Business Network Dec 21 Jan 22

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BUSINESS

Keep up to date on latest developments at

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

DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022

@EMChamberNews

INVESTING IN INNOVATION TO CREATE A BRIGHTER FUTURE ...AND EVEN SMALL CHANGES CAN EARN R&D TAX RELIEF

INTERVIEW

POLITICS

FUTURE LIFE WEALTH MANAGEMENT MD JILLIAN THOMAS UNPACKS WHAT ESG MEANS FOR BUSINESSES

HOW IS THE EAST MIDLANDS ECONOMY FARING AS WE END THIS UNUSUAL YEAR?

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THE FIRST WORD

CONTENTS DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022

NEWS UPDATE 4

MEMBER NEWS Accountancy firm adds marketing service

26 APPOINTMENTS Seven new starters at Nottingham law firm

t barely feels like five minutes have passed since writing this piece at the same time last year wondering whether or not an EU trade deal would be agreed and if lockdown restrictions would allow me to visit family for Christmas.

I spoke about the optimism that lay ahead thanks to several working vaccines that had been approved and this is perhaps the best place to start in my 2021 reflections.

Few could have expected to usher in the new year with another three-and-a-half months of full lockdown, but even fewer could have predicted just how effective the vaccines would be so that almost all rules could be dropped on 19 July.

For businesses, the initial economic downturn was replaced with a strong recovery throughout the summer as pent-up demand met each step of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown head-on – although as our latest Quarterly Economic Survey demonstrates (p47), the pace of recovery has slowed due to mounting challenges.

Looking back from a position of reasonable comfort that normality has almost resumed – hopefully this isn’t a calling card for lockdown four – it feels surreal to think about the restrictions we continued to endure for the majority of the year.

A personal memory was feeling like I had to be the most prepared person in Nottingham if I wanted to find a pub to watch England at Euro 2020 due to the table service-only rule.

International travel has been the slowest to return and many of us will no doubt be doubly determined to get away next year. Clare James MBE talks about life as East Midlands Airport managing director during a pandemic on p52.

Looking ahead to 2022, we expect the sustainability agenda to rise in profile for businesses in the wake of COP26 and, in our big interview (p28), Future Life Wealth Management founder Jillian Thomas explains how they should frame future plans through an ESG lens.

Innovation has perhaps never been more important either and Shorts partner Scott Burkinshaw puts forward the case for taking advantage of R&D tax credits in our focus feature on p58.

I’m intrigued to see what next year brings but before then, may I take this opportunity to thank all our members, on behalf of the Chamber, for your continued support throughout this unusual year – and to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW 28 Jillian Thomas, founder of Future Life Wealth Management 32 PATRONS Amazon invests in training to deliver skills 34 CHAMBER NEWS Round-up from the Business Awards 2021

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS 48 How two firms embraced low-carbon business practices

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 52 Aviation industry is ready for take-off

POLITICS 54 Confidence returns, but the road ahead is still uncertain

FEATURES 56 EXECUTIVE SEARCH & RECRUITMENT Invest in EX to avoid the ‘Great Resignation’ 57 The shift in recruitment marketing 58 FOCUS FEATURE The financial benefits of forward thinking 63 MADE IN THE EAST MIDLANDS Sustainability is a mindset 70 Long live the cheque

EVENTS & TRAINING

Dan Robinson, Editor, Business Network

74 Peer Networks programme launched 75 Love Business Expo to return

DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY 77 Keeping MUM with Google in 2022

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

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BUSINESS SUPPORT

Managing Editor Laura Blake T: 0121 765 4144 E: laura.blake@kempspublishing.co.uk

82 FINANCE Misconceptions about international payments

Designer Lloyd Hollingworth Advertising T: 0121 765 4144 E: jon.jones@kempspublishing.co.uk Printers Warners (Midlands) plc

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.

80 LEGAL IP audits: The unsung key to business success

85 SKILLS Partnership to help graduates find work 86 PROPERTY What high street trends tell us about the future 88 MOTORING Nick Jones tests the Range Rover Velar D200 89 INFORMATION Lessons learned in business

COMMENT 90 THE LAST WORD Chamber president Eileen Richards MBE reflects on her year in office December 2021/January 2022 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

Luke is named One to Watch A Leicester entrepreneur has been named in the Ones to Watch list as part of the LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme for 2021.

Luke Tobin, CEO and founder of digital marketing agency Digital Ethos, has been recognised in the list of leaders who are the driving force behind tomorrow’s midsized firms.

The LDC Top 50 is run by LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, and supported by The Times.

Luke said: “I am thrilled to be included in this list. It has been a challenging year for us all and I am immensely proud of the hard work and dedication our team has put in during this time.

“Digital Ethos has been able to thrive and most importantly grow despite the ongoing challenges the pandemic has presented us. I am pleased that we have been able to continue on a path to be the best in what we do and deliver services and results for our clients.”

Digital Ethos is headquartered in Leicester with offices nationwide, and in the past 12 months, has expanded internationally, opening offices in Hamburg, Germany and Canada.

LDC’s head of new business John Garner added: “This year’s Ones to Watch group epitomises fighting spirit, and has impressed the judges with stories of growth and ambition.”

Duncan & Toplis adds lead generation services to offering Businesses will now be able to access a full suite of marketing and lead generation services through Duncan & Toplis.

The firm, which already offers accountancy, payroll, IT and legal services, has now added marketing to its offering for organisations with limited internal marketing resources and know-how.

Led by Caroline Cleary, who is responsible for the company’s clients and markets strategy, the marketing team are specialists in lead generation, brand development and business growth.

Caroline said: “Duncan & Toplis supports more than 4,500 businesses across the Midlands

with a range of services and we’re now launching our marketing arm to help organisations unlock their potential in a whole new way.

‘Companies can access support that’s tailored to their needs and from a trusted partner’ “With companies seeking to reenter markets and plan for future growth after the pandemic, marketing can make a crucial difference. We can help companies recover by providing a cost-

effective and reliable outsourced service to complement the work of an existing team, or take on all marketing needs.”

From content marketing, public relations and copywriting, to email marketing and database management, the new team will offer a complete solution for clients.

Caroline added: “With our marketing services, companies can access support that’s tailored to their needs and from a trusted partner. Ideal for businesses that don’t have the capacity to hire large marketing and sales teams inhouse, we are able to offer all the support needed.”

Astronaut to open Space Park Leicester Tim Peake will be on hand to declare Space Park Leicester officially open at a special ceremony next spring.

The first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station will attend Leicester’s £100m research, innovation and teaching hub for space-related high-tech companies and researchers for an official invitation-only opening ceremony on Monday 14 March 2022.

Developed by the University of Leicester in collaboration with local, national and international partners, the facility provides an inspirational base for space scientists, researchers and business minds to collaboratively work in offices, shared laboratories, teaching facilities and co-working spaces.

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Professor Richard Ambrosi, who specialises in space instrumentation and space nuclear power systems at the university’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said: “We are absolutely delighted to announce that Tim Peake will join us at what will be a momentous celebration for Leicester, the East Midlands and the rest of the country.”

In April this year, representatives from construction company Bowmer and Kirkland handed over the keys to the building, marking a significant milestone in the completion of the first phase of the project. It fully opened in the summer and the second phase of the development will provide stateof-the-art laboratories and workshops focused on artificial

business network December 2021/January 2022

intelligence and robot-assisted satellite production.

To date, five organisations have joined the facility, including AST SpaceMobile, Satellite Applications Catapult, Northrup Grumman, EarthSense and Omnidea.

Tim, an ambassador for STEM subjects, added: “Teamwork and communication are vital skills for any successful space mission – two key themes that resonate with Space Park Leicester, developed to provide a unique offering of collaborative work between university researchers and the private sector.

“Space Park Leicester will highlight the careers available within the space sector and help to educate and inspire future generations.”

Tim Peake

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MEMBER NEWS

Accountancy firm takes home top prize at Excellence Awards Derby-based Vibrant Accountancy has won a top national award, beating off strong competition from some of the most respected names in the business.

Vibrant, based in Duffield Road, was named New Firm of the Year at the Accounting Excellence Awards in London.

The firm went head-to-head with Alchemy Accountancy, Gareth Lawrence Ltd, Gravitate Accounting Lit, Heaton Vences and Kennedy Accountancy – but judges praised the way it “continues to disrupt the market and raise the bar” as the award was handed to co-founders Bev Wakefield and Ian Ball, and the rest of the team.

‘We have emerged from the pandemic far stronger than when we went in’ Bev said: “We were delighted just to be shortlisted in such a strong category but to actually win the award is something else.

“Ian and I are so proud of the team and just how far Vibrant Accountancy has come since forming two years ago.

“We set up Vibrant to shake up the ‘traditional’ view of the industry as stuffy, impenetrable and dominated by well-established, big-name players.

“Our aim is to be more accessible and brighter, while aiming to become the first accountants of our size in the Midlands to supplement core bookkeeping, tax advice, VAT and year-end cloud-based accounting

Ian Ball and Bev Wakefield celebrate their award

services with mentoring, coaching and general business support as part of a holistic approach to our clients.”

The Accounting Excellence Awards recognise the most innovative, ambitious and successful accounting firms, individuals and vendors in the UK. Vibrant now serves 100 individuals alongside around 100 companies or partnerships, largely SMEs, in the East Midlands, and it looking to recruit an eighth member of the team.

Bev added: “With hard work, imagination, skill and a desire to offer business advice beyond simple finance, we have emerged from the pandemic far stronger than when we went in.”

COP26 role for Associate Events Associate Events, the company behind the annual Leicester Business Festival, played a key role in COP26.

The Leicester-based events, brand and PR agency was designated an official event partner by the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

It delivered exhibitions, conferences and awards celebrations on behalf of the Government department at the UN climate change event in Glasgow last month.

Associate Events managing director Alister de Ternant said: “We are extremely proud to have worked with DEFRA on this global event.”

DEFRA head of sustainability Mattie Yeta added: “DEFRA has been tasked with ensuring the environment, nature and technology are part of this conversation and collectively agree a way forward with the world. Over the past months we have been lucky and privileged to be working with our official events partner Associate Events – without whom this would not have been possible.”

A royal honour for logistics boss Allison

Limited edition calendar C W Sellors has created a jewellery advent calendar featuring a box designed as Chatsworth House.

The Ashbourne jeweller linked up with Chatsworth House Trust to launch the limited-edition collection.

Having previously delivered special “Christmas Wishes” events and surprises in the grounds of the Derbyshire tourist attraction, this year it decided the stately home itself offered a fitting design in which to encase 24 of its jewellery surprises and limited-edition gifts.

The collection contains six different advent calendars, each with individual contents, and are designed as a reproduction of the house itself.

Three calendars, named after the Edensor, Beeley and Pilsley villages that surround the Chatsworth estate, feature several official designs launched at Chatsworth exhibitions, as well as C W Sellors’ classic jewellery. The rest of the selection take their name from different veins of the local Blue John gemstone, for which C W Sellors has been handcrafting into fine jewellery for more than 40 years.

In-house designer Rebecca Sellors said: “Whichever advent calendar you choose, there is a wealth of stunning jewellery pieces and gifts on offer. Even after Christmas draws to a close, the limited-edition reproduction of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s home provides a collectable keepsake to be used as a jewellery box.”

A Derbyshire haulage business leader has been presented with her MBE by Prince Charles.

Allison Kemp (pictured), managing director of AIM Commercial Services in Ripley, was given the honour during a ceremony held at Windsor Castle.

She was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2020 for her work in the transport and logistics sector.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Allison. “It was so well coordinated, and everyone was so welcoming and kept us all calm. I am so proud to receive this award.”

At the ceremony, Allison – who was accompanied by her son Zak – was congratulated by the Prince of Wales on the award, which was given in recognition of her efforts to encourage youngsters and women to consider careers within the transport and logistics sector.

Allison’s firm provides training and support services to the logistics sector, but it is her work as an advocate for the industry, including chairing the Logistics UK National Road Council, that has led

to recognition on a national level.

She added: “The logistics sector continues to face significant challenges, but I remain passionate about helping people and playing my part.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Funding bid to improve bus service Councils and bus operators in Greater Nottingham have joined forces to bid for £97m of Government funding to improve services for passengers.

Greener buses, reduced fares for younger people, and more contactless ticketing options are among a series of proposals that aim to make using the bus easier.

The Bus Service Improvement Plan, submitted during COP26, builds on the existing partnerships with local bus operators, and has been produced jointly by Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council.

David Astill, managing director of Nottingham City Transport, which has the world’s largest fleet of biogas-powered double-decker buses, said: “This represents a marvellous opportunity to build on what has been achieved and ensure that Nottingham’s buses remain among the best.”

The bid is in line with the new National Bus Strategy to improve the attractiveness, reliability and environmental impact of bus services. If it’s successful, £57m will be invested in bus network infrastructure – including a new “superbus” network of highfrequency services through the day, evenings and weekends – and £40m in electric and hydrogen buses.

Financial planner ranked among best Future Life Wealth Management has been recognised as one of the best financial planners in the UK for the ninth successive year.

The Renishaw-based company is listed in the New Model Adviser Top 100 2021, which celebrates the best of the country’s professional financial planning community.

Managing director Jillian Thomas (pictured), who set up the company in 2009, said: “This success is undoubtedly testament to the hard work of the entire Future Life Wealth Management team.”

• Read the big interview with Jillian Thomas on p28

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Giuseppe Barone proposes to Monica Sardisco on stage

CatsMats.co.uk won Entrepreneur of the Year

Love takes centre stage at Chesterfield awards ceremony Love really was in the air at the 2021 Love Chesterfield Awards – as a marriage proposal took centre stage for a winning couple.

Walking up on stage to collect the award for Best New Hospitality Business, Giuseppe Barone dropped to one knee and proposed to his Sicily Restaurant business partner Monica Sardisco in front of a shocked and delighted crowd.

Giuseppe said: “The proposal was all planned for if we won but if we didn’t win it wasn’t going to happen.

I am very happy – for the award and for Monica saying ‘yes’.”

His was just one of 16 businesses, individuals and projects celebrated at the Love Chesterfield Awards – the first in-person event held in 19 months by Destination Chesterfield – at the Winding Wheel Theatre in October.

Recent Strictly Come Dancing star and breakfast TV presenter Mike Bushell announced the winners at a sellout black tie event attended by more than 250 people.

Destination Chesterfield manager Dom Stevens said: “This year the awards were a celebration on so many levels – recognising entrepreneurial and community spirit, achievement, survival and a marriage proposal – the first in our awards history.”

The Chamber sponsored the Retailer of the Year category won by Adorn Jewellers of Chesterfield.

