Business Network April 22

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BUSINESS

Keep up to date on latest developments at

network www.emc-dnl.co.uk/news

APRIL 2022

@EMChamberNews

“GENERATION NEXT WILL JUST CONTINUE TO GROW”

CELEBRATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF BUSINESS LEADERS INTERVIEW

POLITICS

LOUGHBOROUGH GRADUATE KATE WALKER ON MAKING AFFORDABLE PROSTHETICS FOR CHILDREN

SUPPLY CHAINS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE AT MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING CONFERENCE

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THE FIRST WORD

CONTENTS APRIL 2022

NEWS UPDATE 4

MEMBER NEWS Training firm opens high-tech HQ

26 APPOINTMENTS Technical team recruits remote staff

THE BIG INTERVIEW hen starting out in my career, I lost count of the number of questions I would have loved to ask a peer – whether it was day-to-day issues like managing my time and learning how to say "no" when under pressure, or more strategic objectives such as taking the next steps and understanding exactly what I offered as an individual to an employer.

Come to think of it, how beneficial would a network of other young professionals have been to talk freely among people in similar circumstances, learn from them and perhaps even gain a mentor?

It certainly wouldn’t have been harmful, and that’s exactly what Generation Next now offers 18 to 35-year-olds in the East Midlands. Launched just before the pandemic began, it is one of the most exciting new initiatives by the Chamber in recent years, providing membership to individuals as opposed to organisations like within the main Chamber network.

Already, about 300 people have signed up to take advantage of its wide offering, which includes networking events at interesting venues such as Nottingham’s arcade game bar Penny Lane and the 1920s-style cocktail bar Manhattan34 in Leicester, as well as workshops on everything from personal finance to CSR hosted by respected business leaders.

For the first time, Generation Next is the focus of Business Network as we showcase the people involved and some of its benefits. Members of the board of “champions”, including Katrina Starkie and chair Emma Baumback, talk about their careers to date and why they value this new network in our focus feature (p60), which also features two winners from the inaugural Generation Next Awards last year in Project D’s founders and Daniel Jones, of Professional Heating Solutions.

And with the second instalment of the awards now open for entries, this month’s big interview (p28) is with Kate Walker, who won the first-ever Generation Next Future Leader award in 2021 after creating a business with a strong social purpose in ExpHand Prosthetics, which makes affordable and adjustable 3D-printed artificial limbs for children.

Three new categories have been added to this year’s awards, which will feature street food, cocktails and live music at Bustler Market, in Derby, on 14 July. More details are on p34, and the Chamber would also like to extend our gratitude to our headline partner the University of Derby and partners Nottingham University Business School, Hardy Signs, RSM, Fraser Stretton Property Group, Loughborough College, MHA MacIntyre Hudson and PPL PRS for their fantastic support.

W

Dan Robinson, Editor, Business Network

28 Kate Walker, winner of the inaugural Generation Next Future Leader award 32 PATRONS Making the most of your role as a young manager 34 CHAMBER NEWS Generation Awards launches for 2022

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS 52 Family firm embraces low-carbon practices

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 54 Spotlight on R&D Tool & Engineering

POLITICS 56 Highlights from the Chamber’s Manufacturing and Engineering Conference

FEATURES 58 LEGAL SERVICES New international data transfer laws take effect 60 FOCUS FEATURE Young people taking the next step in business 67 GREEN BUSINESS Even a complex industry can find a green routine 68 Sustainable products must use sustainable methods

TRAINING & EVENTS 72 Giving business power to succeed 73 Celebrating Culture and Communities event returns

DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

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

Publishers Kemps Publishing Ltd Unit 8, The Courtyard, 707 Warwick Road, Solihull, B91 3DA T: 0121 765 4144 w: www.kempspublishing.co.uk Managing Editor Laura Blake T: 0121 765 4144 E: laura.blake@kempspublishing.co.uk Designer Lloyd Hollingworth Advertising T: 0121 765 4144 E: jon.jones@kempspublishing.co.uk Printers Warners (Midlands) plc

76 Spotlight on the latest digital trends

BUSINESS SUPPORT 80 LEGAL Benefits of the graduate visa scheme 82 FINANCE Get up to speed on digital tax rules 84 SKILLS College shows how robotics are the future 86 PROPERTY Belper regeneration deal is complete 88 MOTORING Nick Jones tests the Jaguar E-Pace 200D

PRIVACY NOTICE Kemps Publishing Ltd process personal information for certain legitimate interest purposes, which includes the following: •

To provide postal copies of this publication to Chamber members and Kemps’ customers; and

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Whenever we process data for these purposes, we always ensure we treat your Personal Data rights in high regard. If you wish to, you can visit www.kempspublishing.co.uk to view our full Privacy Notice and to learn more about our legitimate interests and your rights in this regard.

BUSINESS NETWORK is produced on behalf of East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chamber and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chamber nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chamber. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.

89 INFORMATION How a business psychologist could lead you to succeed

COMMENT 90 THE LAST WORD Chamber president Lindsey Williams explores how businesses can prepare for the future by supporting their next generation April 2022 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

Hi-tech HQ is building for the future Visitors took a 21st century approach to finding a new career during the official opening ceremony of a Derby training company’s hightech headquarters.

Virtual reality headsets allowed guests at EMA Training’s new three-storey office to access a career discovery platform that provided information about careers to suit their personality.

The technology was available during an open day at the digital hub, which has opened in the former home of the Derby Telegraph, in Siddals Road.

The move into the office, which was officially opened by Chamber board member Eileen Perry MBE DL, comes after EMA Training expanded from 10 members of staff to 30 in two years.

EMA Training CEO Tracey Mosley said: “We are thrilled to finally throw open the doors of our brand-new digital hub.

“We have invested £75,000 in upgrading this office space, with break-out areas, exam suites and networking facilities, which shows our commitment to the city and in keeping our learners local.

“We have worked hard to create a collaborative, innovative working space that supports the new hybrid way of working, which will allow us to form more long-term

Eileen Perry MBE DL, cutting the ribbon to declare EMA Training's office open

partnerships in the region and in turn make a meaningful impact on our students and the local business community.

“People are at the heart of everything we do and investing in this office space allows us to nurture those professional working relationships, and invest in the emerging and existing talents of our young people.”

As well as taking a glimpse of the new facilities, guests were also able to enjoy course taster sessions in IT, digital skills and finance, as

well as a relaxation session with a mental health first aider.

School leavers were able to have professional head shots taken for their CVs and career guidance was provided on the day by the company’s recruitment team and trainers.

Eileen added: “The East Midlands is renowned for its entrepreneurial and business spirit which is why it is fantastic that EMA are providing a place for emerging and existing talent to be upskilled through apprenticeships and training programmes to continue to add value and expertise within our region.”

Image courtesy of Stride Treglown

Artist’s impression of the new Derby Business School

Business school plan for Derby A planning application for a new iconic Derby Business School has been submitted by the University of Derby, bringing plans to grow its city centre presence a step closer.

The proposed development is set to be built on land adjacent to the university’s One Friar Gate Square building.

Projected to be the study base for more than 6,000 students by 2030, the plan is to create a central hub providing students, researchers, academics and the 4

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wider business community with access to research and development, expertise, key facilities, and learning and networking opportunities.

Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, vice-chancellor and chief executive of the university, said: “An immense amount of hard work and consideration has gone into our plans for the business school, and we are confident that this application reflects not only our ambitions, but those of our local stakeholders who have shared their views and ideas throughout the consultation period.”

Cold clothing firm to help in Ukraine A Leicestershire manufacturer has launched an appeal to help people in Ukraine by supplying warm clothes.

Sub Zero Technology, a family-run business in Fleckney that makes thermal outdoor clothing, has already donated the vast bulk of its surplus stock to Ukrainian charities and humanitarian aid groups.

In a continued effort to help those in need and following numerous enquiries from customers that also want to lend support, it has set up a page where anyone can buy essential cold clothing at the price it costs Sub Zero to make them at no profit – with all these products donated to ongoing humanitarian appeals.

To support the appeal, visit subzero.co.uk/collections/ ukrainian-appeal

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MEMBER NEWS

Sweet moment for doughnut maker An artisan bakery that delivers hand-decorated doughnuts to doorsteps across the UK has opened its first ever store – and launched a range of shakes to celebrate.

Project D, which produces elaborately decorated doughnuts from its home in Derby, has opened its first permanent store at Loughborough University Students’ Union, in Ashby Road.

The shop, which is also open to the public, serves its full range of Instagram-ready doughnuts and is the first place in the country to stock Project D shakes.

As well as a range of traditional shakes made with ice cream, milk and chocolate bars, the company has also created a vegan range made

with oak milk and vegan ice cream.

And, in line with the university’s sporting links, Project D has also made a range of protein doughnuts and shakes to help athletes build muscle.

Operations director Max Poynton said: “We are so excited to have our very first permanent site and I’m very pleased to say we have been selling out almost every day.

“It’s the first time we have sold our shakes to the public and the feedback we are receiving is amazing – the vegan range in particularly is very popular.

“We hope this will be the first of many stores across the UK and would like to thank everyone at Loughborough University for its support.”

Bus funding is just the ticket Bus operator trentbarton has welcomed confirmation the Government will continue supporting the bus industry’s recovery from the pandemic.

The Heanor-based company, which serves Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, had lobbied the region’s MPs and the Department for Transport to extend grants beyond 5 April, warning it would otherwise face a high risk of cancelling a third of all routes. The Government has since announced £150m of funding over six months for bus and light rail to provide services while customer numbers recover towards pre-Covid levels.

Jeff Counsell (pictured), managing director of trentbarton, said: “This is good news for customers. It means

we will avoid the cliff-edge reduction in services and be able to give services further time to recover as we work towards a new, sustainable, network that’s fit for purpose.”

Project D launched by selling doughnuts at pop-up events and kiosks in shopping centres until the pandemic hit, when they began an online delivery service. The company has yet to return to the high street, but it is hoped the Loughborough store will pave the way for shops in Manchester and Nottingham.

Max added: “Our doughnuts are made overnight and are freshly delivered to Loughborough every day to ensure the very best quality. And we have started a range of Loughborough specials – a different doughnut each day, made especially for the Loughborough community.”

• How Project D’s growth journey began with lockdown and eggs – p62

DMU work experience scheme to continue ER Recruitment has partnered with De Montfort University (DMU) to deliver its BrightER Futures programme for a second year.

BrightER Futures aims to propel DMU students into graduate careers in Leicester by providing them with work experience – while also helping to retain young talent in the city.

The 20 students will be introduced into Leicester’s vibrant business community and supported in gaining professional skills, including interviewing techniques, personal branding and commercial awareness – each of which will help them when looking for roles after graduating.

The idea stemmed from ER Recruitment managing director Eileen Perry MBE DL in 2020 as an opportunity for her team to use its recruitment expertise to provide additional support to emerging talent entering the world of work.

She said “We are really excited to be running the programme for another year. The energy and ability of the students involved is the type of talent we want to retain within our city.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Stay interviews: A valuable retention tool?

By Donna Clark (pictured), senior HR consultant at RSM UK Exit interviews are a regular part of HR processes when an employee leaves. They provide useful information on understanding the reasons for leaving but by then, it is too late to encourage someone to stay.

Organisations lose corporate history, skills and experience of the leaver while bearing the financial cost and time spent rehiring and onboarding a new employee.

Employees are leaving at a higher rate than ever this year and organisations need new ways to retain their employees.

RSM’s The Real Economy Report: The Modern Workforce, in collaboration with The Harris Poll, reveals the pandemic has affected attitudes to working. With 43% of businesses experiencing problems with retention, the report outlines changing employee expectations and how businesses are adapting to stay competitive.

“The Great Resignation” has seen employees resigning to pursue a change in career or lifestyle. So how can organisations retain their top talent, and what makes a good employee want to leave?

One way is to engage with employees directly asking what makes them stay, what they value and what needs to be reviewed.

WELCOME TO THE STAY INTERVIEW

Stay interviews provide clear feedback to better understand what is or is not working from an employee’s perspective. Making adjustments may reduce turnover and recruitment activity – a continuing challenge for many sectors.

These are informal conversations uncovering potential improvements. Unlike exit interviews, where it’s too late to resolve issues, stay interviews provide opportunities to improve.

Feedback is more qualitative than previous engagement surveys, offering a personal followup to areas employees feel strongly about.

When considering stay interviews:

managers are best placed to develop more open communication and making changes and amendments. HR can support more difficult conversations.

• Make it an opportunity to say thank you: Communicate appreciation for their contribution.

• Utilise new starters: They are more susceptible to leaving within the probationary period as they’re not yet fully invested, but their initial experience will be invaluable. Let them settle in but gather feedback while still relatively new.

• Then what?: Agree follow up actions – it’s unproductive to give feedback, only for it to be ignored. Communicate changes that are made – employees will know their views were heard and are addressed.

• Communicate the “reason why”: Understanding why stay interviews are conducted will ensure employees are more open to sharing feedback – you’ll get open and honest opinions ensuring insightful feedback.

• Understand company culture before starting: Is there an established culture of trust?

Feedback may not be forthcoming if not.

Working on organisational culture first may be time well spent. Alternatively, ask for anonymous feedback until confidence grows.

• Understand these aren’t performance reviews: The intention is to gather informative feedback on employee experience, not performance.

• Decide who conducts a stay interview: Line

RSM can give further guidance on handling effective stay interviews with a focus on questions you might want to consider and what to do with the information gathered.

Photos courtesy of Channel 4

Pickerings meets standards for ISO Pickerings, the national provider of modular buildings and portable accommodation, has simultaneously achieved three International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) accreditations.

Over the past 18 months, the company – which has 12 depots, including one in Derby – has worked to improve the processes and standards required to achieve ISO 9001: 2015 quality management systems, ISO 45001: 2018 occupational health and safety management, and ISO 14001: 2015 environmental management.

Now, following a series of audits carried out by auditors from the UK accreditation body UKAS, Pickerings has achieved its goal and met the standards set out by the ISO.

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Lewis Naughton’s railway carriage project appeared on TV show Amazing Spaces, presented by George Clarke (far right)

TV star Lewis builds reputation with unique lockdown project A Loughborough University architectural engineering student appeared on a Channel 4 programme to showcase a railway carriage renovation project.

Lewis Naughton presented his lockdown project, which involved transforming the abandoned 1920s carriage into a luxury gym and sauna, on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.

He appears in episode four of the 10th series, in which architect George travels around Britain discovering unique builds completed on a budget.

Lewis, who spent a week filming, said the knowledge gained from his lecturers Professor Mohamed Osmani and Dr Kirti Ruikar had been invaluable in designing and completing the project.

“Cutting up and designing the gym equipment to fit the small space was a real challenge along with creating the curved roof for the sauna,” he said. “However, the CAD design skills I have acquired through my degree enabled me to design the carriage in Autodesk, minimising waste and ensuring everything fit perfectly.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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Retail sector continues to struggle Twice the number of chain stores closed in the East Midlands than those that opened last year, according to PwC research compiled by the Local Data Company (LDC).

In 2021, there were 528 openings and 1,146 closures in the region, a net decline of 618.

This compared to 641 openings and 1,676 closures in the West Midlands – a net change of 1,035 fewer stores.

Nationally, there was a net decline of 10,059 chain stores – 7,160 openings versus 17,219 closures.

Although the net change has worsened since 2020, the number of closures per day has remained stable, with 47 in 2021 compared to 48 in 2020.

PwC said a decline was expected with the ongoing impact of the pandemic and as large retailers on the brink of closure at the end of 2020 exited the market for good. Meanwhile, Government support for chain retailers was mostly phased out in July 2021, adding pressure to those retailers reliant on grants.

‘The closures we’ve seen are an acceleration of what was happening before the pandemic’ Sarah Phillips (pictured), Midlands retail and consumer markets leader at PwC, said: “The last two years have been tumultuous for retailers but the closures we’ve seen are an acceleration of what was happening before the pandemic. Changes in consumer behaviour, changing patterns of working and the shift to online is impacting on both retail and service chain operators.

“Location matters most to consumers and while city centres and shopping centres falter, retail parks and standalone operators have broad appeal.

“Multiple operators are taking note of this changing consumer behaviour and are relocating

stores to where their customers need them to be.

“Many of the CVAs and administrations that took place in early 2021 have now been captured, including department stores, fashion retailers and hospitality operators that have left gaps in city and shopping centre locations.

“There is a pressing need to radically reshape and even repurpose towns and city centres plagued by these empty units and shopfronts. To regain lost footfall, high streets must understand why retail parks are so attractive to consumers or look for ways to better serve local needs, encouraging independent retailers and entrepreneurs to take this opportunity to grow into the gaps that are emerging.”

The overall number of openings has declined 26% since 2019, the last year pre-pandemic, but the number of closures is now expected to slow down in 2022.

New shop can buck the trend The recent addition of the interactive Good Ideas Shop in Nottingham city centre offers a boost to the UK high street, according to the boss of East Midlands marketing agency Purpose Media.

Technology giant Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – opened four Good Idea Shops across the UK back in September, including one in Nottingham.

The pop-up store was opened to showcase local businesses through interactive window displays, powered by QR codes for customers to scan and engage with on their mobile phones.

The Good Ideas Shop also highlighted the importance of using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to reach new audiences and attract new customers.

While these stores remained open to support businesses over the Christmas period and closed in early January, their presence no doubt resulted in increased followers and website traffic – as well as offering an opportunity for data collection and profiling that can be used for other purposes such as email marketing for the businesses that were featured.

Matt Wheatcroft, managing director at Purpose Media – which is working alongside the Chamber to

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Matt Wheatcroft

deliver the Chesterfield Digital High Street project to help small bricks and mortar businesses embrace the online world – said: “Even though it’s vital that businesses have an online presence to grow their customer base and sales, shoppers still want to see and engage with the goods they are purchasing.

“Facebook has championed local businesses by standing alongside them on the high street, and this should be a boost to businesses both in the East Midlands and across the UK.”

Law firm garners industry accolades Team spirit, resilience and an “enviable reputation” were among the phrases used to describe law firm Nelsons in its most recent Lexcel audit.

For the 16th year running, it has secured accreditation from The Law Society, with the report for 2021 highlighting how the firm “understands that its people are the lifeblood of the business”.

Nelsons, which has more than 200 employees across its offices in Nottingham, Leicester and Derby, was praised for how its colleagues “pulled together” during the continued turbulence of the pandemic and proved their “ability to adapt in times of crisis”.

Upholding its reputation built over nearly four decades, the report noted how Nelsons had sought to “blend good oldfashioned values and service with modern technology” while always pushing for ways to enable its team to “be the best it can possibly be”.

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Art businesses scoop awards from Dragons’ Den star Theo

Small Business Sunday Awards winners Diane Daley (left) and Sarah Perkins with Theo Paphitis

Growth is key for security company Security specialist Foremost Security has increased its keyholding and alarm response clients by about 43% in 2021 – while moving into a new, larger Nottingham premises.

Its customer numbers and contract commitments has increased – including vacant property inspections going up from 19 to 84 per month – and has led it to becoming one of the largest security firms in the region.

The firm is made up of 120 in-house security specialists, who provide security guarding and industrial security services across the East Midlands.

Sales and marketing director Matt Price said: “There’s no denying that 2021 was a tough year for most businesses, especially being the second year of disruption caused by the pandemic. We entered the period in a strong position with years of impressive growth behind us, but that didn’t make us complacent.

“We focused on the quality of our services as we knew that they were even more essential to our clients during the pandemic.

“Our guarding, vacant property inspections, keyholding alarm response and lock and unlock services were keeping businesses safe throughout the lockdowns and customers really appreciated our reassuring support.”

Sarah Perkins Art and China Petals have been recognised by Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis at the annual Small Business Sunday Awards.

The businesses, which are based at the University of Derby’s Banks Mill Studios, were among a small number of winners picked from thousands of entries submitted for the programme, with representatives attending the ceremony at The ICC in Birmingham in February.

Small Business Sunday was founded by Theo in 2010 and supports 3,500 small businesses across the UK. Each week, he rewards six small businesses that tweet him and describe their business, and since the launch, 450,000 entries have been submitted.

Sarah Perkins Art specialises in animal art and pet portraits. Founder Sarah Perkins was selected as a Small Business Sunday winner in March last year and has found the network invaluable.

She said: “To have my small creative business

Workshops for micro firms

Nottingham-based Challenge Consulting has launched a peer-to-peer network offering for micro-businesses with fewer than four employees.

The Small Business Booster workshops offers opportunities to share experiences, combine knowledge and to extend networks with other small business owners. Specialist guest speakers will also be brought in on the sessions to help the groups through topics they need support on.

Managing director Dawn Edwards, who will facilitate the workshops alongside Yvonne Gorman, of Essential Print, said: “I have been involved recently in running a similar programme for slightly larger businesses, and the feedback and results have been amazing.

“The Small Business Booster programme offers smaller businesses the ability to discuss situations with likeminded individuals in a confidential forum. It will be invaluable in terms of identifying and making the most of opportunities and accessing support, there really is so much to gain and nothing to lose as the programme is free.”

For more information, visit bit.ly/SmallBusinessBooster22

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acknowledged and awarded by Theo was such a pinnacle moment in my artistic journey. To finally meet him was a proper pinch myself moment. The certificate is already proudly displayed in my studio at Banks Mill.”

Diane Daley is a mosaic artist, who runs China Petals, was one of six businesses selected on in October last year.

She creates bespoke pottery commissions that include pieces for the garden and home using cut glass and fine bone Chinese pottery. Diane also developed a series of make-at-home mosaic kits during the pandemic when she was unable to run her workshops.

Diane said: “It’s amazing to have been given this opportunity by Theo and his team to be part of the Small Business Sunday family. Being in the company of so many small businesspeople was very inspiring, and of course collecting my certificate from the man himself was just the cherry on the cake.”

Gresham in Kyiv kitchen appeal Leicester-based restaurant and aparthotel The Gresham has launched a Ukraine appeal to raise £25,000 for the Kyiv Mobile Kitchen.

Donations raised by the aparthotel will go towards supplies for a field kitchen, which has been set up in the middle of Kyiv to prepare hot meals and food for hospitals, soldiers and those who have lost their homes.

It has also offered 100 rooms at a special price of £50 in support of the appeal.

To donate via the JustGiving page, visit https://bit.ly/3DapIdi

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Loughborough entrepreneurs earn top awards Loughborough University enjoyed outstanding success at the LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards with its entrepreneurs picking up nine awards – including the overall Innovator of the Year prize as well as a Special Recognition Award.

The winners – all based at the university’s Science and Enterprise Park – represent impactful research, academic spinouts, graduate start-ups and technology businesses launched on campus.

‘We can focus more on our mission to inspire as many children and young people as possible’ Nemaura Medical claimed the Innovation in MedTech and Life Sciences Award, and was named Innovator of the Year for its dailywear, non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring technology, which could revolutionise the management of Type 2 diabetes.

Winner of the judges’ Special Recognition Award was RECOVER Foster+Freeman. Developed from the university’s chemistry research – in partnership with the Government and global forensic manufacturer Foster+Freeman – the novel fingerprint development system is transforming forensic science.

Other winners included Intelligent Energy with the Innovating in Technology prize, Zayndu with the

Innovation in Manufacturing and Engineering Award, spin-out Figura Analytics with the Innovation in Food and Drink Manufacturing Award, and INCUS Performance with the Innovation in Health and Wellbeing Award.

Two other winners are current or past members of the university’s incubator, LU Inc – a community of academic and graduate entrepreneurs as well as founders from further afield.

The University Student Innovation Award was won by ACT Medical, founded by Joseph Bentley to accelerate the development of his device, which reduces catastrophic blood loss from a knife wound, while graduate social enterprise Tanzii TV was winner of the Innovation in Education Award.

Its founders, brothers Ottavio and Dario Tanzillo, said: “To be recognised among many of the county’s best innovators is a real privilege. Having other early businesses to learn from in LU Inc has meant we can focus more on our mission to inspire as many children and young people as possible to stay active – and to date we’ve engaged more than one million.”

LU Inc currently has 48 members working on a range of business solutions covering several sectors.

As well as a vibrant and supportive co-working space, they enjoy a variety of benefits including networking and training events, coaching and mentoring, and access to innovation funding.

Dr Faz Chowdhury, CEO of Nemaura Ottavio and Dario Tanzillo, of Tanzii TV

Helping start-ups on the way A recent addition to LU Inc’s support is the six-month Wayfinder programme, which provides free office space, training, resources and funding for follow-on workspace to new businesses across Leicestershire.

The programme is currently recruiting for its autumn intake. Pete Hitchings, the LU Inc manager, said: “We launched Wayfinder to support new resilient start-ups post-pandemic. It’s already attracted a really interesting breadth of quality applications.

“Founding a business can be challenging, but being around people on the same journey can really help. It’s great to see how well the founders gel as a community – sharing their experiences provides invaluable peer support as well shortcuts to success.”

Visit www.lusep.co.uk/lu-inc

Team aims to highlight Nottingham’s hidden history

Nottingham’s City of Caves

Archaeologists and historians from the University of Nottingham have launched a new project to bring the city’s hidden history to life as part of the regeneration of the Broad Marsh area – currently one of the largest city centre redevelopment projects in Europe.

The Arts and Humanities Research Councilfunded City of Caves project brings together archaeologists and experts in urban history and landscape. They will work with the consortium of partners currently leading the multi-millionpound redevelopment of the 20-acre Broad Marsh area, including the old 1970s shopping centre.

It follows the unveiling of the new 10-year vision for the area, designed by Heatherwick Studio, to create a bio-diverse “green heart” of the city, incorporating some of the structural frame of the old Broadmarsh Centre. The vision

includes landscaped public areas, new homes, workspaces, a hotel and tourist trail from Nottingham Castle to a new entrance at the city’s caves network.

