be a global leader in developing low-carbon goods and services, there is a huge disconnect between this messaging and Government policy – as evidenced by the Prime Minister’s ill-judged shifting of the goalposts on our country’s net zero commitments. We saw first-hand the impact policy flip-flopping has on business decision-making during the chaotic political landscape of 2022, which quashed business confidence and thus investment. The lack of certainty about the future direction of our economy will unfortunately have a similar impact at a time when we should be encouraging transformational long-term investment. Having net zero targets is one thing, but to get us there we require a roadmap that will be led by business innovation. The vacillating from our political leaders instead undermines our ability to make real progress in this space and we instead find ourselves stuck in limbo when it comes to the most significant economic opportunity of our lifetime.

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POLITICS

The HS2 saga has been “exasperating”

Forget levelling up, East Midlands is being ‘levelled down’ after scrapping of HS2 Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that parts of HS2 where construction had not yet begun – including the Birmingham to East Midlands Parkway leg – would be scrapped and funds redirected into improvements on a series of local transport schemes across the UK. The Chamber's chief executive Scott Knowles gives his verdict.

Delegates are all ears at a presentation by Dr Polina Baranova

boost exports, which ultimately creates jobs and sustainable economic growth. To achieve the preferred second option, Ian said there is “a lot of innovation left to do”, not just in the products and services, but in policies and regulations, business models, insurance and warranties, supply change and capital access. “It’s going to require a whole-system approach to bring sustainability to the fore,” he said.

TAKING BUSINESSES TOWARDS NET ZERO

Chamber president Stuart Dawkins at the summit

She said: “The slowdown in East Midlands firms adopting green growth strategies comes amid cost pressures. It’s an alarming outcome but not unexpected because this is a fragile market that is not yet a firmly embedded business philosophy. As soon as the policy environment changes, we can see how fragile the situation is.” The research suggests green growth is linked to sector, market and regulation – as highlighted by manufacturers being further along the decarbonisation journey than services firms. Dr Baranova said this requires policy and business support programmes to be “better aligned with regional business interests and sectoral specifics”.

LOTS OF INNOVATION STILL TO HAPPEN Net zero can be achieved in two ways, according to Ian Meikle, director of clean growth at Innovate UK. Either Britain can set targets and meet those using solutions from other countries such as Germany and France, or we can develop our own low-carbon products and services. These would not only solve our country’s own challenges but

Chris Fuggle, global head of sustainability services at audit, tax and advisory services firm Mazars, provided practical strategies to upskill leadership teams on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda, and embedding sustainability at board level. An ESG roadmap, he said, should begin with looking from outside, rather than within, a business. “Inter-related forces are driving changes, so you need to establish which ones impact you,” said Chris. “Where are you being caught in someone else’s regulation within the supply chain? Read your competitors’ reports to see their areas of focus to help you narrow your own. Call your investor or bank to find out what they’re expecting from you in the next 12 months or five years, then have a boardroom discussion about which ESG topics need to be addressed.” External influences have forced global printing manufacturer Epson to pivot its business model. As well as investing £550m into decarbonisation of its operation and “closing the resource loop”, the firm now makes a printer that turns wastepaper into new paper using a virtually dry process, as well as heat-free inkjet printing. Not only does this save emissions, but costs for customers, according to Charlie de la Haye, communications manager at Epson UK. He added: “Printers use 10% of office emissions, which makes it a very relevant buying decision for reducing your carbon footprint.”

While lots of the discussion will be about the impact on Manchester and other parts of the North, the East Midlands continues to be bottom of the pile when it comes to public transport investment. Much like the trains travelling on our Victorian rail infrastructure, we find ourselves once again at a standstill, far away from the destination we want to reach and with next to no idea how we’re supposed to get there. Rail in our region has been a political hot potato for decades – we are still waiting for Midland Main Line electrification to be delivered and plans for the HS2 Eastern Leg were scaled back in the Integrated Rail Plan, resulting in areas like Chesterfield, Staveley and Toton losing out on significant economic regeneration benefits. At a time when we need to demonstrate to the rest of the world that we’re a country with big ambition, there is instead a complete inability to deliver major infrastructure projects, as the chopping and changing of Government administrations is reflected in policy indecision. The East Midlands is a world-class producer of products. This demands a world-class transport infrastructure to get these goods and services across the country, and around the globe. This announcement damages confidence and has real-world impacts in terms of job creation and business investment, not to mention job retention among the numerous East Midlands businesses that play a key role in the HS2 supply chain. Government is failing one of its basic principles – to use economic policy that creates an environment in which business can thrive, invest and create jobs. Forget levelling up – it feels like we are being levelled down in the East Midlands. Again.

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FEATURE

DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

Don’t miss out on the digital revolution In today's ever-evolving digital landscape, businesses in the East Midlands are at the forefront of a digital revolution – whether they know it or not. To help organisations successfully navigate these tricky digital waters, Pete Buller (pictured), CEO of althaus digital, a Derby-based digital talent solutions provider recently rated “outstanding” by Ofsted, offers some insights on a subject matter he is passionate about. THE EAST MIDLANDS: A HUB FOR DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES The East Midlands region has witnessed remarkable growth across its IT services and digital sectors, driven by its rich and diverse commercial landscape. From microbusinesses to SMEs and large corporations, the impact of digital transformation and upskilling across the region is undeniable.

UNDERSTANDING THE DIGITAL MAZE The digital marketing and media landscape, for example, is multi-faceted, requiring a need for niche skillsets in the areas of content creation, SEO, data analytics and social media management. So while these tools can be incredibly powerful, they require skilful navigation. Partnering with a specialist IT and digital training and recruitment provider that can help you build your talent pipeline can be key to your success. We possess a detailed understanding of the unique training and resourcing challenges facing businesses across the region and help embed solutions that future-proof businesses.

THE VALUE OF DIGITAL TRAINING In the pursuit of digital growth and optimisation, staff training is an invaluable asset. Intelligent, targeted upskilling programmes empower your team members to harness the full potential of AI tools and digital platforms in general. Although it's not just about utilising the latest tech – it's about inspiring your team to feel confident and curious in seeking out new ways of doing things.

CUSTOMISED TRAINING SOLUTIONS East Midlands businesses require tailored training solutions that address their specific skills challenges – a generic, onesize-fits-all approach simply won't support you in sharpening (or even maintaining) your competitive edge. Seek out an expert training provider that can customise their already high-quality programmes to match your unique requirements (even if you’re not exactly sure what they are yet).

REAL-WORLD SUCCESS STORIES You’ll be pleased to know that leveraging your technology investment to maximise productivity and commercial output is not an unsubstantiated theory. Hundreds of businesses across the East Midlands are already reaping the rewards of investing in their digital capabilities by means of

government-funded skills bootcamps and apprenticeships in cyber security, data analytics, digital marketing, IT solutions and software development.

FINDING THE RIGHT SUPPORT The IT and digital landscape presents both opportunities and challenges unique to businesses across the East Midlands. With the right training and support, however, you can leverage your digital capability to maximise productivity, have your staff feel more productive in their roles and propel your business forward. Remember to seek customised, relevant training solutions that align with your organisation’s goals and people plans.

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DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

FEATURE

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CHAMBER FEATURE NEWS

DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

3D virtual walkthroughs have a variety of applications, including helping businesses boost productivity, communication and collaboration

Why 3D visualisation is good for business By Stuart Leche, owner of C9VT.co.uk he term “digital twin” is becoming increasingly familiar, but expectation can vary across different industries and applications. For some, it is a simple visual representation of a realworld space – a virtual copy. For others, it is a data-rich ecosystem, highly interactive and allows for simulations, in-depth analysis, and real-time monitoring of objects or systems. While reality capture of spaces to create 3D virtual walkthroughs is often seen as a marketing tool, its value extends far beyond B2C and B2B engagement. Many businesses are now harnessing this technology to boost productivity, communication and collaboration within their organisation.

WHY AN IMMERSIVE DIGITAL TWIN OF REAL-WORLD SPACES CAN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS We all know the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Imagine having a fully immersive 3D walkthrough at your fingertips – it’s like having an entire story brought to life. Creating an online shareable 3D visualisation of your business premises is not to be underestimated. The ability to share the 3D space quickly and easily can eliminate unwanted in-person site visits and instantly impact property management functions. Augmenting the 3D space with information then provides a higher level of engagement and can be tailored to suit specific business needs such as training, health and safety, and inclusion initiatives among others. Nearly every business could exploit the technology for a wide variety of purposes. For many, the premises, and facilities within, are integral as they are subject to activities such as development projects, day-to-day management, maintenance activities, surveys and training needs. Productivity benefits are possible when you have the ability to share with stakeholders a realistic navigable view of a premises without actually being there in person. Less obvious benefits include maintaining a golden 56

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thread of the historic development of a site and its assets. This could be for the purposes of a “before and after” for a build project or even to support insurance claims. The advantage for managing remote locations is evident, but it’s also worth considering the value for facility owners and colleagues working from home – or those who often have to deal with call-outs and unsociable hours when problems could be resolved more effectively.