LOVE CHESTERFIELD AWARDS WINNERS: Restaurant of the Year: Chesters Café of the Year: The Café at Libby’s Pub/Bar of the Year: The Tickled Trout Best New Hospitality Business: Sicily Restaurant Accessibility Award: Monkey Park Café Retailer of the Year: Adorn Jewellers of Chesterfield Best New High Street Business: Lottie’s Sandwich Bar Independent High Street Business: Fred’s Haberdashery Sustainability Award: Superior Wellness Community Contribution: Peak Pharmacy Entrepreneur of the Year: CatsMats.co.uk Apprentice of the Year: Ellie Gibson, Heathcotes Group Food Producer of the Year (within 10 miles): Crooked Pickle Co Excellence in Customer Service: The Therapy Lounge Market Trader of the Year: Ibbotson’s Fresh Quality Produce Regeneration Award: The Glass Yard

Nicki ‘overjoyed’ to win award Nicki Robson, managing director at HR consultancy Breedon Consulting, has been named Businesswoman of the Year at the Niche Magazine Business Awards.

The seventh annual black-tie event organised by Chamber patron Cross Productions, which took place at Athena in Leicester in September, welcomed 550 guests to celebrate the best of the region’s business success in the previous 12 months.

Nicki, who has been at the helm of the company in Ashby-de-la-Zouch since day one in 1999, was recognised by a judging panel comprising senior professionals from East Midlands businesses for demonstrating “outstanding performance” in key areas including finances, performance and franchising the operation.

She said: “I was overjoyed to win this award and it came as a complete surprise to me on the night. I feel as though the award is a testament to our entire team – everyone has worked so incredibly hard during such a turbulent and busy time. I am very grateful.”

Breedon Consulting specialises in HR consultancy services, offering SMEs a personable HR management and training function. It operates from three locations, and employs seven HR and business professionals.

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Nicki Robson with her award

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MEMBER NEWS

December 2021/January 2022 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

How to avoid supply chain delays in run-up to Christmas Lee Harris (far left) and Adrian Burr (far right) from Springborne with Lee Ward and Zoe Massey from Hayward Architects

Double award for Hayward Architects Hayward Architects enjoyed a double celebration at the UK Property Awards.

The Hinckley-based practice was awarded the Best Architecture Multiple Residence category for both the East Midlands and UK, having been judged at the five-star level for its Hornsey Rise development.

Site developer Springbourne Homes was also recognised for the scheme with an award for Best Multiple Residence Development in the East Midlands.

Hayward will now compete against the best entries from across the world at the International Property Awards.

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Proper maintenance of current stock could be more important than ever as businesses fight supply chain challenges in the runup to Christmas, believes the boss of a hardware solutions provider.

The strain caused by Covid-19 and Brexit has finally caught up with many industries, including retail, hospitality, manufacturing, transport and logistics, in recent months as they have struggled to source key stock shelves and distribute online orders.

Shortages in computer chips – known as semiconductors – and plastic casings are also vital to a variety of handheld capture devices and hardware for electronic pointof-sale (EPoS) and mobile print used in warehouses.

Shane Watson, managing director of Nottingham-based PLM Global – which specialises in supplying, repairing and maintaining this technology – said: “Maintenance is key and this is what people need to be thinking about.

“By simply maintaining what you have, not only can you ensure a

business network December 2021/January 2022

A handheld capture device in action

Shane Watson

more efficient and economical workforce, it is also less costly than purchasing brand new devices.

“It’s also more likely that you will see a much quicker turnaround time, especially as many of these supply chain shortages are looking to last until mid-2022.”

PLM Global, which opened its flagship site in Nottingham earlier this year, has helped businesses to cope with the electronics supply chain challenges, which it believes will continue into 2022.

Its support to clients has included sourcing hard-to-find items that are

critical in ensuring business continuity within a few days.

The company’s peak workload support service also helps organisations experiencing severe trading peaks at certain times of the year by renting certain products in demand.

Shane added: “Being a relatively young company has allowed us to be agile. We have focused on tailoring our solutions to clients’ needs, helping them with inventory to meet changes in demand and even offering shorter-term service agreements.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Derby construction firm secures ‘legacy’ contract The owner of a Derby construction firm has revealed his pride at being contracted to lay the bricks of what is set to become one of the city’s most iconic buildings.

Following a lengthy tender and vetting process, Pride Park-based Hodgkinson Builders was offered the task of constructing the brickwork for the landmark apartment building on the site of the former Debenhams store in Derby’s Victoria Street.

The 11-storey red brick building forms part of an extensive £200m regeneration development of the Becketwell area around Duckworth Square.

Hodgkinson moved onto the site last month to begin the 12-month job of building one of the tallest and most long-awaited structures in Derby.

Arron Moss

Adobe in partnership with local agency

‘Something we can see every day and will always be proud of doing for Derby’ With almost the entire external “envelope” of the building showcasing the Derby firm’s bricklaying skills for many decades to come, owner and managing director Ian Hodgkinson said the contract represents far more than mere bricks and mortar for him.

“It will certainly be a landmark building for Derby,” he said. “It’s a hugely prestigious job for us – and to be given the opportunity to build this in my hometown is immense.

“It’s a genuine legacy. Something we can see every day and will always be proud of doing for Derby.”

The former Debenhams site will eventually house 259 apartments – with a mixture of studios, one and two-bed units. The area’s overall regeneration is also set to include a 3,500-capacity performance venue, offices, multi-storey car park and a public square on

From left: Ian Hodgkinson, Jack Smith, Richard Elliott and Robert Hodgkinson

the site of the now-demolished Central United Reformed Church.

Ian said the work, commissioned by the Becketwell regeneration project’s main contractor GMI Construction, would not only provide lots of work for his skilled team but would also provide a golden opportunity for training much-needed apprentices, which his company will now be looking to recruit.

“Given the sheer size of the project and the length of time we will be working on it, a good apprentice could, in theory, learn their trade on this job alone,” added Ian, who founded the business more than 30 years ago.

Displays to help mental health Images of nature that could improve mental health will be beamed into homes, public spaces and workplaces as part of a new Nottingham Trent University research project.

In a knowledge transfer partnership with international display manufacturer Allsee Technologies, it will incorporate screens that can broadcast moving and still images of nature that are so clear they are said to look real.

The £260,000 project is focused on the emerging use of biophilic design and smart building technologies that recognise the human instinct to connect with nature – as well as the mental health benefits this can bring.

These include reducing stress, anxiety and depression, and improving cognitive function.

Project lead Dr Yangang Xing, of NTU’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, said: “By bringing such images to public spaces like train stations, commuters will be able to feel much less stressed on their commute, thereby improving people’s daily lives.”

The research, using technology called Vieunite, will consider how images of nature could vary at different times of day to help consumers feel energised in the mornings, or calm in the evenings.

Baoli Zhao, of Allsee Technologies (left), and Dr Yangang Xing

It will also offer a smart approach to images of their favourite holiday destinations, or general parts of the world where they may hold a personal interest, and offer recommendations of other images that an algorithm suggests.

Baoli Zhao, managing director at Allsee Technologies, added: “It also provides artists with a contemporary and unique online platform to sell their work, as well as offering other users a new way of sharing photos and videos with their loved ones.”

Software giant Adobe has chosen a Buxton-based e-commerce agency’s platform to deliver infrastructure for its training courses.

Adobe Digital Learning Services, which helps businesses digitally upskill through programmes, will deliver courses for Magento 2 – the most-used content management system for creating online stores around the world – using infrastructure built by Zero-1’s MDOQ technology.

This means that for all developer and merchant training, students are provided with the MDOQ – which stands for Magento Development Operations Quality Assurance – toolkit when learning how to use the Adobe Commerce online selling platform, enabling faster development.

Arron Moss, managing director of Zero-1 and co-founder of the MDOQ platform used to automate common tasks in Magento, said: “We believe that in most circumstances, the local development environment is far less efficient than a full RDE (remote development environment), and instructor-led education is just one example.

“When Adobe approached us with their challenges of delivering instructor-led training for Magento development, we knew we could help.”

MDOQ was shortlisted earlier this year by renowned trainer and consultant Vinai Kopp, who has worked closely with Adobe to deliver instructor-led developer training.

He said he was “very impressed” by the team’s “professionalism, deep knowledge of Magento and of the hosting environment”.

“I’m happy to hear Adobe has chosen to work with MDOQ, since that means I can continue to give training for students using its excellent infrastructure,” he added.

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MEMBER NEWS

Loughborough SportPark Pavilion Jim Campbell OBE

Honorary degree for Jim Campbell The founder of the Chamber’s Derbyshire Business of the Year has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Derby.

Jim Campbell OBE founded SureScreen Diagnostics, the Derby-based business that has experienced huge growth after supplying millions of Covid-19 lateral flow testing kits to the UK and overseas.

The company was a spinout from SureScreen Scientific, which he set up in 1991 while a forensic scientist working on murders and arson, in order to troubleshoot for engineering companies.

He is regarded as a leading authority on drug and alcohol screening, drug assault cases and medical diagnostics.

Jim, who attended Derby Technical College in the 1960s before it became the University of Derby, also wrote the Government’s specification for electronic curfew monitoring and helped companies develop their tagging products.

He said he was “immensely proud” to be chosen for the honorary doctorate, adding: “My time at Kedleston Road inspired me to develop a scientific career and was the perfect springboard for future achievements. They would not have been possible without this educational foundation.”

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, vice-chancellor of the university, said: “Our honorands provide inspiration for the thousands of our graduating students who are about to embark on their careers or further academic study.”

• SureScreen Diagnostics is big winner at Chamber's Business Awards - see p34

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Picture Courtesy of David Morley Architects

Sustainable expansion is underway at SportPark Work has begun to create a 20,000 sq ft, four-storey pavilion to expand SportPark, the multi award-winning development for the UK’s sports sector, on Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP).

Scheduled for completion in Winter 2022, the £9m project will be built to Passivhaus classic accreditation to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

It creates a fourth pavilion to present sports organisations with the unique opportunity to secure environmentally-friendly accommodation tailored to their needs.

Powered by eco-friendly heat pumps – and featuring tripleglazed windows, and solar shading and well-insulated building fabric – it will enable occupants to reduce their carbon footprint and operating costs.

Professor Mike Caine, Loughborough University associate pro vice-chancellor for sport, said:

“SportPark is a tremendous asset to the university and wider region – housing complementary organisations working in collaboration with the university, and harnessing the power of sport to benefit communities, locally, nationally and around the world.

‘A tremendous asset to the university and wider region’ “SportPark Pavilion 4 will provide the capacity to welcome yet more mission-driven organisations to the university, and to further anchor the region as an internationallyimportant sports innovation hub.

“The SportPark expansion coincides with a growing number of innovation and technology-led sports businesses launching at, or relocating to, LUSEP, attracted to the collaborative environment and access to the university’s worldleading expertise in sports science,

Former president in awards night success Chamber board member Kevin Harris (pictured) was named NonExecutive Director of the Year at the LeicestershireLive Business Executive of the Year Awards.

Kevin, a former president of the Chamber, also chairs the board of directors at Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) alongside his job as Leicester office managing partner of RSM, an audit, tax and consulting services company.

Other winners on the night included ExpHand Prosthetics founder Kate Walker, who won

business network December 2021/January 2022

Young Business Executive of the Year. Earlier this year, she also won the Chamber’s Generation Next Future Leader Award.

Among the finalists included Blueprint Interiors founder Rob Day and Pukaar Group founder Romail Gulzar, who were both shortlisted in the Small Business Executive of the Year category.

The awards took place at Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium, and featured England and Tottenham Hotspur coach Chris Powell as a guest speaker.

engineering, health and wellbeing, high-performance athlete base, and sports infrastructure.”

Loughborough University has committed to decarbonising its estate to meet the Government’s net zero target by 2050.

It says SportPark Pavilion 4 will project the university’s forwardlooking, environmentally-conscious values, delivering significant benefits to its occupants.

The project will increase floorspace by 25% within the fivestorey building, which currently houses the UK’s highest concentration of sports governing bodies and national sports organisations.

It will directly support 165 jobs, with an additional 157 jobs in the wider economy.

The development is one of four key infrastructure projects to be delivered by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) as part of the Getting Building Fund, which contributed £6m.

Housing group retains top rating Futures Housing Group has retained an A+ credit rating and stable outlook in its most recent review from Standard & Poor’s (S&P).

The housing association, which has more than 10,000 properties spread across Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, has been recognised by S&P for its “experienced and stable management”, in addition to many other factors.

Futures finance director Raj Sharma said: “It’s a testament to our ongoing corporate strategy that will allow us to continue to deliver great services.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Top athletes celebrate HUUB birthday Gold medal-winning athletes paid tribute to the innovative technology developed by Derbybased sportswear company HUUB at a party to celebrate the firm’s 10th anniversary.

Triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Jess Learmonth joined Britain’s most decorated Olympian cyclist Jason Kenny in praising HUUB’s performance-driven approach, which has helped them secure multiple podium places.

The company invited 400 guests to join the athletes in celebrating its first decade in business, and were also joined by American cyclist Ashton Lambie and British paratriathlete George Peasgood.

HUUB, which employs 25 people at its HQ in Full Street, was also presented with a Queen’s Award for Innovation from Derbyshire’s vice-Lord Lieutenant Colonel John Wilson OBE. Georgia Taylor-Brown, who won an individual silver medal in Tokyo, said: “Working with HUUB has been thoroughly enjoyable – we all feel like one happy family. It’s always willing to make any adjustments we think might aid our performance and we’re really happy to help

Dean Jackson (far left) receives his Queen's Award from Derbyshire’s Vice Lord Lieutenant Colonel John Wilson OBE (centre), accompanied by colleagues and athletes including Georgia Taylor-Brown (third left), Alistair Brownlee (fourth left), Jason Kenny (fifth left), Jonny Brownlee (third from right) and Jess Learmouth (second from right)

them celebrate their big birthday.”

HUUB was founded by former Noel-Baker pupil Dean Jackson in 2011, with the aim of using technology and research in the design of its wetsuits to give athletes extra speed in the water.

Within two years, the Brownlee brothers became brand ambassadors and, in 2014, more winners in the sport’s international series wore HUUB than any other brand.

Jonny Brownlee said: “We have been a part of the journey from the start, when everything was done in Dean’s basement and he set out to make the fastest wetsuit in the world. So, it’s really good to see how the company has progressed to where it is today.”

Alistair said: “I like the technology and science side of the sport, we’ve both enjoyed working with Dean and being a part of the development of the wetsuits over the years.”

HUUB is now British triathlon’s official wetsuit and swimwear partner, and all the medal-winning athletes at this year’s Tokyo games wore HUUB on their wetsuits, swimming gear and luggage.

Dean said: “Working with elite athletes has been transformational for HUUB. These are some of the world’s greatest sportsmen and women, so we have to be relentless in the scientific pursuit of increased performance.”

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Why Government communications faltered during the second national lockdown

By George Oliver (pictured), founder of corporate communication consultancy 1284 Effective communications are clear and consistent. This is not just my view. It’s also the message of the Government Communications Service (GCS) in its framework for effective campaign planning.

September’s joint report of the Health and Social Care and Science and Technology Committees – AKA the first major response to the Government’s initial handling of Covid-19 – showed what happens when clarity, trust and consistency are lost.

MPs heard messaging and communications strategy are crucial during a pandemic response. The approach worked reasonably well as coronavirus reached the UK – a survey of more than 70,000 people during the first lockdown found understanding to be high, with 70% saying they were completely complying with instructions.