The City of Caves project mission is to make Nottingham’s famous underground caves a signature feature of the new development and to highlight Broad Marsh as a leading example of heritage-led place-making, vital to the growth of tourism and the visitor economy.

Dr Chris King, from the university’s department of classics and archaeology, said: “We’re very excited to start this project and hope our input in the regeneration will put Nottingham firmly on the map as a centre of historical interest like York or Chester. The caves will be a major focus of our work as we will be advising the developers on new ways to present the Broad Marsh’s history to residents and visitors.”

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Employers have a duty to care for staff mental health The health and safety of employees at work has long been a focus for employers. Increasingly though, the rhetoric around protecting employees in the workplace has broadened to include mental health, especially given the widely-publicised mental health crisis that has been fuelled by the pandemic. Katie Ash (pictured), head of employment law at Banner Jones Solicitors, explains the legal duty of employers on this topic.

Historically, mental health has been a taboo topic, especially in the workplace. But over the past year or so, the tide has turned, partly due to the pandemic and the awareness of the damaging effect that lockdown had.

However, the way that workplaces deal with those issues from a legal standpoint still has some way to go.

Firstly, it’s important to stress that mental illness is a protected characteristic in the same way as a physical disability.

Where the mental illness impacts the individual to the extent that it becomes a disability under the Equality Act 2010, a business must do all that is practicably possible to adapt the individual’s working environment, roles and responsibilities to better meet their needs.

Failing to do so will result in a breach of the Equality Act 2010 and could land you in hot water.

While that seems like a very fair and practical approach in cases

where an employee has flagged an issue or an employer knows enough about the individual’s condition to believe that they would fall within the remit of the Equality Act 2010, we are seeing more cases where employers simply “suspect” something isn’t right and are less confident about what to do.

IT BEGINS WITH A WORKPLACE CULTURE Primarily, employers must ensure a workplace is conducive to good mental health, so being mindful of out of hour’s expectations, workload and the general culture among staff is important. This can help prevent issues arising.

Anyone who is displaying unusual behaviour – such as regularly arriving late, getting upset or struggling to keep up with the job demands – may appreciate a friendly ear. Training for management can help in those situations.

However, beyond that it is important to monitor behaviour that may pose a risk to the individual themselves, or others. At that point, employers have a legal duty to step in.

Furthermore, now that the mandate to work from home “if you can” has been lifted, we are also receiving enquiries about how staff who do not want to go back into the office – either because it causes them anxiety or because they are clinically vulnerable – should be managed, and what obligations employers have.

Again, we would advise that employers consider what adjustments could be made to appease these sorts of concerns, especially where the individual does, or may have, a disability.

If that doesn’t work, consider whether the individual can perform their role as effectively from home in the longer term and, if this still doesn’t resolve matters, I would advise getting professional advice on the best course of action to protect

‘Employers must ensure a workplace is conducive to good mental health’ both the business and the welfare of the individual. It’s important to remember that you do have a duty of care to help, especially in instances where their challenges are caused by work-related stress.

That way, it is far more likely that they will be able to return to their duties sooner, which is in the best interests of all.

Region showcases potential to investors at MIPIM Public and private sector officials from Derby, Leicester and Nottingham descended on Cannes to showcase key developments to international investors at MIPIM, the world’s largest property expo, last month.

Team Derby presented more than £2bn of investment opportunities across Derbyshire as part of the UK Pavilion at the event, which was held for the first time since 2019 due to the pandemic.

This included an updated Derby Investment Prospectus, which featured 16 key investment opportunities across the city worth £1.2bn.

A key project being promoted was the University of Derby’s City Hub masterplan, which focuses on the development of the area around One Friar Square, Ford Street, Bridge Street, Agard Street and Nuns Street.

The Team Nottingham delegation also showcased £2bn of opportunities, with key developments including the 40-acre Island Quarter site, on which the first phase of construction work is currently underway, and an innovation campus around the HS2 station at East Midlands Parkway that could create 10,000 jobs.

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Team Leicester

Team Leicester championed developments such as Space Park; Charnwood Campus, the rapidly-growing science, technology and enterprise park; and the regeneration of Leicester Railway Station Pilot House, a former factory that is being turned into an office space.

Jon Bennett, head of strategic property

services at Leicestershire County Council, said: “Leicestershire has some very exciting prospects, including plans for the East Midlands Freeport. The only inland freeport, it is set to deliver more than 61,000 jobs for the region and an extra £8.9bn for the local economy over the next 30 years.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

Recruitment firm puts focus on maintenance engineers

Skills shortage is a pandemic too The head of Derby-based Sky Recruitment Solutions says the Government must urgently redress a skills shortage “pandemic” made worse by the furlough system.

David Torrington (pictured) believes the current difficulties in recruiting suitable candidates across many industries will get worse unless drastic action is taken now.

Although he recognises that Brexit may have partially caused the record 1.32 million job vacancies in the UK for February, David has concerns the furlough system may have inadvertently helped create skills shortages as well as caused some workers, particularly the younger generation, to become disenchanted with the workplace.

Many younger people have delayed their career ambitions at the same time as many over-50s have opted to leave the job market altogether after emerging from furlough.

The result is what David describes as a “skills pandemic” – a huge skills gap the UK may struggle to address unless other avenues are explored to help employers fill roles.

David said: “Flexible working and working from home used to be a privilege, but now it is expected and often demanded. If employers refuse to bow to these new demands, people are quite simply choosing not to work at all – or are remaining in roles that they may not be entirely happy with, but which offer more flexibility.

“This is the worst crisis in recruitment I have ever seen, and the Government urgently needs to take some meaningful action.”

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Encore Personnel is looking to build on its recent fast growth with a new division that specialises in attracting and retaining maintenance engineers.

The recruitment agency, headquartered in Leicester and with 10 branches across the Midlands, has supported its engineering and manufacturing customers in recent years via a continued uptick in demand for candidates, as well as leading its logistics customers through some of the biggest peaks on record with round-the-clock recruitment expertise.

As a result, there is an emerging demand for maintenance engineers, not only to keep sites such as warehouses and other large logistics facilities running smoothly but also to fill the roles arising due to a growth in products being made in the UK, from start-ups to big name brands.

Experienced specialist recruiter Mikey Phillips, who joined Encore in the midst of the pandemic in 2020, heads up the new division.

He said: “It was clear as the previous year unfolded that there was an emerging revenue stream

‘We’ve got a solid plan in place which begins with crossselling our new service’ for our business – a core focus on maintenance engineering roles. The directors reviewed the evidence in detail and, based on the trends we’ve seen developing over the past few years, decided we should create a division solely focused on this specialism.

“I’m very excited to see how quickly the new division flourishes.

We’ve got a solid plan in place which begins with cross-selling our new service to our long-standing and loyal customers who have a requirement for maintenance engineers ongoing – particularly those operating in the engineering, fast-moving consumer goods, food, logistics and general manufacturing sectors.”

The big-picture aim for the division is to create a team of three or four specialists by the end of 2022, adding a new team member

Mikey Phillips

roughly every quarter as demand increases.

Operations director Louise Bragg added: “There is certainly a growing need for skilled, reliable, and most importantly experienced maintenance engineers. We’re confident we can fill this gap in the market with a tailored and bespoke recruitment solution for both longstanding and new clients.”

...and celebrates a year like no other The achievements of Encore Personnel’s 200-plus staff were celebrated at its 20th annual gala awards.

The past year has been one of the company’s most productive and challenging on record, with the company expanding its professional division as well launching the maintenance engineering division.

The annual awards, held at Birmingham Town Hall, offered the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the hard work and dedication of all Encore’s teams.

Encore’s directors handed out trophies in 14 categories including Outstanding Client Service,

Outstanding Team Contribution and The Above and Beyond Award to teams and their members.

Managing director Pete Taylor said: “Our annual awards gala has long been a milestone date in the diary, as we give hearty business-wide recognition to the success of our staff in front of their colleagues.

“As Encore continues to grow and flourish year on year, it is becoming more and more important for us to reward, nurture and invest in our staff as they make Encore the award-winning agency we are. It is such a delight to see our shining stars rewarded for their hard work.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Let me help turn YOUR business around...

How many times have you thought about a business coach and then stopped yourself engaging with one, thinking it is not for you?

Working with a coach can be a daunting and an exciting thought, delving deeper with questions to make you think about your current situation and what success would be like.

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Has your business lost focus and direction? Are you currently lacking motivation, energy and drive and having difficulty to see what is beyond the obvious? I challenge you to get curious about what is around the corner and what may be holding you back.

25 year history in commercial sales and business

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Building partnerships and empowering businesses, pre, during and post-pandemic.

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T: 07415 028467 E: hannah@limbergerassociates.com W: www.limbergerassociates.com April 2022 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

emc-dnl.co.uk/EMComingTogether

Daring duo takes on marathon challenge

DNS hosts charity at Panthers Document Network Services (DNS) invited service users and staff at its chosen charity me&dee to watch Nottingham Panthers in action.

The Chamber patron, a “business problem solver” that offers managed services for print, IT and documentation, wanted to share its ice hockey enjoyment from a VIP box with the organisation, which offers families going through difficult times the chance to make special memories.

DNS sales manager Hugh Sutherland said: “We’re always full-on at work so nights like this really make you reflect on what’s important, what others are going through and what else happens outside the four walls of work.”

Hugh was joined on the ice by a me&dee ambassador called Taylor to present the man of the match award, with the youngster receiving a fist bump from players and the team puck.

Maria Hanson MBE, founder of me&dee, said: “This was such a fun, warm but emotional afternoon for me seeing all of these families together, laughing and making memories when they live such challenging lives.”

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Running five marathons in five days is a mean feat for most, let alone with the addition of five flights to travel between five cities, across four continents – but that’s exactly what a Leicestershire charity boss and football commentator plan to do this month.

Nick Hodges, founder of The Bodie Hodges Foundation, and BBC Radio Leicester’s Ian Stringer will endure the extraordinary challenge to raise money for both Nick’s charity and The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation.

The duo, who confess to being ordinary runners, have spent the past 20 months in training for the Global Marathon Challenge, including at least six times per week over recent months.

They will have just 120 hours to complete the challenge, which begins at the Khun Vhai statue in Bangkok on Monday 18 April at 2.30pm BST and finishes at the late Foxes owner’s memorial in Leicester on Saturday 23 April. The other three legs are in Honolulu, Hawaii; Anchorage, Alaska; and New York.

Ian Stringer and Nick Hodges

Nick and Ian, who will travel with physio Dave Orton and coach Lewis Moses, will sleep for three of the nights on economy class flights, with their one opportunity to sleep in a hotel bed coming ahead of the final leg, by which point they will have ran 104.8 miles. To offset the carbon footprint of the flights, they will plant 24 trees.

To follow the challenge, follow The Bodie Hodges Foundation on Facebook and to make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/ campaign/globalmarathonchallenge

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emc-dnl.co.uk/EMComingTogether

Confectionery joins forces with Base 51

Solicitors firm backs girls’ football team Banner Jones Solicitors has become the new kit sponsor for Chesterfield-based Hasland Junior School girls’ football team.

The team was formed at the start of the school year in September 2021 and finished seventh in Derbyshire at the county finals.

Ann-Marie Lowe, marketing manager at Banner Jones, said: “As a firm, we are big supporters of sport for young people as it’s so important for their health and wellbeing, so we were delighted to have been given the opportunity to sponsor the new kits.”

Food gifting company TTK Confectionery is collaborating with Nottingham charity Base 51 to rally support and donations from the general public and businesses after it lost key funding.

The Sneinton-based firm held an awareness-raising campaign called “Base 51 Week” at its Treat Kitchen shop in the Victoria Centre and on social media from 21 to 27 March.

It has been a long-time supporter of the charity, which delivers early intervention programmes for Nottingham’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people, but recently lost key funding from Nottingham City Council as the local authority was forced to cut £28m from its budget. In January, TTK donated £3,000 via proceeds from Treat Kitchen “mystery bags”.

Martin Barnett, TTK’s CEO and Base 51 vice-chair, said: “It’s so important to us that the incredible services Base 51 has been providing to young people for almost 30 years now are recognised.”

To support Base 51’s “Save Our Services” campaign, donations can be made at bit.ly/Base51appeal

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MEMBER NEWS

Village growing to reach its Peak Peak Village, a retail and lifestyle destination in Rowsley, near Matlock, has announced a string of new openings as it continues to grow following ongoing investment by the Devonshire Group, which bought the site last year.

Recruitment for a mix of full and part-time roles is underway as four new stores open in the next few months, creating more than 25 new jobs.

Peak Village centre manager Katayune Jacquin said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming all our new tenants as we continue on our path to become a friendly home of local independents.

“We are creating a lovely blend of national brands and local names to deliver something really attractive to our customers.”

Its ambition to be the home of choice for local independents has taken another step forward with the arrival of family-owned Lamb’s Cakes and Bakes, in the Courtyard.

Relocating from its original location in Chesterfield, the new premises offers an extensive range of baked goods made on the Peak Village site by owners Richard and Sarah Lamb.

Shopping at Peak Village

‘We are creating a lovely blend of national brands and local names to deliver something really attractive’ Wild Olive is another independent family run business joining Peak Village, bringing its

new brand of sustainable lifestyle products for body and home.

Opening in early April, it is the

second store for the retailer along with its existing shop in Buxton.

Peak Village will also welcome its first permanent garden retailer, Garden World, which will open a 5,500 sq ft store with a similar outdoor space to offer beautiful products for both garden and home.

Chatsworth Kitchen is also set to offer a mix of food and homewares in June. This will expand the Peak Village food offering, providing more choice, increasing footfall and improving the mix of retail and leisure.

Katayune added: “The launch of Chatsworth Kitchen demonstrates additional investment and commitment to Peak Village from Chatsworth and The Devonshire Group.

“It’s all having a positive knockon effect with other stores now drawing up plans to upgrade their offer in tune with new investment in the quality and appearance of the site.”

The latest developments follow store openings late last year of Dr Derbyshire’s Emporium, Denby Pottery and Dotique, the designer fashion brand for women.

PR specialist returns to her old stomping ground

Print firm impresses at industry awards show Nottingham-based Eight Days a Week Print Solutions has scooped two industry awards at a ceremony hosted by Printweek magazine.

The digital print and direct mail specialist took home the Customer Service Team and SME of the Year prizes at the Printweek Awards, being recognised for the advice and solutions it offers to customers.

The company demonstrated the benefits of its service offering in audience engagement, cost savings and increases in revenue for clients, while undergoing a management buyout and business investment throughout last year.

Managing director Lance Hill and operations director Karen Herbert said: “It’s incredibly satisfying to be recognised, with a genuine reward for the entire Eight Days team who make it happen. Winning one award would have been great, but to land two was a dream, especially given the categories. Our business was built on the foundation of outstanding customer service and these rewards reflect that.”

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A public relations professional who started her career covering Chesterfield FC matches as a football reporter is making a return to the town to lead her company’s latest expansion.

Kerry Ganly, account and social media manager at Penguin PR in Derby, is using the Chamber’s virtual office service at its Dunston Road headquarters to help the company establish new business opportunities in the Chesterfield area.

Her last professional appointment in the town was covering Spireites matches on behalf of the Derby Telegraph, following her appointment as the newspaper’s first-ever female sports reporter in 2001.

She worked at the newspaper for a further 17 years before joining Penguin PR as a PR and social media manager in 2019, managing the accounts of businesses including Colleague Box, Cosy Direct, Progressive Sports, E4E, Vibrant Accountancy and St Giles School.

She said: “I have so many brilliant memories of covering Chesterfield FC at their former home Saltergate, when I joined the

Kerry Ganly

Derby Telegraph some 20-odd years ago.

“I believe Chesterfield has so much potential – there is a real buzz around the town and surrounding area.

“It’s an exciting time for the town, and for Penguin PR. Our growth over the last couple of years in particular has firmly established us as one of the most respected PR companies in Derby and I believe that as well as attracting new business, the expansion will also benefit existing clients, creating opportunities and new relationships.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

MEMBER FOCUS: SUMMIT CREATIVE Who are your main customers and what is your USP to them?

We are proud to have a diverse client base that engage with us for different reasons. Our manufacturing clients appreciate the creativity we add to help bring their brand to life, our retail clients benefit from our expertise in providing effective point-of-sale print, and our multi-site clients love our online portal to help them manage the logistics of keeping their marketing consistent across a number of locations.

What is your role in the business and what does your day-to-day role involve?

I’m in charge of all sales and marketing for the company, with a brilliantly varied role. I am handson with clients overseeing projects and supporting my team to deliver, as well as networking and getting out to see prospective clients. Having oversight of the sales and the marketing functions is hugely beneficial as I can ensure all our activities are aligned and complementary.

How have you fared during the Covid-19 pandemic?

As a B2B services provider, we were directly affected by the situation our customers found themselves in. We were lucky we had a few big accounts with “essential retailers”, so they never dipped in performance, but we had to ride it out with a few of our customers in industries that saw most of their teams furloughed for several months.

We had a couple of pivots to help stem some

Company: Summit Creative is a brand agency specialising in print management, design, web development and promotional product sourcing Location: Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire Number of employees: 12 Spokesperson: Tina Brown, director

of our losses, which resulted in us setting up our first B2C brand, Trusted PPE. The biggest legacy of the pandemic is that Summit Creative was born. With its beginnings in CCM Group, we have now separated out the print, design and web service offerings to create a new and exciting brand that is really resonating with new and existing customers.

What are the company’s plans for the future?

Consolidation. With all the rapid and exciting change over the past two years, what we are focused on for the company and the team is consolidating where we are, what we offer and how we operate. We have an amazing team and a strong foundation to build on with more clarity than ever on how we add the most value to our clients. Like every company, we want to grow but we want that growth to be steady and sustainable.

NEW MEMBERS The Chamber welcomed 45 new members in February: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • •

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ADCB Ltd AEGIS PEOPLE LTD AMP Electrics Ltd Bean Café Benchmark Boutique Housekeeping Cariad Babi China Petals Cosmos Prints CRZyBest Custom Vet Products Ltd Derby Pyclets ella Forums Fluency Marketing Ltd Silver Brewhouse Limited Guardian Angel Carers B&D Corporations Ltd t/a Hamiltons Schoolwear & Embroidery Hasland Hops HG Comms Ltd Global Accessibility Associates The Lancaster Academy The Market Pub Canna Magic Maven UK&I Ltd The Mecca My Personal Space Ltd Nathan Arnold Coaching Powerhubb ltd Praxis Construction Contractors Ltd

business network April 2022

New centre is looking up Roamdome

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Pythian Club CIC R2B ltd Roamdome Ltd Rochelle’s Hair and Beauty Salisbury House Wealth Sarah Rose Virtual Assistant Services Scope Construction Ltd Serenity Holistic Therapies Beauty & Boutique Ltd Sigma Sonna Kitchens Ltd Foulds Guitars SQE Assurance Ltd StraightCurves Creative Ltd Ten Green Bottles Coffee Shop The Turnaround CEO Woodheads Café

Plans to convert the Victorian reservoir next to Sherwood Observatory into a science discovery centre have taken a step forward.

Volunteers at the astronomical observatory, which is located on the outskirts of Sutton-in-Ashfield and has been delivering community outreach work since the mid-1980s, want to create an exhibition space, meeting rooms, café and a planetarium within the £5.25m project, which has the potential to attract 20,000 visitors a year.

They commissioned a delivery team consisting of Woodhead Construction, PRB Architects, HSP Consulting, and planetarium specialists RSA Cosmos and ST Engineering to work on detailed designs in November last year and a planning application is due to be submitted by the end of this month.

The new facilities will be used to create a compelling visitor attraction, expand outreach work and provide a multi-functional community resource. It aims to inspire STEM learning in young and old alike to create a pipeline of new talent for the local labour market.

At the heart of the planetarium will be an immersive high-definition experience using real data from space agencies across the world.

Core funding has been secured via the Government’s Towns Fund programme and the group will soon launch a matched funding campaign to attract business investors.

If you would like to get involved, contact Steve Wallace on projectmanager@sherwoodobservatory.org.uk or Paul on paul.humphreys@emc-dnl.co.uk

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

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APPOINTMENTS

Technical team recruits remote staff Nottingham-based Your IT Department has strengthened its technical team with the appointments of four new staff.

Emma Graham has joined the business as service desk coordinator, a new role that reflects the growing number of service desk technicians working for the business.

She works closely alongside service desk manager Charley Clarke in supporting the day-to-day operations, while also ensuring the 122 companies whose services are managed by Your IT are satisfied with its offering.

Three service desk engineers – Fabian Booth, Gavin Smith and Matthew Holmes – have also joined the business in full-remote roles.

Managing director Lee Hewson said: “The pandemic taught us we could have fully remote workers without a negative effect on service, indeed one of our staff moved to Wales and continues to work for us.

“We had 10 applicants for the office-based positions but more than 130 for the remote ones. Our ability to offer this flexibility has meant we’ve been able to recruit

talent from as far away as Northampton and Blackpool. The individuals we have brought in are experienced and well qualified, something we simply struggled to get locally.”

Service desk manager Charley added: “Emma’s appointment has helped us prepare for the new challenges of having several fully remote workers alongside the hybrid team working in

Nottingham. It’s fantastic to have been able to bring onboard people with the skills and experience of Fabian, Gavin, and Matthew. They have been able to hit the ground running.”

Emma Graham

Dawn strengthens T Level network

L-R: Lisa Franklin, Victoria Townsend, Kevin McGrath, Gemma Brown, Jack Robinson and Sarah Southall

L-R: Russell Burton, Charlie Davies, Murray Burton and Adam Morris

Environmental firm welcomes new staff Hillside Environmental has recruited Charlie Davies as project manager and Adam Morris as assistant project engineer.

Charlie was previously a professional rugby player for the Wasps, Newport Gwent Dragons, and Northampton Saints.

Following a career change and qualifying as a PRINCE2 project management practitioner, he has joined the Newark-based environmental consultancy, which supports UK organisations to reduce their carbon footprint.

Adam joins after completing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and will be supported by the company to work towards becoming a chartered mechanical engineer.

Hillside founder Russell Burton said: “Thanks to the Government’s push to become net zero by 2050, green skills will soon become the backbone of our economy. We are delighted to welcome Charlie and Adam to the team, who are at the start of their environmental careers, and whom we will support with professional development and further qualifications.”

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Promotions at Smith Partnership Smith Partnership Solicitors has promoted five of its team members.

Lisa Franklin, Victoria Townsend, Gemma Brown, Jack Robinson and Sarah Southall have all been made associates.

Managing partner Kevin McGrath said: “We aim to support and nurture our staff and recognise and reward talent.

“These promotions allow us the opportunity to strengthen our offering to clients across a number of different areas of work including litigation, company commercial, conveyancing and wills and inheritance.”

The rollout of new technical qualifications has been given a boost by the appointment of a vice chair from North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) to the national T Level Ambassador Network.

Dawn Helsby (pictured), who is student employability manager for NWSLC, has been officially appointed to help lead the network as more colleges start their delivery.

Dawn said: “I am delighted to take on this new role. T Levels represent the biggest shake-up of technical education in a generation.

“They are already providing young people with the chance to get a great job, pursue further study or complete a high-quality apprenticeship. It is very exciting to see all the new relationships that colleges are developing.”

Dawn Helsby

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APPOINTMENTS

Nottingham College welcomes new principal Janet Smith will soon join Nottingham College as its new permanent CEO and principal.

She brings 35 years of experience in education and joins from Inspire Education Group, where she is currently CEO and principal of the merged New College Stamford and Peterborough Regional College.

Her experience incorporates teaching across both further and higher education sectors, and as a manager overseeing many aspects of curriculum, including apprenticeships, academic and vocational learning, plus degree and master’s programmes.

Janet oversaw the merger of New College Stamford and Peterborough Regional College in 2020, to form the now Inspire

Janet Smith

Education Group. In the Group’s latest Ofsted monitoring visit report from around six months ago, the Group was seen to be making significant progress in all areas listed.

Janet said: “I am a passionate advocate for further education, having been a student of further education myself.

“The opportunities we create for learners, from all backgrounds and walks of life, are what make this sector such a proud and important one for our economy. I am very much looking forward to joining Nottingham College, and working within a city with such high aspirations for its residents and its young people.”

Nottingham College chair Carole Thorogood added: “Janet’s fantastic track record in the sector, coupled with her knowledge of our college and our city, makes her an exceptional appointment and I am very much looking forward to working with her.”

AMPS appoints interim head The Association of MemberDirected Pension Schemes (AMPS) has appointed Martin Tilley as interim chair until its next AGM this October.

Martin is a director and head of technical at Leicester-based Westbridge Group, with more than 30 years’ experience in selfinvested personal pensions (SIPP) and small self-administered schemes (SSAS) practitioners.

Martin joined AMPS – the industry body representing SIPP operators and SSAS practitioners – in October 2021 and will take over from Claire Trott.

He said: “I look forward to serving the committee and membership to the best of my ability.”

Martin Tilley

Julian Smith

YMCA Derbyshire appoints chair YMCA Derbyshire has appointed a new chair. Julian Smith has been a board member at the charity since 2020 and takes over the role from previous chair Mary Gordon.

Having worked with more than 150 Derbyshire SMEs across a number of sectors for 11 years at The Alternative Board, he hopes to bring his real-world experience of owning and running businesses to a cause he truly believes in.

He said: “For me, it’s about making a difference. Now I have the time, I am able to commit fully to this role. It’s really exciting because there are a huge number of opportunities for YMCA Derbyshire to increase the nature of support and number of lives we touch in a positive way. The organisation is well lead and I believe my experience will add value to the team.”

The charity provides accommodation, training and education opportunities, and childcare provisions to enable young people and communities to thrive.