GETTING THE RIGHT 3D VISUALISATION SOFTWARE While technology has evolved, enabling a more immersive and feature-rich experience, it’s also the case that it has become more readily accessible and affordable for businesses of all sizes. It’s also worth noting that numerous methods and platforms offer visualisations, but not all are equal. How often have you started a virtual walkthrough in the past, only to become frustrated and quit after a few clicks? There are key features to look out for, such as ease of sharing and intuitive navigation, as well as the immersive qualities. 3D visualisations can be an amazing productivity tool for business. Their impact can vary depending on specific needs, but the beauty lies in the versatility that allows each organisation to tailor multiple versions to serve a multitude of purposes. One significant recent development has been the capacity to enrich the virtual space with information and provide a powerful boost. This enhancement involves seamlessly incorporating documentation, notes, videos and links. The result? A fully immersive experience that facilitates robust engagement with stakeholders. Gone are the days when 3D reality capture was exclusive to architects and construction experts. Today, the potential benefits extend across a diverse spectrum of industries. Whether you operate in a bustling factory, educational institution, sprawling warehouse, healthcare facility, retail store, or you're responsible for managing a portfolio of properties, the opportunity to harness 3D technology is there to be tapped into.

‘Many businesses are now harnessing this technology to boost productivity, communication and collaboration within their organisation’

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DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

FEATURE

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FUTURE OF ENERGY

Region can still power the UK with innovation Much of the East Midlands’ heritage is founded on innovation during the industrial revolution, its many world-firsts including the water-powered cotton-spinning mill built by Sir Richard Arkwright at Cromford Mills, in Derbyshire, in 1771. By the 20th century, the Trent Valley area earned the nickname “Megawatt Valley”, its 13 coal-fired power stations generating up to a quarter of the electricity demand for England and Wales at its peak. With the switch about to be turned off on coal but demand for keeping the lights on stronger than ever – all while the UK targets net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – the region’s ingenuity is once again being called upon. Three of the big bases for future energy provision – hydrogen, nuclear fusion and nuclear fission – are being developed here in the East Midlands across a range of nationally-critical projects and research, backed by public and private sector investment. The region’s universities are at the global centre of developing expertise in the commercial application of nuclear and hydrogen technologies, while its businesses are at the cutting edge of the practical application and global rollout of these new systems. Dan Robinson provides an overview of these projects, while industry and academic experts provide further insights.

HYDROGEN Hydrogen – specifically green hydrogen, which is produced by electrolysis from renewable sources and emits only water – has been identified as a low-carbon solution that can help the UK achieve net zero by 2050. The Government is aiming for 10 gigawatts (GW) of lowcarbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. The East Midlands will be a key player in this burgeoning economy as a centre for research into hydrogen capabilities and commercial applications across industry and transport.

KEY INITIATIVES EAST MIDLANDS HYDROGEN In September, an industrial partnership called East Midlands Hydrogen was launched to co-ordinate activities in this sector and promote the region’s unique proposition as the UK’s largest inland hydrogen cluster. The partnership features some of the region’s key organisations, including Cadent, Uniper, Toyota, Midlands Engine, East Midlands Freeport, D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership. It brings together an intensive cluster of hydrogen demand forecasts from about 70 industrial sites in the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and northern Leicestershire areas. These are operated by 20 companies – including household names such as Boots, Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Nestle and Pepsico – which have a combined demand for more than 10 terawatt-hours (TWh) of hydrogen by 2040 in order to decarbonise their operations. For these sites alone, access to low-carbon hydrogen would enable carbon savings of 1.9 million tonnes per year, 58

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MAIN PHOTO: Ratcliffe-onSoar power station will produce low-carbon hydrogen ABOVE: Toyota’s Hydrogen Hilux prototype pickup LEFT: Hydrogen testing at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne

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RESEARCH IS KEY AT FREEPORT Innovation and skills development within future energy provision is at the heart of the East Midlands Freeport offer, says one of its senior team. Green growth and innovation lead Katie Greenhalgh believes the critical mass of energy infrastructure being developed in the region helps its proposition to investors across the world. The UK’s only inland freeport comprises three tax sites that will offer a package of financial and tax incentives to entice businesses to invest in the region. One of these is the Ratcliffe-onSoar power station, which site owner Uniper plans to turn into a hydrogen production hub. Katie says: “We want to become a hotbed for low-carbon innovation and attract businesses to the freeport that can support the wider net zero agenda, whether they are producing future lowcarbon solutions or adopting broader sustainable business practices. “The freeport will support those companies to innovate by building on the incredible research and development capabilities within the region, which helps to bridge the gap between academia and industry. “In particular, we will focus on hard-todecarbonise sectors such as freight, air travel and manufacturing, exploring the technologies that could support national and international decarbonisation targets.

Katie Greenhalgh

“This type of activity will attract investment, make our businesses in the East Midlands more competitive, create a high-skilled workforce and support energy security.” Specific interventions include plans for a Future Energy Skills Hub (more information within the hydrogen overview), a transport decarbonisation project and an innovation partnership between industry and universities. More details will be announced by an East Midlands Freeport representative at the Chamber’s Midlands Energy Summit on 30 November in Nottingham. Find out more on p39 or visit bit.ly/MidlandsEnergySummit23

‘The East Midlands is perfectly set up for large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen production through electrolysis’ the equivalent of gas-related carbon emissions from 860,000 homes. The partnership believes the East Midlands is perfectly set up for large-scale, low-carbon hydrogen production through electrolysis, using its high-voltage electrical transmission power lines originally installed to enable power export from the string of coal-fired power stations along the Trent Valley. Available water from the river, coupled with imported renewable energy, could enable “Megawatt Valley” to metamorphose into a hydrogen production heartland at GW scale, with multiple forecasts received for a total of 500 megawatts (MW) production capacity across the region. This will be distributed across the UK and overseas via a new 100% hydrogen pipeline network being built, bringing huge economic benefits to the region. November 2023 business network

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FUTURE OF ENERGY

HYDROGEN PRODUCTION AT RATCLIFFE-ON-SOAR POWER STATION SITE The bulk of this low-carbon hydrogen would be produced at the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site under plans recently announced by Uniper for its future beyond September 2024, when it will stop generating coal-fired power. Using electrolysis technology, it wants to reach 100MW capacity by the second half of the 2020s and 500MW by the turn of the decade. It said the hydrogen produced could then be used to decarbonise industry, transport and power throughout the East Midlands. The potential development follows a decision by Rushcliffe Borough Council in July to grant a local development order that gives outline planning permission for specific types of development, but remains subject to other necessary planning and environmental consents. Uniper also has planning approval to develop the East Midlands Energy Re-Generation (EMERGE) Centre on the site. The £330m facility will generate energy from nonhazardous domestic and commercial waste. Ratcliffe is one of the three tax sites within the East Midlands Freeport zone, providing potential financial and tax incentives to investors.

FUTURE ENERGY SKILLS HUB The freeport aims to facilitate and expedite the regional shift towards hydrogen by strategically supporting skills development. Working with the East Midlands Institute of Technology, a Future Energy Skills Hub will be established to cultivate a substantial pool of regional hydrogen-related expertise. This initiative will bridge the gap in higher technical skills, enhance and retrain the workforce to address roles that may become obsolete, and attract and retain graduates with specialised talent.

HYDEX Launched in 2022, the £6m HyDEX programme brings together university partners within the Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) with multinational businesses, SMEs and other regional stakeholders. It aims to accelerate innovation in hydrogen, build markets and the supply chain, and develop skills needed for the new hydrogen economy. As part of the three-year programme, funded via Research England’s RED Fund scheme, the universities – which include Loughborough and Nottingham – have made available £111m worth of hydrogen facilities, large-scale demonstration programmes and research capabilities to regional businesses. It aims to help industry accelerate the development and viability of new hydrogen products and associated intellectual property, while supporting the transition from declining industrial sectors and enabling the training and reskilling required.

H2GVMIDS A partnership including Toyota, Horiba, the University of Nottingham, ERA and others, the scheme supports the transition to hydrogen HGVs. A feasibility study has been developed for the Department for Transport’s Zero Emission Road Freight programme that shows hydrogen fuel cell trucks have the advantage of being quicker to refuel than electric vehicles, have a longer range and can carry more than electricpowered lorries. ERA is now seeking to undertake a fullstage demonstration, with hydrogen-powered HGVs operating on the region’s roads.