By October, though, only 14% of those surveyed understood the rules “very much”, with 45% expressing a mere “broad understanding”. Meanwhile, only four in 10 said they were complying.

So what happened?

1. OBJECTIVE SETTING The GCS advocates its OASIS framework for campaign planning.

The “O” stands for “objective”.

OASIS is designed to inform efficient and effective comms – even in times of crisis. In doing so, it delivers Government’s “CORE” purpose of: • Changing behaviours to benefit society • Operational effectiveness of public services • Reputation of the UK and response during crisis • Explanation of Government policy At the outset of the pandemic, the Government objective was also its slogan: “Stay At Home”. In three words, it encapsulated a behavioural change that supported public services and explained policy.

Public compliance was at 70%.

2. AUDIENCE CONFIDENCE MPs heard that consistency, perception of transparency, and trust in both message and messenger, are vital when asking people to do things they would not normally do.

Yet the report found loss of public trust and understanding was one of several reasons why misinformation spread. Lower levels of trust in both scientists and Government increased public susceptibility.

Research showed most members of the public began to trust WHO information more than the Government’s. Confidence in the messenger had been damaged. It was exacerbated by perception that key Government figures had themselves breached lockdown.

committees: “People generally want to follow the rules if they understand them.”

Yet, the message subsequently became “increasingly complex” as restrictions were varied by place.

Consistency was lost. This led to contradiction and confusion.

For example, England moved to “stay alert” while Scotland remained “stay at home”. Strategy diverged and was compounded by the introduction of the local three-tier approach in October 2020. Public compliance and understanding began to deteriorate.

3. DIVERGING STRATEGY Lockdown 1 strategy was underpinned by a public message to “stay home, protect the NHS, save lives”. This succinct rhetoric is clear in instruction and explanation and was widely reiterated.

OASIS prizes use of low-cost approaches and partnership working – a nightly television audience running to the millions offered that.

Reduced numbers of people on roads and recreational areas was attributed to the simplicity of the message. As one professor told the

WHAT ARE THE LESSONS? Initial consistency and clarity was lost. Coupled with confusion over tiers, varying rules and loss of confidence, compliance fell away within months.

It was, of course, a fastdeveloping and complex situation.

But OASIS is presented as a template that “applies to every kind of planned communication and campaign”. Government has committed to a full public inquiry next spring.

Clearmark to showcase new technology

The Clearmark team at PPMA 2019 12

business network December 2021/January 2022

Pack-labelling specialist Clearmark Solutions will showcase new technology for customisable label design at a key industry event.

The Nottingham-based company, one of the UK’s top suppliers of digital coding services, will exhibit its ICE Vulcan print and apply labeller at the fourth Brewers Congress, held at The Brewery venue in London, on 7-8 December.

It says the system’s ability to print on 150 packs per minute means it can offer high return on investment to craft breweries.

Vocation Brewery is among the companies to have already adopted the technology after being in need of a solution to automate the

labelling process, while complying with new GS1 regulations, after sales soared due to 51 new product lines and landing supermarket contracts.

The brewery’s packaging manager Dan Tasker said: “Everything sent to the retailer has to be boxed and labelled. We produce about 30 pallets a day, with 100 or 200 cases on each pallet. Anything other than our core brand has to have a custom label on it.

“Since automating our labelling process, we’ve had zero defects – the ICE Vulcan print and apply system is 100% fool-proof, and in hindsight, we should have automated sooner.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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Can social entrepreneurship and CSR help end global poverty?

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE (pictured), founder and chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, also chairs the Randal Charitable Foundation. He reflects on whether the modern trends of social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility can address the scourge of world poverty.

For many millions of people, each day can be a struggle for survival as a lack of opportunity, resources and infrastructure often leaves them hungry, without clean water and unable to work for a living.

The United Nations reports that 10% of the world’s population – 734 million people – live on less than $1.90 a day. Southern Asia and subSaharan Africa are expected to see the largest increases in extreme poverty, with an additional 32 million and 26 million people, respectively, living below the international poverty line following the pandemic.

Worse still, the cycle of deprivation looks set to escalate as one in five children live in extreme poverty, with the negative effects of poverty and deprivation in early years having ramifications that often last throughout their lifetime.

The UN’s International Day of Poverty Eradication took place this autumn and had a theme of “Building Forward Together” to end persistent poverty. But after decades of work, the future still looks very challenging for so many.

I have experienced extreme poverty myself when I came to the UK as a child refugee. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to have built a number of successful businesses that have been able to “give back” as part of wider corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes focused on being a good corporate citizen.

Looking back, I am very grateful for the support my family and I received, which presented me with opportunities that much of the developing world will never experience. These opportunities allow people to flourish and grow out of poverty, but the disparity between their availability in the rich West and poor lower-middleincome countries are profound.

In 2017, I established the Randal Charitable Foundation, which has provided significant grant funding to many charities working on the ground with communities to lift them out of poverty in a sustainable way. The ambition for the foundation is to save one million lives in the UK and globally.

A key part of this work is providing infrastructure to grow crops or pump their own water, as well as providing people with the tools, skills and training. Our mission is to directly save lives, which we’re able to achieve by supporting charities looking to establish social enterprises within communities.

‘Social entrepreneurship is very much proactive, whereas CSR is invariably reactive’ Establishing this type of social entrepreneurship is important because there is very little state aid. I am reminded of the analogy of providing people with fish to eat, but if they could be given a fishing rod to catch their own fish, then they would never need more fish providing again.

So if we can provide communities with the tools and resources to earn a living and support their families, the cycle of poverty begins to be broken.

Social enterprises can be set up by charities or companies based all over the world that have built their entire business models around improving community healthcare, education, infrastructure or alleviating poverty.

This is social entrepreneurship in action, where the outcomes of the entrepreneur’s work is not

measured entirely by profits and revenues, but also by generating a sustainable “return for society”.

On the flip side, one could argue this type of support has been around for decades in the form of CSR, where businesses and entrepreneurs create a positive social impact through their existing practices.

Both clearly have an important role to play but there is a clear difference in that social entrepreneurship is very much proactive, whereas CSR is invariably reactive in its approach to delivering social change.

Social entrepreneurship also builds “doing good” into a permanent fixture of their business model and foundations, whereas CSR is often connected to amplifying the mission, values and brand of the company they represent through their charitable endeavours.

When looking at the proactive and reactive approaches of the two philanthropic movements, perhaps it’s important to also focus on a third factor, which sows them all together and undoubtedly enhances the social impact – collaborations.

I have seen first-hand through my work with the foundation and business community support how collaborations between the public, private and charitable sectors help

foster sustainable entrepreneurship, which directly responds to poverty alleviation within communities.

These collaborations often benefit the whole community, as well as foster new social entrepreneurs, which overall reduces poverty and uplifts both the individuals and their communities.

So to come back to our question – can social entrepreneurship and CSR be the panacea for ending global poverty?

The answer is yes, as long as they are supported by a network of collaborations and focused on providing sustainable ways for communities to do it themselves, rather than having to rely on the charity of others.

Perhaps the words “ending global poverty” are too ambitious, but businesses, social enterprises and their partners must have this level of ambition to truly turn the tide.

What’s clear is that where it’s done well, it works, and has already freed thousands of communities from the cycle of poverty – not just today but for generations to come.

Let’s continue this by working together to achieve the International Day of Poverty Eradication’s aim of “Building Forward Together”.

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College lends backing to local foodbanks Loughborough College has launched a campaign to encourage its staff and students to support local foodbanks and charities with donations this Christmas.

The college has joined more than 100 UK organisations in the Festive FE Foodbank Friday initiative, which aims to support foodbanks during one of the busiest times of the year by asking staff to donate either single items or hampers.

It is also part of the national Good for Me, Good for FE campaign, which aims to generate more than £1m of social value over

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the coming 12 months through volunteering and donations.

Led by London South East Colleges, East Coast College and Loughborough College, it has so far raised almost £100,000 since launching in June 2021.

Loughborough College principal and CEO Jo Maher said: “It never fails to amaze me how generous and selfless staff and students in our sector are, and I am so pleased to be re-launching the Festive FE Foodbank campaign in 2021 so we can continue providing that incredible support to people who need it the most.”

business network December 2021/January 2022

Support for children’s charity is all boxed up

Tracy Harrison (left) with Natalie and Adam Bamford

Derby business Colleague Box has pledged its support to a city charity that helps child exploitation victims and their families.

The personalised gift box company, set up by Spondon husband-and-wife Adam and Natalie Bamford last year, will donate profits from its Christmas range to Safe and Sound for the second consecutive year.

Last year, the company raised more than £5,000, which enabled the charity to purchase a minibus.

Managing director Natalie Bamford said: “Safe and Sound

does an incredible job of supporting young people and their families in Derby, and transforming lives.

“It is a privilege to support its work once again and we hope we can raise a significant amount of money so it can continue the good work.”

Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “We are extremely grateful for Colleague Box’s donation pledge again this Christmas. Its support will enable us to help even more children, young people and their families across Derbyshire.”

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MEMBER NEWS

DCHC launches Christmas cards

Helping vulnerable youth all year round A long-running Leicestershire charity is stepping up to offer more vulnerable youngsters the chance to get away and enjoy a break all the year round.

Leicester Children’s Holidays, based at Highcross Leicester, is extending its scope to provide holidays to a wider age range of children by teaming up with schools and groups, such as cubs and guides, youth and football clubs, to secure match funding to pay for them.

A new constitution means the charity – which helps many youngsters, including those from low-income families – can broaden

its reach and offer cash help for hundreds of residential breaks and day trips, as well as its traditional summer outdoor adventure holidays.

Manager Nicky Kandola said the scheme’s benefits go beyond the actual time away as it can lead to project work back in the classroom.

She added: “We want people and businesses to come on board.

Sometimes we need just £50 or £100 to offer help.”

To find out more about the matchfunding scheme, email nicky@leicesterchildrensholidays. co.uk

A Derby charity is appealing to business owners to back its festive appeal as it prepares to give needy children a much-deserved holiday in 2022 – for the first time in two years.

The Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre (DCHC) takes 600 youngsters from across the county to its holiday centre in Skegness every year, but its service has not been able to run since 2019 due to Covid restrictions. To enable holidays to return next year, the charity has printed two special Christmas cards and is urging businesses to consider using them to send best wishes to clients. The charity would also welcome a festive donation.

Chairman Alan Grimadell said: “Our charity celebrated its 130th birthday this year and in these Covid times, our services are needed now more than ever. We know that many of the children we work with have been through some particularly difficult times during the pandemic and we can’t wait to welcome them to our holiday centre in 2022.”

To support the charity’s Christmas cards appeal, contact Lesia Tombs in the DCHC office on 01332 345424 or email admin@dchc.org.uk

Trustee opportunities at cricket club Derbyshire Cricket Foundation (DCF) is looking to appoint three new trustees to its board to help the organisation change more lives through cricket.

As the charitable arm of Derbyshire County Cricket Club and governing body for grassroots cricket in the county, the DCF promotes health, wellbeing and improved opportunities through involvement in physical activity.

Chair of the board Ian Morgan OBE said: “I am frequently asked by Chamber members how they can do more for the community and expand their ESG commitments. Getting involved as a trustee of DCF is a perfect opportunity by giving up some time to help the foundation deliver its important work in the community.”

To apply, visit dcfcricket.com/job-opportunities

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MEMBER NEWS

Starting a conversation One of the main online assets a business has is its website. A lot of money and time is spent designing and developing the site, launch it, and then what? Nothing. A recent study from Ahrefs, a well-known toolset for SEO analysis, stated that 90.63% of website pages get zero traffic from Google. How do you compare?

So, you’re getting traffic to your site but the return on investment is pitiful.

What did you hope to achieve when the site was built? What action do you want your visitors to take? Is it an ecommerce site and you simply want them to buy something? Are you a business coach, accountant, IT specialist looking to book an appointment with a prospect? Are you a charity looking to attract volunteers or sponsorship?

Whatever the action is, are you getting the results? If not, why not add a human touch to your website and lead your visitors to take the important actions you need to help you grow your business.

We have introduced ConversePop as a flexible solution that can be adapted to deliver new sales automation strategies and integrated with your current favourite communication and business tools. It can sit on every page of your website, or just specific pages.

Nothing complicated, just three simple steps. Record a short personal video. Personalise ConversePop to match your branding and finally, funnel your visitors to take actions that result in your desired outcomes.

In other words, the next step of your sales process.

After all, every sale starts with a conversation.

To learn more text ‘POP’ to 0115 824 4633 or just call the same number. You’ll be glad you did.

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MEMBER NEWS

Sterling Hydrotech in acquisition

Hives woodland garden room at Callow Hall Hotel

Trio of developments are recognised with awards A trio of projects supported by a Derby-based planning and architecture consultancy have been recognised with awards.

Planning & Design Practice (PDP) celebrated as Callow Hall Hotel in Derbyshire was crowned the UK’s best place to stay by The Sunday Times, while the “unique” Chase Farm estate on the edge of the Peak District won Residential Development of the Year at the East Midlands Business Link Brick Awards.

Roosters Bar & Restaurant, at Morley Hayes Hotel, near Ilkeston, also won the Most Family-Friendly category of the Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards after an extension to create an outdoor seating area overseen by PDP. Director Richard Pigott said: “We are delighted with this well-deserved recognition for our clients.

“These awards recognise success across a diverse range of projects across different industries, but all demonstrate how passion and commitment to deliver a quality product pays dividends, and how good planning can achieve great results.”

Since 2018, PDP has helped Callow Hall Hotel, a Grade II-listed Victorian country house in Ashbourne, to complete a number of projects, including the Hives woodland garden room extension and conversion of a coach house into a wellbeing centre.

Securing planning permission for the extension was particularly challenging as it was situated in ancient

Garment workers wanted for study Academics are seeking garment workers in Leicester to take part in a study to understand what can be done to improve working conditions.

The researchers, led by the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, are also looking to speak to professionals who work in the sector to inform the study.

Garment workers can take part in the study through a 30-minute anonymous questionnaire, available from Shama Women’s Centre or Hope for Justice. For industry professionals interested in contributing to the research, email RLcommunities@ nottingham.ac.uk

New homes at Chase Farm

woodland, which comes with a very high degree of protection, so it had to ensure any development did not harm the integrity or unique character of the woodland.

Despite facing stiff opposition during a public consultation, it was able to demonstrate the economic benefits, which included attracting more than 8,000 overnight visitors per year and generating over £1m in visitor spending for the local economy.

PDP also supported Chevin Homes in securing planning permission for several schemes at Chase Farm in Ambergate. It involved redeveloping a brownfield site comprising a derelict social club and car park, two 19th century cottages and a barn, eventually creating eight homes.

Chesterfield-based swimming pool water treatment and filtration specialist Sterling Hydrotech has been acquired

by Marlowe plc.

The company, founded in 1988, employs about 40 staff and is one of the UK’s largest water treatment businesses within the leisure industry.

Marlowe said the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, provided attractive synergies with its testing, inspection and certification division.

Sterling Hydrotech’s outgoing managing director Steve Thompson said: “We are extremely proud of the business’ development throughout its history. When we were approached by Marlowe plc, we were confident that transferring the business to it would ensure the legacy we created will continue.