He added: “When the opportunity came up with YMCA Derbyshire, I had no hesitation. I wanted to be involved with a charity in which the board has influence rather than simply representing the need to tick the box of good governance. This is absolutely the case at YMCA Derbyshire. I really look forward to seeing how we can work together to change lives.”

Brigadier brings experience to new role Brigadier Stuart Williams OBE has joined East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) as its new chief executive.

Stuart’s previous service within the East Midlands and East Anglia, and latterly from leading the Army Cadets, ensures a solid grounding for the role.

He said: “I am very much looking forward to leading the team at East Midlands and to being back on home turf. Everything we do is about people, and championing and enabling our incredible volunteers and cadets will be at the forefront of all that we do.”

Stuart replaces Group Captain Nick Sharpe, who is retiring after 10 years in the role having provided a calm and guiding hand, particularly through the unprecedented times of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nick

was also part of the team that helped shape the new non-departmental public body that will form the future of the RFCAs. Stuart joined the Army in 1989 and was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Artillery, eventually leading to Command 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (3 RHA) in Germany.

He undertook tours in Belfast, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. In addition, Stuart was a Staff Officer in several Army formation headquarters, most recently as Deputy Commander 7 Infantry Brigade and Headquarters East, and in Cyprus. He was appointed OBE in the New Year Honours List 2019 in recognition of his engagement work with ethnic minority communities and his leadership of the Army’s Cadets in the East of England.

Brigadier Stuart Williams OBE

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

Winner Kate is leading the way by finding a way As the Chamber launches its Generation Next Awards for a second year, Dan Robinson meets with the winner of the inaugural Generation Next Future Leader prize, ExpHand Prosthetics founder Kate Walker. The Loughborough-based design engineer explains how she has used 3D printing technology to develop a potentially ground-breaking medical device – an adaptable and affordable prosthetic arm for children. s a 16-year-old, Kate Walker was already beginning to think quite seriously about how she could combine her favourite subjects at secondary school – maths, physics and art – to forge the perfect career.

“There aren’t many things you can do with all three but I was determined to find something scientific with a design side,” she recalls.

“I remember in a careers lesson, we were sat on a computer trying to work out what to study at university. Engineering seemed to be the only thing that would fit with everything I liked, but I thought it was all about cars and planes, which wasn’t really something that interested me.

“I’d also spent the day with an architect, but regulations and guidelines seemed to stifle creativity. Eventually, I decided if I could do any job in the world, it would be a rollercoaster designer, and it turned out the best course for this was product design engineering at Loughborough University.”

While her teenage dream of designing the next Oblivion or Wicker Man theme park ride is on the backburner, Kate, now 26, is spreading another type of thrill – giving mobility to children with limb loss.

Her aptitude across those three subjects at her all-girls secondary school in Wolverhampton led her to create ExpHand Prosthetics, a start-up that is already receiving recognition for its potential as a business with a strong social purpose.

Still in its embryonic stages, the company is changing the game for children’s prosthetics by making them customisable and affordable thanks to 3D printing techniques – in which a three-dimensional digital model is turned into a physical object by adding layer by layer of materials in an additive production process.

The prosthetics it makes are for children aged three to 10 with transradial limb loss – from below the elbow – with elbow cognition moving the artificial arm and hand. They can be assembled and fitted at home without needing to see a doctor or prosthetist.

Kate, who is based at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park, says: “It’s almost like the Velcro clip on roller skates that can be adjusted, which suddenly makes it more

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accessible and easier to use.

“Parents can tap in their child’s measurements online, pick a colour and order it to their home.

It suddenly means we can produce prosthetics to someone in a location that doesn’t have trained doctors to fit them.”

About 100 million people worldwide need a prosthetic limb to replace an amputated arm or leg, or an orthotic device to support a damaged limb, yet it’s estimated about 80% of these people don’t have access to these services, according to a 2019 University of Southampton report.

In the US alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 2,250 babies are born with congenital upper or lower limb deficiencies or reductions each year, representing six in every 10,000 births.

“The cost is so high – it could cost between £4,000 and £10,000 via the NHS but individuals’ budgets are far lower,” says Kate, who is aiming to offer them for £400 each.

“There’s also so few services that can offer them on a continuous basis where they’re adapted as their users grow, so for children it’s a particular challenge as their parents rarely have enough money to keep replacing them.

“By making a prosthetic where the length and straps are adjustable, the issue of it only fitting for a short period becomes much less of a problem. We’re trying to get two to three years’ use but perhaps even longer as you might only need to replace one part.

“The custom fit also means if the user gets a bit hot or cold, which can lead to the prosthetic becoming too tight or loose, they can adjust the straps accordingly. There’s so much potential and it’s very exciting what we could achieve.”

ENGINEERING GRADUATES FROM reputable universities like Loughborough are sought-after by numerous industries facing STEM skills shortages, and in an alternate universe Kate is no doubt enjoying a comfortable graduate job at a major firm like many of her peers.

Instead, she has spent the three years since completing her integrated master’s degree learning the ropes of running a business – which she admits came about as something of a happy accident during her studies.

Zoey was the first person to use one of ExpHand's 3D-printed prosthetics

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

HOW 3D PRINTING REVOLUTIONISED PROSTHETICS “Potentially larger than the internet” is how the Financial Times once described 3D printing due to its hugely versatile nature.

Additive manufacturing, as it’s also known, has already been used to make human organs, modular houses and car parts from different materials in a machine that at first glance could be mistaken for an oversized microwave.

So how does it work in creating customisable prosthetic limbs? First, Kate explains how the device works: “The hands come in three different sizes and Velcro straps secure the prosthetic to a user’s arm.

“It is adjustable at the hinge to widen the fitting on an arm, and by moving the screws to change the length.

“So as long as you change the Velcro straps, it will fit around whatever size your arm is. With all the fingers on the hand itself, you can just unscrew and replace them with smaller or larger parts, so the whole thing can be fully disassembled and rebuilt in a different size.”

Where 3D printing makes its impact is in the ability to make a product exactly as designed via a computer programme, including building in some of the joints rather than having to attach different parts after manufacture.

Kate says: “We can print whole parts as one – even when it includes a joint – with holes and support channels already built inside, and at different weights by changing the plastic density, “From a design perspective, we can create the curves of the palm, which can be difficult to do across different surfaces and planes using traditional manufacturing methods.

“Everything can ultimately be made much easier or in ways that would otherwise be impossible because printing layer by layer allows us to use so many curves and angles, while it’s also very easy to customise colours rather than have to make large batches of each colour.”

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KATE’S TOP TIPS FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS NETWORKING IS IMPORTANT I try to push myself outside my comfort zone and just chat to anyone in the room, although it’s so much easier if you can get a warm introduction. I’m terrible at remembering people’s names so I’ve learned to take business cards from everyone and write a note about what we talked about.

YOUR NEXT LINKEDIN CONNECTION COULD BE YOUR NEXT BIG OPPORTUNITY Connect with everyone you can on LinkedIn. There’s people I’ve connected with and didn’t fully realise who they were until later on. When I needed my first 3D printer, I looked through my LinkedIn contacts and found someone who made them. They put me in touch with Create Education, which lent them to schools and was willing to let me use one in return for some PR.

WORKSHOPS CAN GIVE YOU INVALUABLE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE Get involved with whatever enterprise network is available to you at universities or elsewhere as many will offer free masterclasses on the basics of running a business. You’ll learn about key aspects such as market research and it puts you in a room with like-minded people to bounce off ideas.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GENERATION NEXT MEMBERSHIP It’s really nice having a network of other young people at the same stage as you in running a business or in your career. When you’re first starting, you have no idea what to do, so being able to talk to people in a similar situation and ask questions about how they did their first set of accounts can be invaluable.

In 2016, she spent a year on placement at Cambridge-based technology innovation consultancy Sagentia Innovation, where she worked on developing products ranging from eyeliners and hairbrushes to robotic kitchen aids and medical devices for major brand clients.

Having found medical devices projects the most rewarding – “they actually have a real impact on the person you’re designing them for, rather than just making something slightly better to what’s already out there for consumers” – it provided inspiration when searching for dissertation project ideas.

Kate explains: “A family friend had a two-yearold daughter called Zoey who was born missing part of her left arm from below the elbow.

“I got chatting to the mum about prosthetics and whether she was interested in them. They just seemed really hard to come by for kids and, especially if you don’t have a car, it can be difficult to get to and from appointments.”

Having learned how to use a 3D printer on her placement, she decided to investigate whether additive manufacturing – to give the production 30

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process its formal name – could be used to create a prosthetic.

Further research discovered someone else had already done this but the reason it wasn’t already on the market was because children grew out of prosthetics very quickly.

‘I wanted to design a 3Dprinted prosthetic for kids that could be adjusted and grow with them’ “One of the major issues was that nothing was customisable, so I wanted to design a 3D-printed prosthetic for kids that could be adjusted and grow with them,” she says.

Up until this point, Kate hadn’t considered even the possibility of starting a business, but recognised its best use case in the real world would be as a company that could aim to one day supply the NHS. At her undergraduate degree show in 2018, a

lecturer with responsibility for enterprise suggested she should do just this. He introduced her to a Paralympic athlete to test it out, connected her with a business mentor and, within three weeks, the business that would become known as ExpHand Prosthetics was established.

“I’d gone from having no idea about business to having my own company in no time at all,” says Kate.

EXTERNAL VALIDATION CAN be important to any aspiring entrepreneur and Kate has had it in abundance.

Her first awards success came at the University of Nottingham’s Ingenuity19 student innovation competition in April 2019, where she won £18,500 in funding by a variety of businesses including Experian, which named her its Entrepreneur of the Year. In total, she picked up five awards.

“I remember thinking my life has just changed right here,” recalls Kate.

This was during her final year of university,

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

LEADER AWARD BOOSTED PERSONAL CONFIDENCE Winning the Generation Next Future Leader Award provided personal validation she is on the right path, Kate admits.

While other awards have offered a big tick against her business idea – not to mention vital funding –the top prize at the inaugural Generation Next Awards was recognition for what she had achieved individually.

“The other awards have been very business-specific, whereas this was about myself, so that was a big affirmation to me as the person running the company,” says Kate.

“Especially having come out of university to run a business straight away, knowing I’m doing the right thing and am the best qualified person to be doing this is important, so the award was a really big boost for me.”

With the second Generation Next Awards now open for entries, she believes it’s important for young professionals to put themselves forward for recognition.

Kate adds: “You can never harm yourself by applying. A lot of the time, people who run businesses don’t realise how far they’ve come so entering awards allows them to reflect on the progress they’ve made – even just through the process of writing out the entry form.

“Winning is of course great for increasing awareness and promoting what you’re doing, but regardless of whether or not you get shortlisted, it’s a great opportunity to take stock and think about not just the past, but the future too.”

New categories added to Generation Next Awards 2022 – find out how to enter on p34 The prosthetics are currently being trialled by children with limb loss

took for funding to be received and there was also the issue of a similar research project being planned at a local university, although the scope eventually changed.

But sat at her desk in a shared office space with more than a dozen awards on display behind her, Kate can reflect on the early part of her career with quiet satisfaction knowing she is already making a huge difference in the world.

Zoey is now on her third prototype prosthetic and alongside efforts to raise investment ahead of the planned commercial launch, Kate is beginning a journey to understand how she could take her devices into the NHS.

The 3D printer that makes prosthetics

which was spent balancing a dissertation with refining her 3D-printed prosthetic while also learning the basics of how to run a business.

Three weeks before graduating in July that year, she took on her first intern – who came over from the United States to offer design support.

She took part in a number of business courses, ranging from healthcare entrepreneurship introductions in the Netherlands and Barcelona to workshops at LUSEP, where she set up her first company base at The Studio that summer.

The university offers free workspaces for aspiring entrepreneurs among its graduates at the enterprise park, which is home to 2,000 people in 50 organisations. Kate continues to occupy a desk and use a small lab for 3D printing.

Next up came the trickier aspects to get the company ready for launch – refining the design and manufacturing, writing a business plan and setting up social media accounts, with the help of more interns along the way.

The first prosthetic was delivered to Zoey, the little girl whose story initially inspired Kate, in

Christmas 2019 and other prototypes have so far been given to six recipients.

More funding has come the way of ExpHand’s founder, with £60,000 awarded to date from a whole host of backers and another £50,000 pledged. Recognition continues too – locally from the likes of the Generation Next Awards and LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards, and in the industry with the Med-Tech Innovation 3D Printing Award and EIT Healthcare Entrepreneurship Competition, to name a few.

The latter gave financial support so Kate could submit two patent applications last summer, and her “patent-pending” status should go some way to helping her bid to raise £200,000 in investment. This will enable her to obtain all the regulatory certifications so she can register her prosthetics as an approved medical device and bring the product to market, with hopes of a launch by the end of this year.

Kate says: “Having someone use your products and some form of intellectual property (IP) protection are the two biggest things for a start-up like mine to be taken seriously.”

LIKE THE ROLLERCOASTER designer career she’d planned out at school, the life of an entrepreneur has its ups and downs.

Not everything has been plain sailing – 3D printers broke down during user trials, cashflow forecasts were affected by the length of time it

‘The ambition is to have lots of small workshops that can offer localised manufacturing’ Different types of prosthetics could also be in the pipeline, as she adds: “The below-elbow prosthetic will be the first product we take to market for children but we plan to move into wrist-based prosthetics – where someone with a working wrist can use this to power the artificial hand – and then into adult versions of both these because there’s huge potential with the 3D printing technology.

“We can make them on-site wherever they are needed so we don’t need a big facility – just a 3D printer, which will always be our main manufacturing method because it gives us so much versatility to provide an on-demand service.

“Eventually, the ambition is to have lots of small workshops that can offer localised manufacturing. We’ll start in the UK and then move into the EU because the regulations are very similar, but then we want to go into lower and middle-income countries because that’s where these prosthetics can have the biggest impact.”

Dreaming up plans for an international medical devices firm feels far away from those early career musings back in the classroom.

“Being able to do something I really enjoy that’s having a positive impact on people’s lives would have made my 16-year-old self pretty happy,” Kate adds.

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PATRONS

Making the most of your role as a young manager

By Daniel Nikolla (pictured), marketing manager at Hardy Signs and Generation Next vice-chair of the board Being a young manager is fun, rewarding and a great challenge. It is fun because you’re constantly seeing and experiencing things you never thought about before or you had only read about on Instagram, LinkedIn and so on. It is rewarding because you move ahead 10-times as fast as your friends. It is a great challenge because you are given a lot of entrepreneurial freedom, responsibilities and added accountability.

You are trusted to not just manage yourself and your workload, but also a team of people you should help grow. By helping them progress and creating the right processes, you have enabled your team and organisation to experience growth.

This is what I have been trying to achieve at Hardy Signs.

Being a young manager means releasing more happy hormones, dopamine. It is essential to enjoy the journey and receive a lot of pleasure from the challenges that come with it. Some people are naturally equipped with a stronger sense of will, confidence and mental abilities.

Some of the early challenges when stepping up to management include: 1. Courage and confidence: Say yes, then figure it out

2. Scared of not knowing everything: You don’t need to, it’s all about attitude and energy 3. New vs old: You are promoted because you are valuable, so go and challenge traditional approaches 4. Maintaining focus: It’s easier to get distracted nowadays, focus on your end goal 5. Earning trust: It happens in the end, just keep practising point four 6. Mental ability: Learn to handle difficult conversations and situations.

Indeed, I had to go through these hurdles myself. What worked for me was: • I made allies horizontally across the business but persistently kept lobbying vertically through my work • Found funded opportunities or membership organisations to support my team’s ideas and energy • Encouraged myself and my team to network • Measured everything I do, and used my work and relevant data to justify what works • Anything that isn’t measured is impossible to justify and develop • Put in 110% every day and constantly work towards achieving smart working ways.

‘It is essential to enjoy the journey and receive a lot of pleasure from the challenges that come with it’ Senior colleagues and business leaders can help. Just ask them to: • Spend time mentoring the youth • Lead by example • Look out for courses that will develop young talent • Make business KPIs simple to understand • Back up decision-making by data • Allow entrepreneurial freedom and be flexible Generation Next can be one of your closest allies in this journey. One of the ways it could help is through the mentoring scheme, which connects the network’s members with relevant senior leaders to learn business secrets that will fast-track your development. Ninety minutes

with a mentor each month will teach you more than what the job does in a year.

Networking is the central part of the offering as it could be where you meet your next colleague, employer, employee, mentor or even customer.

The annual awards, which have just launched for 2022, are a great way to benchmark your achievements and celebrate hard work.

Last but not least, a membership guarantees access to learning material and other smart information. These resources would ultimately help young business leaders succeed in their professional life.

Consultancy among top local employers RSM UK has been ranked among the top 10 employers in the East Midlands by Best Companies.

At its first time of entering, the audit, tax and consulting firm achieved 10th place for the region in the Q1 2022 listing, which represents the industry standard in identifying the UK’s leading employers.

The company was recognised for creating an “environment where people feel confident they can progress as far as their talents, hard work and application take them”, as well as a “culture of listening” in which employees are empowered to bring their unique perspectives to work each day.

Kevin Harris (pictured), office managing partner for RSM Leicester, said: “I’m thrilled to see RSM East Midlands achieve top 10 status as an employer in the region. The past two years have been an extremely 32

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challenging period for everyone, and our priority as a firm has been the wellbeing of our people, ensuring everyone feels supported, listened to, and valued.”

Nationally, RSM UK – which has 3,660 partners and staff operating from 32 locations across the country – was named as an “outstanding organisation to work for” by Best Companies and was propelled straight to a “two-star” accreditation, the second highest standard of workplace engagement.

It was also named the UK’s sixth best “big company to work for” in the national league table for Q1 2022.

Rob Donaldson, CEO of RSM UK, added: “We want to be seen as the place where people of all backgrounds can be themselves, thrive and build a career.”

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PATRONS

IT specialist is UK’s top managed service provider

James Healey

Air IT has been named the UK’s number one managed service provider (MSP) by worldwide directory Cloudtango.

The Sandiacre-based company topped the MSP Select UK list, which ranks the best 50 of the country’s 4,000 MSPs according to technical excellence, innovation and customer satisfaction.

Now in its eight year, the list has become an industry reference due to its independent, unbiased approach and in-depth analysis.

James Healey, chief operating officer at Air IT, said: “We are always striving to innovate and be the best at what we do, so we are absolutely thrilled that Cloudtango has selected Air IT as the best MSP in the UK – recognising our technical skills, the quality of the services we provide and the continued growth we have experienced, which is all testament to the hard work and dedication of our talented team.”

Cyber security, support, infrastructure and cloud services were the focus of technical analysis for the 2022 ranking.

MSP Select UK also underlines MSPs that play key roles in helping customers to drive innovation.

By being selected, Cloudtango said Air IT had demonstrated a track record of successfully delivering innovative IT solutions while exceeding customer expectations.

Jordi Vilanova, managing director at Cloudtango, added: “Through the selection process, we have reviewed 223 different types of certifications, case studies, endorsements and up to eight years of data.

“With the world becoming more digital, a high standard of IT services is ever more critical for businesses to stay competitive.

With this in mind, we selected Air IT due to its strong commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.”

Airport welcomes return of Flybe East Midlands Airport (EMA) has welcomed the return of Flybe as the airline announced it will launch services to Belfast and Amsterdam from this month.

Daily flights to the Dutch capital will start from Thursday 28 April and the twice-daily EMA to Belfast route will return on Thursday 7 July. It takes over from easyJet, which pulled the service last month.

Clare James MBE (pictured), the airport’s managing director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Flybe to EMA, which will pick up the popular route to Belfast and, after a gap of a couple of years,

flights to Amsterdam.

“The airline provides critical domestic and international connectivity, which we know our customers rely on, and it’s a much-needed boost as we build back following the pandemic.

“Flybe is a perfect fit for EMA,

which is perfectly located in the heart of the country for easy and convenient short hops to key destinations within the UK and to major hub airports in Europe for ongoing travel. We very much look forward to welcoming Flybe customers to EMA in the weeks and months ahead.”

University earns LGBTQ+ accolade The University of Derby has received a Gold Employer Award for its commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The award, presented by the LGBTQ+ equality charity Stonewall, is an aspect of Stonewall’s Workplace Index and features its campaign Bring Yourself to Work, which highlights the importance of inclusive work environments.

Stonewall is the world’s second-largest LGBTQ+ charity and for the past 20 years, has supported employers to create welcoming workplaces for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer people.

According to the charity’s research, more than a third of LGBTQ+ staff (35%) hide who they are at work, while one in five (18%) have been the target of negative comments because of their sexual orientation.

As part of Stonewall’s Workplace Index, the LGBTQ+ equality charity has awarded a series of Gold, Silver and Bronze awards to organisations to celebrate their inclusion work.

Dr Jo Bishton, head of equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing at the university, said: “We understand that people perform better when they can be their whole selves in the workplace and by creating a collaborative environment with our LGBTQ+ Allies staff network, we aim to enable people to thrive, while actively promoting and celebrating difference.”

Liz Ward, director of programmes at Stonewall, said: “It’s fantastic the University of Derby has gained Gold Employer Award for its efforts and commitment to creating an inclusive work environment.”

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

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CHAMBER NEWS

generationnextemc.co.uk

Awards recognise the very best of our region’s young business talent rom apprentices taking their first steps on the career ladder to the future leaders of the region, the very best of young business talent across the East Midlands will be celebrated at the Generation Next Awards.

The second-ever awards are the showpiece programme of the Generation Next network for young professionals and entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 35, which is run by the Chamber in conjunction with headline partner the University of Derby.

It features 10 categories, ranging from a Breakthrough Award and Customer Service Award through to marking Excellence in Innovation and Technology and the Generation Next Future Leader.

New prizes for this year recognise outstanding contributions in diversity and inclusion, arts and culture, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

F

Winners will be crowned at an awards ceremony with a twist – featuring street food, cocktails and live music – held at Bustler Market, in Derby, on 14 July.

Lucy Robinson, the Chamber’s director of resources and Generation Next lead, said: “The Generation Next Awards are a celebration of the amazing young talent within the East Midlands, and our diverse programme recognises the rising stars of business who make outstanding contributions to their communities.

“We want to encourage young professionals, apprentices and entrepreneurs from across the region to tell their story and celebrate their successes. There is an award to suit everyone at each stage of their career.”

Generation Next was launched in 2020 as a new group for 18 to 35year-olds to meet likeminded people via networking events held at locations such as Leicester cocktail

WHO ARE THE GENERATION NEXT AWARDS 2022 CATEGORIES FOR? GENERATION NEXT FUTURE LEADER (sponsored by University of Derby) An influential individual who has significantly contributed to their industry during their career to date, making a visible difference to their workplace’s growth

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Loughborough College) Current or past apprentices aged between 18 and 35 who can demonstrate the exceptional contribution they’ve made to their workplace

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Fraser Stretton Property Group) Dynamic, creative and visionary business leaders who define the qualities of successful entrepreneurship, including those with drive, ambition and tenacity

VOLUNTEER AWARD (sponsored by RSM) Individuals who go above and beyond their roles to support local communities and charitable organisations by offering volunteering support

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD People who are dedicated to continuously improving customer satisfaction and exceeding expectations, and can demonstrate how they have overcome key challenges

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY AWARD (sponsored by Hardy Signs) Business leaders or employees who have used and integrated innovative technology to boost performance within their organisation

BREAKTHROUGH AWARD (sponsored by Nottingham University Business School) New businesses that started in the past three years and have achieved consistent growth backed by strong financial performance – with continued growth ahead

CREATIVE AWARD (sponsored by PPL PRS) Recognising the rising stars within the East Midlands creative industry, in fields such as music, media, theatre, art, film and entertainment

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AWARD Individuals who work to embed diversity and inclusion within business, going above and beyond to ensure everyone is equally involved and represented within workplace culture

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD The 2022 Generation Next Awards will be held at Bustler Market, in Derby

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(sponsored by MHA MacIntyre Hudson) Celebrating individuals who have worked on, or created, a project, product, or service that will make a positive impact on the environment.

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CHAMBER NEWS

Street food, cocktails and live music will be among the main attractions at this year's awards ceremony

bar Manhattan34, Nottingham arcade game bar Penny Lane and Peak District walks, as well as attend educational workshops on themes such as marketing, personal finance and inclusion.

A mentoring scheme was launched this year to connect Generation Next members – who join on an individual basis – with senior businesspeople within the wider East Midlands Chamber network.

The inaugural Generation Next Awards took place virtually last year and recognised rising stars such as Kate Walker, who makes affordable and adjustable 3Dprinted prosthetic arms as founder of Loughborough-based start-up

ExpHand Prosthetics, and Derby’s rapidly-growing doughnut delivery company Project D. Entries are now open for this year’s awards until Tuesday 3 May, and can be submitted either by individuals within the 18 to 35 age bracket or on their behalf by a colleague or line manager.

Applications can be downloaded at generationnextemc.co.uk/awards and must be emailed to the Generation Next team at gennext@emc-dnl.co.uk.

Fifty early-bird tickets are available for the awards ceremony on 14 July at bit.ly/GenNextAwards.

From left: The Chamber's Generation Next lead Lucy Robinson, former president Eileen Perry MBE DL and AVIT Media director Ash Stanley at the 2021 awards, which were broadcast online

WHO WERE LAST YEAR’S WINNERS?

GENERATION NEXT FUTURE LEADER AWARD Kate Walker, ExpHand Prosthetics

BREAKTHROUGH AWARD Daniel Jones, Professional Heating Solutions

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY AWARD Tony Buck, EyeSiteView

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR Coral Guard, GBS Limited

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Max Poynton, Jacob Watts and Matthew Bond, Project D

COMMUNITY AWARD Charlotte Robey Turner, Leicestershire Cares

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD Jenna Hadfield, Banner Jones Solicitors

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CHAMBER NEWS

generationnextemc.co.uk

Scheme ensures previous generation help the next The Generation Next mentoring scheme is well underway, with more than half its first cohort of mentors linked up with members of the network.