HYDROGEN VALLEY A collaboration by Cadent and National Gas Transmission, Hydrogen Valley is an east-west corridor across the Midlands and East of England that aims to demonstrate how two of the UK’s largest gas network providers’ infrastructure can be repurposed to deliver hydrogen throughout the UK. 60

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Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station will produce low-carbon hydrogen

The HyDEX scheme aims to accelerate innovation in hydrogen

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CHALLENGE IS TO KEEP PACE WITH TECHNOLOGY By Professor David Grant (pictured), director of the University of Nottingham Energy Institute and leader of the Advanced Materials Research Group. To future-scan all potential technologies related to energy is a challenge for business. This is not the fault of technology, or indeed any business, but reflects increasingly rapid developments combined with an everchanging world, which leads to uncertainty in decision-making. The rapid pace of technological change means that many solutions exist for today’s energy problems, but ironically this causes significant headaches for businesses as they are faced with choices on when and how to adopt greener technologies to achieve net zero.

FROM INSULATION TO MICROGRIDS, AND ELECTRIFICATION TO HYDROGEN On a small scale, such as building management and the built environment, small businesses can adopt measures that are reasonably costeffective, such as insulation, heat pumps and solar panels. However, for larger firms with bigger energy generation plans, grid connectivity can be an issue, causing delays for many energy projects. The University of Nottingham Energy Institute can help by sharing exemplar projects in the built environment, such as the adoption of microgrid solutions to solve connectivity issues, while our social science studies provide intelligence on societal acceptability and policy development. For businesses with a very high energy demand due to manufacturing processes, the challenge is more severe, with a switch from the use of gas to electricity coming with significant capital and operational costs.

The future may involve alternatives, with hydrogen having potential, but the cost and reliability of supply will need to be addressed – and a suitable pricing structure in place – before this can be implemented.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE EAST MIDLANDS? Initiatives in the region include the recent launch of East Midlands Hydrogen, an industryled initiative to form the largest inland hydrogen cluster. The University of Nottingham Energy Institute is interested to hear from stakeholders in the region to support the development of a network for this programme. Our research in hydrogen means we can also offer expertise to solve technical problems, such as how to modify burners to operate with hydrogen, modelling of gas flows, and alternative methods of storing and compressing hydrogen. For the transport industry, we can investigate dual fuel approaches with various combinations – whether it be hydrogen, ammonia or alcohols, with and without mixtures of diesel. Other mobility and transport areas of research are in the scientific application and engineering of sustainable fuels with new chemistries. Understanding how these new fuels, along with liquid hydrogen, behave both in flow and combustion is key. It is clear the conversion of engines utilising future fuels will be a significant market, alongside the new ways of production and use of such fuels. Electrification of vehicles is another significant growth area, and we are able to design and test new engine and battery

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES Sustainable Hydrogen Centre for Doctoral Training: Known as SusHy, the collaboration between Nottingham, Loughborough, Birmingham and Ulster universities aims to deliver high-quality transdisciplinary training that creates industry-ready doctorates, stimulate entrepreneurial mindsets, and co-create research ideas and investigations of hydrogen-based solutions. Low-carbon Vehicle Technology Project: The Loughborough University project includes work on electric, hybrid vehicles, as well as alternative fuel systems. In September, the university built on this by announcing a partnership with Rolls-Royce focusing on hydrogen to achieve net zero aviation.

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES Rolls-Royce: The engineering giant’s civil aerospace division, working in collaboration with easyJet, set a new aviation milestone last year when it completed the world’s first run of a modern aero engine on hydrogen.

The H2GVMids partnership supports the transition to Hydrogen HGVs

Alstom: The Derby-based train manufacturer has signed an agreement to deliver the UK’s first-ever hydrogen train fleet, working in collaboration with train owner and financier Eversholt Rail. Alstom was the first company in the world to produce a hydrogen-powered train, the Coradia iLint, which is in operational service in Germany.

configurations at megawatt scale, offering the region a significant resource through Nottingham Drive Specialist Services – an independent business unit for the industrialisation of electrical motors and drive systems. Industrial partners are also working with us in many new materials developments, including next-generation batteries, electrolysis, catalysts for hydrogen, and ammonia and solid oxide fuel cells.

SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE IS KEY TO UNLOCKING NEW GREEN TECHNOLOGIES Any introduction of new technology requires social acceptance. We see this in concerns over the use of hydrogen, and the recent Government moves to delay the ban on sales of fossil fuel-powered vehicles. This is why we include social scientists in our research and contributions to policy papers. It is also why we continue to build networks and partnerships with industrial partners and organisations with similar aims, to ensure we have the full picture and the best possible outcomes for our research. Our hope is that jobs will flow, not just in these new technologies, but in conversion and improved efficiency for existing systems. We are working with the East Midlands Freeport to set up an innovation zone that will make it easier for industry to engage in tackling these difficult decisions, and as a university, we welcome enquiries to collaborate to further joint aims for our energy future.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK: In September, the car manufacturer unveiled a prototype hydrogen-powered Hilux pick-up truck built at its factory in Burnaston, Derbyshire. JCB: Engineers at JCB Power Systems in Derbyshire have developed the first hydrogen motor in the industry, a prototype backhoe loader. Trentbarton: The Derbyshire-headquartered transport company has bid for funding to deliver 10 single-deck, hydrogen fuel cell-electric buses. Intelligent Energy: Working with Loughborough University, the Loughborough-based company makes lightweight, high-efficiency hydrogen fuel cells to the automotive, aerospace, power generation, telecoms, marine, rail and materials-handling sectors. Vaillant: The heating and cooling manufacturer, which has a factory in Belper, is running a series of test projects using hydrogen in boilers. HyDeploy is a live test in 650 Gateshead homes that have upto 20% hydrogen, while the H21 South Bank scheme in Middlesbrough is assessing the suitablility of the existing gas network to use 100% hydrogen for heating homes. The company does not expect a mass rollout of hydrogen boilers until the early 2030s. November 2023 business network

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NUCLEAR ENERGY Nuclear energy is identified by Government as having a major role in the UK’s journey to net zero, with an ambition to boost Britain’s nuclear capacity from 6.5GW to 24GW by 2050. This would represent an increase from 15% of the UK’s energy demand to 25%. The UK has 15 reactors, most of which are due to cease operating before the end of the decade. Thirteen new reactors are at various stages of development but, with funding and approval processes presenting challenges on delivery, other nuclear technologies are being explored. The Government announced earlier this year that a new body, Great British Nuclear, will be set up to help bring nuclear projects to reality. There are two key strands in nuclear energy technology – fission, an established process that involves the splitting of atoms to release energy that heats water into steam; and fusion, a yet-to-be-utilised source of power in which two hydrogen atoms combine together to form one helium atom and release vast amounts of energy, several times greater than fission. Both technologies apply to the wealth of activities happening across the region. The East Midlands Accelerator and Midlands Engine recently formed the Midlands Nuclear body to bring together the supply chain, developers, researchers and skills providers interested or already operating.

NUCLEAR FISSION SMALL MODULAR REACTORS (SMRS) These “factory-built” advanced nuclear reactors have about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors, but their design brings significant flexible, affordable and scalable benefits. Pre-fabricated units of SMRs can be manufactured, shipped and then installed on site, saving costs and construction time. They can be deployed incrementally to match increasing energy demand on sites not suitable for larger plants. SMRs are one of the key emerging markets for RollsRoyce, which has a team of 600 people based in the UK working for its SMR subsidiary. It believes the SMR programme could create 40,000 UK jobs by 2050 and generate £52bn in economic uplift, while the technology could provide enough affordable clean energy to power a million homes for more than 60 years. The Derby-based engineering giant was shortlisted in the first stage of the Great British Nuclear SMR technology selection process, with the eventual winner set to receive Government investment that will also support the supply chain. Cavendish Nuclear, part of the Babcock International Group, is also involved in developing SMR technology from its base in Leicester, with other East Midlands businesses in the sector including Assystem, Atkins, Certex Lifting, CE Turner, ECS Engineering, Nuclear Energy Components and Penny Nuclear.

NUCLEAR POWER APPLICATIONS FOR SPACE Rolls-Royce also recently opened an office at Space Park Leicester to help develop its expertise in nuclear power applications for space. This gives University of Leicester researchers the opportunity to work closely with the firm’s engineers, which have developed a concept for a microreactor that can be used in space exploration.

NUCLEAR AMRC MIDLANDS The Midlands arm of the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a new industrial R&D centre at Infinity Park, in Derby. It focuses on later-stage development in technology areas that will deliver the maximum impact for the UK’s nuclear supply chain. The building comprises open-plan and high-ceiling workshop space, cranes for working on large fabrications 62

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and assemblies, and dedicated laboratories for 3D printing and rapid prototyping, virtual virtual reality and realisation, and equipment qualification. It also provides a new base for the University of Derby’s Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Engineering.