“We have a fantastic team at Sterling Hydrotech, and we are looking forward to seeing the continued success of the business in the safe hands of Marlowe plc.”

Adam Ames and Steve Allender, from Shorts, advised Sterling Hydrotech on the transaction and provided tax advice, with legal services by Laura Giles at Knights plc.

Shorts’ corporate finance director Adam Ames added: “It was a pleasure to assist the directors with their sale.”

HR expert uncovers GP fraud

Darren Kehoe

An HR consultancy’s executive played a key role in a GP practice manager being convicted of fraud.

Darren Kehoe, managing consultant at Nottinghamshirebased Kraft HR Investigations, gathered evidence showing the NHS boss had taken almost £200,000 over a period of more than three years, which included the pandemic.

It resulted in a 45-year-old man being sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to fraud by abuse of position at Nottingham Crown Court.

After a number of days spent trawling through documents, Darren said he discovered the practice manager had moved more than £145,000 from the business into his private bank account. Later, an additional fraudulent training

account was identified that had been used to disguise his transactions, which brought the total fraud case to just under £200,000.

He provided an investigation report to a police fraud squad and supported the practice in a disciplinary process that led to the manager’s summary dismissal.

With years of experience of working closely with many NHS GP practices, Darren sympathised with how stretched GPs are.

“It is extremely difficult for GPs to get the time to oversee the actions of the practice manager,” he said. “I commend the GP partners for acting as quickly as they did.

Swift and effective investigations secure fair and appropriate outcomes so businesses can continue providing services. and the police can enact justice.”

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MEMBER NEWS

The winners celebrate

The taste of success at awards night The winners of the 2021 Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards have been crowned at a glittering awards ceremony.

A total of 12 awards were handed out to the very best places to eat and drink in and around Derby at the event, which was attended by 300 people at The Chocolate Factory on 18 October.

Morley Hayes Hotel won the headline award of Overall Winner, while its Roosters Bar and Restaurant was also successful in the Most Family-Friendly category.

The awards aimed to recognise, reward and celebrate Derby’s best

food and drink businesses.

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “It has been an incredibly tough year for this sector, and we would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists and thank all who were involved in the 2021 Derby Food and Drink Awards.”

More than 3,000 nominations were received from members of the public, business leaders and food and drink establishment owners.

These were then whittled down to the finalists, who were visited by the judges so they could decide on a winner.

THE WINNERS • Marketing Derby Food & Drink Awards Overall Winner 2021: Morley Hayes • Outstanding Achievement Award: Bustler Market • Best Café: Milk & Honey Deli • Excellence in Customer Service (city and county): Anoki Derby • Best for Sustainability: PLANT Café and Bar • Best for Drinking: The Blacksmith’s Lounge • Most Family-Friendly: Rooster’s Bar and Restaurant (Morley Hayes) • Best Newcomer: Let’s Taco ‘Bout It • Best Experience: Bustler Market • Best Country Pub/Restaurant (outside of city): Amalfi White – Melbourne • Most Innovative: Project D • Best Outdoor: The Bell & Castle

Recognition for digital transformation

Chris Astle, Chris McDermott and Steve Pinchbeck show off the award

Family firm named best rural business A marketing and design agency run by two sisters in a Derbyshire village has been named one of the best rural businesses in the UK. MacMartin, founded in 2017

by Claire MacDonald and Anna Hutton (pictured), was named Best Small Business at the Midlands regional finals of the Rural Business Awards, held in partnership with Amazon.

The Church Broughtonbased company will now go on to represent the Midlands at the national final of the Rural Business Awards in February 2022.

Anna said: “It has been an incredibly exciting year for our business and we are looking forward to the national finals next year.”

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Luxury dealership drives off with award Baytree Prestige & Performance has been named the Fastest Growing Dealer of the Year at a national industry awards.

The luxury car dealer, based in Derby, won the recognition at the Motor Trader Independent Dealer Awards, held at the Coventry Arena in October.

Baytree founder and director Chris McDermott, who started the company in 2006, said: “Everyone talks about personal service, but we really do mean it – from collecting clients from the train station, to making certain they are

business network December 2021/January 2022

100% happy with their purchase.”

Fellow director Steve Pinchbeck is using his experience in owning a variety of companies over the past 30 years to help shape the way Baytree will evolve in the future.

Chris Astle, who recently joined as operations director, added: “Baytree’s main point of difference remains that if someone enquires through our website, via email or calls and asks for a specific car – no matter how rare it might be – we are respected enough to not only handle the enquiry positively but also small enough to offer a personal service.”

Digital health and safety platform Work Wallet won the Best Digital Transformation category at the DerbyshireLive Business Awards.

It received recognition for its dynamic and intuitive modular health and safety management tools, which help businesses across various sectors to keep employees safe while also proving regulatory compliance.

This was the second recent award win for the company, which also topped the Best Construction Health and Safety Software category in the international Construction & Engineering Awards

by Build Magazine.

Work Wallet CEO Jonny Gray said he was “over the moon” with the recognition, adding: “Designed and developed in Derby, we have become a global player in the health and safety app software market, because Work Wallet is easy to use and understand by workers at all levels and it also integrates with employers’ existing IT systems.

“The past 18 months have highlighted the importance of digital business transformation.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

NEW MEMBERS The Chamber welcomed 29 new members in October • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Barton HR Services Limited Caroline's Creature Comforts CentricalCyber Ltd Cheetham Jackson Limited Copper Bay Digital Dales Fabrications Ltd Datapath Limited Embark CSR LLP Falcon Support Services EM Ltd Family Law Decisions Limited Fastlok Manufacturing Fishinwater ltd Gafbros Limited Greenfrog Entertainments Limited InSight Analytics Solutions Ltd Jade Garden & Company Living Without Abuse LogicBarn Mental Wellbeing Services UK Limited NK Motors Kia NNBC Group Ltd PNE Controls Ltd Rehab Beauty Ltd SmartMatching Limited (SmarterFutures) Smile Business Support Ltd The Market Cobblers The Mental Health Teacher Thorpe Electrical Solutions Ltd Workers' Educational Association (East Midlands)

Aerospace contract win The relocation of a listed aerospace and defence manufacturer is underway after being supported by construction specialist Clegg Group.

The Nottingham-based national firm was appointed as principal contractor for the project by FTSE 100 company Meggitt, which is moving to a new site in Antsy Park, Coventry. Work involves fitting out a new factory across two phases, with the Clegg team modifying the new building to receive production equipment that will be transferred from its previous base.

Progress is underway at the 440,000 sq ft site, which will house an R&D hub as part of the project and create up to 1,000 jobs.

Oliver Jenkins, business development manager at Clegg, said: “We are pleased to play a part in Meggitt’s continued success.”

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MEMBER FOCUS: HOLISTIC FAMILY MEDIATION When married couples part ways, it’s a highly emotionally-charged period but one that can be made smoother by the intervention of expert support – like from Sushma Kotecha (pictured), an accredited family mediator. The founder of Holistic Family Mediation tells Business Network a bit about herself and her services.

Tell us what your company does and a brief overview of its history?

Holistic Family Mediation is an online family mediation service, founded in July 2021 to support separated and divorcing couples through their break-up.

Mediation is a dispute resolution option alternative to the traditional lawyer-led court approach. It helps parties reach their own informed decisions about any issues arising out of their separation or divorce, with the support and guidance of the mediator.

Who are your main customers and what is your USP to them?

People from all walks of life and background facing relationship break-ups or divorce, who wish to have a more dignified, smarter and kinder separation.

It is a “holistic” service. I explore the impact of the separation on the parties in all aspects – emotionally, psychologically, physically and spiritually. It is not just a legal process, nor is it just about legal rights and responsibilities postseparation.

If we do not give couples in conflict the tools and resources they need and address the “elephant in the room” – their feelings and emotions – then it will be impossible to have sensible, productive mediation.

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

In March 2021, after a 27-year career in family law, I decided to hang up my “legal hat” to focus solely on family mediation.

Practising law, in the traditional sense, no longer resonated with me. I wanted to follow my passion and “calling” to be of service.

The business consists of just me.

So, at the current time I do everything from maintaining the website, dealing with IT issues, looking after finance, bookkeeping, client care, admin work, social media, marketing, profiling, networking and advertising.

How have you fared during the Covid-19 pandemic?

These have been tough and challenging times for us all. It has

business network December 2021/January 2022

given us the opportunity to go inward and gave us the greatest life-lesson – not to take anything for granted. It has given me a new meaning to life and a sense of purpose.

I am confident there is a market for this type of service. People are becoming more open-minded and focused on mental health and wellbeing, which is at the heart of any holistic service.

The Covid-19 experience has given me the courage to take a leap of faith and fly solo for the first time in my 27-year career. I do not think I would have taken this step had it not been for the pandemic.

What are the company’s plans for the future?

Once the mediation arm of the service is established, consideration will be given to launching a holistic divorce coaching service as phase two to offer one-to-one coaching sessions to support individuals through their separation or divorce journey.

I would love to be part of a bigger multi-professional team and collaborate with Chamber members that have a synergy with the type of work I do to host workshops or podcasts to spread the knowledge and wisdom.

How long have you been a member of East Midlands Chamber, and what encouraged you to join and continue your membership?

I joined in July, shortly after launching the online family mediation service. It was a no brainer to join the Chamber given all the benefits for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses. There is great support in terms of training, education and networking opportunities to connect with other like-minded professionals.

If you take your business seriously and want to succeed and be recognised or supported by your peers in the local business community, in my view it would be madness not to join and become a member of the Chamber.

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MEMBER NEWS

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

AN INTERVIEW WITH:

Shaleena Callichurn Shaleena Callichurn

Founder and director of studies of QAQF

• What motivated her to start QAQF? • What are her professional ups and downs?

• Why is poetry the secret source of her inspiration?

Shaleena, you are the owner and Director of QAQF. What is the story behind the company?

Well, it has been both an exciting and sometimes overwhelming journey, with many successes and some failures to learn from. I have been in the education industry for over 15 years, in which, I have developed several innovative educational projects in different countries. Some counties were not open to such a concept of change, but in others, like the UK, we can see its great benefits.

QAQF doesn't aim to reinvent the educational wheel, but it has a mission and vision that is a good fit for the UK Healthcare and Care industry, especially during these challenging times.

The United Kingdom has given QAQF a fantastic edge to conceptualise our innovative education project into a feasible and sustainable one. Today QAQF stands tall as we train hundreds of people from around the globe, supporting their growth into highly qualified health professionals. We use our knowledge and skills to coach and lead our students into the best career support and guidance. The tech revolution gave us the tools to bring our learning and teaching methodologies to highly motivated students worldwide.

Where do you see your special place in the busy landscape of the Care Services in the UK?

Shaleena Callichurn

Shaleena Callichurn with overseas professionals in the UK

The care service industry is extraordinary as it is primarily and foremost about people. It's not only about medical and care skills but building pure human relationships - emotional and even physical. We work closely with nursing and care homes and learn more about how our services can benefit from them every day. To date, we have had hundreds of our trainees who have secured a career in nursing and care homes around the country. It is a great responsibility on our hands, as we understand how important it is to train skilful but highly motivated nurses who love the profession and are happy to work in the care sector. I have to add that apart from working in the Healthcare sector, QAQF also provides managerial, IT and entrepreneurial training and support.

You are a successful female entrepreneur.

Was the success easy and what does it take to become successful?

I have mainly learnt from my own experience, and this is how it should be. Life is a continuous journey we need to cherish. Success is never easy, but it helps when you are genuinely passionate about your dreams in life. The best approach is to be kind to people, try to help them and make them happy. It always pays back.

I will allow myself to quote a small poem by Daisaku Ikeda, that is a great inspiration for me and I hope my work and life to be seen in such a manner:

"She is an ordinary woman who somehow stands out and has a beautiful story to tell".

What has been the biggest challenge this far in your professional life?

Probably my worst experience was with my educational project in Mauritius. To start it, I had to overcome enormous bureaucracies, hurdles and bad ethics and never managed to complete the project properly. Being a female entrepreneur there, I felt an unprecedented first-hand level of ignorance, intolerance and disrespect. It was heartbreaking. However, I learnt a great deal. As I never gave up on my projects, I came out stronger and wiser and returned with an improved concept and enhanced vision of bringing education to the next level. Today, l feel proud that I can give more to the world of education for the benefit of everyone.

What motivates you in the morning to go and do your best?

I have learnt to enjoy every day. I am happy to have this opportunity to dedicate my time and efforts to new things related to education, human relationships and culture. I work hard as I love to see the value I can create and its impact on people's lives.

You are a person with a strong vision of the future. What is your ultimate professional goal?

There is a long road ahead of us, we have to learn a lot and work hard, but I have a strong vision of a new educational framework based on creativity and aiming to build value through satisfaction and pursuit of happiness. Education must be home to imagination, joy and inspiration.

For more information email QAQF at: info@qaqf.co.uk December 2021/January 2022 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

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APPOINTMENTS

RSM boosts growth with new recruits RSM UK has strengthened its plans for long-term growth in the East Midlands by recruiting a record number of trainees, with the majority joining the firm this summer.

The audit, tax and consulting firm has recruited 23 new recruits in Leicester and Nottingham, including 16 graduates and four school leavers, highlighting a 53% increase on last year’s total trainee intake. Nationally, it has recorded an almost 50% increase on last year’s trainee intake.

RSM Leicester’ office managing partner Kevin Harris said: “The jobs market is extremely competitive for young people, and this has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

I am glad we are able to offer a first step on the career ladder to so many bright, intelligent and hardworking individuals at what is an exceptionally challenging time.”

The record intake is part of RSM’s strategic intention to strengthen the firm from within its own ranks, and over the long term, to help become first-choice advisers to middlemarket leaders globally.

Kevin added: “Supporting young people to become our future leaders forms a major part of our long-term strategy.”

L-R: Nicola Grange, Kylie Wood, and Jak Ward

Seven new starters join the ranks at Nottingham law firm Top 200 law firm Roythornes Solicitors has experienced a 60% increase in headcount at its Nottingham base.

The firm has welcomed seven new recruits at its headquarters, including the appointment of contentious trusts and probate specialist Jak Ward, who joins as a partner.

Nicola Grange has also been appointed as a senior associate specialising in landlord and tenant work within the real estate team and Kylie Wood joins the growing agricultural property team as a solicitor.

Jak said: “Working within the litigation team and beginning to build the contentious trusts and probate specialism is something I’m very much looking forward to. It’s a very interesting area of law – encompassing

Janine joins Geldards family law team Law firm Geldards has boosted its East Midlands family law team with the appointment of senior associate Janine Hobday (pictured) at its Derby office.

With more than 12 years’ experience, Janine joins from Flint Bishop and specialises in matrimonial finances, with a particular emphasis on the resolution of financial issues for wealthy individuals.

Recognised by Legal 500 as a “Rising Star”, Janine is also a member of the Resolution family lawyer network, which helps to resolve family issues, especially those concerning children, in a nonconfrontational way.