Jasmine Thompson sits down with one of the mentors to find out more about the knowledge and experience they can pass onto Generation Next members.

Mentor Q&A Name:

BECOME A GENERATION NEXT MENTOR

Ian Sharpe

Position: Retired general manager and finance director who currently chairs Loughborough Educational Trust What is your expertise area?

During my career, I undertook both finance and general management roles, working in both large multinational companies and small entrepreneur-led businesses in the aerospace, power generation equipment and renewable energy industries.

I have successfully turned round failing companies, while also created new businesses over the course of my career.

‘I enjoy working with young people and feel I can help them develop their careers’ One successful venture included creating my own aerospace company with activities in aero-engine design, testing and component manufacture, control systems and satellite design.

I have also led a wind turbine electrical systems business and oversaw accounting teams in demanding financial control environments.

I have implemented commercial risk control, accounting and IT systems, as well as engaged

with political leaders from the Prime Minister to secretaries of state level.

What can you offer to members of Generation Next via the mentoring scheme?

I have a broad experience in business leadership, in both general management and finance.

Although I am retired, I want to continue to use my skills and expertise. I enjoy working with young people and feel I can help them develop their careers and businesses.

Why is mentoring an important part of career and personal development?

Mentoring provides a “critical friend”, to provide feedback on the mentee’s current performance and behaviours, and help develop the skills and attributes required to perform at the next level.

Generation Next is looking for leading businesspeople in the region to join its next cohort of mentors, to increase its support offering for young professionals and future leaders aged under 35.

The mentoring scheme launched in January for members of Generation Next to tap into the knowledge and experience of seasoned businesspeople working in the East Midlands. It also runs a programme of events, which members can attend to grow their networks and build their professional skills.

The first cohort of volunteers include 1284 Ltd owner and former Leicester Mercury editor George Oliver, Nottingham University Business School associate dean for business and community engagement Professor David Park, Shakespeare Martineau solicitor Anton Letton and Express Recruitment director of people and operations Theo Kirk.

More than half of the group are undertaking mentoring agreements with members of the network, and the Generation Next team is looking to expand the offering further by introducing additional experts.

Business leaders who are interested in sharing their expertise through the scheme can sign up at www.generationnextemc.co.uk/ become-a-mentor

Groups brew up ideas at networking event For its March social, Generation Next teamed up with Creative Coffee Leicester – a meet-up for individuals based in Leicester’s creative industry.

Members of both networks joined forces at Leicester cocktail bar Manhattan34 to connect over bespoke cocktails and hear the success stories of guest speakers.

One of those was Generation Next board champion and Orange Fox Studios director Lee Tomes. He also heads up Creative Coffee Leicester, which facilitates monthly events that connect the creative community to businesses, academics and each other.

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UPCOMING GENERATION NEXT EVENTS INCLUDE: • Making Tax Digital with MHA MacIntyre Hudson (21 April, 3pm at MHA’s office in Merus Court, Leicester) • Community & CSR in 2022 as a core part of your business featuring Hardy Signs founder Nik Hardy (11 May, 5pm at Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham)

delegates to enter the Generation Next Awards by sharing his own experience winning Young

Professional of the Year at the Chamber’s Business Awards in 2020.

For more Generation Next events, visit www.generationnextemc. co.uk/event

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CHAMBER NEWS

Local unemployment hits new low The East Midlands’ unemployment rate has hit a fresh new low at 3.1% for the period between November 2021 and January 2022, new figures show.

It falls from 3.4% for the previous three-month reporting period and compares to a UK average of 3.9%.

For the third month running, this is the lowest level since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) began publishing regional labour market figures in April 2015, and is now higher than only three other regions – the South West of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

...But rising interest rates could hamper business investment

Scott Knowles

‘A clear signal that the East Midlands is open for business and recovering strongly’ The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said: “It’s fantastic news for the region’s labour market that the unemployment rate has plummeted in recent months, hitting a fresh new low for the beginning of this year.

"Amid so much uncertainty in the world at the moment, it sends a

clear signal that the East Midlands is open for business and recovering strongly from the direct impacts of the pandemic.

“The improving picture reflects our own research, which indicates our region’s firms are creating jobs to meet strong demand following the removal of restrictions.”

While unemployment fell below pre-pandemic levels for the first time at a national level, the ONS said the number of people out of work and not looking for a job rose

The Bank of England’s decision to raise interest rates from 0.5% to 0.75% adds another squeeze on businesses and could deter investment, believes Scott Knowles.

He said: “While another rise in interest rates has been expected since the previous increase in December, this latest announcement comes at a difficult time given all the pressures squeezing margins on businesses right now.

“Against a backdrop of growing domestic and global headwinds including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it will be viewed by many as a further step in a prolonged period of aggressive monetary tightening at a time when consumers and businesses are struggling under a myriad of rising cost pressures.”

again, meaning total employment remained well below its pre-Covid level.

In the East Midlands, the economic inactivity rate – which measures the proportion of 16 to 64-year-olds who have exited the labour market for reasons such as retirement, caring duties or studying – was above the 21.3% national average at 21.6%.

Scott added: “With more people leaving the labour market and fewer overseas workers to choose

from since the end of the UK-EU transition period just over a year ago, we are beginning to see emerging skills gaps across numerous industries.

“With the cost of business continuing to rise amid surging inflation and price rises in aspects such as energy, supplies and people, the impact this will have on business growth – which ultimately fuels local job creation and wealth – remains a considerable worry.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

Is your business taking advantage of the East Midlands Accelerator?

By Diane Beresford (pictured), deputy chief executive at the Chamber The UK is at an historic crossroads.

Once EU structural funds come to an end in 2023, they will be replaced by the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is expected to reach an annual £1.5bn.

This new fund, to be launched later this year, will operate throughout the UK and be a key element of the Government’s levelling up agenda. In preparation, new ideas and approaches are being trialled in areas considered

by Government to be most in need as part of the UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF).

With a requirement for all support and funding to be allocated by 30 June 2022, businesses in qualifying areas are being urged to sign up without delay. In the East Midlands, these areas are the Derbyshire Dales, High Peak, Mansfield, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Nottingham city and Leicester city.

Together with our region’s universities and business support agencies, the Chamber is leading a collaborative partnership to deliver this support. The project, which has been named the East Midlands Accelerator, has received £5.27m from the UK Government through the UKCRF, with an additional £471,000 matched by the Chamber and its partners.

East Midlands Accelerator is designed to aid recovery from the pandemic, back new entrepreneurship and growth sectors, support digital adoption and accelerate low-carbon transition – all with the ultimate aim of creating and safeguarding jobs.

The project is being delivered under five key strands: 1. Net Zero Accelerator to help businesses gain green business skills, invest in net zero business practices, and access financial support to start their journey towards net zero or carbon neutrality 2. Digital Transformation Accelerator to help businesses implement digital and ecommerce solutions, become online bookable and drive market town footfall.

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3. Start Up to Scale Up Accelerator to deliver specialist mentoring and provide financial support to help start-ups launch a new business or product 4. Kickstart Accelerator to offer training and mentoring support to improve job retention, as well as a wage subsidy to convert a Kickstart or graduate placement into a new sustained job 5. Financial Accelerator to offer: a. Grants of up to £8,000 (80% intervention) to help businesses adopt digital solutions, introduce carbon reduction solutions or provide a wage subsidy to support Kickstart or Graduate job retention b. Growth vouchers of up to £2,000 for consultancy advice to support business growth or to undertake specialist training.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED Businesses can participate in a number of ways: 1. Take advantage of the range of one-to-one advice, mentoring and business diagnostics on offer 2. Participate in one-to-many training and workshops 3. Attend conferences and events 4. Apply for grants of up to £8,000 (80% intervention) to help them adopt digital solutions, introduce carbon reduction solutions or provide a wage subsidy to support Kickstart or graduate job retention.

5. Apply for a growth voucher of up to £2,000 for consultancy

advice to support business growth or to undertake specialist training.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS FUNDING? East Midlands Accelerator is designed to accelerate and add value to initiatives that are already in place across our region, thereby achieving outcomes of job creation and safeguarding, as two examples, much faster.

Unlike the European structural investment funds like ERDF and ESF, the UKCRF brings a number of support mechanisms – business support, training and helping economically inactive people get back into work – together under one umbrella programme.

Support offered via the growth vouchers and grants – which are designed to safeguard and create jobs respectively – is offered not according to overly-prescriptive guidelines but according to the needs of each business. This flexibility of offer is matched only by the unusually high intervention rate of the grant, at 80%.

This is very much an evolving programme, with partners refining their offer and adding further dates to their events programme over the coming months.

Delivery partners are as follows: • Regional priority areas: NBV Enterprise Solutions and The Food and Drink Forum.

• Region-wide: University of Derby,

University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, University of Leicester, University of Loughborough, and De Montfort University.

• Local priority areas: B-Global (BAME community in Nottinghamshire and Nottingham city), Trading Standards (North Nottinghamshire only); Leicester Startups CIC (Leicester city only); Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire (High Peak and Derbyshire Dales); and Creative Quarter (Nottingham).

HOW TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST Businesses based in UKCRF areas are encouraged to: • Attend the range of training courses on offer to help boost their skills in a number of areas, from leadership training and digital skills to carbon literacy and environmental accreditation • Register their interest with the team at the Chamber who will

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CHAMBER NEWS

Programme sets target of net zero

‘Applications for grants and growth vouchers will be fast-tracked to ensure funds are allocated by the 30 June deadline’ then signpost them to an appropriate adviser for specialist diagnostic, 1-2-1 and funding support.

As events are announced, they will be added to the Chamber website and communicated via the Chamber’s usual channels.

Applications for grants and growth vouchers will be fasttracked to ensure funds are allocated by the 30 June deadline.

Applications may only be submitted by an approved business adviser.

The Chamber will ringfence the funding for five days. If a completed application form with the appropriate supporting documentation has not been received during that time period, the funding will be allocated back to the pot and for the benefit of those businesses that are ready to

move forward. Once a business has received the funding, the supported activity must be undertaken within four weeks.

WHAT THE PROJECT HOPES TO ACHIEVE Targets for delivery are ambitious, with outcomes ranging from the number of jobs safeguarded to employment increases, new businesses or self-employment opportunities created.

An important element of the project is an organisation’s commitment to creating a decarbonisation plan. To that end, the project is offering a number of free licences to set up a profile on the Zellar sustainability platform.

The platform helps companies measure their carbon impact and help them on their journey to net zero. Not only that, it helps them

promote their sustainability credentials and measure their performance against their competitors.

It is the Chamber’s intention to continue with many of the pilots after the project comes to an end in June, at least for a further 12month period.

This includes the peer networks for critical sectors of our regional economy, including the visitor economy, food and drink, and manufacturing. The latter is being delivered as the Chamber-led East Midlands Manufacturing Network, which will offer manufacturing businesses the opportunity to engage in a peer-led network.

Until then, the focus is on ensuring that the most deserving businesses are able to tap into the East Midlands Accelerator support on offer before the 30 June deadline, giving them the best springboard to build back better.

To find out more about the East Midlands Accelerator, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/ema

Businesses looking to accelerate their journey to net zero are being offered a helping hand through the East Midlands Accelerator project.

Support is available to businesses located in the designated UKCRF areas covered by the Chamber-led programme. Available support includes: • Help with sustainable business planning, audits and staff training in areas such as carbon literacy and carbon management, and environmental management and accreditation from the region’s universities • One-year membership of a new sustainable business platform Zellar, which can help businesses calculate and manage their carbon footprint and create a decarbonisation plan. The Chamber and its partners have invested in a number of free one-year licences as part of this project • Grants of up to £8,000 (at an intervention rate of 80%) and growth vouchers of up to £2,000 for businesses that create and safeguard jobs respectively There is also sector-specific help available. Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire will assist visitor economy organisations to achieve “clean, green growth”, such as in installing EV charging points, and developing sustainable tourism best practice.

The Food & Drink Forum will offer support in areas such as managing waste, lowering energy costs, effective disposal of waste and water, and smarter logistics.

Visitor economy organisations and food manufacturers are invited to contact a Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire business adviser and The Food and Drink Forum respectively.

For any other enquiries, contact the Chamber’s business support team on 0330 053 8639.

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CHAMBER NEWS

A good performance against a backdrop of known unknowns

By Chris Hobson, director of policy and external affairs at the Chamber A first glance, and the results of the economic survey for the start of 2022 look encouraging. UK orders are strongly up on last quarter. Overseas sales and orders, strongly up. Businesses continue to recruit and overall confidence in prospects for turnover and profitability also ticked upwards.

So why is there not more bullish sentiment in our conversations with businesses?

There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, the improvements come off the back of a weak final quarter to 2021. Back in November, there was uncertainty around Omicron and how the country would respond, while inflationary pressures were slowing down plans for investment.

Many of the QES indicators are relative to what has come before – for example, asking whether sales have gone up, down or remained the same from the previous quarter.

This means that after a slow quarter, one would hope to see decent improvements.

Secondly, some of the key indicators that we know can act as a canary in the mine are struggling.

Net cashflow movement is down into negative territory again, suggesting the squeeze is coming on once more with inflationary pressures from all directions.

Price increases are up on already almost sky-high levels and investment in machinery is down, limiting one of the tools that businesses have to respond to increases in demand and the need to introduce efficiencies.

NEW UNKNOWNS GREET 2022 AMID UKRAINE CRISIS What’s behind this mixed picture?

We spent much of 2021 trying to figure out the impact of the pandemic while the coronavirus continued to move the goalposts with new variants. We also continued to learn more about the longer-term impacts of the UK leaving the EU – which issues were part of a learning curve and which may hint at more structural limitations in the new way of working.

While on this last point we’re yet to see the rebound in exporting figures, as we reached the end of the year it felt that things were 40

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NET CHANGE OVER QUARTER UK sales = (Q4 2021 +27%; Q1 2022 +27%) UK orders +8% (Q4 +18%; Q1 +26%) Overseas sales +7% (Q4 +4%; Q1 +11%) Overseas orders +10% (Q4 +4%; Q1 +14%) Past employment +3% (Q4 +17%; Q1 +20%) Future employment +1% (Q4 +35%; Q1 +36%) Cashflow -3% (Q4 +3%; Q1 -3%) Future price concerns +4% (Q4 +62%; Q1 +66%) Investment intentions in machinery -2% (Q4 +15%; Q1 +13%) Investment intentions in training +1% (Q4 +19%; Q1 +20%) Confidence on turnover +4% (Q4 +58%; Q1 +62%) Confidence on profitability +3% (Q4 +28%; Q1 +31%)

Chris Hobson

finally becoming clearer. The unknowns we entered 2021 with were transitioning to knowns – things that can be planned for and dealt with. Unfortunately, just as we were getting into the swing of 2022, new unknowns have arrived.

First and foremost, the terrible events in Ukraine represent a humanitarian crisis not seen in Europe for 80 years and one that, as with Covid-19, nations are coming together to support on.

Businesses and businesspeople are already doing their bit where they can to offer resources and relief.

This effort will rightly continue, with the Chamber also offering its full support of these efforts.

‘These new unknowns have undoubtedly impacted confidence and slowed the growth we would have hoped to see’ However, while the economic impact is obviously secondary in this, it is real and one that, right now, we just don’t know how it will play out.

The supply of oil and gas, zinc, copper, steel, nickel, wheat and many other commodities are all being disrupted or, in some cases, halted.

BUSINESS CONFIDENCE TAKES A HIT Beyond the obvious increases in energy costs, this will have many other direct short-term impacts – for example car manufacturers pausing operations due to raw material shortages – but also the potential for as yet unknown medium and longer-term impacts.

These new unknowns have undoubtedly impacted confidence and slowed the growth we would have hoped to see in our Q1 survey.

The impact throughout the remainder of 2022 is not yet clear and much will depend on what happens next in Ukraine. There is, however, one thing we do know.

Businesses in the East Midlands will respond to this with tenacity, drive and a desire to do the right thing – both with regards to offering support where it is needed, but also looking at their own growth prospects, and the positive impacts these have on the local economy and the communities in which they are based.

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CHAMBER NEWS

Contact us now T: 01623 825516 E: nfsl@notts-fire.co.uk

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CHAMBER NEWS

Spring Statement was a ‘missed opportunity’ A fuel duty cut and raise to the national insurance threshold stole the headlines as Chancellor Rishi Sunak made his Spring Statement, but the Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles (pictured) explains what it means for businesses.

It was clear from the Chancellor’s warning about the “unusually high uncertainty” around the economic outlook – coupled with confirmation that inflation rose by 6.2% in February and will hit a projected 7.4% in 2022 – that businesses and communities should prepare accordingly for a continuation of the spiralling price rises over the coming year.

Despite acknowledging these challenges, there wasn’t anything significant for firms to grasp as a potential route out of a renewed economic crisis that still lingers on the horizon.

Small businesses will welcome a lift to the employment allowance from £4,000 to £5,000, which should make a little room at the margins. Anything that can help in this regard is important, given that cashflow fell into negative territory for the first time in over a year for East Midlands businesses in our

latest Quarterly Economic Survey for Q1 2022, with staffing among the resources growing increasingly expensive, just behind raw materials and energy.

‘There wasn’t anything significant for firms to grasp as a potential route out of a renewed economic crisis’ For individuals and families, the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and raising the income threshold at which people pay national insurance by £3,000 to £12,570 offer a small alleviation in tackling the escalating cost of living crisis in the short term.

But the biggest changes appear to have been put back until the autumn – when the investment gap in R&D, capital and people

compared to other major economies will be addressed to support productivity growth – or even further down the line with the 2024 income tax reduction.

With many of the pressures being international in their nature, the Chancellor only had a few levers to pull. However, ultimately, there were no gamechangers that will pull us away from the cost of living – and equally a cost of doing business – crisis that is happening right now.

The Chancellor had a decision to

make and despite the big rhetoric in Parliament, it was a relatively light statement that sends a message to businesses that they will just have to get on with it for the foreseeable future.

As global and domestic headwinds mount amid spiralling inflation and the war in Ukraine, this feels like a missed opportunity and puts at risk much of the progress made so far by our businesses, which have dragged the economy back on to its feet after two years of the pandemic.

Launch of East Midlands Manufacturing Network

Diane Beresford spoke at the recent Digital Marketing Conference (see page 76)

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A new region-wide, business-led support network for manufacturers in the East Midlands has been established.

The East Midlands Manufacturing Network, which is led by the Chamber and part-funded by the Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund, aims to secure the future success of the industry in the region by bringing together key knowledge and skills to form a dedicated, supportive peer network.

It was launched at an event last month at the Belfry in Nottingham that attracted more than 100 manufacturers. This will serve as the launchpad for a series of local network launches taking place across April and May in the North Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire Dales and High Peak, Leicestershire and Derbyshire local authority areas.

Manufacturers are being encouraged to join, in order to: • Share best practices and experience in a trusted peer environment • Focus on issues and challenges that are a priority for them and other manufacturing businesses • Better understand the financial support on offer for their manufacturing business • Tap into specialist consultancy and advice on regulation and compliance

• Identify collaboration opportunities • Gain peer support and education.

The Chamber’s deputy chief executive Diane Beresford said: “My thanks go to all who were involved in the launch event, particularly our panel of experts who spoke with great passion about the special place manufacturing has in our region’s business community.

“The East Midlands is, unquestionably, a region with a strong manufacturing heritage and with the potential to have an equally strong future. I would encourage any manufacturer looking for support to get involved.”

While the network is open to any manufacturer, those based in UK Community Renewal Fund areas may qualify, under the Chamber-led East Midlands Accelerator project, for a £2,000 growth voucher towards specialist consultancy support or a grant of £8,000 linked to job creation.

UK Community Renewal Fund areas are considered by Government to be those most in need. In the East Midlands, these are Bassetlaw, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak, Leicester city, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood, and Nottingham city.

Dates and venues for the local network launches can be found at www.emc-dnl.co.uk/emmn

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CHAMBER NEWS

Business Woman of the Year shares her insight elebrating the tribulations we have overcome is as important as marking big achievements, believes the Chamber’s incumbent Business Woman of the Year.

Natalie Bamford won the top prize at last year’s Enterprising Women Awards after setting up Derbybased corporate gifting service Colleague Box during the first lockdown in April 2020 with husband Adam while on furlough – then growing it into a £1m turnover business that enables companies to send personalised gift boxes to staff and partners.

Speaking at the launch of the 2022 edition of the awards – which will mark the Enterprising Women network’s 25th anniversary – during an International Women’s Day event at Casa Hotel in Chesterfield last month, she offered her advice to other professional women while telling her life and career story.

“What being a businesswoman has taught me the most is you don’t need to hide from your past – you don’t need to be ashamed,” said Natalie.

C

‘I just felt absolutely on top of the world and couldn’t believe I was chosen’ “In fact, celebrate what’s happened to you because my experiences made me the person I am today.”

Natalie shared some life-defining moments that she had previously shied away from telling.

After almost dying from meningitis aged 10, she experienced side-effects including epilepsy, septicaemia and lasting memory loss – she admitted not being able to remember walking down the aisle at her wedding or her children’s first steps and words.

Other major experiences included being in a past relationship that was physically and mentally abusive, coming to terms with single motherhood initially and changing careers.

But she has tried to turn these ordeals into positives by embracing how they have shaped her identity and taught her valuable lessons about her strength in character.

Natalie said: “We’ve all had our journeys and it’s important to embrace those because so many times, we look at social media and think everyone’s got it sorted, but we don’t know what people have been through half of the day.”

Explaining the back story to how Colleague Box was born, she recalled how lockdown had been a “horrible time for everyone” and, while on furlough from her job as a technology company’s expedite services assistant, her CEO asked if there was anything that could be sent by post to give home-based staff a boost.

After struggling to find anything suitable with a personal touch online, it gave her and Adam the idea of creating their own boxes as a service. Finding a box with dimensions to hold quality contents and able to fit through letterboxes was one of the biggest challenges early on.

“In April 2020, we got the idea,” said Natalie. “By May, we sent out our first boxes just to our team, and that was it.

“It was never meant to be a business, it was just something nice for our team to receive and make them feel connected to their colleagues.”

An order in August from Lincoln City Football Club for its players required new thinking but after it was successfully executed, Natalie and Adam realised they had a real business. By November, the fledgling 44

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company secured a major contract with a global logistics firm to pack and ship 21,000 fresh pumpkins, and pretty soon it hit the £1m revenue mark.

Within the first year, Colleague Box sent 100,000 gift boxes and the business moved from the couple’s home into a warehouse they quickly outgrew.

Reflecting on the Business Woman of the Year title she landed in October last year, Natalie said she “never in a million years” believed it was something she could achieve, admitting she didn’t even know how to write an award application at the time.

She added: “When I heard Lindsey Williams, CEO of the award sponsor Futures Housing Group, talking about me on the night, I just felt absolutely on top of the world and couldn’t believe I was chosen. So if you’re thinking of going for these awards but have some doubts – please, please go for it.”

Entries are now open for the Enterprising Women Awards, headline sponsored by Futures Housing Group, with a deadline of Friday 29 April.

Three new categories have been added this year to help mark a special edition of the annual ceremony – which takes place on Friday 30 September at a venue to be announced in the coming months – as part of the network’s 25th anniversary celebrations. The 11 categories are: • Business Woman of the Year (sponsored by Futures Housing Group) • Female Entrepreneur of the Year (sponsored by Midlands Engine Investment Fund) • Social Commitment Award (sponsored by She Inspires) • Small Business of the Year (sponsored by Unique Window Systems) • Female Employee of the Year (sponsored by Smallman & Son) • Team of the Year (sponsored by PPL PRS) • Business Woman in STEM (sponsored by Pick Everard) • Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by EMA Training) • Diversity Champion (sponsored by Breedon Consulting) • Rising Star (sponsored by The Turnaround CEO) • Lifetime Achievement (sponsored by Paradigm Wills and Legal Services) To enter, visit www.emcdnl.co.uk/ewawards

Natalie Bamford picks up the Business Woman of the Year award at the Enterprising Women Awards last October

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CHAMBER NEWS

Road improvements boost for business A series of proposed road improvements to the A50 and A500 “manufacturing corridor” could have a major impact on businesses in both the West and East Midlands – creating a £12bn economic boost and helping to unlock more than 12,000 jobs.

Regional transport body Midlands Connect has released a report outlining how the upgrades at key bottlenecks along the 56-mile long route – which links Derby, Nottingham and Leicester to Stoke, Staffordshire and the North West – could reduce congestion, support local businesses and promote greener transport use, including the take-up of electric vehicles.

It has proposed a phased, corridor-wide approach to turn its plans – which include widening roads, building new link roads and implementing technology-led enhancements to improve reliability and safety – into reality and secure funding from the Department for Transport’s Road Investment Strategy.

New research alongside the report, titled Levelling-up Stoke, Staffordshire, Derby & Derbyshire: The road to success, shows that every day between 60,000 and 90,000 vehicles pass along the east-west route but drivers lose 37 minutes due to traffic congestion.

Midlands Connect says this is standing in the way of business growth for large manufacturers such as Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Alstom and JCB, which rely on it to keep supply chains moving and provide links to international markets.

Sir John Peace, chair of Midlands Connect, said: “A key location for manufacturing and

Midlands Connect’s suggested improvements on the A50/A500 include: Eastern section from the M1 to A38/A50 Toyota junction • Improvements at junction to capacity, safety and general operation • Widening A50 south of Derby between Junction 2 of the A6 at Chellaston and Junction 3 of the A514 near Aston-on-Trent • New link road between A50 (near Junction 1) and A42 (near Junction 14)

Central section from A35/A50 Toyota junction to Blythe Bridge in Staffordshire

The familiar site of queuing traffic on the A500

industrial activity due to its fantastic links with major UK cities and local supply chains, the corridor is home to industry-leading businesses and will soon link the new HS2 hubs at Crewe and Stoke with the planned freeport close to East Midlands Airport.