TOP: Toby Perkins, Shadow Minister for Skills and Further Education (centre), visits the Nuclear Skills Academy at Infinity Park

NUCLEAR SKILLS ACADEMY

ABOVE: West Burton A power station in Nottinghamshire

Opened in September last year within the developing nuclear cluster at Infinity Park, the Nuclear Skills Academy is a partnership between the University of Derby and RollsRoyce to sustain nuclear capability – particularly within the UK’s submarines programme – by creating a dedicated pipeline of talent. Some 200 apprentices enrolled in its first year and have been deployed across roles such as design and manufacture, finance and supply chain, across all functions of Rolls-Royce’s submarines business. This arm of the company, based in Derby, employs more than 4,000 people and provides reactors for the UK’s and Australia’s nuclear submarine fleet.

RIGHT: The Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

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HOW BUSINESSES CAN TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR ENERGY SECURITY By James Cunningham (pictured), managing director of Geo Green Power. There has never been a better time to take control of your energy. The spiralling costs of the energy crisis may have calmed down, but electricity prices have stabilised rather than reduced. Utility bills are significantly higher than two years ago and they’re only going to go up. Businesses need to adapt to this new landscape, where the price of energy is a much more significant overhead.

INVESTING IN YOUR OWN SUSTAINABLE PATHWAYS Without a clear steer from political parties on their green ambitions, the private sector and many local authorities are choosing their own sustainable pathways. In today’s energy markets, renewables stand on their own two feet financially and deliver a clear sustainable benefit for industries that need to attract a much more environmentally aware audience and consumer. Even taking into account the upfront investment, the figures speak for themselves. Having spent over 10 years helping businesses to harness the power of the sun, become more sustainable and save money, I see the same reasons to invest as there have always been. If anything, there is even more to be gained by doing it now in terms of financial benefits and the need to protect the future. Ultimately, there are two approaches to lowering bills; reduce your energy usage or source it in a more costeffective way. Energy efficiency has its place, but there’s only so much you can save and it’s more likely that your usage is going to go up as you electrify more of your operations and invest in EVs, for example. How you source your energy is going to become much more important, securing the best tariff and possibly generating your own.

INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS CONTINUES TO HAVE MAJOR BENEFITS Any business that had solar panels before the energy crisis continued to enjoy this self-generated energy at exactly the same cost as before prices rose, and continue to do so today – that’s the true advantage of solar. Investing in a 50kW system today can ultimately secure the energy your system will generate for a cost of around 6p per unit – delivering significant independence from a fluctuating energy market. With high daytime usage and standard operating hours, it’s very easy to model how a commercial solar investment is going to perform. Viable commercial

NUCLEAR FUSION Last year, the West Burton A power station site in North Nottinghamshire was selected to become the home of the UK’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme. STEP is a UK Atomic Energy Authority programme that will demonstrate the ability to generate net electricity from fusion. Government has so far made a £222m commitment to the programme, in addition to its investment of £184m for new fusion facilities. The plant, based on a former coal-fired power station, will be designed and built to demonstrate the ability to put net electricity on the grid. It will also pave the way to enable

schemes will break even in three to five years’ time and go on to deliver an ROI in the region of 700% over the next 30 years. This isn’t new technology anymore – solar PV systems are tried and tested, they have extraordinary longevity and low maintenance costs. With an increasing number of solar PV systems being installed and connected to the grid, an export agreement isn’t guaranteed, but it’s always more cost-effective to use the energy you produce than to sell it on. Solar investments are scalable, it’s easy for companies to invest in a smaller scheme for their immediate needs and then a second project a few years later to cater for their growth. Battery storage could also unlock additional savings by enabling a company to use more of their generated energy, and give them greater independence and selfsufficiency.

OTHER RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS FOR BUSINESSES Although solar PV is often the easiest renewable technology to install, it’s not the only option. Depending on your location, you could look at generating energy from wind. There are an increasing number of wind turbine solutions if you have large areas of land and are willing to navigate the planning process. If a large proportion of your fossil fuel usage and energy bill is focused on heat, a renewable heating system such as a biomass boiler or heat pump solution are worth investigating. A heat pump will increase your overall electrical usage, and now that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) has come to an end, it’s unlikely it would deliver a cost saving unless you power it with self-generated renewable electricity. But it will certainly decarbonise your operations if that’s your ambition.

future commercial fusion energy plants to be commissioned and constructed. Early build will commence from 2025, with the plant targeting commercial operations by the 2040s. Thousands of highly-skilled jobs will be created during construction and operations, with an expectation this will attract other high-tech industries to the region, furthering the development of science and technology capabilities nationally. The programme immediately commits to the development of apprenticeship training centres in Nottinghamshire, building on the success of the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Oxfordshire Advanced Skills centre in Culham, which develops about 180 apprentices with 25 employers every year. November 2023 business network

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FEATURE

BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

It’s time to take stock - as well as start planning ahead By Bev Wakefield (pictured), director at Vibrant Accountancy

4. How can we increase our transaction frequency? Are you in touch with your customers on a frequent basis? Do you offer loyalty events, special offers, VIP membership or newsletters?

STEP 1: REVIEW YOUR GOALS

5. Increase transaction value? This doesn’t necessarily mean increasing your price (although this may be needed too), but how can you add more value to your customers? Do you have a range of options? Follow the “would you like fries with that” concept.

he nights are drawing in and it’s edging closer to the end of 2023. It’s a great time now to take stock of the year that has just passed and see how far you’ve come and plan for the next 12 months.

Reflect on the goals you set yourself at the start of the year and see how you’ve got on with these. Make sure you celebrate the wins and don’t lose track of the successes you’ve achieved. Even if you intend to power on, set yourself new targets. It’s also a reminder to make sure you adjust your plans if the course of business has changed and get yourself back on track. Finally, remind yourself why you set up your business in the first place. Are you on track to achieving this? What needs to change? Has your business taken control of you? We would recommend constantly checking in on these goals and measuring how you’re getting on with them every 90 days.

6. Are there ways we can reduce costs of sales and variables? Are you making the most out of supplier terms, or early payment discounts? What is your wastage or re-work like? Are your systems slick? Are you recording time and materials? 7. Are there ways in which we can reduce overheads? Do you annually review through your overheads and consider whether you still use that piece of software, or do you have a great deal with your electricity? Are there better terms available to you?

STEP 2: PLAN AHEAD Looking ahead to the next year, create a plan. We recommend a mini one-pager that can serve as your business plan for the next year. Create 12-month goals and bite-size actions for the next 90 days. If you’re lost and not sure where to start, this is one of the most rewarding services we offer and we have enabled so many clients to get clarity on where they want to go, and what to focus on next. With the economy the way it is, it’s important to consider these seven questions about how you can grow your business: 1. How can we increase customer retention? It’s much cheaper to make sales to existing customers – in fact, statistics show it’s six-times easier and cheaper to make sales to existing customers than it is to new customers. 2. How can we generate more leads? Tailor your marketing. Are you attracting the right people? Do you know who your target market is? Do you have a CRM system? 3. How can we increase our conversion rate? Are you measuring your success at converting leads? Do you regularly review why you aren’t converting leads too? 64

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STEP 3: GET YOUR TEAM ON BOARD Share your goals with the team. They’ll feel more empowered to see the direction of the business, and together we can achieve so much more.

STEP 4: KEEP YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE According to a study by Dr Gail Matthews at Dominican University, those who write down their goals, create actions and share these goals are 33% more likely to achieve their goals. You’re also very unlikely to achieve them if you don’t share them. Furthermore, a study conducted by Manchester Consulting Group showed that on average, the return on investment of a coach is 5.7-times the amount they paid. Therefore, bag yourself some accountability and find yourself a business coach who relates to you and can support you in your journey, whatever it looks like. I practice what I preach – I have a coach and at least I can share my experiences of this with those I coach too. So, grab 2024 by the horns and get your business kicking and screaming into 2024. Vibrant Accountancy offers Chamber members a free 60-day programme on how to grow their business.

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BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

FEATURE

November 2023 business network

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FEATURE

BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

Managing your money Learning how to manage money is a vital skill for all new business owners because mismanaging cashflow can have serious consequences. Business Network explores some simple money management techniques that can help new business owners get control over their finances.

CREATE A BUDGET

MANAGE YOUR INVENTORY

Creating a realistic budget that you can stick to will have a dramatic effect on your money management skills. Firstly, a budget will help you set expense goals – it will identify the expenses you need to operate your business and provide clear parameters for spending. Secondly, a budget can help you with your revenue goals. A good budget will forecast your revenue and, if you find it is lower than what you’ve budgeted for, you can explore ways to cut expenses and increase your income.

Your inventory can be a drain on your recourses. If you order too much, it will be sat gathering dust in storage (which you could be paying for), running the risk of going out of date or out of fashion. If you order too little, you may run up costly delivery charges to have orders rushed through to meet your demand, or lose customers to competitors with better levels of stock. Keep a clear, detailed record of your inventory purchases against sales and consult it regularly, so you always know how much you have on hand before ordering more. By keeping a constant track of your inventory, not only will you be able to tread the fine line between having too much or too little, you will also be able to anticipate busier and slower periods and adjust your spending accordingly. If you always run out of inventory around the Christmas period, for example, you will be able to check past records to see how much more stock you will need to order in advance.