Head of family law Fiona Apthorpe said: “Janine brings with her a great deal of experience and specialist knowledge, which will strengthen the service we can offer to our clients.

“We already have a really great team of family lawyers in the East Midlands and this new appointment takes us one step closer to becoming the leading specialist matrimonial department in the region.”

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anything from challenging a will or pursuing an inheritance claim, right through to advising on disputes between executors and trustees.”

Across its other offices in Alconbury, Birmingham, Peterborough and Spalding, the firm further boosted its team with 23 new starters since July, ranging from trainee to partner.

Managing director Vember Mortlock said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome our 23 new starters.

We pride ourselves on our specialist approach to not only the law but supporting our clients.

“Jak’s knowledge, experience and passion will be invaluable for growing yet another niche area of law and I’m really looking forward to seeing the direction he takes the department.”

New boss at EMB Group

Danielle Gillett

business network December 2021/January 2022

A new managing director has taken the reins at Leicesterbased business support organisation EMB Group.

Formerly the finance and corporate services director, Danielle Gillett has been with EMB since it was founded in 2005 and takes over from Stephen Smith, who left the firm at the end of October.

EMB began life as a joint venture involving East Midlands Chamber in response to countybased business support contracts going regional.

The business later expanded its portfolio to include accreditation and cyber services, developing a national client base, and has been recognised by the London Stock Exchange as one of “1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain” due to impressive rates of growth.

Danielle said: “I’m delighted to continue to deliver the expert advice services that our clients have come to expect, while also investing in new revenue lines which will take the business forward into our third decade.”

Martin Cornforth

Experienced legal duo join solicitors Nottingham-headquartered Cartwright King Solicitors has strengthened its employment law offering by appointing experienced solicitors Martin Cornforth and Bethan Rosson.

Heading up the department, Martin has more than 12 years’ experience in employment law.

He is joined by Bethan, a solicitor with more than seven years’ practical experience working for national and international firms. .

Martin said: “We aim to build strong relationships with our clients. This means being fair, transparent and flexible in respect of our terms and conditions while providing an efficient, high-quality service.”

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APPOINTMENTS

Director puts connections to use in ambassador role Catena’s Nottinghamshire regional director is offering his experience and contacts to Discover Ashfield as part of an ambassadors programme.

As a Discover Ashfield ambassador, Andy Middleton will use his skills and connections to help develop new opportunities for the area.

He will combine this work with several other business ventures, including running the specialist business introductions organisation Catena.

Andy said: “Bringing likeminded business leaders together is an incredibly powerful way to make an impact. That’s true for both the individual firm, and for the local economy. I have always believed that networking and

influencing are built on strong relationships, especially trust, and I would like to see this part of the region better able to create wealth and skilled jobs through strong business connections.”

The ambassador scheme aims to promote the Ashfield area, and focuses on four themes related to business, health, visitors and community.

Discover Ashfield chair Martin Rigley MBE, a Chamber board member, said: “Andy is just the sort of Discover Ashfield ambassador we need more of. His extensive experience and network, linked to his desire to see Ashfield thrive and survive as a great place to do business, raise a family and visit, epitomises what we look for in an ambassador.”

Andy Middleton

Rena Magdani (front left) with the new lawyers

Marrons Planning hires research expert Socio-economics and research expert Simon Macklen (pictured) has joined Marrons Planning as director of economics – expanding the Nottingham-based planning consultancy’s portfolio of services.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the industry, Simon will head up a new socio-economics service at the business – part of the Shakespeare Martineau group of companies – which will support developers in evidencing the need for and impact of schemes on the local population, social infrastructure and the economy in planning proposals.

In his new role, Simon will be responsible for setting up the new service line – which will complement the consultancy’s existing planning services – and growing the team in the future.

Simon said: “Marrons Planning is a forward-thinking consultancy.

“I enjoy drawing out the need for development and its impact on the surrounding population and identifying the benefits of a scheme to the local community that are quite often hidden or not so obvious. This insight can also help inform a client’s commercial decision-making process.”

Akshay takes role at WestBridge Group

Freeths celebrates continued growth with new appointments Law firm Freeths LLP has expanded its employment and pensions practice with the appointment of five new lawyers.

The employment team has been bolstered by managing associate Paul Bownes and associate Alex Reid joining the Leicester office, associate Andrew Dixon qualifying into the Nottingham office. Further afield, directors Amy Brokenshire and Nigel Jones have joined the Birmingham and Leeds offices respectively.

Partner and national head of employment, pensions and immigration Rena Magdani said:

“The employment, pensions and immigration practice has seen a 50% increase in turnover in the past four years, and the in the past 18 months, has seen a significant increase in demand for our services due to Brexit and Covid-19.”

Amy added: “It is exciting to be joining the Freeths as it continues to see growth and success year on year, and being part of the employment team as Rena takes over as national head. It’s a busy and interesting time for employment lawyers and I will relish the opportunity to support our clients in navigating this new landscape.”

The firm has also responded to a continued demand for new housing with the recruitment of Holly Chadwick as a senior associate, together with Zara Hussain as an associate, to support its residential development team in Nottingham.

They are among 13 lateral hires to join the wider real estate department nationally since the start of the year. This is complemented by a raft of solicitors who trained with Freeths who have recently qualified into the team – Lorna Trimble in March, and both Dominic Bent and Ksenia Kavtaskin in September.

Leicester-based WestBridge Group has strengthened its tax team following the appointment of Akshay Vaghela (pictured) as a senior tax associate.

Akshay has an accounting and finance degree from Manchester Metropolitan University and joins from Londonbased accountancy firm Wilson Wright.

In his new role, he will work closely with the directors and the senior management team on a wide range of specialist tax advisory projects.

Tax specialist and director Tom Moore said: “We are delighted that Akshay has joined us as he will bring more expertise and dynamism to our specialist tax team.”

Akshay added: “Despite only joining recently, I have already had fantastic exposure to high-level projects. I look forward to being supported through training by the company and furthering my personal and professional development.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

The new frontier

of investing As the relationship between climate change and finance becomes increasingly interlinked, it’s placed huge emphasis on investment portfolios. But as Jillian Thomas, founder and managing director of North-East Derbyshire-based Future Life Wealth Management, explains to Dan Robinson, the ESG agenda is filtering down to everyday consumers too. he role of big banks and pension funds in combatting climate change has never been clearer. In one of the first announcements at COP26, more than 450 financial institutions in 45 counties signed a net zero pledge designed to divert their investments from fossil fuels to zero-carbon ventures.

It should bring new meaning to ethical investing, the filter of social consciousness that underpins how many people choose to save and increase the value of their money using fund managers like Jillian Thomas’ own Future Life Wealth Management – and meaning is precisely what she wants to discuss.

“We need to drop ‘ethical’ from the broader perspective of sustainability for the planet,” she says.

“It has many different meanings to different people so I would like to replace it with ESG – environmental, social and governance – which I think dramatically changes the way we as individuals look at the issue.

“If we look at what each of those letters actually means, that’s where this becomes commonality across individuals, companies and the broader reference out there.”

Environmental is arguably the easiest to understand as it relates to the positive and negative impacts of various activities on our natural ecosystems.

It will have been difficult for most people to have escaped video footage of wildfires and floods across the world in recent years, while on a more optimistic note there have been huge advancements in clean energy and waste reduction technologies in recent years.

“So rather than ‘ethical’, we can latch on to the ‘environmental’ far easier than a generic term that has been sold and is old hat,” Jillian says.

The social aspect has a wider scope, defined not only by the impact of businesses on their communities but also how they treat their employees and customers.

“Individuals are increasingly defining exactly what we want corporations to represent and do,” Jillian says.

“Among the negatives of the social section are zero-hour contracts, payday lenders, online gambling and tobacco companies.”

Governance underpins both the E and S, believes Jillian, who adds: “We’re looking at controlling stakes, executive renumeration, independence of the non-executive board and the diversity of voices on there.

“Governance also relates to the standard of communication companies have with their stakeholders – customers, employees, shareholders and partners – whether formally through accountancy declarations or via messages conveyed in the media and marketing.

“So to me, ESG represents far more important considerations in this new world we live in than the word ‘ethical’ or ‘sustainable’.”

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THESE THREE HEADINGS are a good starting point for any individual or business that either wishes to improve their conscience or has already identified the road ahead is greener and more transparent.

Power dynamics are also beginning to favour the consumer in our transactions with big business.

Whereas once the ability to influence an oil company’s actions would have felt distinctly unlikely, Jillian believes there is a greater belief among consumers in what they can achieve.

She says: “If we change the emphasis to ESG, then each of us as individuals have a decision on whether we want to participate.

“This inevitably changes the way the companies we interact with will operate, and all of a sudden, we’ve changed the dynamic.

BAY OF BISCAY OBSERVATION DESK SUGGESTS NORMALITY IS ON HORIZON An ideal vantage point for the economy’s health can be found aboard a cruise liner in the Bay of Biscay of all places.

Jillian, a frequent passenger on board ships sailing to faraway locations via the western coast of France, says she will always take her place on an open deck at noon whenever she passes through the bay due to it being a popular cargo route.

“The purpose of this is it’s one of the finest ways of understanding the basis of the economy,” she says.

“The Bay of Biscay is one of the major shipping channels in the world so you can see how well an economy is doing judging by the amount of cargo on ships.

“In 2009, in the middle of the banking crisis, I was stood in that position at 12pm on the day we passed through the bay and I saw four ships.

“I stood there in the first week of October this year, and I saw 29 ships, and most of those were cargo, so I know the economy is doing well.

“There is activity out there as people are buying things.”

However, she also had to pass through Southampton docks to take a PCR test before climbing aboard her cruise and noticed a large number of empty containers waiting to be sent back to where they had arrived from.

Jillian says: “This is one of the issues because cargo is coming in but goods aren’t being made in the UK to go back out, so it’s really a one-way ticket.

“What we did see though was thousands of cars waiting to be shipped out. So what this tells me is that, post-Brexit and post-pandemic, we have to focus on the things we’re truly good at as opposed to the products we’re in competition with – and we’re damn good at a lot of things.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

WEALTH MANAGEMENT TRENDS

Jillian Thomas set up her business at the height of the 2009 global recession

“We can make or break a company in a way we’ve never been able to previously – and that’s a powerful thing.”

Examples can be found in the increasing accountability for listed company directors as more people turn up to AGMs to make votes count on issues such as executive pay, while an increasing number of CEOs have their own personal emissions targets and will use trains rather than fly domestically.

The acquisitions made by major firms to help steer them in a more sustainable direction is also representative of external influences.

Bernard Looney, the Instagram-active BP chief executive, took office in February 2020 with the promise to turbocharge the company’s energy transition by significantly cutting oil production – making it the first major oil firm to purposely do so – and boost annual investment in renewable energy tenfold by 2030.

While BP shares fell by 39% in his first 18 months, City fund managers continue to back it as steep oil price rises resulting from net zero-chasing governments clamping down on supply mean these renewable investments could well pay dividends. Such is the power of governance.

Jillian says: “The tone and direction of a business comes from the top – everyone else follows and it’s what shareholders attach themselves to.

“That’s why governance matters because it filters down

in everything from diversity and fair pay, to waste and innovation.”

She highlights the new 4680 Tesla solid-state batteries, which have five-times more capacity, 16% better driving range and 14% lower costs than incumbent lithium-ion batteries.

They may not have the X-factor of a new car but it was just the kind of breakthrough innovation that helped it to surpass the $1tn market cap in October.

Jillian says: “Everyone talks about Tesla in terms of the car but they’re missing the point that its batteries, along with everything else that goes inside the vehicle, is groundbreaking.

“This is the new frontier and an example of where the investment from the top was a concept that has been taken, but then continued to be run with to get it to the best of breed. I think this is something we’ll see more of after COP26.”

Tesla is emerging as one of the very biggest businesses in the world but, back in the East Midlands, there are plenty of great low-carbon ideas spinning out of our universities and SMEs. Jillian believes there is no better place to start than here for the “new frontier” of investment.

Funding mechanisms she highlights include the Government-backed Enterprise Investment Scheme

Financial advisers’ services are being requested earlier in people’s lives since the pandemic began, says Jillian.

“I don’t know if Covid has ruffled a few feathers and made people think more about getting their affairs in order at a younger age, but we’re being brought in eight to 10 years’ earlier than we’d usually expect,” she says.

“The layers of taxation are also so complex that we’re often trying to create the best solution for the whole family, rather than just for a specific individual.

“The work we’re getting involved in is also more technical than it’s ever been before. Back-office systems that can provide people with up-to-date information as quickly as possible is becoming increasingly important as part of our service offering to clients.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

(EIS) and bolt-on Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), which offer tax breaks to investors that back promising young start-ups.

“The brains of the people in these university spin-outs operate in a way most of us just couldn’t understand,” adds Jillian.

“We must recognise that some of these are going to fail, but some of them are going to be the most brilliant ideas we’ve ever seen.

“Imagine if someone had said 100 years ago they were going to put ‘cat’s eyes’ in the middle of a road and they’re going to reflect back to you – they’d have been laughed at.

But if we didn’t have those on our roads, we’d be all over the place.

“So it’s the cat’s eyes of the future we need to find, support, nurture and grow into our next technological breakthrough.”

GREEN SPIN, GREEN sheen, green PR or green marketing – the concept of greenwashing has many different labels but the issue is quite simple, as organisations spend more time and money on marketing themselves as environmentallyfriendly than they do on actually minimising their environmental impact.

Examples of greenwashing can easily be found on packaging and advertising posters. See claims of “100% recyclable plastic bottles” despite the fact PET can only be recycled two or three times, and companies like Coca-Cola only use 20% recycled content in its packaging.

‘There’s some very cunning marketing ploys going on to make some companies appear as ideally positioned to lead the green agenda’ Or how about consumer goods giants’ zero-waste factories, which no longer produce waste through manufacturing – yet pump out billions of products wrapped in plastic packaging like toothpaste tubes, disposable razors and sweet wrappers, mostly destined for landfill.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority published a Green Claims Code in September to increase compliance, but concerns remain that big corporation will find new ways around it.

Jillian says: “Greenwashing is a deceptive way in which you market a business to change perceptions, and it’s all about the language used – buzzwords, fluffy statements and meaningless targets.

“How many times do you see green imagery used on TV adverts? There’s some very cunning marketing ploys going on to make some companies appear as ideally positioned to lead the green agenda.”

The race to net zero can be tainted by greenwashing too.

Tullow Oil, for example, has a celebrated 2030 net zero commitment, but this only applies to scope one and two emissions – those that the company makes directly and indirectly.

No mention is given to scope three emissions, which includes all those associated via both the supply chain and customers, in its commitment.

Shell has attracted plenty of criticism for its continued investment in petrochemicals, but its ambition to become a net zero business by 2050 does at least cover all three scopes.

“Consumers just need to be aware of greenwashing, but so do businesses that deal with the companies that make these various commitments,” adds Jillian.

“If you’ve been watching COP26 and want to do your bit as a business or investor, then you’ll need to do a bit of digging behind the statements to understand the full picture.”

IF ESG WILL be at the centre of the economic recovery as Britain seeks to “Build Back Better”, to borrow the Government’s rhetoric, there are other forces at play that will no doubt have an impact on the ability to spend.