“However, the busy A50/A500 has slowly become more congested over time and regular bottlenecks form at junctions during peak times.

Widespread development is planned for the surrounding area, meaning that change is needed now, with this sustainability-led plan to keep locals, employees and businesses moving.”

• Grade separation of A50 and local roads at two locations in Uttoxeter, with associated slip roads to provide access • Enhancements to existing roundabouts at Sudbury and Blythe Bridge to increase capacity and reduce delays Western section from Blythe Bridge to M6 Junctions 15 and 16, via Stoke • Strategic improvements to M6 J15 to ease congestion, improve safety and facilitate better flow of traffic on M6 and A500 • Enhancements at Sideway to smoothen traffic flow, including changes to the roundabout and lanes at the junction, as well as addressing signalled junctions that cause traffic to build up • Technology-led improvements to the reliability and safety of the M6 between Junctions 15 and 16

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CHAMBER NEWS

Training sets Traci up for the future A former youth worker is now delivering online safeguarding training to tens of thousands of pupils in Derbyshire after refining her business skills with the help of a Chamber-run programme.

Traci Good (pictured) received support from the D2N2 Growth Hub to develop a three-year growth plan for her business E-Safety Training, while learning the ropes about marketing, recruitment and access to finance via a series of workshops.

It helped her to secure funding from the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner to enable her to deliver a twoyear project in all primary schools across Derbyshire via the i-vengers initiative.

She will engage 50,000 pupils during that period and has been able to extend her reach to a national audience by entering a joint venture with Online Safety UK to reach a wider customer base.

Traci also supports education professionals, carers and parents via virtual and school-based sessions to raise awareness of the risks caused by using modern technologies, and how to mitigate these.

She said: “I’m really good at delivering online safety training but I’m not so good at running a business, so the support I’ve received from the Growth Hub has really given me the confidence to just go for it and create a business out of my main passion in life.

“My business adviser has been a great sounding board and has helped me develop positive strategies to grow the business in a sustainable way, as well as get real clarity on where I want the company to go and how to get there.”

To find out how the D2N2 Growth Hub could help your business, visit d2n2growthhub.co.uk or call 0333 006 8178.

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Freeport zone given Government green light The East Midlands Freeport has secured formal Government approval – and could now be set to deliver 61,000 jobs and £8.9bn for the region’s economy over the next 30 years.

The greenlight for its plans means eligible companies investing in designated areas within the freeport’s boundary will be able to access special incentives.

‘The East Midlands Freeport now offers a total of 533 hectares of prime, strategic development land’ These areas, known as “tax sites”, cover the freeport’s three main locations at East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster (EMAGIC), East Midlands Intermodal Park (EMIP) and the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station redevelopment site.

Benefits will be offered to firms whose development plans support the freeport’s main objectives, which include promoting growth in advanced manufacturing and logistics, and turbocharging the drive towards net zero.

By building on its other unique advantages as the only inland freeport of the eight zones being established in England, and with unparalleled global transport links,

the East Midlands Freeport Board believes these incentives will attract and accelerate new high-value, lowcarbon investment that will create thousands of skilled green jobs.

Board chair Penny Coates said: “The Government’s approval for our tax sites means the East Midlands Freeport now offers a total of 533 hectares of prime, strategic development land where companies can not only benefit from a fantastic location with fantastic global transport links, they can also benefit from a comprehensive package of special incentives that make our freeport one of the best places to invest in the UK.”

Penny Coates

Chamber comment on freeport Scott Knowles, chief executive of the Chamber, said: “A year on from the exciting plans being unveiled for the East Midlands freeport, this is a huge moment for the region – which will now be at the centre of Britain’s post-Brexit global trading relationship.

“We are in a unique position as the only inland freeport among the eight designated zones, which is testament to East Midlands Airport’s reputation as the country's most important mover of international freight and the catalyst for the explosive growth we've witnessed in our region’s logistics sector in recent years.

“This free trade zone, which will have a focus on innovation, low carbon and trade, signals the direction of travel for the East Midlands economy – giving investors something tangible to back in order to deliver the inward investment and jobs that will enable growth.

“For our workforce, it will provide much-needed new opportunities for high-skilled, well-paid and more productive jobs – a key priority of this Government and an important driver of growth for the East Midlands economy.”

D2N2 LEP wants new board members The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is recruiting for new private sector board members who can bring a depth of experience and make an active contribution to support the economic growth of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

It provides a business-led approach to economic development for an area with more than 75,000 businesses and 900,000 jobs, supporting a total population of over 2.3 million people.

The LEP is looking for experienced senior leaders and business owners with an outstanding ability to communicate, lead and influence. It also wants a new representative from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors to ensure the views of civil society continue to be reflected in decision-making.

The deadline for applications is 8 April. Visit d2n2lep.org/vacancies

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CHAMBER NEWS

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CHAMBER NEWS

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CHAMBER NEWS

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CHAMBER NEWS

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

More change?

Sarah Roach (pictured), founder of Fishinwater, shares her thoughts on change, how we cope and how it could happen so much easier

e’ve had a strange few years with lots of things happening that no one could have predicted, let alone control. Be it health, climate or politics – we’ve often been left thinking “How is this going to pan out?

What can I do to feel more in control? Can I?” This sort of change is dramatic, un-planned and negative. So much change initiated in business can be the same – although the impact is less.

But what if your change was planned, understood, and supported by your people; what if your people felt they had some say, had a sense of ownership in the direction of the change – what if they felt they were helping to shape and deliver change rather than have it done to them?

Sound good? Or impossible?

After many years helping to guide project and programme delivery, I am absolutely passionate about the importance of managing change properly – with people at the heart of it from start to finish. That experience has made it very

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clear to me that people do not recognise Change Management as a distinct process. Enforced change in the workplace is the most frustrating for me and many of my network, because it can be done better. Which means it will generate more value for you.

Alongside my passion for well-done change, I work with companies to ensure their people have the necessary “bouncebackability”; as an approved trainer with The Happiness Club, I can deliver workshops which pack a punch, giving people easy to remember techniques to help them manage stress, whilst getting an understanding of what stress really is.

To quote Charles Dickens: “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change.”

That’s what Fishinwater’s mission is – to make change brilliant – for everyone! After all, change is constant.

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive, but those who can best manage change” – Charles Dickens 50

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For more information visit:

www.fishinwater.org You can also find us on LinkedIn

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CHAMBER NEWS

Growing the number of apprenticeships Apprenticeships across Leicestershire will increase in number over coming years under a new plan to grow opportunities across business sizes and skills levels.

The Leicester and Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), working with skills partners, aims to build the number of local people undertaking an apprenticeship.

The consortium also wants to grow the number of SMEs taking on apprentices by supporting employers and education providers in increasing the number of higher and degree apprenticeships. It comes as data shows half of apprenticeships in the LLEP area are started by people aged 25 and above. Female starts outnumbered male starts in 2020-21.

The LLEP has now set out its objectives in the Apprenticeship Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2024. It follows the Levelling Up White Paper, in which Government set out 12 “missions” in which it believes progress is needed over the next decade.

Government is investing an additional £3.8bn in further education and skills to ensure the number of people successfully completing high-quality skills training significantly increases by 2030.

Verity Hancock, chair of the LLEP’s Skills Advisory Panel and principal of Leicester College, said: “Inclusivity and productivity are core focuses of the LLEP’s economic growth strategy and

we are already introducing projects, such as the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, which will improve the quality, number and take-up of local apprenticeships.

“Our Apprenticeship Strategy and Action Plan sets out how we will work with regional education, skills providers and employers, especially SMEs, to further raise awareness of apprenticeships, traineeships and Tlevels through to 2024. Our goal is to deliver improved links to careers in the curriculum, especially for those aged 16 to 18, and start apprenticeship conversations with adults. By working with business intermediaries, we can increase the number of apprenticeships locally, particularly around STEM subjects.”

Recognising that local challenges remain – including the continuing dominance of the academic route among young people, a lack of awareness about availability of apprenticeships for adults, and particular needs in manufacturing and engineering – the LLEP has published a 20-point action plan.

It aims to encourage employers to take on more apprentice talent while raising the take-up of apprenticeships among people of all ages.

Read the LLEP Apprenticeship Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2024 at bit.ly/LLEPApprenticeStrategy

Aid for disabled entrepreneurs

Online information for businesses

The Leicester and Leicestershire Business Gateway has joined forces with charity The Circle Foundation to help find and support a disabled entrepreneur with a winning business idea.

The scheme, run by a consortium of partners including the Chamber, will provide a member of its board to join the panel of judges, as well as hours of support from its business adviser team and paid consultancy from an expert in the winning sector.

Mark Esho MBE, a Leicester-based wheelchair user who has set up businesses including Easy Internet Services, founded The Circle Foundation in February to assist disabled entrepreneurs.

The charity will provide up to £50,000 of business support, alongside mentoring from Mark, for whichever person is judged to have the best viable business idea.

The search is currently on to find entrants to this unique competition and Business Gateway has now backed the initiative by joining the judging panel and offering up to five hours of support from its business advisers. If specific sector help is needed, it will also und six hours of consultancy time.

Mark, who also helps disabled people to identify the most accessible venues via the Access Rating app he co-founded, said: “We’re really delighted to have the

Chamber members can get discounted access to an online business support platform built specifically for SMEs. The Chamber has launched a partnership with Box Academy, which combines expertise from business leaders with a library of information and knowledge. It also offers access to subject matter experts, hundreds of courses for learning and development, practical tools and downloads, regular thought leadership and profit improvement ideas.

Free access to a limited amount of content is available at theboxacademy.com.

Chamber members can also get an exclusive 20% discount off annual membership by using the discount code DLE1JS3KSX.

Mark Esho MBE (left) and Rachel York

Business Gateway working alongside us on this project.

We are hoping that this additional support will ensure the winning business idea really takes off and secures a sustainable future.”

Rachel York, manager of the Business Gateway, added: “It’s important that all businesspeople know we are here to support them, irrespective of their abilities, gender, ethnicity or sexuality. Getting involved with The Circle Foundation competition is one way of clearly demonstrating this and we are very happy to be involved.”

To apply for funding from The Circle Foundation, visit www.thecirclefoundation.org.uk/apply

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

Historic family firm is keen to go green www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

Funding will aid plastic recycling Research into new sustainable ways to decontaminate plastic packaging for recycling has been given a boost with funding from UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge.

The project involving the University of Nottingham is part of £30m in funding awarded to 18 ground-breaking collaborative projects that support the achievement of the UK Plastics Pact and have the potential to alter the UK’s relationship with, and management of, plastic packaging.

The SSPP Challenge represents the largest Government investment into sustainable plastic packaging and waste management, and the results of the two funding competitions will mean five largescale demonstrator projects and 13 business-led research and development projects benefit from this backing.

Each has demonstrated its value in addressing the need to transform the UK’s retail and packaging supply chains and support the development of more sustainable approaches to plastic packaging use through a range of circular economy business models, novel polymer materials and new recycling technologies.

The University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry is part of the COtoCLEAN multipartner project led by NexTek Ltd that is developing a disruptive waterless, non-toxic cleaning process for polyolefin films that are commonly used for packaging edible and non-edible goods. The process is based on using low-pressure, super-critical carbon dioxide combined with green co-solvents to remove oils, fats and printing inks.

Professor Steve Howdle, head of the university’s school of chemistry, is leading the research that is being undertaken in collaboration with Unilever, Amcor, Viridor, Allied Bakeries, SUPREX and Bangor University.

He said: “Plastic film waste is one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges as these materials are some of the most difficult plastics to recycle yet are produced and used in huge quantities each year.

“Using Nottingham’s expertise in supercritical carbon dioxide, the COTooCLEAN project aims to deliver a revolutionary commercial process that can efficiently and sustainably decontaminate post-consumer plastic film with the aim to get them back to food grade status so that they might be recycled.”

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In the latest case study of the Chamber’s Sustainable East Midlands campaign to showcase businesses successfully embracing low-carbon practices, Business Network finds out how JG Pears embraces the green agenda.

JG Pears Description: Processor of animal by-products and food waste Location: Low Marnham, near Newark; Leicester, Sheffield and Bradford Headcount: 450 employees Spokesperson: Vicky Prussia, commercial manager

How does your business model embrace the sustainability agenda?

Celebrating our 50th year as a family-run business this year, we have played a vital role in the agricultural and food industries since we started out in 1972. We are rapidly growing with sustainability embedded in our DNA. Our business model vertically integrates from farm to feed and fertiliser by making use of all the resources at our disposal, and harnessing waste in the meat production value chain to maximise efficiency. Our category three animal rendering sites recover and reuse animal byproducts that would otherwise have been wasted in the human food chain.

Through the rendering process, we produce high-quality, protein-rich meal that has widespread use as animal and fish feeds. We also produce tallow, which is valuable animal fat that has multiple uses including palm oil replacements, pharmaceuticals and biofuels. We ensure resources are kept in use for as long as possible, meaning the carbon and resources it

takes to rear animals are not wasted, and the nutrients are kept within the feed chain.

Our highly-controlled category one sites collect fallen stock from across the UK, which is then processed into meat and bone meal (MBM).

This renewable energy source fuels our combined heat and power (CHP) plant, to generate energy for our category three plant and the National Grid. The burning of the MBM produces ash, which is very rich in natural phosphorus and potassium. This can be used as a base for renewable and sustainable fertiliser for our farmers.

What prompted the decision to embrace the sustainability agenda?

The circular economy and sustainable use of resources are at the heart of what we do. We take what would be waste and turn it into high-quality feed, green energy and renewable fertiliser.

The development of our biomass CHP has provided us with the ability to take steps to netzero and reduce our carbon foortprint. This enabled us to win the Chamber’s Environmental Impact Award and Nottinghamshire Business of the Year in 2021.

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

Mitigating your impact by carbon offsetting Carbon offsetting is a way for a person or company to reduce the level of carbon dioxide for which they are responsible by paying money to a company whose remit is to reduce the total amount of carbon produced in the world via initiatives such as planting trees.

Amy Kopyrko, a member of the Chamber's policy team, looks at how businesses can get involved as part of their sustainability journey.

Voluntary carbon offsetting has become popular in the past decade, with airlines using it as a tool to “neutralise” the emissions associated with travel and is often instrumental in companies reaching net zero targets.

How important do you believe embracing the sustainability agenda is for businesses today?

Sustainability is the key to the survival of a modern business. The economic benefits of investing in sustainable technologies and fuels are huge, through the savings in energy costs and increased business growth.

Environmental considerations should be at the forefront of all business decisions, with the demand to reduce pollution and tightening of environmental regulations only increasing. Not only this, the social benefits of sustainability make businesses better places to work and provide a higher quality of life for employees.

What are your future plans for making your business more sustainable?

In 2022, we are planning to modernise existing facilities and invest in new and innovative technology to further improve the quality and nutritional values of our products. We are considering how we can minimise packaged transport for product goods, including investigating new low-carbon methods of product delivery.

Looking to the future, we will be further developing our renewable energy output. To complement our existing biomass CHP plant and wind turbines at Spicer Hill, we will be investing in solar energy production, and electricity and energy storage.

We are also planning to upgrade our EcoStarawarded fleet with new ultra-efficient engines and are trailing the use of alternative, cleaner fuels in our boilers. This will drive our net zero agenda across the JG Pears Group.

Methods of carbon offsetting There are many ways you could choose to offset your environmental impact, including: • Tree planting: The most common method as trees store carbon dioxide for photosynthesis • Peatland restoration: Peatlands are the largest natural carbon store on Earth and restoring this land will sequester carbon • Forest conservation projects: Investments could be used to pay for training and education of local rangers, for example • Fuel-efficiency projects: Usually involves reducing emissions abroad, such as replacing fires with fuel-efficient stoves • Renewable energy projects: Investing in green energy projects such as wind or solar • Extractive technologies: This is one for the future as the technology to remove greenhouse gases from the air is in the early stages of development Preferred standards for carbon offsetting There are various standards that can be worked towards as recognition of carbon offsetting being a success. Globally, there are: • Gold Standard: Focused on progressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring projects benefit their neighbouring communities • UN Clean Development Mechanism: Industrialised nations can meet part of their emission reduction targets by carrying out emission-reduction projects in developing countries • Verified Carbon Standard: Covers projects in sectors including renewable energy and forestry

The UK also has two of its own accredited standards: • Woodland Carbon Code: The quality assurance standard for woodland creation projects in the UK • The Peatland Code: Recognises peatland restoration projects for their quantifiable climate benefits How much does carbon offsetting cost?

The average cost of a tree planting scheme is about £15 per tonne. In general, four trees will mitigate for one tonne of carbon, making the cost per tree about £3.75.

However, the cost of offsetting is expected to rise as the UK carbon price increases.

Why has carbon offsetting been controversial?

Much criticism has been levelled at carbon offsetting projects due to the fact it can allow businesses to “greenwash” customers.

There is the risk that organisations view such schemes as a “quick fix” to mitigate their emissions while continuing with business as usual.

Some also argue that forest conservation as a method of offsetting doesn’t lead to a reduction in carbon, merely preventing deforestation, while there have been reports of large-scale tree planting doing more harm than good by failing to increase the proportion of forest canopy cover.

These risks can be managed by researching offsetting partners and using projects with verified standards.

Don’t forget the sustainability mission Remember, reduction should always come before mitigation. A business should frequently review its net zero plan to make sure it is doing everything it can to reduce its emissions before turning to offsets. Has everything been covered via renewable energy? Transitioning to electric vehicles? Changing staff behaviour?

Docuflow sets standards for sustainability Document management company Docuflow has been given a stamp of approval for its sustainability efforts.

The Derby-based firm was awarded the Green Mark level one accreditation, a certification for companies to demonstrate how they are conducting business to internationally-recognised standards. Its environmental policies include minimising waste through careful procurement and recycling processes, buying sustainable products wherever feasible, and adopting and maintaining a green transport strategy.

The accreditation process involved submitting information about the business and providing supporting evidence via an online portal, with answers reviewed by an auditor. Green Mark helped Docuflow to create a framework to ensure it had the correct tools to monitor and reduce emissions, as well as communicate its sustainability efforts internally and externally.

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Firm with the tools to go global In our latest case study, Business Network turns the spotlight on major exporter R&D Tool & Engineering

R&D Tool & Engineering Location: Sutton-in-Ashfield Headcount: 85 employees Spokesperson: Elizabeth Halsey, logistics manager (pictured below)

What does your company do?

We supply development and tooling solutions for plastic containers in the food, beverage, pharma, household and personal care markets, exporting worldwide.

We offer a wide range of services from initial product concept through to final tool design including pre-sales technical evaluations, product development on all machine platforms, as well as a repair and refurbishment to existing tooling.

How has the way you trade internationally changed since Brexit?

We have a long-standing large EU customer base, meaning we have had to apply our worldwide export documentation knowledge across to our EU customers. This involves suppling accurate documentation, with all the correct information to achieve prompt clearance both out of the UK and into the EU. Obviously, this has had an impact on the time it now takes to prepare documentation for a consignment for export, and the necessary document trial after the consignment has left is now more time-consuming. Brexit has also meant we have had to enrol a designated broker for the export entry document and for import clearance.

What have been the biggest challenges this has posed for your business?

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experience, and each EU country we trade with has a different set of requirements.

Our initial challenges were the long delays at borders, while we managed to move our goods out of the UK in good time, we then experienced long delays in the EU with clearance issues and onward movement, due to the back log that had then stacked up.

How have you responded to these challenges?

We have good relations with our forwarders, and we worked together with them to make sure we had all the necessary information in place and in good time wherever possible.

We started to collate customer information from all our EU customers in the last quarter of 2020, making sure we had EU EORI numbers, contact details of the necessary people who would be the contact for clearance at their company, and finding out if they had a broker in place.

We reviewed the incoterms we had previously used for our EU customers and made some changes in preparation for Brexit, emailing our customers about what the changes would mean and reassuring them we were proactive in making sure we were doing all we could to maintain our world-class on-time deliveries, and a smooth as possible transition to the new trade rules.

When the border delays occurred, we kept our customers up to date, again assuring them of our commitment to them right up to delivery at their door.

How has the Chamber supported you in your international trade requirements?

We have been members of the Chamber for the past 15 years, and throughout this time we have been able to rely on its continued support and advice on all aspects of export and import.

Through its newsletters, we are always kept up to date with courses and any new changes in trade rules, as well as alerted to funding being made available to improve the way we operate – be it through training or equipment to enable us to continue to export and import using up-todate and compliant information.

I have attended workshops and training days on eCerts, incoterms, inward processing and outward processing suspension and declarations.

I recently completed an ITOPS course along with my colleague Sarah, in which we both achieved a distinction. ITOPS is worth the investment for anyone involved in export and import as it covers all aspects of international trade procedures.

What do you think the future EU trading relationship will look like in the long term?

From an export and import point of view, as time has progressed post-Brexit, we have grown to understand the ever-changing world of logistics from a whole new perspective, while we can now say most of our road freight into the EU travels relatively quickly. We are constantly aware of the need to keep focused and adapt quickly to change where necessary. As a company, we are committed to maintaining excellent relations with our EU customers new and old, and to play a pivotal role in the development of the industry through constant change.

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Training for changes in customs processing The Chamber is launching a new training course to support businesses with adjusting to a new electronic system for handling customs declaration processes.

The UK’s current system, CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight) will soon be replaced with the CDS (Customs Declaration Service), and exporters, importers, customs brokers and agents will need to understand the changes and differences between the two systems.

Both platforms allow importers, exporters and intermediaries to complete customs declarations, but from 31 March 2023, CHIEF will formally shut down.

The Chamber’s international trade team will host the CHIEF to CDS training course online on Tuesday 10 May from 9am to 12.30pm.

It will be led by international trade team leader Lucy Granger (pictured). She said: “Our

new course, CHIEF to CDS, will go through what a business needs to do to prepare for the changes, what the new types of payment methods are – and which payment method will soon stop – and a detailed look at the data elements on CDS.” Course topics include first steps, community systems providers, key differences, movement reference numbers (MRNs), payment methods and data elements.

Further courses are planned for 13 July, 25 October and 31 January.

The course costs £150 + VAT for members and £210 + VAT for nonmembers. It is available at a discounted rate of £100 + VAT for members and £160 + VAT for non-members for delegates who also book on to the customs declaration course or have previously attended it.

To book a place, visit bit.ly/CHIEFtoCDS

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAINING COURSES 27 April, 9-4: ITOPS – International Trade Operations and Procedures (£1,750 + VAT)

international system for coding products for customs purposes

Four-day course resulting in the ITOPS qualification, which is designed to prove that candidates have the necessary skills to accurately operate the administration procedures in international trade

12 May, 9-3.30: Customs procedures and documentation (£270 + VAT)

28 April, 9-2: Customs declarations (£280 + VAT)

17 May, 9-12: International trade – risky business! (£150 + VAT)

Learn how to produce a customs declaration or check one being produced for your company by a customs agent

Understand how to identify and mitigate risks with due diligence and robust procedures, as well as the legal requirements to consider when evaluating risk in import and export activities

4 May, 9-4: Export foundations (£270 + VAT) Introduction to the role of export, giving delegates an overall picture of how the many elements of international trade fit together

5 May, 9-12: Understanding commodity coding (£150 + VAT) Navigate the complex and difficult

Learn about details such as the critical data required for a customs declaration or the legal responsibilities of the importer and exporter

18 May, 9-3.30: Import procedures (£270 + VAT) Learn about the import process from initial contact with a potential supplier through to completing the import customs clearance and ensuring goods are received in time and within budget

*Prices listed are exclusively for East Midlands Chamber members For a full list of courses, visit bit.ly/EMCInternationalTraining

Export help for firms offering aid to Ukraine Organisations seeking to help those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine can receive support from the Chamber’s customs declaration service.

ChamberCustoms is offering free one-off export declarations for goods being transported from the UK to Ukraine and surrounding countries for humanitarian purposes.

The team will help customers understand what they will need at the UK border, create an export declaration, create a goods movement reference for truck going out and returning back to the UK, provide guidance on the steps to follow, and create an NCTS (new computerised transit system) entry for exiting the UK. It isn’t able to offer an import declaration service in the receiving country – although this is currently being waived in Poland – or an NCTS transit declaration for crossing Europe. This is also currently waived for routes through the Netherlands and France.

Customers may still need to provide an ENS in France and SI Brexit in France, as well as physical transportation of goods.

HMRC has also announced a customs easement to make it easier to move aid and donations to Ukraine. Provided the goods are not exported to, or through, Russia or Belarus, then these simplified processes apply to qualifying goods regardless of the destination to allow maximum flexibility to get to where the need is greatest.

Businesses, charities and community organisations sending aid from GB ports will be able to make a customs declaration by speaking to customs officers or simply by driving through a port. They will no longer need to complete and submit electronic customs declarations to HMRC before exporting these goods, and smaller movements will not need to use the Goods Vehicle Movement Service to pass through ports where it is in operation.

The easement will also remove other customs formalities, such as needing to notify HMRC when the goods have been exported.

For more information about how ChamberCustoms can support with moving humanitarian aid to Ukraine, visit www.chambercustoms.co.uk/ukraine

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POLITICS

This industry will always find a way Skills, digital adoption and supply chains were among the topics discussed at the Chamber’s Manufacturing and Engineering Conference, held at headline partner the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre last month as part of the Derbyshire Festival of Business. Dan Robinson rounds up the key themes affecting SMEs. MANUFACTURING REMAINS A CRUCIAL PART OF THE UK AND EAST MIDLANDS ECONOMY Manufacturing delivers £183bn in output to the UK economy, employs 2.5 million people with 12% higher salaries than average, generates half the country’s exports and accounts for twothirds of R&D activity.