MONITOR YOUR SPENDING Do you know how much you’re spending each month? Not monitoring your outgoings is an easy way of letting cash slip through your fingers. You could be racking up unnecessary bills or misusing company funds, and it can be especially hard to keep track if you are constantly making withdrawals from multiple bank accounts, or regularly using a credit card for small expenses, such as treating your staff to lunch every now and then. There are many easy ways to manage your spending, from hiring an accountant to investing in computer software, or using mobile apps that will allow you to track your spending from your phone. By keeping a careful log of your expenses, you can see exactly what you’re spending money on, identify examples of overspending and eliminate superfluous purchases. 66

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KEEP TRACK OF DEADLINES If you don’t know when your bills are due, you might not have enough cash on hand to pay them on time. Additionally, late payments could incur penalties such as fees and added interest, not to mention having a negative effect on your credit rating or souring relationships with your lenders.

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BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

Keeping close tabs on your outgoings will help avoid unnecessary bills

FEATURE

To avoid missing deadlines, create a payment schedule. Record when all payments are due, how much you owe and how they will be paid (cash, credit card etc). You can also use this schedule to time your purchases once the most important bills have been paid.

GET INVOICES PAID ON TIME Getting invoices paid on time is crucial for your business. There are a number of ways to avoid late payments, including agreeing clear payment terms (ideally in writing) and keeping these terms short. You should also aim to send out invoices as soon as possible, always making sure to include your bank details – you want to make it as easy as possible for your clients to pay you.

‘Creating a realistic budget that you can stick to will have a dramatic effect on your money management skills’

BUILD UP A CASH RESERVE Even the most money-conscious business owners may be faced with sudden and unexpected expenses. Equipment failure, natural disasters, theft or cyber-attacks – there are a lot of things that can go wrong at any given moment, so it is prudent to keep a small cash reserve that you can rely on to cover bills or expenses during an emergency. Open a separate savings account and make deposits whenever your budget allows, though don’t be tempted to dip into it to cover extravagant purchases. November 2023 business network

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FEATURE

BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Milestone met with renewable investment has become one of the largest family-run packaging companies in Europe. At the start of the anniversary year, company boss Björn Schumacher, who runs the company in the third generation with his brother Hendrik, explained: “Along our anniversary motto ‘Unboxing the Future of Packaging’, we are pursuing clear goals for the future. We see considerable potential to make packaging even more climate-friendly across the entire value chain. That’s why we want to further reduce the proportion of plastics in packaging across all sectors and replace it sensibly with the natural raw material paper.” he Schumacher Packaging Group, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of customised packaging made of corrugated and solid board (www.schumacher-packaging.com), successfully continued its dynamic growth course in 2022. This year, the company celebrates its 75th anniversary and is investing more in sustainability: the focus is on expanding renewable energies and reducing plastics in packaging by using natural raw materials. By 2025, Schumacher Packaging plans to invest around €700m in the expansion of existing plants and the construction of new ones. For 2023, however, the focus is on sustainability. This is because the packaging specialist is pursuing the ambitious goal of climate-neutral production by 2035 and is therefore relying on the most modern, efficient and environmentally friendly technologies. Around €45m is being invested in the construction of solar power plants, and €10-20m is earmarked for the expansion of wind energy. Currently, a solar park is under construction at the German site in Forchheim, and two more parks are being built in Poland. The construction of five more solar power plants in Germany and Poland is planned for 2023 and 2024. The total output of all photovoltaic plants will be around 12 GW/h.

Raw material supply and security of supply still important

To achieve this, the family-owned company is leading the way in the industry: it provides information, works on innovations and seeks dialogue with stakeholders. The management assumes that more than one fifth of the plastic packaging currently used can be replaced by paper-based solutions. By using plastic-free, biobased barrier coatings, packaging with protective functions can be produced that can be fully recycled. Plastics can thus be completely replaced - with the greatest potential in the food industry.

Replacing plastics sensibly

Corrugated and solid board as the basis for a sustainable circular economy

With its innovative solutions made of corrugated and solid board, Schumacher Packaging has grown continuously over the past 75 years and

Sustainability is of great importance to Schumacher Packaging’s business. “The biggest advantage of paper-based packaging is that it is

business network November 2023

completely natural. They are not waste, can be returned to the material cycle 100 per cent or decompose in nature within a short time without leaving any residues. Currently, more than 85 per cent of corrugated and solid board packaging is recycled – this means that it is reprocessed into packaging after use. Unlike plastic-based reusable systems, no CO2 is emitted during return transport and cleaning,” said Björn Schumacher. “We exploit this potential by leading the way and constantly developing new industryspecific and sustainable products. In this way, we can offer long-term security of supply and be a reliable partner - now and in the future.”

Despite the difficult economic situation due to the Ukraine war and the sharp rise in energy prices, Schumacher Packaging 2022 managed to grow. The packaging manufacturer reacted flexibly and quickly in the crisis year and was thus able to guarantee supplies to its customers. Strategic decisions contributed to this, such as the acquisition of the Kaierde cartonboard mill, the majority stake in the Italian corrugated base paper manufacturer Cartiere Modesto Cardella SpA and the acquisition of the Leipzig Land GmbH cartonboard mill. “The consistent expansion of our production and processing capacities represents an important contribution to securing the market's supply situation in the future and is part of our strategy for the future,” said managing director Hendrik Schumacher.

For more details contact Naomi Harvey at Schumacher Packaging sales_bir@schumacher-packaging.com

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BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

FEATURE

November 2023 business network

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Funding floods in for climate firm A Loughborough University climate tech spin-out has completed its latest funding round. Previsico has developed a live flood alert platform founded on 20 years of academic research by the university’s Professor Dapeng Yu. It brings together the latest weather data from the Met Office, internet-of-things devices on the ground and its advanced flood modelling capabilities to address the increasing global issue of surface water flooding for insurers, the public sector, corporate clients and SMEs. The start-up has been on a fast-track growth trajectory since its launch at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP) in 2019. Its funding round, said to be at a significantly higher valuation than a previous one in 2021, was led by venture capital investor 24Haymarket and supported by infrastructure and private equity investment manager Foresight Group. The investors recognised the traction Previsico has gained with major corporations, such as Network Rail, National Grid and The Guinness Partnership, as well as leading insurers including Zurich, Liberty Specialty Markets and Generali. They also identified “huge commercial potential” for its live flood forecasting technology to have substantial, positive environmental and social impact. Professor Dan Parsons, Loughborough University pro vice-chancellor for research and innovation, said: “This exceptional funding round reinforces the significant global potential of Previsico’s flood forecasting technology. It can take years for individuals, businesses and communities to recover from being flooded. This technology will help us become more resilient to the impacts of floods.”

business network November 2023

Is your business ready for the copper switch-off? Marcus Harrison (pictured), Faster Britain ambassador at wholesale full-fibre provider ITS Technology Group, explains what the UK’s legacy copper switch-off could mean for businesses across the East Midlands. he UK is undergoing a telecommunications revolution. The legacy copper lines that have been in use for more than a century are being discontinued and replaced with futureproof full-fibre cables. This copper switch-off has already started, with the Government targeting 2030 for country-wide fibre access. Given how integral connectivity has become to our personal and work lives, this is among the biggest social projects our country has experienced since the analogue TV switch-off just over a decade ago. I am sure you will agree that connectivity is the glue that keeps our business systems online, helps our staff to collaborate, and keeps us in touch with our customers, suppliers and partners. We need a fast, reliable internet connection no matter which device we use, whether it’s our smartphone, tablet or laptop. The beauty of full fibre is this modern infrastructure is inherently more secure and capable of multi-

‘We need a fast, reliable internet connection no matter which device we use’ gigabit speeds to support bandwidth-hungry technologies, which are helping our businesses to become more competitive and our staff more productive. Fibre provides limitless potential. There are a raft of secondary and tertiary benefits that are a result of its key features, such as its stability and reliability. For example, a fullfibre connection is capable of delivering a high-quality video conference even at lower speeds. However, there remain misconceptions surrounding fibre, many of which stem from how fibre connectivity has been marketed. Not all fibre services are equal – some fibre broadband services still rely on copper, and it is businesses that use these services in particular that must be sure they have a plan for the switch-off. Here are some practical steps:

• Are you sure your connectivity service is full fibre? • Check to see if any applications use a copper line. This could include your phone and security systems • Check where you are up to with your contract. Does the term straddle the planned switch-off period? • Check with your current provider. If your service isn’t end-to-end fibre, ask them what their plans are. It is very unlikely you will find yourself cut off, but this upgrade gives you the opportunity to reevaluate what is best for your business now and in the future. There are a number of new fullfibre providers that have entered the marketplace, creating unprecedented choice and healthy competition. Today, more than half of all premises in the country are in reach of full fibre, and thanks to alternative operators like ITS, many businesses located in the East Midlands now have access to this next-generation connectivity.