Jillian believes 2022 will be a year of debt as businesses begin repaying Covid-19 loans, while the real-terms value of 30

business network December 2021/January 2022

cash diminishes rapidly as the Bank of England expects inflation to surpass 5% by early next year.

Interest rates are expected to be raised to combat this at some point in the near future, but it will have wider implications for investments in 2022, believes Jillian, who floats the idea of a March budget being on the horizon to bring in new taxation.

“The pressure is on from shareholders for businesses to dilute that money into the investment markets,” she says.

“But they also need to find new frontiers of investment, which they can adopt into those companies to get better environmental or social credentials.

“So the E and the S come out in that decision-making, but the G is your decision-maker who is actually going out to get those new styles of investment to make these changes.”

Jillian is a strong advocate of the ESG agenda

SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION Jillian set up her business in the middle of a global financial crisis in 2009 – and has come through another economic downturn by recording her best year of trading.

Future Life Wealth Management’s turnover was up by 32% to more than £1m, with profit up by 24% to about £330,000 in the last financial year.

Headcount continues to grow too, with 11 people now on board, including two graduates and an apprentice. It’s part of a strategy to develop young talent and change the image of wealth management, with the majority of staff also female.

Jillian, who has more than 40 years’ experience in the industry and started the Renishaw-based company with her own savings, says: “We’re looking at growing our own. As an industry, we have an awful lot of older people, so we’re trying to bring younger people in.

“With the exception of myself and our director of operations Keeley Woodcock, our average age is 29. I have one person who came when he was 16 as an apprentice. He earned a full-time contract after 10 weeks and is still here nearly eight years later.”

Among the Future Life ranks is Emma Baumback. Under Jillian’s tutelage, she has developed from paraplanner, a technical report-writing role, into an independent financial planner, where she now gives financial advice to clients – whose assets under management span from relatively modest levels to more than £1m.

A year ago, Emma was listed in the Top 35 Next Generation Advisers by New Model Adviser when she was 29, and has gone on to chair the Chamber’s new Generation Next young professionals’ network.

Jillian adds: “The most important thing is to be a mentor and bring people along to set them up for the future.”

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PATRONS

Amazon invests in training to deliver vital skills East Midlands Chamber members can be among the first businesses to take advantage of an innovative recruitment scheme launched by Amazon.

The e-commerce giant is investing millions of pounds in training up to 5,000 employees in new skills to meet the UK’s future employment needs outside the company in a partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

Training is delivered via Amazon’s Career Choice programme, which provides funding for adult education in courses ranging from accountancy to HGV drivers and software developers, and other businesses are supported to hire the newlyskilled recruits at no cost.

Chamber members can meet the Amazon employees who have either completed a course, are currently studying or considering doing so at an event at the firm’s Kegworth fulfilment centre on Wednesday 26 January.

Amazon’s UK country manager John Boumphrey said: “We’re delighted to be working with the BCC on a pioneering approach to our Career Choice programme to

provide the training, and skilled workers, needed to boost local economies right across the country.

“We’re proud of the frontline roles we offer across Amazon, and we also know that they will be a stepping stone for some in their career journey. For people whose ambitions fall outside of our company, we are pleased to support them by paying for training and academic courses that can get them to where they want to be.”

‘Providing staff with training to plug the skills gaps’ In the Careers Choice programme, Amazon pre-pays 95% of tuition and associated fees for nationallyrecognised courses, up to £8,000 over four years.

It was first launched in the USA in 2012 and, since then, more than 50,000 Amazon employees from around the world have taken a wide variety of courses.

In recent months, more than 400 UK staff have helped to boost HGV driver numbers by taking training via the scheme.

Using data gathered by experts from government, education and employment agencies, Amazon is able to evaluate which jobs are available today and which ones may be in demand in the next three to five years.

It has created a list of five broad fields of study – healthcare, administration and business services, IT, transportation, and mechanical and skilled trades – along with associated academic programmes.

The company also works closely with businesses interested in hiring its Career Choice graduates to fill key gaps and has created a fullycustomised job board.

Shevaun Haviland, director-

general of the BCC, said: “This is a great initiative that will not only help Amazon but also provide a much wider benefit to the community, while showcasing how business can be a force for good.

“Providing staff with training to plug the skills gaps that exist within the local business community is going to be a key driver to increasing productivity and boosting the economy as the UK recovers from the pandemic.”

The Kegworth fulfilment centre event is available to Chamber members only for free. To register an interest, visit bit.ly/AmazonEMC or email sarah.long@emc-dnl.co.uk

The importance of having a digital presence Failing to move online is putting retailers’ future at risk, a marketing agency boss has warned after new figures illustrated the continued fall in high street sales.

Purpose Media managing director Matt Wheatcroft urged businesses to adapt quickly by setting up a digital presence, as the Office for National Statistics reported physical retail sales dropped for the fifth consecutive month.

Online sales rose to 28.1% in September 2021 – significantly higher than the pre-pandemic figure of 19.7% in February 2020.

Matt said: “Consumers have become heavily reliant on online shopping over the past 18 months and it’s not surprising to see the high street is in a period of continuous decline, especially given the logistical issues currently gripping the country.

“Many shoppers are still cautious about going to the high street, which is why businesses with an online presence are seeing the benefits as we come into a peak time for retail. Our agency has helped many businesses move online and I can only encourage others to do the same to protect themselves longer-term.

“This Christmas period is going to be make or break for so many high street businesses and those without an online presence face a battle to compete with online retailers that can deliver on convenience.”

South Normanton-based Purpose Media has helped Derbyshire businesses move online as part of the Chesterfield Digital High Street project, which is funded by Chesterfield Borough Council and delivered by the Chamber.

SMEs can apply to set up a digital presence – supported by grants and expert advice – in order to increase their opportunities to trade online and get their brand noticed.

Applications are still open for businesses in the Chesterfield borough area. Visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/chesterfield-digital-high-street 32

business network December 2021/January 2022

Purpose Media directors Matt Wheatcroft, Rob Marshall and Tim Lenton

ROB’S MOVING ON One of Purpose Media’s three longstanding directors has retired and sold his shares.

Rob Marshall handed over the business to co-owners Matt Wheatcroft and Tim Lenton for an undisclosed sum.

He has helped to steer the business through a strong period of growth from its roots as a small e-commerce and digital marketing agency in 2008 through to being a full-service marketing agency powered by 30 full-time staff.

Rob said he was “proud of the agency’s achievements”, adding: “Collectively, we have grown and developed Purpose Media into an award-winning, forward-thinking marketing agency that is well regarded in the region. I’d like to thank the employees for their support.”

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PATRONS

East Midlands businesses are transforming the way they work

Professor Gilberto Montibeller (left) and Professor L Alberto Franco

Recognition for pioneering work

In the Chamber’s most recent Quarterly Economic Survey for Q3 2021, it collaborated with Air IT to ask businesses a series of questions related to the future of work. Lee Johnson (pictured), chief technology officer at the Sandiacre-based managed service provider, examines the findings.

A lot of my work at Air IT recently has revolved around hybrid working, learning how we can support SMEs as they adjust to this new era and working out how to operate going forward. So we wanted to find out how East Midlands businesses truly felt about returning to the office and to what extent they plan to return to prepandemic habits.

What we found was clear – we won’t be going back to our original ways of working any time soon.

When asked to what extent they had returned to their pre-pandemic ways of working, just under 20% of businesses selected “totally”. Almost 70% of respondents had “mostly” or “partly” returned, while more than 11% said “not at all”.

But do we expect a full return to pre-pandemic working patterns eventually? Well, there wasn’t a huge shift here – while 27% of respondents said they would completely return to pre-pandemic habits, 66% maintained they would only “mostly” or “partially” do so, and 7% said “not at all”.

EMERGING THEMES So, what does this mean? As for future plans, some of the biggest

themes to emerge from the survey were location flexibility, technology and employee wellbeing – areas that have been prioritised over the past couple of years.

Perhaps the least surprising piece of data to come out of this survey is the number of businesses planning to embrace hybrid working. Of those not planning to return to previous ways of working, 74% of respondents listed “greater flexibility in location of work” as something that has changed. This goes hand in hand with a reduction in face-toface meetings (78%), a drop in both local (54%) and international (58%) travel, and fewer in-person events attended (54%). Both leaders and employees have seen the benefits of remote working, but there is work to be done if it is to be combined with office working successfully.

TECHNOLOGY WILL SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF WORK If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it’s that technology is businesscritical. When asked about the implications of changes to working habits, the most popular answer was “increased investment in new technologies” (61%).

When the pandemic first hit, it was clear to see which businesses had embraced modern technologies in advance as opposed to the ones that were scrambling to keep up. The same will be true for the new era of hybrid working – embracing modern technologies such as VoIP (voice over internet protocol) telephony, meeting room systems and cloud transformation will stand businesses in good stead for the future.

All these elements ultimately feed into the employee experience, which is at the heart of all companies but is particularly important in a marketplace that’s struggling with talent shortages.

East Midlands businesses recognise this. After increased investment in new technologies, the most popular change to patterns of working was “increased investment in staff engagement and wellbeing”, selected by 59% of respondents.

Keeping the workforce engaged and connected is essential in a hybrid world. What this looks like will be different for individual businesses, but becoming more flexible and embracing technologies that make hybrid working easier for employees is a great start.

Two Loughborough University professors have been recognised for their pioneering research into improving global risk management for emerging health threats.

Prof Gilberto Montibeller and Prof L Alberto Franco have developed an advanced framework to support the prioritisation of threats such as future pandemics, which create extensive health, economic and social problems, by deciding how to balance and reduce their risk.

‘Prioritisation of threats such as future pandemics’ The duo, from the management science and operations academic group at the university’s School of Business and Economics, were awarded the EURO Excellence in Practice Award by the Association of European Operational Research Societies during a conference held in Athens earlier this year.

The decision support tool has been used to enhance the quality of health experts’ policy recommendations at the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), improving health risk control regulations.

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

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CHAMBER NEWS

Awards nights bring people back together T

uxedos, gowns and hugs were back as the East Midlands Chamber Business Awards returned to in-person celebrations this year.

After the 2020 version of the annual event went virtual for the first time, more than 1,200 people turned out across the three chapters of the 2021 edition for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.

The achievements of three companies in particular were put under the spotlight as SureScreen Diagnostics was crowned Derbyshire Business of the Year, JG Pears named Nottinghamshire Business of the Year and Metalfacture selected Leicestershire Business of the Year.

The Business Awards, held in partnership with headline sponsor Mazars, recognised winners across 13 categories, ranging from Business Improvement Through Technology and Environmental Impact Award within an organisation to individual honours for Entrepreneur of the Year and Apprentice of the Year. There were

The Derbyshire Business Awards winners toast their success

It was a celebratory evening for the Nottinghamshire Business Awards winners

Members of the Chamber team (L-R): Brittany Smith, Kate Nemeth, Linsey Hardy, Jasmine Thompson and Katie Marshall

EMA Training CEO Tracey Mosley

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Guests were in high spirits

The Chamber Business Awards returned to physical venues after being held virtually last year

business network December 2021/January 2022

new categories this year for Collaboration Project of the Year and Excellence in Innovation.

Finalists, chosen by a judging panel of the Chamber’s senior leadership team and board of directors, as well as sponsors, discovered their fate during the gala dinners attended by hundreds of people across three venues – marking a return for face-to-face celebrations after being held virtually last year.

Scott Knowles, chief executive of the Chamber, said: “There has been so much to celebrate within our business community despite a challenging 18 months and these awards have showcased some of the incredible companies that call our region home. As the economic recovery continues, and new opportunities present themselves in a new era of global trade and sustainable business, these are just the kinds of organisations we should be highlighting when we’re shouting about everything the East Midlands has to offer. We know it’s a great place to do business and these are living proof.

Chamber president Eileen Richards MBE and chair of the board Ian Morgan OBE

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CHAMBER NEWS

DERBYSHIRE BUSINESS AWARDS WINNERS Business Improvement Through Technology – Sponsored by Purpose Media Futures Housing Group “We received so many highcalibre applications, which demonstrated how the pandemic hasn’t been a period in which we have just stood still. Instead, the time afforded for reflection has led to many companies seeking out new opportunities, innovating and driving themselves forward.

“While last year offered us a different kind of experience in a virtual awards ceremony, it was great to be back holding such a landmark event for the Nottinghamshire business calendar in person once more. Once again, we are so thankful to our sponsors for making this event so successful.”

The Derbyshire Business Awards and Nottinghamshire Business Awards gala dinners were hosted

by British-Gambian broadcast journalist Haddy Ndure on 12 November at Derbyshire County Cricket Club and 19 November at Colwick Hall respectively, and featured entertainment by Turner and McHugh and Red Lane.

Contd on page 36...

Community Impact Award – Sponsored by University of Derby Fortem Solutions Outstanding Growth Award – Sponsored by Amazon SureScreen Diagnostics

Business Improvement Through Technology – Sponsored by Air IT Ryley Wealth Management

Business Improvement Through Technology – Sponsored by De Montfort University Due Diligence Checking

Community Impact Award – Sponsored by Breeze Corporate Finance TTK Confectionery Outstanding Growth Award – Sponsored by JG Pears TTK Confectionery Environmental Impact Award – Sponsored by The Energy Desk JG Pears

Commitment to People Development Award – Sponsored by 2020 Training Peak Indicators

Commitment to People Development Award – Sponsored by QTS Group CCM Group

Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Derby College Group Lisa Scarboro – Futures Housing Group

Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by EMA Training Amie Betteridge – Fidler & Pepper Lawyers

Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by Ryley Wealth Management Max Vaughan – White Peak Distillery

Excellence in Customer Service – Sponsored by Aston Lark UK Asbestos Training Association Excellence in International Trade – Sponsored by HSBC SureScreen Diagnostics Small Business of the Year – Sponsored by Begbies Traynor Project D Excellence in Innovation – Sponsored by Rolls-Royce SureScreen Diagnostics

The Ryley Wealth Management team with their Business Improvement Through Technology Award at the Nottinghamshire Business Awards

LEICESTERSHIRE BUSINESS AWARDS WINNERS

Environmental Impact Award – Sponsored by Futures Housing Group Derby City Council – DE-Carbonise Project

Education and Business Partnership Award – Sponsored by RDS Global Dronfield Heritage Trust

Haddy Ndure presented the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire awards

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BUSINESS AWARDS WINNERS

Excellence in Collaboration – Sponsored by HSBC Derby Market Place Business of the Year – Sponsored by Mazars SureScreen Diagnostics

Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by Eversheds Sutherland Trent Peek – CCM Group Education and Business Partnership Award – Sponsored by Nottingham University Business School Access Training (East Midlands) Excellence in Customer Service – Sponsored by Eight Days a Week Print Solutions Voldi Excellence in International Trade – Sponsored by DHL Unic International

Community Impact Award – Sponsored by emh group Zinthiya Trust Outstanding Growth Award – Sponsored by Morningside Pharmaceuticals Metalfacture Environmental Impact Award – Sponsored by Cambridge & Counties Bank Abacus Flooring Solutions Commitment to People Development Award – Sponsored by De Montfort University Precision Facilities Management Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by Loughborough College James Cook – C S Ellis Group Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by Leicester Business Festival Brij Thankey – Precision Facilities Management Education and Business Partnership Award – Sponsored by Blueprint Interiors MIRA Technology Institute Excellence in Customer Service – Sponsored by ER Recruitment Furnley House Excellence in International Trade – Sponsored by HSBC Metalfacture

Small Business of the Year – Sponsored by Nottingham Trent University Unic International

Small Business of the Year – Sponsored by PPL PRS Your Tender Team

Excellence in Innovation – Sponsored by HSBC Affari Media

Excellence in Innovation – Sponsored by RSM Structural Adhesives

Excellence in Collaboration – Sponsored by Motorcycle Funerals Maggie’s Nottingham

Excellence in Collaboration – Sponsored by Fraser Stretton Estate Agents De Montfort University – Round to Knives

Nottinghamshire Business of the Year – Sponsored by Mazars JG Pears

Business of the Year – Sponsored by Mazars Metalfacture

December 2021/January 2022 business network

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CHAMBER NEWS

...From page 35 The Leicestershire Business Awards, which took place on 3 December at Leicester Tigers Rugby Club’s Mattioli Woods Welford Road stadium, coincided with the Chamber’s annual Christmas Lunch and featured comedian Dom Woodward.