The highest proportion of people working in the industry can be found in the East Midlands, where it employs 264,000 people and is responsible for 16% of the region’s output.

It faces clear challenges, however. The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles pointed out how overseas sales for East Midlands manufacturers decreased for a net 27% of firms between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 in the Quarterly Economic Survey.

Skills and inflationary pressures are also prevalent, with four in five of firms that attempted to hire struggling to find the right people and a similar proportion expecting prices to rise.

Scott says: “If you looked at our survey 10 years ago, it pretty much said the same thing, but the challenges feel a lot more acute at the moment.”

Scott Knowles

SUPPLY CHAINS ARE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE A quarter of manufacturers are reviewing their supply chains, according to Make UK’s latest research, with shortening the most likely outcome.

Tim McLean, founder and principal at global consultancy TXM Lean Solutions, highlights a 2019 McKinsey study that found a major event causing a month’s worth of disruption happened every 3.7 years.

“The savings you might make from sourcing those goods on the other side of the world might be wiped out for the next two years because of that one month of not being able to supply something,” he says.

“So people are looking a lot more at supply chain risk rather than simple unit costs, which will be very beneficial for manufacturers here.”

Tidyco, a Derby-based supplier of hydraulic and pneumatic products to the UK rail industry, already prioritises local suppliers because customers prefer quality over price, according to production director Philip Mason.

He adds: “One thing we do is rail braking systems so we can’t just get some piece of cheap metal, stick it on a train and hope for the 56

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best. So while it might cost a bit more to buy locally, our customers are happy because they know the history of the parts and they value British manufacturing.”

AUTOMATING JOBS DOESN’T NECESSARILY EQUATE TO LOSING JOBS “Robots will take away jobs but you’ll get a better one” is a line by one manufacturer quoted at the conference. A member of Make UK, the industry’s trade body, can testify to this after investing in robotic welders, as well as their employees with softer skills and technical training.

Charlotte Horobin, Midlands region director for Make UK, says: “It’s meant some people were

able to take on a new role to maintain the robotic welders, but also the existing welders have been upskilled to do the specialist work the company wouldn’t normally be able to achieve.

“The MD is now out trying to grow its order book based on these new skillsets. The company’s headcount has grown by 50% and salaries increased by 20%.”

SKILLS REMAIN TOP OF THE AGENDA AND IT STARTS IN SCHOOLS Derbyshire County Council deputy leader Simon Spencer remembers skills programmes that improve opportunities for young people being at the top of the agenda during conversations 30 years ago, so not much has changed in this respect.

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POLITICS

From left: Philip Mason, Tim McLean, TJ Duncan-Moir, Ian Harrison and Charlotte Horobin during a panel session

Frank Horsley

‘Innovation isn’t something to be scared of and we’re trying to give SME manufacturers the confidence to embrace it’ Six in 10 manufacturers believe one-fifth of their workforce could retire within the next decade, according to Make UK, and labour turnover was 25% last year – by contrast, it was 8% in 2016.

Charlotte says: “No matter what we’ve been through, skills remain at the heart of everything – helping people into the sector, upskilling and bridging for retirement.”

The key to building a skilled workforce begins at school, believes Tidyco’s Philip, who has

worked with local teachers to introduce metalwork on to the curriculum. “It gives them an idea that engineering is something they can actually do,” he adds.

DIGITAL ADOPTION IS KEY TO FUTURE PROSPECTS – BUT DON’T OVERWHELM WITH LANGUAGE Manufacturers often just “get on with what they always do”, says TJ Duncan-Moir, meaning they rarely do much marketing or networking. “They build relationships with repeat business,” says the owner of consultancy Business Glu. Smaller outfits can be difficult to engage with among organisations that support SMEs to adopt digital technology to fuel growth.

This is the aim of The Future is Now campaign by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, which encourages small manufacturers to maintain competitiveness by using digital tools.

Head of business and innovation Frank Horsley says: “Language is important – innovation isn’t something to be scared of and we’re trying to give SME manufacturers the confidence to embrace it by promoting tangible business benefits such as improving productivity, speeding things up and cutting costs.”

Adam Bates, general manager at signage maker Hardy Signs, adds: “A lot of digital improvements we’ve made in the past few years are smaller and modular to make progressive steps towards a bigger vision.”

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FEATURE

LEGAL SERVICES

New international data transfer laws take effect The UK’s international data transfer agreement (IDTA) and addendum to the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for international data transfers are now in force. Haroon Younis (pictured), partner and head of commercial at Flint Bishop, explains what this means for businesses. rom 21 March, the laws surrounding international transfers of personal data from the UK changed in a move that will affect organisations transferring personal data to certain countries by imposing new continuing obligations.

UK GDPR Article 46(1) prohibits data transfers to countries or organisations that do not uphold appropriate safeguards. To ensure compliance with data protection regulations, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has changed the way data is transferred to places that do not have appropriate measures in place.

Both the IDTA and the addendum are more user-friendly and will facilitate data transfers to countries and territories that are not approved as being able to provide adequate protection.

However, they impose a continuing obligation on organisations exporting data to unapproved territories to maintain a report on the state of data protection laws and processes of that territory.

Previously, SCCs were incorporated into any data transfer or sharing agreements where such data was transferred to unapproved territories. The IDTA is a new mechanism to facilitate such transfers from the UK only to unapproved territories, replacing the original SCCs, while the addendum is an addition and variation to the original SCCs for transfers from the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA) to unapproved territories.

F

ADEQUACY REGULATION EXEMPTION International data transfers to some countries and territories are restricted to protect individuals from losing rights afforded by UK and EU data protection laws. However, if transferring data to countries or territories covered by UK “adequacy regulations” for approved territories, you may make what would otherwise be a restricted transfer. Approved territories are in: • EEA • Gibraltar • Territories that provide adequate protection: Andorra, Argentina, Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Israel, Jersey, New Zealand, Switzerland and Uruguay Japan (private sector organisations) Canada (subject to Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act).

Any transfer to an unapproved territory is currently not covered by the adequacy regulations exemption and require these appropriate safeguards to include the following (among others in specific contexts): • Binding corporate rules (intended for use between group entities); or • Standard Contractual Clauses.

WHAT ARE STANDARD CONTRACTUAL CLAUSES? Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) contain contractual obligations on both the importer and exporter of personal data, as well as containing rights for the individuals whose data is being transferred. These rights are directly enforceable against the data importer and exporter.

These clauses must be incorporated into any agreement with countries that are not subject to adequacy decisions.

Failure to comply will cause a breach of the UK GDPR and could lead to a maximum fine of the higher of £17.5m or 4% of your global annual turnover.

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‘You must keep up to date with the laws and policies of the country you are transferring data to’ HOW ARE THE SCCS CHANGING AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS? As of 21 March, any organisation transferring personal data from the UK to an unapproved territory should use the IDTA or the addendum in order to make a restricted transfer.

Both have been introduced in response to Data Protection Commissioner versus Facebook Ireland Limited, Maximillian Schrems (Schrems II), requiring data controllers to evaluate the level of protection afforded by laws and practices of the unapproved territory to which data is being transferred, and whether they reduce the protections contained in the SCCs. The IDTA and addendum reflect Schrems II by placing ongoing obligations on the exporter to carry out transfer impact assessments (TIAs) on the unapproved territory to which data is being transferred.

Therefore, you must keep up to date with the laws and policies of the country you are transferring data to, ensuring they do not negatively affect the rights provided under the IDTA or addendum. You must also document your TIA, to demonstrate compliance with Schrems II. Pre-existing agreements, and agreements created between 21 March and 21 September this year, can use either the SCCs, IDTA or addendum as appropriate until 21 March 2024.

After 21 September 2022, all data transfers from the UK or UK and EU must incorporate the IDTA or addendum.

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GENERATION NEXT

Young people taking the

Next step in business

The East Midlands is home to a diverse range of young people excelling as owners and employees of businesses, with many of these involved with the Chamber’s Generation Next network for 18 to 35-year-olds.

Jasmine Thompson finds out their stories.

EMMA BAUMBACK FUTURE LIFE WEALTH MANAGEMENT When Emma Baumback became a qualified financial adviser towards the end of 2019, no one could have predicted the wave of uncertainty that would sweep through economies around the world just a few months later.

As many people and businesses in the UK locked down for the foreseeable future, Emma was busier than ever with stock markets around the world plummeting.

If starting a new role at Renishaw-based Future Life Wealth Management wasn’t enough of a challenge, she also had to adapt to new ways of working by managing her clients’ concerns over Zoom.

“It is far easier sitting in front of people and advising them than doing it over a screen,” adds Emma, who is also the chair of Generation Next.

“It’s much easier to read their body language to help establish a relationship based on trust and respect.

"So, when the pandemic hit and the stock market reacted for a relatively short time, we immediately sought to provide total reassurance to our clients. Personally, I had to adapt more quickly than ever by fully getting to grips with my new job."

Many office-based workers across the country will be able to relate to the changes in Emma’s circumstances, but arguably it will resonate most with the young workforce that found essential years of development in their early careers disrupted.

Whether it’s entering into the world of work at apprentice or graduate level, moving on from a first job, or achieving a new promotion – all these steps require time to get used to change, something which the pandemic did not allow.

But has this “lockdown generation” created a more resilient workforce for the future?

“I spoke to someone not long ago and they said, ‘well, if you can start advising in a pandemic, everything else is going to be a breeze’,” says Emma. “Although I’m not quite 60

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Emma Baumback (third from left) and her fellow Generation Next board members at the 2021 Annual Dinner

NETWORK OPENS DOORS TO WIDER WORLD Generation Next can provide a stepping-stone for members into the wider business community, believes Emma.

As chair, she regularly reports Generation Next activity to the Chamber’s board of directors and she believes there is a natural synergy between the two networks.

She says: “You’ve got to enjoy what you do, and you should keep going until you find that passion.

“That’s why Generation Next is so important because it can open doors to a network where you can access advice or connect with people in an industry you think you might want to pursue.

“When I was starting out, there was no third party encouraging me or giving me the tools to create my own network of support outside my friends and colleagues. Having a broader network gives you that exposure to the regional business landscape and access to much more support.

“Generation Next will just continue to grow, and eventually its members will feed into the main Chamber for support as well.

“It’s a great mechanism and can act as a stepping-stone for young entrepreneurs to go on and use the Chamber as a resource to continue building their business once they leave Generation Next.”

certain I agree with all that statement, it has taught me lessons very early on to be adaptable.

“It’s made me far more resilient in dealing with uncomfortable situations that you can encounter in your career. I’ve quickly learned how to become adjustable, which has made me better at what I do.”

FINANCIAL ADVICE WAS not a route 31-year-old Emma had always pictured herself taking. After leaving school in London, she enrolled onto a fast-track accountancy course, taking her on a well-trodden path suggested by her dad to “move to the City and get a job” in the UK’s financial hub.

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DANIEL JONES PROFESSIONAL HEATING SOLUTIONS

After a year, Emma decided accountancy wasn’t for her and took up a beauty therapy course, but it provided another dead end in terms of finding a passion in her career.

A series of job applications led to her landing a job as an administrator for an offshore financial advisory firm, before progressing to paraplanner.

It sparked an interest in this area and, after moving to Sheffield in 2011, she had her eye on becoming a financial adviser.

‘Even though we’ve not been able to get out much over the past few years, I’ve grown so much during that time at work’ She lacked the necessary qualifications but that was when she met Future Life’s managing director Jillian Thomas, who explained what was required to realise her ambition. Emma says: “Jill explained the realities to me – that I’d have to put a lot of study time and effort in – but I just thought ‘right, this is my opportunity’ and I went for it.”

She has never looked back and not only has she successfully made the step up, but last year was listed in the Top 35 Next Generation of Financial Advisers in the UK by New Model Adviser, and was recently shortlisted for Professional Adviser’s Women in Financial Advice Awards.

EMMA WAS ELECTED the first-ever chair of the board at Generation Next – known as “champions” of the Chamber’s network for 18 to 35-year-olds last year.

The board shapes the activity undertaken by the network to keep it relevant with the next generation of business leaders and

young professionals in the East Midlands.

Despite where she is now, 11 years ago Emma could never have imagined herself chairing a board – and you would typically find her at the back of the room during networking events.

Networking, while a skill that improves over time, can instil fear in the most seasoned businesspeople, but for young people it is a particularly daunting experience.

“I'll be honest, networking used to absolutely petrify me,” says Emma. “I'd just hope someone would come and talk to me because the thought of going up to someone and saying, ‘Hi, I'm Emma’ would be really hard for me. That is part of my job, and I should’ve been more confident and open, but it would just terrify me.

“Now, even though we’ve not been able to get out much over the past few years, I’ve grown so much during that time at work, and now look forward to networking so I can get out and meet more contacts.

“Everyone has been in the same situation and dealt with similar struggles – being locked down, and not being able to do their jobs how they had beforehand. But for me, it has just allowed me to grow in a slightly different way to the generation before me – and I think it’s given me a stronger set of skills to deal with challenges I will come against in the future.”

The ups and downs of the past two years have also given Emma something she had previously lacked – certainty over what she wants from her career.

“I will be in this job until I retire,” she smiles. “I just love it, and I don't think there’ll ever be an opportunity where I’ll stop learning – that’s why support networks like Generation Next and the Chamber will be with me along the way.”

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As owner of a gas engineering service business, Daniel Jones believes he can get the edge by combining both traditional and modern values to running his company.

On Professional Heating Solutions’ Facebook page, its description states it is a business “built on respect, integrity, service and excellence”.

All vital traits that will attract and retain customers, but the Derby-based company’s mere presence on social media represents the 21st century approach that has been at the centre of its success.

Daniel, who won the Breakthrough Award at the inaugural Generation Next Awards, says: “We’re building our online profile by developing a website and social media accounts, asking customers for reviews and moving up the Google rankings through SEO, as well as improving the back end system so we can manage our customer profiles better.

“It’s all about trying to change the stigma for trades by demonstrating professionalism so people feel they’re really getting value for their money.”

Setting up his own business came about by accident, Daniel admits. Having been asked by lots of family and friends to install new boilers, service heating systems and fix problems, he had to obtain a gas safe registration to carry out work.

To do this, he needed to create a business name, and Professional Heating Solutions was born in October 2019.

A Facebook page and social media advertising followed, with a strong uptake encouraging Daniel to go full-time. It has since expanded to employ eight full-time staff, with turnover growing from £160,000 in the year ending March 2021 to just under £300,000 for the latest financial year.

At last year’s Generation Next Awards, Daniel’s achievement stood out as the only tradesperson among the finalists.

The 33-year-old has since taken part in networking events and benefitted from mentoring at partner Nottingham University Business school.

“Networking is massively out of my comfort zone because as tradespeople, we don’t feel like we necessarily fit in, but I’m trying to change the mindset from being a gas engineer to a business owner,” says Daniel, who recently put his new enterprise skills to use to secure a two-year contract with a housing association in the region.

“Winning the award gave me bags of confidence in my own ability that I’d perhaps lacked previously. It was proof that although I may not think it, I am not just a tradesman.”

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Project D founders, clockwise from left: Jacob Watts, Max Poynton and Matthew Bond

MAX POYNTON PROJECT D Social media and modern forms of digital marketing have been the secrets to Project D’s rapid rise during the pandemic – but the foundations were set by good old-fashioned local relationships and entrepreneurial nous.

The Derby-based company has profiled its doughnut creations to mainly local customers across its Instagram and Facebook accounts since being established in 2018, but managed to catch the eyes of the public nationwide as everyone was locked down in their homes.

Project D now boasts a combined following of almost 250,00 people across those platforms, creating a brand profile that led to it winning six regional and national business awards last year.

Such success would have felt far away back in March 2020 when its three young founders Max Poynton, Jacob Watts and Matthew Bond felt the same weighted responsibilities of business owners across the country as their operations were shut down.

But that was when they made a key decision in their future by turning to the foundation in which they built their doughnut supply – eggs.

“We initially started selling eggs at the start of the pandemic because there was a nationwide shortage at the time,” says operations director Max. “Like us, the farmer who supplied our eggs was worried about the impact of the pandemic, so we bought them from him and sold onto the community.

“We were worried about the jobs for the people who worked for us – most of them had mortgages to pay and kids – so we felt the responsibility. We got a huge response from our social media following when we started selling eggs and were making just about enough to pay our workers so they could deliver crates to customers – and that was the beginning of our delivery service in the pandemic.”

After two weeks of selling eggs, the trio knew they needed to get back to manufacturing doughnuts – but how, when people were only allowed to purchase essential items from bricks and mortar shops?

Max recalls reading an obscure tale from the Second World War, when doughnuts were used to feed frontline soldiers and, by law, this meant they were an essential item – enabling Project D to begin selling once again from pop-up kiosks.

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SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH Having grown up with social media, the three 20-somethings have had a frontrow seat to understand how it can be used to grow a business.

Max recalls studying the YouTube channels of American bakeries to learn how to manufacture doughnuts in the early days of the business.

Even major opportunities for the trio, such as a Formula One presence at Silverstone for last year’s British Grand Prix and supplying British Airways on the first flight back to the USA after borders reopened, came about through a LinkedIn message from Max’s network.

It begs the question – if this new generation of “Generation Z” entrepreneurs has never known a business without social media or a website, does it increase the likelihood of them getting ahead of more established rivals via their inherent ability to navigate the digital world?

“Different generations use and understand social media platforms in various ways,” says Max, who admits he is having more difficulty in grasping TikTok, the video platform that has skyrocketed in popularity among the generation below him.

“A lot of my mum’s generation use Facebook every day, for example, but I wouldn’t expect them to know how to create a post for our business account. I think growing up with social media has made it easier to understand how to work it to our advantage.”

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style doughnut culture to the UK but with a British twist.

Max, now 29, says: “We started off with a small 1,000 sq ft bakery, then bought all the equipment second-hand from all over the country. We learned a lot from a freelance craft baker, which helped us to master the manufacturing process of doughnuts. Once we were happy with the product, we started marketing them, going out to events, and delivering them to people’s doors.”.

Project D’s first external recognition arrived when it won a competition with Revo, a not-forprofit that champions the retail industry, to move into a unit at the now-Derbion shopping centre free of charge for six weeks.

It continued a lease of a kiosk in the centre and traded up until the pandemic. Max adds: “We found shopping habits changed so much during that time so decided to revert back to the delivery model we started with,” he adds.

Project D now has a nationwide postal service, operating out of an 11,000 sq ft factory in Spondon packed with state-of-the-art baking equipment.

Last year, it received widespread validation from the business community, with the three founders being crowned Entrepreneur of the Year at the inaugural Generation Next Awards and Small Business of the Year at the Chamber’s Derbyshire Business Awards. Other recognition came from Derbyshire Live, Marketing Derby and the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

‘We want to open more physical locations, and develop the wholesale side of the business’

Project D operates a successful delivery model

But even though the three directors used 20th century laws and sold traditional products to get back on their feet, their efforts were documented through Instagram.

“By using Instagram, we were able to offer the egg delivery service literally with a click of a finger – and within the first 24 hours of putting a Google enquiry form on our website and promoting it via social media, we had 1,200 orders,” says Max. “A lot of people still remember that now – some people still ask us if we sell eggs when they buy our doughnuts.”

THE TRIO’S HISTORY dates back to primary school, but their childhood friendship was cut short when Matthew moved to Seattle when he was seven. Max and Jacob remained close friends and started their own individual career paths in car sales and project management respectively – while Matthew became immersed in a 24-hour doughnut culture in the USA before returning to the UK when he was 17.

They picked up right from where they left off upon their reunion and eventually put their heads together to help realise creative director Matthew’s ambition of bringing the American-

Its growth journey continues, having just launched a new e-commerce website, but has also taken its first steps back into the world of bricks and mortar with a shop at Loughborough University’s Students Union, with three more in the pipeline.

The company has fostered high-profile collaborations with the likes of Barbie, McVitie’s and British Airways, and will soon release a doughnut-flavoured beer with a popular multinational brewery and pub chain.

The ultimate vision is to take Project D nationwide. “And that’s not just delivering nationwide, that’s being accessible nationwide,” says Max. “We want to open more physical locations, and develop the wholesale side of the business, while continuing to push the postal service.”

Having been worried about keeping the livelihoods of its small team going just two years ago, Project D now has a rapidly growing workforce with more than 130 people, who Max recognises are integral to a small business.

"It’s important to have the right people on board to share your vision as you grow,” he adds.

“It’s no good having someone who thinks of their role as ‘just a job’, they need to share your passion for the business and the work,” adds Max. “I think we’ve got really lucky that we’ve found the team we have, which is why we took loads of them to some of the awards ceremonies to say, ‘thank you’. We may be the faces of the company, but they make our success happen.

“But the three of us are still so operational because we just love coming to work every day.

With such a tight team, we’d very much like to continue that way as we grow into the future.”

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COMMUNITY HELPS BEAT IMPOSTER SYNDROME Recognition is an important intrinsic motivator to any young person starting out in their career, believes Katrina.

She is a past winner of the Breakthrough Business of the Year at the Chamber’s Enterprising Women Awards, and she admits it was something she valued immensely as a young entrepreneur.

“Everyone suffers from imposter syndrome in business, especially when you’re working on your own,” Katrina says.

“There’s no-one to tell you that you’re doing a good job, so when you get that recognition, it’s a massive confidence boost and reassuring.”

Katrina has witnessed first-hand the positive effects a supportive community can have when in the early years of building a business, which is why she sits on the board of Generation Next.

For her, networks like Generation Next are essential for connecting businesspeople with key connections, and giving them a space where they can get recognised for their achievements and efforts.

She says: “Young people naturally lack experience but many find they can’t get experience because they’re young – it’s that chicken and egg situation.

“Generation Next can offer them the experience of finding a supportive community and making valuable connections.

“I would never have merged A-Star without making the connections with Purpose Media through networking.

“By joining the Generation Next board, I can now go in with my experience and say, ‘here's all the things I wish someone had told me.’

“For me, it’s about seeing someone who is like I was at 21 with the paper business cards, recognising that and just saying ‘well done for putting yourself out there and trying this.’”

Katrina Starkie started her first business straight after leaving university, aged just 21

KATRINA STARKIE DRYDEN ENTERPRISE CENTRE Fresh out of university at 21, Katrina Starkie took a different turn to many of her peers – instead of getting a graduate job, she started her own business.

She co-founded video company A-Star Media with now-husband John in 2008 and went on to grow it into a position where it merged with a bigger firm. But she believes young founders now are starting businesses in a much more pressurised environment.

“I do empathise with younger people now because I think there's a lot more pressure than when I was starting A-Star – especially on getting things right,” says Katrina, a Generation Next board member.

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young people in business, such as influencers, that are having amazing success.

“Everything is so visible now, whereas when I was starting up, there were really successful young people around, but they weren't as present – you couldn’t watch them on TikTok buying Lamborghinis – so it wasn’t as ‘in your face’ to make a comparison.

‘We had nothing, so we had nothing to lose either and decided to start making these films for a living’ “We can go online and see what the CEO of Gym Shark is doing today, for example. He’s achieved fantastic success with his company, but I see his posts on LinkedIn and think to myself

‘I’m 10 years older than you, why am I not achieving this?’”

She says there is a gap in the narrative when it comes to the reality of running a business versus the “filtered reality” seen on social media, where audiences only see the success – and emphasises the importance of relative circumstances.

“You do see on social media that success is through hard work, which is true, but we usually see it alongside the narrative working all hours of the week,” adds Katrina, who now supports budding entrepreneurs as space and community manager at Nottingham Trent University’s (NTU) Dryden Enterprise Centre. “When I see that I think, ‘okay, I get that you work hard but the reality is that luck and opportunities also present themselves but they might not for everyone’.

“It’s really tough to not compare yourself to that and forgive yourself when you do make mistakes – which are inevitable. Social feeds are

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CHATHURA SUDHARSHAN SEAMLESS SOURCE

The Dryden Enterprise Centre at NTU

what people have curated to show the sunnier side of life. Something I do with my job now is to put people in touch with others in relative circumstances, to share the reality of it to not get bogged down in the pressure of it all.”

KATRINA’S START-UP journey is perhaps relevant for today’s graduates, with A-Star born during an economic crisis.

After studying broadcast journalism at NTU, she realised there weren’t many entry-level jobs in the industry away from the major cities.

But a construction firm where she had worked part-time as a receptionist asked if she could put her degree skills to use to make instruction videos to help customers with new kitchens and bathrooms take care of them.

Katrina wrote the scripts and teamed up with John, who was also on her university course, to compile the videos.

When Chathura Sudharshan arrived in Nottingham four years ago, he had no more than a couple of hundred pounds to his name.

The Sri Lankan native hadn’t made much headway in improving his finances by the time he finished an entrepreneurship and business operations master’s degree at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) 12 months later, but it didn’t stop him from taking the plunge into business.

In 2019, he founded Seamless Source – then known as Chanodil – an online platform that connects fashion designers, manufacturers, buyers and suppliers.

By digitising fashion supply chains, Chathura believes he can simplify how garments are created, add transparency for manufacturers and improve sustainability by removing unnecessary intermediaries.

He says: “As an omnichannel sourcing platform, we can help fashion brands build a sustainable, lean and more resilient supply chain in one place.

“From concept to production, users can manage everything in one place – cutting costs and reducing the carbon footprint of each product.”

Chathura, who already had both a fashion design and product development bachelor’s degree at the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka, had always harboured entrepreneurial ambitions but struggled to get other start-ups off the ground before he landed on the idea for Seamless Source.

He used the little money he did have to invest £1,000 in getting the business up and running, using the cash to develop an initial prototype of the software, a website and server management.