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Business puts the dig into digital An archaeological contracting and consulting firm has accessed funding and expert support to invest in innovative on-site soiltesting technology with the backing of a Chamber-led programme. Archaeological Research Services (ARS), headquartered in Bakewell, combined its scientific expertise with digital technology to create a new tool for sophisticated in-field soil analysis and remote data analysis. By replacing manual processes with technology to identify differences between cultural and natural sediments in the field, it can now better target its archaeological interventions for commercial clients – while getting faster results, reduced costs and lowering the risk of missing important discoveries. This innovation in geochemistry also helped it to land a King’s Award for Enterprise, the UK’s most prestigious business award, earlier this year. ARS was supported by the Digital Upscaler project, which provided a £17,115 technology grant towards the investment along with one-to-one technology advice. Chief operating officer Will

Throssel said: “Archaeology is a key consideration in the planning process, as well as in several other commercial-development settings.

Will Throssel

‘This is the first ever deployment of this device in commercial archaeology’ “The solution we’ve been able to bring to fruition, thanks to support from the Digital Upscaler project, helps manage the need for unnecessary excavation, while also facilitating the better targeting of excavation works. “This is the first ever deployment of this device in commercial archaeology – it’s made our proposition very exciting.” Founded in 1999 by managing director Dr Clive Waddington, ARS provides heritage and archaeological services to a range of clients – including developers, civil engineering firms and archaeologists. Employing 80 people across a UK network of offices, it works with businesses and their local communities to reveal archaeology

and mitigate the impacts on heritage and archaeology – which involves the study of the material remains of past human life and activities – during any kind of development. Will and the rest of the senior leadership team recognised the need for innovation to reduce the need to perform unnecessary excavation works, while improving safety and lowering a project’s carbon footprint through the reduced requirement to have heavy plant on-site.

It worked with Digital Upscaler adviser Tom Conway to find a new way to assess soil in order to determine the best area to dig and maximise the likelihood of recovering archaeological material. Using the digital technology grant and support from Tom, ARS invested in leading-edge technology designed to provide a completely portable method for scanning the ground’s surface, with the digital device linked to data processing and analysis systems.

November 2023 business network

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LEGAL

Defining greenwashing – and how to avoid it

By Tamsin Mason-Rowe (pictured), commercial solicitor at Geldards The demand for businesses to operate sustainably and ethically is higher than ever as people are paying more attention to the environmental impact of consumerism and industrial production, and consumer demand for more sustainable products increases. As a result, organisations being put on the spot to demonstrate their efforts to improve their sustainability and many are using these achievements as a marketing tool – but what are the risks?

WHAT IS GREENWASHING? Greenwashing occurs when a company makes untrue or misleading claims about its sustainability and environmental impact for marketing purposes but, in reality, it is not actually making any notable sustainability efforts.

WHAT IS THE RISK? There is an increased scrutiny on businesses to lower their negative impact on the environment and to operate more sustainably, meaning

there is a higher risk of getting caught out for making untrue environmental claims. This can damage a company’s reputation and undermine consumer trust at a time when the pressure to be sustainable is huge. Moreover, there has been a surge in regulators taking action against businesses for greenwashing, as well as litigation by shareholders and consumers claiming damages for mis-sold products based on greenwashing. In recent months alone, we have seen: • The UK Advertising Standards Authority ban a series of advertisements from a number of large oil and gas companies for including misleading information about their socioenvironmental credentials • ASOS, boohoo and Asda come under scrutiny from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over green claims made by the three companies • Delta Air Lines being sued in the US by customers over its claim

to be “the world’s first carbonneutral airline” • Energy giant Drax come under investigation by Ofgem for claiming its practice of burning wood pellets for energy is sustainable.

HOW CAN YOU AVOID GREENWASHING? Given the “robust” approach seemingly being taken against businesses accused of greenwashing, it is more important than ever to ensure any sustainability claims you make do not put you in the firing line. A good starting point to mitigate your risk is to consider the six core principles of the CMA’s Green Claims Code when making an environmental claim, which in summary are: • Make truthful and accurate claims: You must not make environmental claims that could mislead consumers and give them an inaccurate impression of your sustainability efforts. • Be clear and unambiguous:

Don’t make vague claims that could be misinterpreted. You should communicate clearly and be specific in the claims you make. • Give all the information: Consumers should be provided with all the information they need to make informed choices. Don’t purposely omit or hide information that could result in a consumer to be inappropriately influenced. • If you make comparisons, ensure they are fair and meaningful: Comparisons should be based on clear, up-to-date and accurate information. • Consider the full lifecycle of the product or service: Certain factors during the full lifecycle of a product may affect the accuracy of its environmental impact so these should be considered before any claims are made. • Be substantiated: Any environmental claim must be capable of being tested against scientific or other evidence.

Don’t neglect your policies on employment law Experts at a Derby-based HR and employment law firm are urging organisations to review their employment law policies and procedures after more than 3,000 claims were made against cash-stricken Birmingham City Council. The GMB Union is supporting claims against the council for equal pay and has asked the Government to intervene. It is also reported to have disputes against councils in Coventry, Westmorland, Cumberland, Glasgow, Dundee and Fife. Rob Tice, director and co-owner of Precept, said lessons can be learned from alleged failings and warned that equal pay claims can be costly for organisations. “Equal pay claims can be costly and time-consuming to defend, and they can ultimately, in the worst case scenarios, result in backpay being awarded for up to six years,” he said. “It is a legal requirement – under Chapter 3 of the Equality Act 2010 – that men and women must get equal pay for doing equal work. We’re not talking about gender pay gap reporting here, which only applies to employers with more than 250 staff – the duty to ensure you’re giving equal pay for equal work applies to all employers.” 72

business network November 2023

The Precept team

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LEGAL

Innovative and Client Focused:

Big Enough to Provide, Small Enough to Care At DWS Legal, we understand that when you need legal services, you want to use a firm of solicitors you can trust. Our positive online reviews, personal recommendations and a high client retention are testament to this. Shortlisted for both regional and national awards, we are a multi-award winning, full-service law firm making waves in the legal landscape.

Our clients come to us because of our depth of experience, unrivalled commercial and legal knowledge and a ‘think outside of the box’ attitude, ensuring tailored solutions that yield a positive outcome, whilst achieving cost effect results.

The Team at DWS Legal understands their social responsibilities and strive to go beyond the limits of the office; conquering the first of its kind initiative by pledging to plant 1000 trees in 100 days and then surpassing that target, setting an inspiring example for environmental stewardship.

Breaking Barriers and Building a Buzz:

Recent Accolades

DWS has been recognized and shortlisted for prestigious regional and national awards, a testament to their commitment to excellence.

Social Media Prowess

With groundbreaking reviews and active engagement on social media platforms,

DWS is not just a law firm but a digital influencer in its own right.

Eco-Warriors at Heart

DWS has gone beyond the courtroom, conquering the first-of-its kind initiative by planting 1000 trees in less than 100 days, setting an inspiring example for environmental stewardship.

Harnessing the Power of AI

Keeping pace with the technological frontier, DWS has recently established an AI Testing and Review Hub. This innovation is aimed at harnessing the benefits of AI to provide even more efficient and effective legal solutions.

The team at DWS Legal

Our diverse clientele ranging from private individuals to corporate giants benefit from the knowledge of our team of experts. Whether you are an individual or a business (of any size), DWS Legal is your trusted partner in navigating the complex legal landscape.

Contact DWS Legal for a service that’s rewriting the rules of legal excellence!

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November 2023 business network

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FINANCE

Underinsurance and the impact to businesses By Annalie Sheils (pictured), client director at Konsileo.

Nicki Robson

Accountants call on HR experts The demand on accountants to supply HR advice is higher than ever, according to the boss of specialist consultants. Breedon Consulting’s managing director Nicki Robson said the pandemic had led to employers reaching out to their accountant for support with people and talent – which in turn has led to a surge in interest from accountancy firms seeking assistance with those HR responsibilities. A report by payroll solutions provider Gusto found that, post-pandemic, three-quarters of employers say it’s important their accountant can offer business advice – with 31% looking to their accountant for people advice specifically. Nicki said: “Human Resources has become a vital function within accountancy, especially since the pandemic. The unprecedented complexities that emerged within the employment landscape became a full-time job for many employers, leading them to rely on their most trusted partners for guidance – most often the accountant. “However, the challenge is that accountants have their specialisms, and will often lack the necessary time and expertise to effectively support the critical HR function requested by their clients. As a result, some employers were, and still are, being given advice that is incorrect and now face legal HR claims. “In light of these challenges, collaborating with experienced HR providers has become crucial for accountants and the team and I are working closer with the profession than ever before. By outsourcing HR responsibilities to trusted partners, accountancy firms can reclaim their focus on their core competencies while ensuring compliance across all employee-related issues.”

business network November 2023

In the past few years, we have encountered unprecedented challenges – from Brexit to the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the ongoing economic crisis. This has compounded a growing list of challenges for businesses, which may need to budget for buying more insurance cover to remain resilient.