Raffles were held at each event to raise funds for Chamber president Eileen Richards MBE’s three chosen charities this year – Chesterfield Samaritans, Help the Homeless Leicester and Nottinghamshire Hospice.

Eileen, who owns Leicesterbased ER Recruitment, gave speeches in which she highlighted a series of economic opportunities in each county – including the Becketwell development in Derby, Broadmarsh and Island Quarter regeneration in Nottingham, and the continued investment into space and satellite technologies in Leicester.

Commenting on the awards, she added: “During my year as president, I’ve been privileged to witness some of the amazing success stories that don’t always receive the wider recognition they ought to, so I’m thrilled to see some of these come to the fore at the Chamber’s Business Awards.

“They have shone the spotlight on some well-deserving winners but I’d also like to congratulate the finalists for their outstanding entries too as we had some really strong competition across many categories this year.

“We’ve seen some very worthy Business of the Year winners – SureScreen Diagnostics has played a pivotal role in the fight against Covid-19 both in the UK and overseas; JG Pears is promoting the critically-important circular economy to make its products sustainable and drastically reduce waste, and Metalfacture has demonstrated how British manufacturing has a global appeal by broadening its own horizons.”

Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles

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Who are the Business of the Year winners?

DERBYSHIRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: SURESCREEN DIAGNOSTICS SureScreen Diagnostics has supplied millions of Covid-19 lateral flow tests to British people during the pandemic.

The Derby-based company has grown from a workforce of 50 employees to 450 over the past 18 months as it has scaled up production of its rapid antigen tests, which diagnose whether an individual has Covid-19 with 98% accuracy.

These have been shipped to about 40 countries and the UK SureScreen Diagnostics director David Campbell receives one of his company's four awards Government ordered 22 million units, while antibody tests have also been supplied to 53 countries – leading to SureScreen planning to build extra manufacturing capacity that could create another 1,000 jobs in future.

L-R: Alistair Wesson, Nottingham office managing partner at Business Awards headline sponsor Mazars, with JG Pears operations director Alistair Collins, commercial director Graham Pears and financial director Paul Beaumont

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: JG PEARS JG Pears is a family business that has become one of the UK’s largest sustainable processors of animal byproducts and food waste.

The company’s factory in Low Marnham, near Newark, has been behind cutting-edge techniques that recycle resources otherwise destined for landfill and produces sustainable animal feed ingredients.

A key proponent of the circular economy – a resource management system that enables materials and products to be constantly reused so waste is minimised – JG Pears has also developed a net zero coincineration plant powered by renewable biomass generated from animal by-products.

It is also a successful exporter, with its animal fats shipped globally to countries including the USA, South Africa, Vietnam, Chile and Myanmar, where they are used in pharmaceuticals, waxes and biodiesel, as well as high-quality protein rich feeds for the pet food and fish aquaculture markets.

LEICESTERSHIRE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: METALFACTURE Having started out as a sheet metal work sub-contractor, Metalfacture has diversified its business over the past few years to also make its own products.

It has used its wealth of manufacturing knowledge to create innovative displays used in shops that increase brand awareness and impulse sales, with a specialism in beverages, small convenience stores and petrol forecourts. Customers include Heineken, Molston Coors, Asda and Sainsbury’s.

International trade was an Metalfacture founder Ben Jones-Fenleigh unknown quantity to the Wigston-based company three years ago but now it sends deliveries to more than 54 countries worldwide – including the USA, Europe and Japan – helped by having more than 20,000 worldwide followers on social media. Exports now represent about half of sales.

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CHAMBER NEWS

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BUSINESS NETWORK

HS2: ‘A job half done’ After numerous delays, the Government finally published its Integrated Rail Plan, in which it confirmed the HS2 Eastern Leg will be descoped – running from Birmingham to East Midlands Parkway, rather than the previously proposed Toton hub station, but no longer continuing to Leeds via Chesterfield and Sheffield. Scott Knowles (pictured), chief executive of the Chamber, which has long campaigned for the full delivery of HS2, explains the ramifications for our region.

The announcement came as a bitter blow to communities in the East Midlands that have spent such a long time planning for the arrival of HS2, only to now be faced with a reneging on clear commitments repeatedly made by our country’s leaders.

From a practical perspective, we miss out on the majority of the transformational economic benefits that underpinned the HS2 case for the region. This would have included significantly enhanced connectivity both locally and with other major cities, increased capacity to help us deliver more frequent and reliable local services, as well as the significant wider investment opportunities that come with businesses basing themselves at such a well-connected location.

It was also about creating economic prosperity in places such as Chesterfield and Staveley, where economic regeneration planning has hinged around the delivery of HS2.

But it’s not just a case of what we could have had. Investment begets investment and the fact that the Western Leg has been given the green light places the East Midlands at a massive disadvantage. It risks further widening the EastWest gap that is emerging alongside the more widely commented upon North-South divide. Of course, the proposed improvements

within the Integrated Rail Plan, along with the long-needed electrification of the Midland Main Line, are positive developments. But these were always a part of our wider vision for HS2 in the East Midlands and electrification was promised many years ago – and has itself been the subject of multiple Government flip-flops over the past decade.

As the Prime Minister himself has said, it should not be an either/or situation. We need these developments alongside HS2 to achieve the full benefits for the region.

A JOB HALF DONE Because make no mistake, this is a job half done. This has always been so much more than just a transport investment for the communities of the East Midlands and no matter how this is now spun, our joint vision that encompassed economic, environmental and societal benefits has been massively descoped.

At a time when the Prime Minister is shouting from the rooftops about levelling up and saying no place will be left behind, this is a slap in the face to a region that already receives the lowest level of public expenditure on transport and

economic affairs in the UK. It also demonstrates massive disingenuity towards the climate change agenda despite the rhetoric surrounding COP26 earlier this month – our railways are at breaking point, and only through the additional capacity of HS2 would we be able to encourage people and freight off the roads in quantities meaningful enough to make a difference.

EAST MIDLANDS MUST WORK TOGETHER TO MOVE FORWARD The decision not to build the Eastern Leg as originally planned undermines not only the benefits of the entire project but also trust in Government.

It now rests on Westminster to explain in proper, technical detail exactly what it plans to deliver, as well as how and when, in order to prevent the East Midlands from being structurally disadvantaged for generations to come.

For our own region, it’s never been more crucial for our political and business leaders to come together and prepare a collective response for how we move forward.

The HS2 Eastern Leg will now end at East Midlands Parkway

East Midlands unemployment levels drop Unemployment in the East Midlands has dropped to its lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic, the latest figures show.

The region’s unemployment rate fell to 4.1% for the period between July and September 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics.

This marked a 0.2% reduction compared to the previous reported period between June and August, 38

while it was also 0.2% below the UK average.

It is the lowest unemployment rate for the East Midlands since the three months to May 2020, when it was 4% - having peaked at 5.9% earlier this year.

National figures showed job vacancies hit another record high in October at 1.17 million – almost 400,000 higher than pre-Covid – as employers continued to struggle

business network December 2021/January 2022

with skills shortages.

Scott Knowles said the falling unemployment rate suggested the economy is “moving in the right direction” after lockdown restrictions were eased, but the number of vacancies showed the deep-rooted skills problems existing in the workforce that can’t be healed by simply releasing more people into the labour market at the end of furlough on 30 September.

“The concern here is that an inability to address the skills gap and bolster productivity will dampen the economic recovery,” he added.

“This could become particularly problematic if inflation, which surged by 4.2% in the year to October, continues to rise as it hits the bottom line of businesses – and therefore put a squeeze on the gains we’ve made in employment.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

Lindsey takes on presidency Lindsey Williams (pictured), CEO of Futures Housing Group, will be inducted as the next Chamber president to succeed Eileen Richards MBE later this month. She talks to Business Network about her career journey and ambitions for her presidential year.

Tell us about how you came to be CEO of Futures Housing Group?

I’ve worked in the housing sector since college. It’s kept me captivated – it’s so diverse with great purpose, social impact and a commercial edge. The role of CEO of Amber Valley Housing was a new one and, as I’ve only ever taken jobs that no-one else has done before the chance to help create and develop it was too good to ignore. It later became Futures when it acquired 3,500 more homes in 2007.

How have you taken the organisation forward during this time?

I’m most proud of the culture we’ve created. It’s enabled us to do so much, such as delivering awardwinning services, achieving Investors in People platinum accreditation, having a customer net promoter score of +29, and 94% of our employees saying they would recommend Futures as a place to work. We’re supporting local people into work – we jointly own Access Training, which helps more than 1,000 learners a year. My aim has been to create a framework within which the magic can happen – where colleagues know what we are here for, can develop personally, are empowered and can take responsibility knowing they are supported.

What are you most passionate about?

I’m passionate about people having choice. Poverty and lack of opportunity both limit individual choice. I encourage colleagues to own their personal development and recognise our customers have limited choice of service provision, especially in moving home – so it’s vital we deliver services with respect and empathy.

What do you hope to achieve as Chamber president?

I want to ensure the region has equity of investment compared to the rest of the country. Specifically, I want to promote how any company can have an impact on the local community and support the links between business and communities.

I support apprenticeships, graduate training schemes and leadership programmes. So my request to all Chamber members, whatever the size, is to support at least one of your emerging leaders or rising stars to join Generation Next.

The Chamber’s annual general meeting takes place on Wednesday 15 December at 10.30am, and will be held at The Italian Mill within the Museum of Making, in Derby.

Details on how to attend or vote by proxy in advance can be found at bit.ly/EMCAGM2021

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CHAMBER NEWS

East Midlands secures funding to create jobs More than 1,000 jobs in the region will be safeguarded and 200 new roles created by the middle of 2022 as part of an East Midlands Accelerator project to be delivered via the Community Renewal Fund (CRF).

The five-strand programme, which will also aim to establish 100 new businesses and support 160 companies to decarbonise, will be led by the Chamber across seven local authority areas in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire after it successfully bid for £5.36m of the Government’s new £220m fund.

The CRF is the forerunner to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will eventually replace EU structural funds that help to deliver local business support and skills development programmes.

The East Midlands Accelerator, which will be delivered in conjunction with local authorities, universities and other business support services in the region, includes a Race to Zero-Carbon Accelerator, Digital Transformation Accelerator, Start-Up to Scale-Up Accelerator, Kickstart Accelerator and Financial Accelerator.

Diane Beresford, deputy chief executive of the Chamber, said: “We are delighted our bid has been successful and believe it could have a transformative impact for so many businesses and individuals in the East Midlands.

“The idea is to enhance and improve access to the existing support out there for businesses, particularly those most affected by the pandemic. The East Midlands Accelerator project will look at what the needs are locally and seek to address them with targeted, bespoke support that brings together key stakeholders across

the region – with each strand connected by the golden thread of acceleration.”

East Midlands Chamber secured 45% of the total £11.8m funding awarded to projects in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

There are four versions of the East Midlands Accelerator project.

About £1.5m has been awarded for a programme in Derbyshire covering High Peak and Derbyshire Dales districts, £1m in Leicester city, £1.1m in Nottingham city, and £1.7m in Nottinghamshire covering Mansfield, Bassetlaw, and Newark and Sherwood districts. It features a range of targets to be achieved

by June 2022 across the schemes which comprise:

KICKSTART ACCELERATOR Work-based modular training and mentoring support to individuals on the Kickstart Scheme, as well as wage subsidies to convert the roles into permanent jobs.

The Chamber will support 125 unemployed people and 1,600 employed people, and hopes this will result in 1,051 jobs being safeguarded and 208 new positions.

RACE TO ZERO-CARBON ACCELERATOR Building on the Chamber’s Sustainable East Midlands initiative, this will help 160 businesses to decarbonise via tailored clean growth support including carbon literacy training, environmental accreditation, electric fleet support and sustainable supply chain procurement.

Sustainability audits will also be offered to Nottinghamshire and Leicester SMEs, while a feasibility study is to be carried out for a local district heating network powered

Diane Beresford, deputy chief executive at the Chamber

by a water-source heat pump in Leicester.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ACCELERATOR Supporting SMEs to implement ecommerce and online booking into their businesses, as well as developing digital skills within organisations.

START-UP TO SCALE-UP ACCELERATOR Mentoring for new businesses and an investor readiness programme aimed at potential scale-ups, which aim to create 100 new firms.

FINANCIAL ACCELERATOR Offering 270 growth vouchers of up to £2,000 for each business to fund consultancy advice supporting growth challenges, new technology or carbon reduction. Another 280 flexible grants worth £8,000 each

will be available to back digital adoption, carbon reduction, specialist training, and subsidising wages for Kickstart or graduation retention.

The East Midlands Accelerator programme is designed to complement existing EU-funded projects delivered by the Chamber and other partners, such as the D2N2 Growth Hub, D2N2 Upscaler, Business Gateway Growth Hub and Digital Growth Programme.

In particular, they will seek to accelerate progress in key sectors such as the visitor economy, retail and wholesale, manufacturing, and culture and heritage, as well as BAME-owned businesses.

Project partners include universities and organisations such as The Food and Drink Forum, Nottingham Business Venture, B-Global, Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire, and Leicester Startups CIC.

Members to compete at BCC national awards Five Chamber members will compete at the British Chamber of Commerce’s national awards after being announced as regional winners.

They each form a shortlist of 12 companies in the Chamber Business Awards 2021, which takes place virtually on 9 December.

TTK Confectionery (The Game Changer Entrepreneur of the Year), DB Automation and Premier Bowl Feeders (The Global Player Export Business of the Year), Octopus Energy for Business

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business network December 2021/January 2022

(The Planet Saver Green Business of the Year), Composite Braiding (The Problem Solver Business Diversification Award) and Portland Pathways at Portland College (The Equality Trailblazer Diversity and Inclusion Award) were all winners at the East Midlands Chamber Business Awards in 2020.