“It hasn’t been a very easy journey, with the two biggest challenges being access to finance and talent,” says the 33-year-old, who still lives in Nottingham. “I had no resources and as I was ready to start the business, it was very difficult to find the right skills to make the technology product I wanted.”

Seamless Source has at least doubled turnover every year, now hitting six-figure number and just about breaking even, with income financing further product development.

“Demand for the videos started growing so instead of getting jobs after university, we started a video company and that’s when A-Star was founded,” she says.

“We had nothing, so we had nothing to lose either and decided to start making these films for a living. We originally used DVDs and USB sticks to sell the copy, before going onto YouTube.”

Katrina ran her four-person team at A-Star Media for eight years before merging with fullservice marketing agency Purpose Media.

She moved over to head up the video team at the South Normanton-based company and spent five years there, eventually becoming marketing director before another new challenge opened up to join NTU’s new £9.5m Dryden Enterprise Centre last year.

It feels like going back to her roots by supporting entrepreneurs in their growth journey

Chathura is now one of nine people in his team, which is split between the UK and Sri Lanka, and it has worked with more than 100 brands in countries including the US, Canada, UAE, South Africa, Sweden and Denmark.

There are imminent plans to launch a smartphone app and to tap into blockchain technology, which adds extra transparency to data, further down the line.

Being a young entrepreneur who is familiar with technology and engaged with the ESG (environmental, social and governance) agenda no doubt gives him an edge.

He identifies three specific problems in the fashion industry that he is helping to solve – manufacturers’ difficulties in finding reliable, sustainable and ethical suppliers; complex and costly order and operational management processes; and a lack of transparency due to brokers being unable to explain the source of products.

“Technology helps to figure out what’s going wrong in the supply chain,” says Chathura, who was among the first cohort of Generation Next’s board. “Companies talk about how they’re trying to become more sustainable but aren’t able to track what they’re doing.

“Young innovators have grown up with the technology and can understand how to use digital tools to overcome key barriers and make decisions based on the results they produce.”

via office space, workshops and advice, alongside strategically creating a community of people between members who span from student start-ups to established businesses.

“The most consistent thing I’ve found from moving through my experiences is not knowing what you’re doing,” adds Katrina.

“I’ve never done anything that I had done before, there’s always been an element of newness. Take being here at the university, everything is new; the building is new so everything needed creating, from lanyards to fire drills.

“I guess what really drives me in my work is coming up with solutions and when something is new, there are always problems in need of fixing.

Not everything works obviously, but you learn and move on from it – something I think the younger generation should always remember when moving to a new experience.”

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GREEN BUSINESS

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Even a complex industry can find a green routine

By Rebecca Bayliss (pictured), formulation and materials scientist at Merlin Power n the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing can be a complex process varying from plant to plant and product to product.

Making an environmentally-friendly manufacturing process can be challenging and has to take into consideration regulatory issues and safety.

The main challenge for the pharmaceutical industry is to be able to maintain its production schedules and deliver medicines where they are needed, but keep sustainability in mind.

With the increased focus on preserving the environment for future generations and to responsibly consume and produce, companies are embracing more sustainability strategies.

I

BUSINESS BENEFITS OF GOING GREEN Many technologies ensure cleaner energy consumption and improve waste management that has been developed and is easy to implement. It is important to lead the way and target initiatives to try and reduce the amount of impact medicines have.

The products and processes used in drug development can be toxic to the environment are often expensive, and can produce a lot of waste.

This in turn can pose a threat if the waste is not disposed correctly. With every 1kg of the active ingredient, 100-times more material is produced.

This requires facilities for production and waste disposal, and longer lead times, which can be bad for the environment and extremely expensive.

Being green has many advantages for businesses, such as reducing waste and cutting costs.

However, the decision to be greener always comes down to time versus money. Reducing waste and carbon footprint brings financial benefits to a business.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE SUSTAINABILITY One way in which medicine development and supply can be improved is by harnessing technology that can streamline processes, reduce the risk of batch failures, and improve yield. This is good for the company and good for the planet.

Compaction simulators were originally invented to reduce the manufacturing risks of tablet products.

They are hydraulic test presses connected to computer controls to explore compression and make predictions.

Today, they are working to improve processes at all stages of tablet development. Imagine if those issues that are causing poor yield and failed batches in production now could have been prevented, how much less waste would there be?

BEING GREEN BY WORKING SMARTER There are many ways to increase efficiency by harnessing compaction science. In early tablet development, understanding the properties of the initial powders can fast-track the way to a more successful formulation.

Expensive drugs are saved by reducing the requirements and need for full-scale tests.

As the process develops, testing in the laboratory can mimic production conditions on a fraction of the scale that full-sized production equipment needs.

It used only gram quantities rather than kilogram quantities and reduces the need for full-scale experimentation.

Being able to provide highly accurate measurements and testing with a small sample amount to indemnify any potential problems can lead to huge savings in time and money during the scale-up. The biggest saving is to the environment as less waste is produced.

Testing a formulation and determining the optimum compression can improve the efficiency of the production process. Production will not have to stop when an issue is found which in turn saves time and money.

Sticking is often a problem that can cause a loss of yield and downtime for manufacturers. Modern testing methods are being used to assess the risk of sticking at an earlier stage in manufacturing with the possibility of removing the risk in production. Scientific measurements can be used to quantify the risk and find solutions even for existing products.

Sustainability is about working smarter and utilising the resources we have to optimise tablet development and powder handling for a clean future.

‘Sustainability is about working smarter and utilising the resources we have to optimise tablet development’

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FEATURE

GREEN BUSINESS

Sustainable products must use sustainable methods

By Peter Grundy (pictured), demand planning and continuous improvement director at Liniar he global climate emergency has come into sharp focus, and it is more important than ever that large and small businesses create sustainable products using sustainable methods.

We all have our part to play, from consumers to the very largest companies, and the supply chain therein. We can’t delay any more, as a nation and as part of the global community – it’s everyone’s responsibility to reduce carbon emissions as quickly and as sustainably as possible.

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WORKING TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY The journey to sustainability will be ongoing as new products, recycled raw materials and ways of working come to the fore.

The world is in “catch-up mode” to halt the damage and the more we look at ways of saving carbon emissions, and reducing the future environmental impact of products and services, the more likely we are to reach our net zero target.

At Liniar, we are on a continuous improvement journey to make both our products and our operation as sustainable as possible.

Through continuous innovation, we have designed Liniar PVCu profiles to offer high thermal efficiency when fabricated into window and door frames and roofing, helping buildings reduce both energy consumption and carbon emissions. In addition, we use recycled PVCu for internal components to further reduce the impact on the environment.

But it doesn’t stop there – we’re constantly looking at our manufacturing processes, materials and facilities to reduce our carbon emissions.

HOW COMPANIES CAN REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS There is a lot of “noise” about how businesses and homeowners can be more sustainable, but not all measures are suitable.

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At the end of the day, profit shouldn’t be a dirty word; a business can’t be viable without profit to reinvest.

Sustainable measures must be cost-effective, while realising a return on investment and with a well-planned sustainability strategy this can be achieved.

DOING THE RIGHT THING Doing the right thing for the environment can come in many different guises, including using sustainable paper, encouraging customers to go paperless and introducing electric fleet vehicles, to name but a few.

But, as before, it must be financially viable and sustainable for the business and not be seen as simply virtue signalling.

If you’re going to be sustainable, do it for the good of the environment and your business, not because you think it’s what people want to see and hear.

Embed sustainability at the heart of your business and make sure that everyone lives and breathes it.

Products and services have moved on so much in the past five years and we encourage our supply chain partners to come to us at the earliest opportunity to show new technologies that will help further reduce our carbon footprint.

For example, we’ve installed LED lighting throughout our business and our sales team now drive electric cars.

We are investing in the future of our products, our facility and the environment. To remain successful, this must be an integrated journey.

We have a way to go to get to a net zero carbon position, but we’re proud of our progress, and we’ll continue to seek out innovation that pushes us forward.

‘It’s everyone’s responsibility to reduce carbon emissions as quickly and as sustainably as possible’

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GREEN BUSINESS

FEATURE

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BUSINESS NETWORK

T: 01482 214169 M: 07926 566220 E: darren@randdsecurityservicesukltd.co.uk E: accounts@randdsecurityservicesukltd.co.uk W: randdsecurityservicesukltd.co.uk 70

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TRAINING & EVENTS

Giving business power to succeed Each year, the Chamber supports more than 100 businesses with bespoke training courses. Business Network finds out how it benefited a Derbyshire manufacturer.

Tell us what your business does and who you work with?

We are manufacturers of emission monitoring equipment for power generating plants. We also produce road and rail tunnel monitors, selling via a global distributor network – with 95% of our turnover coming from export markets.

What type of training did you require?

As a small business, we are keen at developing younger team members and allowing them to grow and develop. The Chamber offers a range of courses and support that allow us to offer these career development benefits to our team in a formal and recognised format.

What did the training delivered by the Chamber involve?

We have taken part in several different forms of training, from bespoke team-building sessions and help with sales direction to enrolling people in the Director Development Programe. These have been in-person and virtually over the past two years, both of which were delivered very well.

How will this support your business aims and objectives?

Exposing the team with the range of business aspects, allows me as a leader to ensure they are all aligned with business aims and objectives. It has been very valuable in getting everybody pulling in the same direction for the business.

Why should businesses place a strong emphasis on continuous staff development?

Staff development is very important for any

business if it wants to maintain staff engagement. It also allows the business to embed its objectives and aims, while allowing people to grow with the organisation.

What do you believe were the main benefits of a bespoke training course?

These have proven very useful and successful for Codel as having the ability to tailor training sessions allows the team to relate specific sessions directly to their own role. This seems to keep our team members more engaged and keener to do more.

Codel International Ltd Location: Bakewell, Derbyshire Number of employees: 48 Spokesperson: Richard Hallam, operations director (pictured)

Bespoke training to meet your needs From leadership and management to personal development and customer care, bespoke training gives businesses the opportunity to shape how they want to upskill their staff.

The Chamber’s team of trainers will work with organisations to design and develop tailored face-to-face or online sessions, which are delivered to either individuals on a one-to-one basis or to larger groups.

A dedicated staff member liaises with the business lead throughout the programme – selecting a training specialist most suited to its needs, ensuring all its requirements are met when designing the course content, and completing a quality check following the course delivery.

The Chamber supports more than 100 businesses with bespoke training courses each year, and can also provide specialist coaching and consultancy.

Business training manager Vicki Thompson said: “We are very proud of our reputation as a leading provider of commercial training across the East Midlands area and beyond.

“Not only do we run a comprehensive range of open courses and development programmes to support individual companies, we also provide dedicated bespoke options for businesses to access. We are pleased to be the provider of choice for many local businesses.”

For more information on bespoke training, email vicki.thompson@emc-dnl.co.uk or call 0333 3200333 (ext 2153).

Programme will teach directors the skills to lead Directors and senior managers can gain key skills needed to lead teams at a five-day training programme run by the Chamber.

The Director Development Programme, which begins on Wednesday 11 May, is designed for individuals who want to support and grow their business, or the department they lead.

The objective is to equip them with the skills and confidence needed to achieve objectives that will ultimately drive the business forward.

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covers the following topic headings: • Developing vision, values and strategy leadership (11 May) • Planning, direction and priorities (25 May) • Finance for non-financial directors (8 June) • People management approaches (16 June) • Driving performance and leading change (29 June) The course is structured as progressive stages in a business development process, with participants having specific action steps to begin during the session and complete between each one.

At each subsequent session, they will be expected to discuss how they have applied the material covered during the previous instalment in order to ensure the process is grounded in practicality.

The Director Development Programme is delivered by course trainer Charles Barnascone at the Chamber’s office at NG2 Business Park, in Nottingham. It costs £1,450 + VAT for Chamber members and £1,850 + VAT for non-members.

For more information, visit bit.ly/DDPMay21

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TRAINING & EVENTS

Prestigious event celebrates culture and communities he East Midlands’ diversity and inclusion story was told via the medium of dance, music and food as one of the highlights in the Chamber events calendar returned.

More than 350 people attended the Celebration of Culture and Communities – held in partnership with emh group, Morningside Pharmaceuticals and HSBC UK – at Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium on Thursday 24 March.

Guests were greeted at reception by a choir from the Embark Federation, a group of 13 schools across Derbyshire that work together to push up standards, and enjoyed a three-course Indian-inspired meal. They were treated to three performances by Nupur Arts, a Leicester-based dance group whose members featured in Marvel Studios’ Eternals movie, in Kathak, Bollywood and Bhangra dance styles.

For the first time in the Chamber's history, it presented three special awards – to Cosy Foundation for Excellence in Equality, Autism East Midlands for Excellence in Inclusion, and De Montfort University for Excellence in Diversity – to acknowledge the work that is making a difference to the region. A series of keynote speeches also tapped into these themes. Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, chair of Loughborough-based Morningside Pharmaceuticals, spoke about the

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Dr Nik Kotecha OBE speaks at the Celebration of Culture and Communities event

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TRAINING & EVENTS

Representatives from HSBC UK, a partner of Celebration of Culture and Communities

Chamber staff, partners and guests at the event

Chan Kataria OBE, chief executive of emh group

Pritti Allen, of emh group

Hitesh Mehta and Shefali Tailor, of HSBC UK

...from page 73.

50-year anniversary of the expulsion of Indian diaspora in Uganda. and the subsequent impact this community has had on the UK economy after many migrated to Britain.

He also explained the work of the Randal Charitable Foundation, which he founded to help socially disadvantaged people by offering grant funding to organisations that deliver life-saving and life-changing services.

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Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles

the affordable housing provider’s joint first-ofits-kind research with the Chamber on equality, diversity and inclusion engagement among East Midlands businesses.

Roger Pratt, central region director in business banking at HSBC UK, also highlighted the firm’s work in supporting communities, while the Chamber’s vice-president Stuart Dawkins emphasised the importance of businesses and communities going hand in hand.

Scott Knowles, chief executive of the Chamber, said: “The Celebration of Culture and Communities event has become one of the most highly anticipated events in our calendar so it

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TRAINING & EVENTS

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AWARD WINNERS Cosy Foundation Excellence in Equality (sponsored by Morningside Pharmaceuticals) Set up in 2011 by Derby-based business Cosy Direct, which supplies outdoor educational resources for young children, the Cosy Foundation distributes more than 10% of the company’s profits to community projects that help to reduce inequality for adults and improve children’s life chances. To date, it has provided £250,000 funding to more than 80 projects, ranging from camping trips for 5,000 Derby children to building classrooms in three African countries that have enabled almost 50,000 student days in its first decade.

Autism East Midlands Excellence in Inclusion (sponsored by emh group)

The Embark Federation’s children's choir

Fraser Stretton Property Group owners Jaz Kaur and Narinder Singh Nijjar

Alexandra Slack, from House of LM

was great to have it back after last being held just weeks before the first national lockdown.

“Our region has much to celebrate in terms of our diverse range of people, communities and businesses, and it was fantastic to have so many inspirational individuals in one room for the evening to get a snapshot of the eclectic cultural talent that exists on our doorstep.

“We were delighted to join our partners in recognising some of the organisations that are making a difference in equality, diversity and inclusion – a subject that is all about improving opportunities for our people, which can only be good for the local economy and our communities.”

The Worksop-based charity, founded in 1968, exists to ensure autistic people can lead their lives with dignity, choice and independence. It recently established an employment service offering targeted professional support, advice and training to help service users achieve their full potential in work after recognising only 16% of working-age autistic people are in fulltime employment. The charity also runs Sutherland House School, in Sneinton, for students with autism from early years through to post-16s.

De Montfort University (DMU) Excellence in Diversity (sponsored by HSBC UK) Alongside having a highly racially diverse student population – half of its 29,000 students come from Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds – DMU has taken major steps to continue creating opportunities. Its Leicester Future Leaders project aims to increase the number of BAME graduates who progress into highly-skilled work in Leicester, and as part of this the Make Diversity Your Business conference brought together students and businesses to explore barriers in graduate recruitment.

Nupur Arts performed in Kathak, Bollywood and Bhangra dance styles

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY Helping local businesses succeed online Chesterfield business owners have spoken about the value of receiving a helping hand to step into the digital world via a Chamber-delivered scheme.

Since being launched in June last year, the Chesterfield Digital High Street Project, which is funded by Chesterfield Borough Council, has helped more than 80 small and micro businesses to make the most of their presence online.

It offers support and guidance on using online tools and in some case provides funding for e-commerce websites built by the Chamber’s strategic partner Purpose Media.

TwelfthCraft is a retail emporium based in The Shambles specialising in dolls houses, miniatures, accessories, curios and gifts. Since joining the project, owner and manager Caroline Gleadall has created an online presence that has led to a 10% increase in sales and has developed a plan to further expand her business over the next three years.

Caroline said: “I’ve developed the confidence to pay for Facebook advertising, and the time I’m committing to my social media presence has provided lots of new connections, allowed me to contact my customers, and given them the opportunity to leave reviews. I’m about to launch my new e-commerce website, which will help me reach new markets.”

Brampton Brewery, a longestablished micro-brewery in Chatsworth Road, has received grant funding for a new website to sell products.

Chris Radford, managing director and head brewer, encouraged others to get involved, adding: “There really is no reason not to. You'll have access to a wide range of advice and services from industry specialists who just want to see you succeed.”

The Chamber’s head of enterprise Paul Stuart added: “By engaging with the Chesterfield Digital High Street project, small businesses can benefit from expert support to equip themselves with the right mix of tools needed for the online world.”

For more information, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/ chesterfield-digital-highstreet

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Conference puts spotlight on the latest digital trends

Clockwise from above: Diane Beresford and Cllr Nick Rushton welcome delegates to the conference, Ian Lockwood and Penny Power OBE

From artificial intelligence and SEO to WordPress and LinkedIn, the latest digital trends were presented to delegates at the Digital Marketing Conference 2022.

Some of the region’s top experts in digital marketing gathered at Leicester Marriott Hotel on 4 March for the event, which was led by the Chamber, and fully funded by Leicestershire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Sessions explored topics such as what’s new in search, automating digital marketing with AI, why it may be sensible to avoid Google Recommendations, full suite editing in WordPress and how to get the best out of LinkedIn. Councillor Nick Rushton, leader of Leicestershire County Council, opened the event and Penny Power OBE, who founded the first social network for businesspeople, Ecademy, in 1998, delivered a keynote speech.

The Chamber’s deputy chief executive Diane Beresford said: “It was fantastic to have some of the region’s leading practitioners in digital marketing sharing a stage and bringing delegates up to date with the latest digital trends, which may inspire new ways of working and potentially even transform the way they do business.”

The conference also showcased milestones and successes of the Digital Growth Programme, which over the past six years has invested more than £9.3m across Leicestershire to help SMEs embrace the digital world.

It ran from 1 July 2016 to 31 March this year, delivering a comprehensive programme of two-

hour awareness-raising events and three to six-hour strategic actionplanning workshops supported by specialist advisers and grant funding. Its achievements included: • 1,888 businesses supported • £2.2m grants awarded to 211 businesses • £3.8m private sector technology investment • 252 businesses received dedicated specialist advice • 337 two-hour events delivered to 8,423 delegates • 252 three to six-hour strategic workshops delivered to 2,638 delegates Success stories in which businesses have been able to grow as a result of support they received

from the programme were celebrated at the conference.

Nenette Scrivener, owner of Market Harborough-based Nenette Chocolates, received online support, one-to-one mentoring and attended workshops. She said: “The Digital Growth Programme was vital in helping me with the transition from physical sales to the digital online process.”

DB Automation, an automation machinery manufacturer that was named the Chamber’s Leicestershire Business of the Year in 2020, received and specialist advice and a £9,500 technology grant that was used to invest in upgrading IT infrastructure to transform productivity.

Group director Nick Parker said: “The business is now operating more efficiently. The new IT infrastructure supports better cohesion between sites and that means productivity has increased markedly.”

How to continue accessing digital business support Following the end of the Digital Growth Programme, businesses can access fullyfunded digital support via the Digital Upscaler.

Part-funded by the ERDF, it aims to provide high-growth businesses across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire with the knowledge, investment and capacity to scale up through embracing new technologies.

Visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/digitalupscaler

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

BT gets creative to boost city’s mobile coverage BT has boosted mobile coverage in Nottingham by mounting small cell antennas on street furniture such as lampposts and CCTV columns.

The telecoms firm has also used its own assets, including phone boxes and its Street Hub 2.0 digital units, to enable its mobile arm EE to house hundreds of small cells to boost capacity in high-demand areas.

‘Ensuring good digital infrastructure is a priority for many councils’ Small cells are mobile radio cells that help to provide better coverage for customers at street level, where it’s often impractical to install larger mobile masts or where an offloading capability is required.

The programme will allow EE customers to experience uninterrupted data speeds of up to 300mbps in Nottingham, while BT is also working with other UK mobile network operators to deploy small cells around the UK to

Left: BT is also using its own assets, such as phone boxes, to house small cells to boost mobile coverage.

Right: BT’s new Street Hub 2.0 units can also house small cells

help extend and densify their highspeed mobile network coverage.

The infrastructure will be delivered over the next 18 months and can also support 5G network coverage in the future.

Brian More O’Ferrall, director of mobile operators in BT’s enterprise business, said: “Ensuring good digital infrastructure is a priority for many councils, especially with the rise in mobile device ownership and growth in demand for data and connectivity, and they have seen the benefits that such partnerships can provide.

“Not only does it mean that

average download speeds can often double in some areas, but it's also more efficient and means there is a reduced need for new cell masts in the localities.”

Councillor Rebecca Langton, portfolio holder for sills, growth and economic development at Nottingham City Council, said: "Demands for digital connectivity are set to grow even more over the next few years and this partnership with BT means we are able to ensure better mobile coverage for our residents, visitors and businesses.

“With a number of EE small cells already installed and more to

Top award for Bam Boom’s CEO Bam Boom Cloud CEO Vicky Critchley has been named the winner of the Outstanding Leader of the Year Award at the 2022 Digital Revolution Awards.

The category recognised the most inspirational leaders across the cloud space and Vicky was commended for helping the Derby-based global IT firm to develop a reputation not only for customer excellence, but also as an inclusive and progressive workplace.

Judges said she “takes a proactive and hands-on approach to helping women thrive in tech”. Under her leadership, the percentage of women in the global team has grown to 32%, with more than half of senior management positions held by women.

In February 2021, Vicky and partners completed the management buyout of Bam Boom Cloud and supported a relatively young workforce across three continents in the process. She’s an advocate of people being their authentic selves at work, placing an emphasis on a culture that values empathy, trust, clarity and kindness.

“This award means so much to me, and is dedicated to my team, who I am privileged to lead and who mean everything to me,” she said “I must also recognise Microsoft, whose cloud technology is the backbone of our business, and the Women in Dynamics community which I am honoured to chair.

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Bam Boom Cloud CEO Vicky Critchley (second right) and awards host Maxine Nwaneri (right)

more inclusive and diverse technology sector.”

The Digital Revolution Awards were created in 2020 to celebrate the best individuals and global businesses in cloud technology, showcasing the work that is helping to power the future while making the industry a better and fairer community. Entrepreneur Maxine Nwaneri hosted the awards ceremony in London on 25 February.

follow over the next 18 months, it's fantastic that our existing street furniture, together with BT assets, can provide a simple and efficient solution to fast-track mobile network infrastructure in our city.”

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently launched its new Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator (DCIA) scheme to enable telecoms firms to get easier access to public buildings and street lights, bus shelters and traffic lights to mount small cell equipment for 4G and 5G networks.

University to focus on artificial intelligence Researchers from the University of Nottingham have received the first ever Turing Network Development Award to focus on making artificial intelligence accessible and building trust in its use.

One of 24 universities to receive the new award, it was chosen after demonstrating its proven research excellence and track record of translation in data science and AI. The work of the university will now be significantly enhanced through active involvement with the Institute’s thriving network.

Praminda Caleb-Solly, professor of embodied intelligence, will lead the project at the university, under the title Accessible AI@Nottingham, which aims to build public trust by promoting transparency of AI decision-making.

She said: “There is a huge amount of knowledge and expertise in AI and data science at the university so it is really exciting to receive this award, which will provide a unique framework to share and collaborate with other universities across the country.”

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LEGAL

Law firm earns key housing role Law firm Shakespeare Martineau has been appointed to national developer Lovell Homes’ core legal services panel.

Led by partners Neil Gosling and Kevin Joynes, the residential development team successfully took on a highlycompetitive and lengthy tender process to secure one of four available slots on the three-year panel, sharing a legal spend of more than £3m per year.

The firm’s role will largely involve carrying out residential development work, including land acquisition, strategic land, legal planning and later living, as well as providing advice on property disputes and construction matters in England and Wales.

Neil, head of residential development, said: “To be one of the four firms chosen to form Lovell’s new legal panel is hugely exciting, especially as we were competing against a number of large national firms.

“We’ve invested significantly in our people in recent years to ensure we have an incredibly strong group of talented lawyers across numerous disciplines who are all perfectly placed to provide the best advice at all times.”

As a full-service law firm, the team of 60 residential development experts at Shakespeare Martineau helps clients in matters including planning issues, construction warranties and building agreements, property disputes, and corporate and tax structuring.

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Graduate visa scheme is a big plus for employers On 1 July 2021, the Government introduced the graduate route visa to enable students to stay in the UK for at least two years after their graduation. Unlike other visas that require the employer to make the application, this route requires the graduate to apply and pay the consequent fees. George Hanvere (pictured), trainee solicitor at Paragon Law and a Generation Next member, explains gives a step-by-step guide and explains how employers can benefit from the visa.