IMPACT ON POLICYHOLDERS Professional valuations are highlighting the shortage of materials and labour, raising costs and lead times. The Building Cost Index is currently at 8.3%, the accumulative effect that two years of unprecedented rebuild cost inflation has had on the adequacy of sums insured. Sums insured must be adequate for businesses to survive a major loss. British Insurers suggest 20% of household policies are underinsured, whereas professional valuation services suggest that figure rises to 60% to 70% for commercial risks due to the complexities of commercial covers.

WHAT IS UNDERINSURANCE? Underinsurance occurs when your sum insured isn’t enough to cover the cost of repairing, replacing or rebuilding the items listed on your policy. Underinsured ultimately means the amount you can claim may be reduced, meaning you can’t claim for the full loss. This is where the “average clause” will apply.

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE CLAUSE? Insurance policy wordings typically include an “average clause”. When underinsurance is present, this clause enables a claims settlement to be made but reduced in proportion to the level of under insurance. An example would be a declared value of £500,000 against an actual value of £1m. This represents 50% underinsurance – if the claim value is £200,000, the claim settlement will be £100,000. The policy excess will

‘Underinsured ultimately means the amount you can claim may be reduced, meaning you can’t claim for the full loss’

also be payable, so the final settlement will be lower. The Charted Institute of Loss Adjusters estimates uninsurance to be present in 40% of claims. It states: “Underinsurance has always been an issue in property insurance. In the current economic environment of high inflation and supply chain disruption, underinsurance has the potential to become exacerbated further. It is therefore even more important than usual to review values currently to ensure that cover is adequate.” Additionally, 43% of business interruption insurance is underinsured by 53% on average. Getting the business interruption indemnity period wrong is another form of underinsurance.

WHY IS UNDERINSURANCE CO COMMON? Reasons include: • Lack of understanding of what sums insured must represent • Not considering factors such as inflation, debris removal costs or seasonal increases • Reinstatement versus market value • Reluctance to spend money on a professional valuation to establish the true value • Financial pressures to cut back on insurance costs – a false economy.

HOW TO AVOID UNDERINSURANCE Actions you can take from today include: • Ensure valuations and cost assessments reflect the current replacement value of the asset or property • Maintain an up-to-date asset register accurately account for fluctuations in the value of the property insured, such as new buildings, capital expenditure, and disposal or acquisition of assets • It is good practice to discuss your insurance renewal with your broker well in advance, to ensure they have up-to-date information. Discussions should include changes to your business, such as updates on your current asset register, turnover figures, gross profit calculation, to name just a few.

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BUSINESS NETWORK

November 2023 business network

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SKILLS

Science boss has all the answers The founder of one of the UK’s top life science companies has written a book that aims to answer the big questions – straight from the mouths of children. SureScreen Scientific founder Jim Campbell OBE answered burning questions from pupils at Morley Primary School and put all his answers together in his book, titled Ask A Scientist. Jim is a regular visitor to the school, which is located next door to the Morley headquarters of SureScreen Scientific, a forensics firm that specialises in DNA analysis to help ecologists identify some of Britain’s most endangered species. He said: “I wanted to give the children a full answer to their questions and responded in a way that they can understand so I took all the questions away and researched them before putting them altogether in these books.”

Armin Peroznejad and Yeliz Asim

Graduate scheme adds up for net zero specialists A net zero energy consultancy has created its firstever graduate scheme, with two new starters commencing their training last month. The Consultus International Group, based in Leicester, has hired Armin Peroznejad and Yeliz Asim after whittling down from more than 300 applications for the programme.

‘The business has a passion and a commitment to bringing graduates into the organisation’

Jim Campbell with one of the books

It is part of the company’s initiative to recruit and harness grassroots talent, with bespoke roles created to shape the experience and progression of each graduate. Commercial director Bradley Wilson and recruitment business partner Peter Murdock have been the driving forces behind the graduate scheme. Bradley said: “The business has a passion and a commitment to bringing graduates into the organisation. The launch of our very own graduate scheme further supports that ambition. “I'm in no doubt that our new graduates will flourish within the progressive culture, that we have created.

We are looking forward to seeing them grow, along with the business.” Armin and Yeliz will progress through an “onboarding academy” before undertaking a month-long commercial assignment focused on business acumen. Six-month strategic placements in a particular service area follow, before their knowledge is enhanced in another channel or department across the two-year scheme. Armin, 29, was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to the UK aged six, growing up in Middlesbrough. He completed a bachelor’s degree in business and law at the University of the West of England, and then obtained two master’s degrees in organisation innovation and entrepreneurship, and digital service innovation, in Denmark and Sweden. Yeliz, 24, is from Bursa, Turkey, and after gaining an international relations degree in her homeland, went on to study a master’s in culture and conflict in a global Europe at the London School of Economics and Political Science, graduating last month. Consultus works with businesses and their supply chain to plan, prioritise and achieve carbon neutral goals, while helping them use less energy, reduce costs, better manage risk and increase energy security.

London trip inspiration for Leicester kids A group of pupils from five Leicester schools toured London and the Houses of Parliament in a bid to help raise their life and career aspirations. The trip was organised by the Randal Charitable Foundation, Leicestershire Police and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) Foundation, to help inspire underprivileged young people from across Leicestershire to gain the opportunities and motivations to reach their full potential. The group travelled by coach to London, visiting CSJ’s head office in Smith Square and walking along the Thames Embankment to the Houses of Parliament, where they were given a guided tour by the CSJ, 76

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Leicester schoolchildren during their trip to London

supported by Leicestershire South MP Jonathan Ashworth. A bus tour followed, before the return journey. Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, chairman of Leicestershire-based Randal

Charitable Foundation, helped to bring partners together. He said: “There are moments in the lives of young people which can be turning points, for good and for bad. We

organised this special tour to create a memorable moment in time – to share sights and scenes, which might be exciting, but also raise aspirations for some of the young people joining our tour. “Of course, a one-off trip does not in itself change lives, but it might create some curiosity about future possibilities and choices – that in itself is enormously valuable. Knowing there are choices and opportunities within reach is the first step to carving a really positive path in life.” The partners are now looking at extending the scheme in Leicestershire, which could eventually create a national blueprint for others to follow.

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PROPERTY

Freeths advises on historic site National law firm Freeths has advised Keepmoat on the acquisition of a historic former Boots factory site in Nottingham. Located on Thane Road, Beeston, the land sits within the 286-acre Nottingham Enterprise Zone and Alliance Boots Campus. These sites formed part of the health and pharmacy chain’s operational headquarters, where it developed and manufactured the Ibuprofen painkiller during the 1960s. Keepmoat, an established client of Freeths – which has 13 offices, including in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham – has plans to deliver more than 600 multi-tenure new homes over a period of six years, with more than half of these made available for affordable rent and shared ownership. To meet the size, complexity and timescales of the project, Freeths put together a crossdisciplinary team comprising more than 25 lawyers, headed by James Hart, partner and regional lead for real estate in the Midlands, who said it had been a privilege to work on the historic acquisition.

Emh group builds and manages affordable homes across the East Midlands

Funding will help emh’s new development projects Affordable housing and support services provider emh group has secured £370m to fund new developments and invest in its existing housing stock after refinancing debt and selling bonds. The non-profit, based in Coalville and operating across the East Midlands, refinanced £270m bank facilities, including new finance of £90m, and sold £100m of its bonds. The refinancing and bond sale are part of emh’s strategy to ensure sufficient and flexible funding is in place to fund its business plan. This includes delivering high-quality new homes and investing in existing homes to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise. Geoff Clarke, emh’s executive director of finance, said: “We are delighted to have completed this refinancing

and bond sale, which is a testament to the confidence our funding banks, Lloyds Bank and NatWest, and investors have in our vision and track record. Their support will enable us to develop innovative and sustainable properties that enrich lives and contribute to the development of vibrant neighbourhoods.” The £370m of loan facilities and bonds will provide emh with the necessary resources to complete its development projects. It said the £100m bond sale reflects the confidence of investors in emh’s long-term viability and contribution to the social housing market. John Horton, director of housing finance at NatWest, said “We are very pleased to build on our long-term relationship with emh by providing support which helps it to fulfil its strategic goals.”