The application is made by the student, not the business Applications are made online at www.gov.uk/graduate-visa. The application fee is £700, in addition to a health surcharge of £624 for each year an individual is in the UK. The Home Office says it will take about eight weeks for a decision on the application But employers should note that international students can begin full-time work once they have completed their course and their student visa will be automatically extended until the Home Office makes a decision on the graduate visa application. Organisations will need to use the employer checking service to obtain a positive verification from the Home Office that there is an application pending.

Once the application is approved, the student will receive an email confirming their digital status This will include a PDF of their decision letter. Graduates will then be able to view their immigration status online and obtain their “share code” to provide to employers as proof of status.

Employers can use the share code and the graduate’s date of birth to check their right to work This must be done in the presence of the graduate (in person or virtually) to check the online photo matches the person. You can then save the online profile page as a hard copy or electronically as a PDF. A graduate visa lasts for two years – or three years for PhD graduates The good news is graduates will be able to carry out any type of work, meaning employment does not need to be related to their field of study. The Home Office identifies the graduate route as one way of addressing the skills shortages following the EU free movement of workers ending and employers should take advantage.

As a business, it allows you to train and develop new talent It also helps you to recruit strategically, particularly where your company is gearing up to explore overseas markets. Further, there are no minimum salary requirements in employing graduate visa holders other than national minimum wage.

Graduate visa holders can eventually be switched to a skilled worker visa Having invested time and money in their training and development, this is an option so long as you have a sponsor licence. This licence should be viewed as an asset for the business as it will allow you to widen your recruitment search for the brightest and best talent, regardless of where they are based in the world.

Graduate visa holders switching to the skilled worker route will be regarded as new entrants and therefore businesses will benefit from being able to pay a minimum salary of £20,480 or 70% of the going rate salary (whichever is higher) for the jobs they will be carrying out.

Finally, a note of caution for employers You can’t refuse applications from those with time-limited visas and right to work. All applicants should be considered on merit and refused because there were stronger candidates.

Avoid discrimination claims, or else be prepared to justify your position.

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BUSINESS NETWORK

Firm reveals most successful year Flint Bishop is celebrating its most successful year to date after reporting record revenue and headcount surpassing prepandemic levels.

For the 12 months to 31 December 2021, the Derby-based law firm's turnover climbed to £16.7m, an increase of 10% on the previous year, with pre-tax profits also rising over the same period.

As part of its expansion plans across the East and West Midlands, it has welcomed 79 new recruits since January last year.

Following the major recruitment drive, several key appointments for senior positions were secured, including head of insurance litigation Anthony Carrington, head of recoveries Michael Brooks and head of commercial Haroon Younis.

A sustained period of growth last year was boosted by several highprofile client acquisitions, including the addition of two of the UK’s “big six” energy suppliers. Flint Bishop now acts for four of this cohort, adding to a client roster that boasts household-name brands including Royal Mail, Heineken, Costcutter, UK Mail and Autoglass.

Chief executive Qamer Ghafoor said: “Our notable results and

Qamer Ghafoor

achievements over the past 12 months are a real testament to the strength of our people.

“Together with a strong management team, we have proven the firm is very resilient, even during difficult trading conditions, due to the team spirit and efforts of all the staff.

“The focus for the next 12 to 24 months will be on strategies that will drive significant growth throughout the firm, including continued investment in our IT infrastructure to enhance our

operational efficiency and deliver innovative solutions to our clients.

“To support our ambitious growth plans, further strategic appointments are in the pipeline to bolster the leadership team.”

The firm’s fast-growing insurance litigation practice defended a number of multi-million-pound cases throughout the year, and achieved substantial savings for clients, running into tens of millions of pounds.

Already this year, its large loss team has settled the highest value

claim ever entrusted to the department, pleaded at almost £26m. The team saved the client more than £12.8m on the claim value, as well as nearly £500,000 on the costs of a trial.

The commercial litigation team made national law reports by securing several wins in the Court of Appeal. The Legal 500 “top tier” practice was also successful in defending its largest insurer client from a challenge by a top five UK insurance firm in the application of Motor Insurers’ Bureau articles.

The final decision meant the client was not responsible for a reserve of at least £15m, with all costs available from the insurance company being recovered.

Flint Bishop’s commercial property department’s deals totalled more than £150m, which included acting on the disposal of a commercial development site for £48m, and the firm’s residential conveyancing team achieved a record year, completing more than 1,800 transactions.

In addition, an uplift in M&A activity meant the corporate finance division completed 50 transactions with an aggregate deal value exceeding £200m.

If you’d like to join us, please contact Amanda on 07715 078 789 or at amanda.mcfarlane@vistablind.org.uk for your invitation and the meeting link. www.vistablind.org.uk Registered Charity No. 218992

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FINANCE

SMEs must get up to speed on digital tax rules New Making Tax Digital (MTD) rules arriving this month will lead to a “seismic cultural shift” for SMEs, says a senior accountant.

Becki Roberts, senior manager at UHY Hacker Young’s Nottingham office, urged businesses to get up to speed on embedding digital practices after a compliance threshold was removed from 1 April.

More than a million UK businesses earning below £85,000 revenue must now maintain digital tax records and upload VAT returns online using various available software.

Becki said: “MTD is a more accurate and sustainable approach to tax collection. It first came into effect in April 2019 when VATregistered businesses with a taxable turnover exceeding the £85,000 threshold were obligated to process tax returns digitally.

“With the removal of this threshold, more than one million

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lower-earning SMEs will now have to comply with MTD rules, and the countdown will be on for selfemployed individuals to do the same by April 2024. While this has been in the preparation phase for years, it should still be expected that the change could come as a particular challenge.”

‘More regular and digital reporting will bring a seismic cultural shift for 3.4 million self-employed individuals’ Explaining the MTD obstacles that lie ahead for industries across the East Midlands, including hundreds of businesses that UHY supports, Becki added: “Many self-employed businesses across the East Midlands will now be required to

Becki Roberts

submit returns quarterly instead of just annually.

“The more regular and digital reporting will bring a seismic cultural shift for 3.4 million selfemployed individuals across the UK, who may have been accustomed to the annual visit to the accountant with a bag full of receipts.

“There is an abundance of MTDcompliant software available to process tax returns digitally – most notably QuickBooks, Xero and Sage. Bridging software is also a

useful tool that can convert your transactions into MTD-compliant returns by inputting expenses through spreadsheets.

“Ultimately, reporting five times per year instead of one will be a blessing in disguise for selfemployed businesses, with the changes enforcing them to monitor expenses on a more regular basis to become better in touch with their real-time cash flow situation.

“If SMEs want to be proactive, then embedding tax digital practices now is important.”

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BUSINESS NETWORK

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SKILLS

College shows how robotics are the future A new chapter in automation and robotics technology has been showcased by West Nottinghamshire College – highlighting the breadth of new jobs being created in the sector.

The college opened the doors to its Engineering Innovation Centre, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, to demonstrate its state-of-the-art training facilities to companies and stakeholders, who learned more about how this rapidly-expanding technology is set to benefit businesses across the East Midlands.

The event, “Automation and Robotics: Is your business fit for the future?”, in February was also attended by a host of organisations and training providers that demonstrated their provision along with opportunities available in the sector.

A new automation and robotics curriculum at the college will include CNC machinery, programmable robotic arms and 3D printers, which are used by students on courses ranging from an introduction to robotics, through to the Level 3 diploma in advanced engineering (automation and robotics engineering), along with full and part-time courses and apprenticeships.

Chris Oliver, head of the college’s engineering department, said: “The event was a great success and saw a really diverse range of businesses come along to discover more about our innovative training facilities, as well as the future of jobs in the automation and robotics sector.

“There was the shared positivity that the courses we are running will very much support the

development of aspiring engineers.

With new technologies comes the need for skilled people who are able to service, repair and understand the principles of operation of autonomous machinery and robotic equipment.”

West Nottinghamshire College recently invested £2m in cuttingedge engineering technology, in partnership with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, and the Education and Skills Funding Agency – part of the Department for Education – which contributed £700,000 and £1m respectively.

‘The courses we are running will very much support the development of aspiring engineers’ It is collaborating with three other institutions – Lincoln College, Chesterfield College and RNN College Group – on projects across advanced manufacturing, aviation, integrated systems engineering, and automation and robotics as part of the Government’s Skills Accelerator programme.

The partnership also involves Nottinghamshire’s careers guidance service Futures and Inspire, the organisation that delivers cultural services on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.

The consortium was awarded a combined £3.2m from the Department for Education’s Strategic Development Fund to support the expansion of a highvalue curriculum offer that will

Top: Extended Diploma students Joseph Colclough and Kacey Gilberthorpe Above: Tutors demonstrated how to control the robots

meet the longer-term skills priorities across the region and strengthen links with employers.

Visitors at the event learned about how the bespoke training can be delivered at their own premises using the college's flagship mobile training facility. The college has invested in an electric vehicle that is now visiting employers across the area to deliver robotics training to workers in the engineering sector.

Chesterfield College presented its developing offer in relation to advanced manufacturing, particularly using additive processes. North Nottinghamshire College – part of the RNN Group – showcased opportunities relating to

the National Fluid Power Centre in Worksop, while Newark College presented curriculum developments relating to the aviation sector.

All four colleges were keen to understand how they can use their facilities, equipment and staff to support businesses to adopt new technologies and become more competitive in order to grow.

Jason Roper, a digital technology adviser at the Chamber, spoke about its Digital Upscaler programme, which seeks to support businesses in all sectors to embrace and adopt digital technologies of all kinds, helping employers to understand their digital needs and then develop effective plans.

From warehouse to wheels Skills needed for the supply chain and logistics sector are being addressed by a pre-employment training course at West Nottinghamshire College.

The warehousing and storage and customer service Level 1 qualification equips students with skills including wrapping and packing goods, picking, using equipment to move items, understanding health and safety legislation, driving safety and customer services. It also provides interview skills to boost employment chances.

They can then progress on to the NVQ Level 2 course in driving goods vehicles to gain a Category C (class 2) large goods vehicle driving licence.

The five-day course, which is open to over-19s and free if individuals meet certain criteria, began last month at the college’s Derby Road campus and it is hoped it will be run on a monthly basis throughout the rest of this year.

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SKILLS

Workshops give students insight into science roles A series of pioneering school workshops devised by Rolls-Royce and Derby Museums gave pupils an insight into the potential of a career in science industry.

The interactive sessions, known as Making Futures, took place at the Museum of Making, in Derby, last month as part of British Science Week.

It introduced secondary school students to some of the lesserknown fields of Derby industry and aimed to raise awareness of these as potential career pathways. They also learned about degree apprenticeships with Rolls-Royce, an opportunity available to students beyond A-levels.

Get the skills for 21st century jobs

The first four sessions, which took place on 15 and 16 March, focused on non-destructive testing (NDT) and the “science of safety”, with students exploring how scientific principles including sound waves, capillary action and electrical current are used in industry testing techniques today. Similar sessions are planned for later this year.

Andrea Mercer, head of kearning at Derby Museums, said: “As part of Derby Museums’ Institute of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) programme, these inspiring, hands-on sessions offer young people a unique opportunity to de-mystify the making and testing of a jet engine and to gain insight about some of the different STEAM career pathways available to them in Derby.

“We have been overwhelmed by the interest in this programme from local schools, and we were delighted to offer this opportunity to so many young people in Derby.”

During the sessions, students carried out real-life experiments based on testing techniques around the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 aero engine, which is suspended in the Museum of Making.

They heard from Rolls-Royce apprentices and industry specialists with advice given about how to develop their own careers.

Gill Fennell, community investment manager at Rolls-Royce, said: “We were delighted to bring these new secondary school

Oliver Taylor

‘There are many great career opportunities available in Derby for young people interested in STEAM’

The Rolls-Royce NDT Workshop at the Museum of Making

Left: Rolls-Royce NDT degree apprentices James Barnett and Freya Bexon demonstrate equipment used to measure electrical resistance Right: Apprentices Ted Larkin and Will Haywood with a magnetic field visualisation

sessions to Derby in partnership with Derby Museums.

“There are many great career opportunities available in Derby for young people interested in STEAM, and these sessions aim to make them more accessible.

“Our degree apprentices are really keen to raise awareness about NDT and share their experience with students facing choices over which subjects to study at GCSE.” Freya Bexon, a Rolls-Royce NDT degree apprentice who helped to run the sessions, added: “My degree apprenticeship has given me the opportunity to explore

different career paths that I might not otherwise have considered.

“It’s about what Rolls-Royce does on a bigger scale – we don’t just create an engine, it’s being able to see all of the different roles that go into testing an engine and the experience you get can also be applied to other careers.

“With a degree apprenticeship, not only do I get my degree paid for by Rolls-Royce, I also get training in the industry for four years. Compared to a graduate, on the day I finish my apprenticeship, I’ll already know how a company works, I’ll be one step ahead already.”

The head of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) urged young people to think about the skills they will need to secure future jobs as the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds.

Principal and chief executive Marion Plant OBE FCGI highlighted the growing demand for skills in automation, artificial intelligence, internet of things, nanotechnology and 5G during National Careers Week last month.

She said: “It is worth reflecting on how much the world of work has changed within the past decade, and what we can expect in the years ahead.

“Around 60% of current occupations encompass tasks that could be automated, and it is likely that machines will carry out around one-third of current work activities by 2030, significantly changing the landscape of future employment.

“In the future, the skills that will be in the highest demand will include coding and data literacy, as well as communication skills, resilience, and adaptability.

“Making decisions about next steps in careers and education can be challenging, especially in the current dynamic job market.

“At NWSLC, our expertise in offering free independent advice and guidance is externally accredited and we offer one-to-one careers sessions for students as well as those considering their next steps.”

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PROPERTY

OMEETO completes Belper regeneration deal The Curve

Straightforward deal for The Curve A prime 30,000 sq ft office at Nottingham’s NG2 Business Park has been acquired by PMW Property in a deal involving FHP Property Consultants.

The Ashbourne-based property developer bought The Curve, which is leased by US apparel and footwear giant VF Corporation until December 2025 with an annual rent of £510,000.

PMW has built its portfolio with an emphasis on older industrial properties but has remodelled this in recent years by pivoting to new-build developments, including a trade counter scheme and complementary industrial units in Swadlincote, new warehouses in Alfreton, and a 130,000 sq ft distribution site on the A50.

Managing director Mike Wrigley said FHP director John Proctor had alerted him to the opportunity and felt it complemented the firm’s portfolio well.

He added: “We have traditionally looked at the industrial and logistics sector as our default sector to invest in but during the pandemic, the exponential growth of ecommerce and the need for businesses to reach out directly to their customers has meant that pricing in this sector and sourcing opportunities has led to value becoming a challenge.

“We do see the office sector is one where there will be emergence of rental and capital growth as the market regains and retains its confidence.”

John, who has worked with Mike for 20 years, added: “Essentially, the market price of this asset class is under-priced because of the detrimental effect of the pandemic and the fear factor attached to the ‘future of the office’. There is, hypothetically, greater risk but you can’t escape the fact this building is prime and sits within Nottingham’s best business park.”

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A landmark site in Belper will be transformed into apartments after a deal was completed by commercial property consultancy OMEETO. The three-storey former warehouse in Derby Road was built in the early 1800s and is Grade IIlisted.

It was originally used by renowned hosiery company Ward, Brettle and Ward – supplying cloth, hosiery, haberdashery and blankets to London’s drapers for decades, and was latterly occupied by motorcycle lubricant manufacturer FUCHS Silkolene.

The buildings have laid empty for several years and were sold to AG Group, in Hilton, Derbyshire, which recently secured planning permission to convert the buildings into 16 two-bedroom luxury apartments.

AG Group founder and CEO Allister Gardiner said: “With planning permission approved and the sale of the site agreed, we look forward to restoring these currently vulnerable buildings and creating a sympathetically-designed development that will ensure the longevity of the history and character of one of the few

From left: AG Group’s Stewart Adams and Allister Gardiner with Chris Wright, of OMEETO

remaining warehouses of this era.

“We are committed to transforming this prominent but underutilised brownfield land so that it makes a positive contribution to the on-going regeneration of this local area.

“The buildings will be repaired and as much as possible of the original structure, windows and interior – including cast iron columns – will be retained.”

Chris Wright, director of OMEETO, said: “I am delighted to have been involved in the sale of this landmark site and look forward to AG Homes starting work on the regeneration re-development.

“I live in the local area and have a long-held passion for the restoration of historic buildings so I know just what a positive impact this scheme will have on the local area.”

Fashion brand opens London outlet

Paul Hinchcliffe and the exterior of Emerald Street

A Nottingham-based fashion brand has launched its first dedicated showroom in the heart of London in a commercial property deal advised on by law firm Nelsons.

The first collection by contemporary menswear brand Universal Works, which launched in 2009, was designed and crafted by co-founder, director and designer David Keyte working from his kitchen table.

Fast forward 13 years, along with three standalone stores including in Broad Street, Nottingham, the team has taken on a space at Holborn’s Emerald Street. The new address will be used as a showroom to present its seasonal collections to buyers.

Nelsons – which has offices in Derby, Nottingham, and Leicester – acted on behalf of the tenant, Universal Works, in an agreement for lease with its new landlord Mayfair and Holland Properties. Nelsons began working

on the transaction in December and the deal was completed in January this year, marking a quick turnaround.

Paul Hinchliffe, legal director and solicitor at Nelsons who worked on the deal, said: “Universal Works is currently going through rapid growth and this new showroom complements that building momentum.

“The building boasts an interesting history in itself, being a refurbished printworks, and has been used as a showroom previously. The location will be a crucial part of accelerating the brand’s growth, so it has been a pleasure to play a part in the company’s next steps.

“As an incredibly well-respected player in the fashion industry, we’ve been delighted to work with Universal Works and hope to work with them again in the future as they continue to grow. I wish them all the best with this exciting venture.”

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PROPERTY

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MOTORING

Jaguar’s young cub The Jaguar E-Pace is a car that could target young professionals wanting to make an impression not only in life, but on the road too.

Motoring journalist Nick Jones finds out what the fuss is all about. he smart-looking F-Pace has done really well for Jaguar, to the point it’s now one of the firm’s best sellers. It was keen to capitalise on this by revealing an I-Pace that sits above it, and here the EPace that sits below.

One thing is for certain, it’s a good-looking car. With those sunken headlights that merge into the bonnet, flared arches, beautiful wheels, huge front grille and tidy rump, the E-Pace is magnificently proportionate.

Under the lid, one can opt for petrol or diesel power, from a 2.0-litre engine. Manual gearbox is standard on the lesser-powered version with four-wheel drive on all but the entry-level E-Pace.

Mine here is the 200-horsepower diesel, which provides a fair slug of torque and has fair, not brisk, acceleration.

It’s a very flexible engine though with its nine-speed auto gearbox. Should you wish, you could go down a notch and have the 165-horsepower version that would

T

be more than capable, being just front-wheel drive but boasting impressive fuel returns.

On the inside, things just look as good as they do on the outside with an interior that’s fit and functional – clearly taking styling cues from the F-Pace, which is no bad thing. First thing I notice is a joystick-style auto gearbox, but not the rotary one I was expecting. It’s a great driving position and the finish on the inside is exceptional, plus I’ve got bags of room up front. In the rear, there’s ample space for two adults despite (from the outside) not looking overly cavernous.

On the road, the E-Pace delivers a good ride – however, make sure you try the different tyre options available as a smaller diameter will make your car ride better, but for me those larger 21-inch wheels look fantastic filling those arches.

When you want to arrive in style in this modern world, coupled with a low starting price or lease payment options, one shouldn’t discount this Jaguar.

FACTFILE MODEL Jaguar E-Pace 200D

PRICE OTR From- £31,465

PERFORMANCE Top speed: 130mph 0-60 mph: 8 seconds

CO2 EMISSIONS 171g/km

COMBINED MPG 43.4 mpg

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INFORMATION

A business psychologist could lead you to succeed

By Tony Brooks (pictured), managing director of The Leadership Training Workshop Most businesses want to perform at their best yet many struggle to retain their best staff, recruit talent and develop a highperforming culture. Leaders typically hire a business coach to help growth, but this isn’t always the best solution.

A leadership psychologist combines two worlds: 1 The classic areas from a business coach – strategy, people culture, leadership skills and business growth actions 2 Most importantly though, a leadership psychologist shifts mindsets, both individually and collectively, enabling you to raise your game in all aspects of work.

As a leader, you can face many challenges with your thinking. Many of these originate from your “survival psychology”, which can hold you back from realising your true potential.

They could include a sense of overwhelm that leaves you highly stressed and unable to see clearly; imposter syndrome or negative self-talk that damages your selfconfidence; procrastination, making you unable to make important decisions; being stuck in a defensive mindset, which blocks your growth; or being held back by a fear of delegation.

• Your language can create misunderstanding and impact on performance • An inability to use your emotional intelligence will diminish respect and trust

• Your ego can break down relationships, demotivate others and create disengaged teams

Staff turnover rates in the UK are approximately 15% per year, with 4.1% of days lost through sickness. As a leader, your behaviour will directly impact on staff recruitment, retention and development. Shifting individual and collective thinking is where the real power for growth and improved business results comes from.

A business coach can support you in areas such as clarifying direction and vision, solving specific p roblems and offering an objective sounding board.

But a leadership psychologist will transform you as a leader and the business results you achieve by:

• The way you communicate can trigger a defensive mindset in others and hold them back

• Transforming your culture so that people are inspired and motivated to get the results needed

HOW YOUR THINKING COULD BE DAMAGING YOUR PEOPLE AND TEAMS Experts estimate we have between 50,000 and 80,000 thoughts every day. The majority of these are repetitive, doubtful or negative in nature, and could cause damage by:

• Finding space to shift your thinking, be more creative, see things differently and innovate your way to better products, services and solutions • Dealing with the psychological blockers that hold you back from realising your potential, while celebrating the good you do • Using positive psychology and neuroscience methods to shift your thinking and mindset to be more positive and productive • Gaining a better understanding of yourself • Taking you out of your comfort zone to enable you to grow • Helping you to be an influencer, motivator and change agent in your organisation • Improving relationships with other key people.

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COMMENT

THE LAST WORD Chamber president and Futures Housing Group chief executive LINDSEY WILLIAMS reflects on how businesses can prepare for the future by supporting their next generation hen tomorrow’s historians look back at the early 2020s, they are sure to see a time of huge global turbulence. Just as the world starts to recover from two years of the pandemic, we find ourselves with war in Europe.

The shockwaves from both events will undoubtedly have effects for years to come.

Sadly, there is probably little that most of us can do individually to change the global course of either Covid-19 or the conflict in Ukraine. But closer to home, there is much we can do to influence and plan for a future that may be quite different to the one we anticipated just a couple of years ago.

Working for Futures Housing Group, you might expect me to have an interest in all things future-related and indeed I do. It may not be easy with all the pressures of business priorities to step outside the day-to-day activities to do some future gazing. However, I believe it is a must for leaders.

A couple of years ago, Futures invited a guest speaker to our board from Tomorrow Today. This organisation specialises in helping organisations navigate and plan for the future in an increasingly complex world.

One of the many things they talked about that specifically stuck with me was a methodology called TIDES. This encourages us to look at what is going on in the world around us and underlying trends by considering what's happening in the world of technology, institutional change, demographics, environment and ethics, and societal change.

We find it a great model for taking stock of things that could challenge us or force us to adapt in the years to come.

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THE NEXT GENERATION IS ALL OUR FUTURES Another takeaway for me from the event was its insight into how the generic attributes of different generations play out in the workplace.

We were encouraged to look at the generational differences across our workforce.

Different age groups bring different energy, aspiration, expectations and outlooks with them.

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how our younger employees see things, and create an environment where they can thrive and where their contribution is actively embraced.

I remember all too well one of my early experiences at work. My boss, Mr Waddington (which was how we all had to refer to him), had a buzzer and traffic light outside his office. To speak to him, you had to press and wait for the green light. Can you imagine today’s young professional accepting a work environment like that? I certainly can’t.

I also recall presenting to a young audience not long ago and realising all the cultural references in my carefully crafted presentation – from Bruce Springsteen to Hong Kong Phooey (trust me – there was a point…) resulted in completely blank looks. This was a harsh reminder that being relatable takes effort.

‘It’s vital that we try to understand how our younger employees see things’

SUPPORTING OTHERS FOR A BETTER FUTURE

Within my own organisation, we have very successful apprenticeship and graduate trainee programmes. And I have been delighted in the region’s take up of the Kickstart Scheme. The East Midlands has amazing success stories and I never fail to be impressed with what the younger generation brings to the table. So what better time to give a plug to the newly-launched Generation Next Awards!

I’m a huge supporter of Generation Next. If you’re not familiar, it’s a networking, development and recognition scheme run by the Chamber for young professionals aged 18 to 35 across the East Midlands. It’s a fantastic platform to help anyone with drive and ambition to realise their goals. It also showcases the huge achievements of those who stand to become our next generation of business leaders across the region.

If you have talent in your organisation that deserves to be recognised then I encourage you to put them forward or indeed to sponsor one of the many categories at the upcoming Generation Next Awards. The closing date is 3 May and the ceremony announcing the winners is on 14 July.

In the past few weeks I was delighted to have the chance to visit two of my sponsored charities for the year – Treetops Hospice and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Sitting around the table with colleagues on our visit to the hospice, I was struck by just how many of us had a personal connection with the charity and its work. Its priority may be helping those at the end of life, but the impact of its work endures for future generations.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (pictured), of course, invests heavily in the environment today and its reserves provide wonderful environments for people to reconnect with the natural world.

But again, it is mindful of the future by being heavily involved in policy work to help protect nature for the long term. Its latest campaign, for example, seeks to preserve ancient woodlands so that we preserve our natural heritage for generations to come.

Please do get involved and help my fundraising drive to support these wonderful charities – also including Leicester-based young people’s support group Focus – to keep on keeping on.

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