Major lettings deals at business park Seventy-thousand square foot of commercial property exchanged hands at Sherwood Business Park in the space of a month in deals overseen by FHP. The commercial property agency FHP completed a sale of 60,000 sq ft of modern warehouse and

One of the properties at Sherwood Business Park

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production space to an unnamed publicly listed company and let out another 10,000 sq ft to separate clients at the site, located off Junction 27 of the M1. The letting was the second such deal for that client this year, bringing the total space FHP has transacted

at Sherwood Business Park in 2023 to just under 100,000 sq ft. FHP director Tim Gilbertson, who expects another 30,000 sq ft on the estate to come to market in the coming months, said: “Despite the undeniably less than robust economic conditions the country

faces, these deals show again the strength of some of our East Midlands locations and the very limited stock that is available. Hopefully more industrial and warehouse buildings will come to the market soon as stock is certainly required to meet demand.”

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PROPERTY

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MOTORING

Lexus can no longer be brought up on charges First introduced to the market back in 2019, the Lexus UX compact SUV was a decent seller in the UK and one of Europe’s best sellers. In this new model, sales are destined for greater things, writes motoring journalist Nick Jones, who says this is down to correcting the one feasible flaw the old model possessed – a poor real-time driving range. he limited range has now been addressed with a completely new improved lithium-ion battery with permanent magnet motor, which will improve the UX range by more than 40% compared to the previous model – meaning it will be able to do 300 miles on a single charge. Plus, there are a raft of changes to the chassis and bodywork to make it not only handle better, but look more aesthetically pleasing. Given the Lexus UX 300e isn’t cheap, buyers of Toyota’s upmarket cousin would want to see more regal connotations over the mainstream manufacturer. And it does – there’s a vast array of equipment in here and safety features are now more prevalent (the demographics suggest Lexus buyers are mainly the older generation) than ever before.

Internally, it is crammed with comfort and convenience features, including a new 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia display that sits conveniently high up on the dash for easy access. The attention to detail is sublime and one can see why it’s a good seller for the marque. Externally, the design is clean and sophisticated, and perhaps somewhat understated – maybe something a Lexus owner would either love or hate. Where it really wins is on the road as the engineers have done a brilliant job in balancing the extra weight of the batteries to ensure the car feels confident and wellbehaved through tight, twisty corners. I like it, and that range of 300 miles along with a huge array of new safety features included as standard really appeal in a car that oozes sophistication.

FACTFILE MODEL Lexus UX 300e

PRICE OTR From £57,095

PERFORMANCE Top speed: 100mph 0-60 mph: 7.6 seconds

POWER 204 horsepower

RANGE 300 miles (single charge)

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INFORMATION

What is brand and business transformation? By David Formby (pictured), company director at IvyJack Communications. aving core business disciplines working in harmony is critical for commercial success, because it is only by aligning internal behaviours behind a consistent brand vision that a business can deliver truly exceptional customer experiences. In today’s increasingly competitive world, brands need to do more to stand out in the marketplace. There’s no magic formula for doing this – it’s more about combining sound strategy and exceptional execution across multiple business functions. In my opinion, the key to this is by aligning internal behaviours with external marketing so your customer receives consistent brand value every single time they interact with your business.

1. INSIGHT AND STRATEGY Start by looking at your commercial objectives – the how and the why, whether it’s about increasing sales, increasing brand awareness or improved customer retention. It’s all about understanding your customer and the end user, making them feel like they matter. Understanding exactly what your audience thinks, feels and does in relation to

your market is critical to brand success. This is where customer profiling and audience segmentation play a critical role, helping to identify the requirements of your customers so all your outgoing brand messaging can be adapted to their needs. Using these insights and identified trends creatively,can help to influence buyer behaviour. Sometimes, this simply means having a new perspective to unlock existing potential within your business. By identifying your customer pain points, you can understand what matters to them.

2. PROCESSES AND PEOPLE Before we think about creative delivery, it is important to review your business processes and how these can be improved. How easy it is to do business with you is a critical factor in determining overall customer satisfaction and how likely your brand is chosen continually. It’s about going beyond traditional brand communications but evaluating and reconfiguring your current customer touchpoints, identifying areas of friction in the delivery process. This helps map out your ideal customer journey so they

receive the best experience every single time they interact with your business.

3. CREATIVE AND DELIVERY Once your business processes are aligned, focus turns to the use of external communications to get your brand noticed and talked about – whether it’s brand creation, design and advertising, content development, PR, digital social media and much more.

4. TRAIN YOUR TEAMS All too often, brands will invest in advertising and promotion without having the skills and processes in place to deliver what they are promising in their ads. By combining well-proven management principles and a sound understanding of branding and behavioural psychology, brand values turn into brand behaviours that align perfectly with external marketing. By improving customer service, sales and internal management skills, we help create a unique “brand experience” that customers come back for time after time. So, there you have it. This is what I like to call a total brand and business transformation.

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COMMENT

THE LAST WORD Chamber president Stuart Dawkins reflects on how a national energy policy has risen up the agenda for businesses and why there is a sense of urgency for policymakers. CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY For many years, I have chaired roundtable meetings for the Chamber. These often include asking participants – business and civic leaders from the region – for their priorities for our politicians and other policy influencers. Some topics appear year in, year out – skills shortages, availability of locations for business expansion and business rates are examples. In the past couple of years, two other themes are mentioned almost every time – a desire for a coherent energy policy and a coherent transport policy. With some 28% of carbon emissions in the UK coming from transport, these two issues are, of course, linked. Climate change is leading to a fundamental restructuring of how energy is sourced, driving new technologies and new ways of thinking. The developing revolution in energy supply is akin to many other significant changes in economic progress throughout history. Major change usually involves a period of frenetic activity when entrepreneurs, inventors and policymakers test different approaches. For example, the canal system is built and quickly superseded by the railways. Railways of different gauges are built, succeed, fail and are merged. The capitalist process of creative destruction takes its course and then things stabilise for a while. The transformation from fossil fuels to green energy will be superficially similar. We cannot be certain which energy sources will be powering our world in, say, 50 years’ time; the entrepreneurs, inventors and policymakers are working on that issue right now.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING There is, however, one significant different difference this time. The myriad decisions which led to the formation of the railway system were not taking place against any ticking clock, other than the usual competitiveness of economic activity. The process for energy supply does not have that luxury. There is a clock ticking, namely the 82

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growing and irreversible impact of carbon production on the climate – an impact that can already be seen in weather patterns here and abroad. Simply “waiting for the market to sort it out” seems to be rather risky when a clock is ticking with such potentially catastrophic consequences. We need to ensure we reach that new stability as quickly as is practical. And this does not even consider the other side of the equation: the demand for energy. We can each do our bit about this. My recent swap from a petrol-driven car to a hybrid will not change the world much. Indeed, I am not sure whether hybrid cars will end up being the “canal system” of car technologies – broadly obsolete within less than 50 years – but the new car’s fuel consumption is a lot better (and as a nice aside, it was made here in the East Midlands too!).

FRAGMENTING POLITICAL CONSENSUS Those of you who were at the Chamber’s Sustainability Summit in September will have seen some inspiring examples of practical steps businesses can take to help the demand side of the equation, while also improving their own efficiency. Energy policy is not a simple thing and mistakes are bound to be made. But uncertainty slows down decisions by businesses and frustrates those entrepreneurs and inventors working on the subject. What will help speed the transition is that very factor raised in all of those Chamber roundtables – clarity and consistency of policy. So, where do things stand now? The broad consensus in UK politics now seems to be fragmenting. Print deadlines mean I am drafting this article during the party conference season. This sets some challenges to ensure that what I write still seems relevant by the time it is read. For example, I do not know what a “war on motorists” looks like, having never knowingly seen one, but at present I don’t even know whether the phrase will still even be in use by the time you read this. I am pragmatic enough to understand that

with less than 14 months to go before a general election, we should expect some changes in stated policy by the main political parties, but the consequence is that – for a period at least – uncertainty is increasing rather than decreasing.

EAST MIDLANDS HAS A KEY ROLE TO PLAY IN ENERGY TRANSITION In such times, what positives are there to cling to? There are many, including here in the East Midlands. Our local universities include worldleading areas of expertise in climate change and energy production. There are inventions and new technologies being built right here that will have a role to play in the transition to a new way of powering our activities. Rolls-Royce’s small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power stations are perhaps the most high profile, but the Sustainability Summit also heard about hydrogen fuel cells being produced in Loughborough, and no doubt there are other examples. In my Last Word articles, I have tried to bring the discussion back to my two priorities as Chamber president, priorities which can be simplified as “look after your communities” and “look after generation next-but-one”. The ticking clock of climate change means that “looking after generation next-but-one” will require a significant transformation in how energy is sourced, distributed and consumed. In this context, the calls from the attendees at our Chamber roundtables seem entirely rational – please let us have some clarity and consistency of policy. As the Chamber’s director of policy and insight Chris Hobson put it during his summary of the Sustainability Summit: “Having net zero targets is one thing, but to get us there we require a roadmap that will be led by business innovation. The vacillating from our political leaders instead undermines our ability to make real progress in this space and we instead find ourselves stuck in limbo when it comes to the most significant economic opportunity of our lifetime.”

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