To see the full list of finalists, visit www.britishchambers.org.uk/events/chamberawards

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CHAMBER NEWS

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generationnextemc.co.uk

BUSINESS NETWORK

Self-assessment tax deadline approaches The deadline to complete the 2020/21 self-assessment tax return is 31 January 2022.

Individuals must do so if they earned more than £2,500 from renting out property or other untaxed income, such as tips or commission; received, or their partner received, child benefit and either had an annual income of more than £50,000; are a selfemployed sole trader whose annual turnover is more than £1,000; are an employee claiming expenses in excess of £2,500, have an annual income of more than £100,000; or have earned income from abroad they need to pay tax on.

HMRC says they must also declare if they received any grants or payments from Covid-19 support schemes up to 5 April 2021.

More than 10.7 million people completed their 2019/20 tax return by 31 January 2021.

A changed mindset led to Daniel’s breakthrough

D2N2 expands level of support

Daniel Jones (pictured), managing director of Derby-based boiler maintenance service Professional Heating Solutions, won the Breakthrough Award at this year’s Generation Next Awards. He tells Business Network about his entrepreneurial journey and the importance of receiving the recognition.

Tell us about your journey from starting out to winning the Generation Next Breakthrough Award?

We set up by accident after being asked a lot by family and friends to install new boilers, service heating systems and fix problems. As a regulated trade, we can’t do the work unless we hold a gas safe registration and I had to create a business name as part of the application.

From there, I set up a Facebook page and did some social media advertising, and the uptake became enough for me to go full time.

When the country went into lockdown I stopped working and had some tough choices to make – either find a job or really push the business. I changed my mindset from being self-employed to a business owner.

I created our website and set up our safe and warm service plan. As we grew, we recruited engineers and office staff, and moved from a kitchen into an office.

Word was getting around about our service and we were being approached by some of the largest insurance companies to become their preferred contractor.

What has been the secret to your company's success?

We have a core set of values I was taught in my first proper job since leaving school – respect, integrity, service and excellence – that we strive to live up to every day and instil values into our employees from day one.

We want to change the way tradesmen are viewed.

We have had to adopt our approach to win the trust of our clients. Showing our clients we are genuine and they are at the heart of what we do is so important.

What tips would you have for any young person considering setting up their own business?

Firstly, “screw it, just do it”. There will be people who support you and those who don’t but believe in yourself. Open as many doors as you possibly can every day. Sometimes the hardest of doors to open can have the very best rewards.

Playing safe can earn you a living but taking a calculated risk can, like me, land a large contract that takes you to the next level.

Seek as much advice as you can by using organisations such as the Chamber, Generation Next and university business schools as they open the doors for you – but also open your mind to others’ point of view as we need a difference of opinion to identify and overcome challenges. Finally, if you are going to do a job, do it right.

How does it feel to win recognition for what you’ve done via the Generation Next Awards?

For me, winning the award was so much more than just raising the profile of the business. It was proof that, although I may not think it, I am not just a tradesman.

At school, I was told I would never amount to anything, so the recognition gave me confidence in my own ability and the self-belief I had always been lacking.

I genuinely felt very humbled at winning, and there can only ever be one winner, but the true winner is the Generation Next team for what it has done for young business people.

More than 92,000 young people across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire will benefit from new support to prepare them for the world of work.

The D2N2 Careers Hub – which has been run by the national body for careers education, The Careers & Enterprise Company, in partnership with the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) since 2019 – is expanding to support 118 more schools across the region.

It will now support 118,000 students across a total of 150 secondary schools and colleges.

The Hub brings together school staff, particularly those who lead on careers education, and provides them with additional support, resources and training for their schools to deliver “modern, 21st century careers education for every child”.

The Careers Hub also links the region’s schools with employers, further ed ucation colleges and training providers to make sure young people in the region know about the options available to them after they leave education.

Will Morlidge, interim chief executive at D2N2 LEP, said: “This exciting initiative couldn’t be better timed.

Bringing the worlds of work and education together is a vital part of our strategy to lead a green recovery from the impact of Covid-19.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

Supporting unpaid carers in work Inclusive recruitment is a key strand of the Chamber’s work in employment services as it promotes the business case for widening the local labour pool.

As employer engagement worker at Nottinghamshire Carers Association (NCA), Jayne Davies (pictured) aims to highlight how opening the door for unpaid carers to join the workforce can help companies to attract and retain talented people who may have extra family responsibilities outside their job.

Many organisations are still adjusting to new ways of working introduced over the past 18 months but the pandemic has also highlighted the challenges faced by unpaid working carers – not just in lockdown but in their everyday lives.

The importance of employers understanding these and putting in place support to ensure carers can continue to work and manage their caring responsibilities can’t be overstated.

Carers UK reports that one in seven of the UK workforce, accounting for nearly five million people, are now combining caring responsibilities alongside work.

In March 2020, the Government undertook a consultation on carer’s leave and, in its response published in September this year, confirmed its intention to introduce a new statutory right for employees with unpaid caring responsibilities to take up to one week of unpaid leave per year.

Legislation will be enacted when parliamentary time allows but, in the meantime, employers can consider how they will review their support for carers, as well as updating their policies and record-keeping systems.

EQUIPPING BUSINESSES WITH TOOLS TO SUPPORT UNPAID CARERS NCA wants to help organisations by demonstrating how they can make small adjustments to become a recognised carer-friendly organisation.

We recently hosted a webinar on this subject to mark Carers Rights Day on 25 November, while businesses can work with us through our Carers in Employment initiative.

This helps employers to identify carers in their organisation, build a programme of support, review HR policies and train a “carer champion”.

We have been commissioned by Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Bassetlaw Clinical Commissioning Group and Nottinghamshire County Council to provide this service free of charge to organisations in Nottinghamshire.

BENEFITS TO BUSINESSES Whatever the size of your organisation, becoming a carer-friendly workplace makes good business sense by helping to recruit and retain staff.

It is also likely to reduced stress, absenteeism and training costs.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Chamber offers pledge of support The Chamber has made a commitment to supporting unpaid carers within its workforce by signing the Carers in Employment pledge.

By partnering with NCA, it will take steps that eventually lead to becoming a certified carer-friendly employer.

NCA will provide free training, resources and ongoing support to review the Chamber’s policies and procedures in order to introduce carer-friendly working practices.

Lucy Robinson, the Chamber’s director of resources, said: “The Chamber is very much aware of the role we can play in leading the way for our 4,300 members to be better and more inclusive employers.

“By signing the Carers in Employment pledge, we hope to create a working environment within the Chamber in which unpaid carers, whose contribution to their families and wider society is so invaluable but often under-appreciated, feel they can balance their working and caring responsibilities.

“The free support provided by Nottinghamshire Carers Association has already proven crucial and we’d urge other organisations to take advantage of it due to the business benefits it offers.” indicates that working carers who feel supported at work are less likely to find it difficult to concentrate, consider reducing their hours or quit their jobs – and more likely to be productive.

Giving unpaid carers the support to manage their caring responsibilities alongside their paid work will benefit them, their families and the employer.

Any organisations interested in discussing a partnership with Nottinghamshire Carers Association can contact Jayne Davies on jayne.davies@nottinghamshirecarers.co.uk.

If your organisation would like to partner with us, contact www.nottinghamshirecarers.co.uk/carers-in-employment

Don’t miss out on Kickstart Scheme funding Businesses wanting to use the Kickstart Scheme to support recruitment have until 17 December to apply for funding.

The Department for Work and Pensions has set this date for employers, which can use the Chamber as a gateway organisation free of charge to submit an application.

The Kickstart Scheme helps to create jobs for 16 to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit. It provides 100% of the age-relevant national minimum wage, national insurance and pension

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contributions for 25 hours per week over a sixmonth period.

Employers can also choose to top up this wage and are eligible for a £1,500 Government grant for training people on a Kickstart placement.

Once applications are accepted, young people are referred into the roles via a Jobcentre Plus work coach. They must start placements by 31 March 2022.

The Chamber has had more than 2,500

placements approved among about 900 businesses located in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and other locations. More than 2,100 have resulted in vacancies being created and almost 1,500 of those have now been filled.

For businesses wanting to take part in the Kickstart Scheme, contact Pieter Eksteen on pieter.eksteen@emc-dnl.co.uk or 0333 320 0333 (ext 2241).

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CHAMBER NEWS

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CHAMBER NEWS

MEIF funding made available Growing businesses will be able to access a new £400m pot allocated to the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF).

The funding was announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget and will be used to target market gaps, with the latest generation of MEIF delivering scale growth capital for businesses via a new fund providing debt and equity to firms in the region.

An additional £50m was allocated to the existing MEIF programme, delivered by the British Business Bank, to take this to £300m, ensuring continuity of resources while the next iteration becomes operational. This brings the total investment in the region to £700m.

Since launching in 2017, the current MEIF has invested £142m in 460 Midlands SMEs, helping to leverage a further £150m of private sector funds – with forecasts this will create more than 3,800 jobs.

The Nuclear AMRC planned for Derby

Funding for Nuclear AMRC The development of a Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Derby has been backed by more than £9m in funding.

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has awarded the money – including £6.9m from its Getting Building Fund and £2.2m from the Growing Places Fund – to Derby City Council, which is overseeing the project at Infinity Park.

The Nuclear AMRC Midlands centre will cost £15m and provide about 46,000 sq ft of new floorspace dedicated to research and development, which will support productivity growth and sustainable practices within manufacturing. It will also help to position Derby, and the wider D2N2 area, as a key advanced manufacturing and innovation hub for the UK nuclear industry.

Bringing together the University of Sheffield’s Nuclear AMRC and University of Derby’s Institute of Innovation in Sustainable Manufacturing (IISE), the facility will carry out research, innovation, supply chain development and teaching with the purpose of developing the skills and capability of businesses in the region and nationally. This

supports the UK Government objectives for net zero by 2050 and growth in manufacturing from 11% GDP to 20% GDP by 2030.

Elizabeth Fagan, chair of the D2N2 LEP board, said: “Our recovery and growth strategy highlights the importance of low-carbon growth and raising productivity levels across our region. Our investments into Infinity Park and the Nuclear AMRC will play a critical role to in developing clusters of highly productive and sustainable businesses across D2N2 and supporting local economic development.”

Locally, the facility will support SMEs to improve their productivity by providing access to high-quality R&D, tailored business support and opportunities to upskill their workforce, creating a broader and more resilient economic base.

The Nuclear AMRC Midlands will deliver 70 direct jobs, support 35 collaborative R&D projects and support 100 businesses through the Fit For Nuclear supply chain development programme in its first five years of operation. Fifty learners will be supported.

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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CHAMBER NEWS

An uncertain end to an unusual year Economic uncertainty has been just about the only inevitability for businesses throughout this year as lockdown restrictions eased but other issues took precedent. Chris Hobson (pictured), director of policy and external affairs, presents the results of the Chamber’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey for Q4 2021.

Following on from a 2020 that noone could have predicted, the majority of 2021 has been marked by a strong recovery for the East Midlands economy. Our State of the Economy Index, a combination of a range of indicators measuring both sentiment and activity, rose throughout each quarter of the year, but has dipped again in Q4 – it continues to grow but the brakes have started to be applied to parts of our economy.

When we dig a little deeper, we can start to see the reality for businesses. Almost two-thirds expect to put prices up over the coming quarter, rising to a staggering nine in 10 when looking solely at manufacturers.

The biggest driver of this continues to be raw material prices, although higher costs elsewhere, such as staffing and energy, are also putting the squeeze on margins.

Demand levels remain strong, but increasingly businesses are turning down opportunities to ensure they can honour existing commitments.

This time last year, 29% of respondents told us they were operating at full capacity – this has now grown to 42%, meaning less headroom in the economy to take on new work. Part of that restricted capacity story is about people.

While 64% of businesses attempted to recruit, eight in 10 of those struggled to find the right skills.

One path out of this is to up investment in both machinery and training, growing productivity and adding to capacity levels.

Unfortunately, the uncertainty is making businesses tentative – intentions to invest in both these areas have dropped from last quarter and are at relative low levels given where you’d hope the economy to be at this stage of a recovery.

STATE OF THE ECONOMY INDEX

And this feeds through to overall confidence levels – both in terms of turnover and profitability, businesses are more downbeat than they were earlier in the year.

So what’s the longer-term prospects for us? If there is a sign of hope then it comes from the fact that none of these difficulties are down to a lack of interest. Demand is high and so, if businesses can be given the confidence to invest, if policy can support recruitment and if the global surge in activity starts to level out so supply chains can find their pattern, there’s no reason why the pace of growth won’t pick up again in 2022.

So while on paper a slow-down in Q4 is disappointing, we know more now about what is going on in the wider economy than we did 12 months ago, and with the right support – and importantly no hindrance – from Government, there’s every chance for a prosperous 2022.

QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY Q4 2021 RESULTS Net change over quarter UK sales

-9% (Q3 +36%; Q4 +27%)

UK orders

-17% (Q3 +35%; Q4 +18%)

Overseas sales

-3% (Q3 +7%; Q4 +4%)

Overseas orders

-1% (Q3 +5%; Q4 +4%)

Past employment

-8% (Q3 +25%; Q4 +17%)

Future employment

-3% (Q3 +38%; Q4 +35%)

Cashflow

-10% (Q3 +13%; Q4 +3%)

Future price concerns

+16% (Q3 +46%; Q4 +62%)

Investment intentions in machinery

-2% (Q3 +17%; Q4 +15%)

Investment intentions in training

-7% (Q3 +26%; Q4 +19%)

Confidence on turnover

-3% (Q3 +61%; Q4 +58%)

Confidence on profitability

-8% (Q3 +36%; Q4 +28%)

Access to support for manufacturing firms Advanced manufacturing companies across Leicestershire can access support to boost turnover in a new programme delivered by the Business Gateway Growth Hub. Called APPEX – which stands for Advanced Manufacturing Product and Process Excellence – the course helps participating firms get an understanding of their business capabilities and how to select, plan and execute a focused improvement project with external support.

It also gives them the chance to see and learn best practices from other non-competing advanced manufacturers on the programme, which is worth at least £5,000 but will be free of charge to 10 companies that qualify to take part.

It is available to manufacturers in several growing sectors including aerospace, pharmaceuticals, medical, transportation, construction equipment, low-carbon and power generation. To qualify, companies need to have

been trading for more than three years, have more than 50 employees, an annual turnover exceeding £4m and a functional leadership team structure. They should also be manufacturing a product that is new to market or using innovative manufacturing processes.

To discuss applying for the programme, contact a Business Gateway adviser on 0116 366 8487.

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

After COP26 signalled how the future must be green for business, many SMEs may be wondering how to embrace low-carbon practices. The Chamber’s Sustainable East Midlands campaign will showcase good examples of companies already successfully doing this in Business Network, beginning with Clearmark Solutions and Murphy & Son.

Clearmark Solutions Description: Digital coding solutions supplier for packaging and labelling industry Location: Annesley, Nottinghamshire Headcount: 90 Spokesperson: Chris Simpson, managing technical director

How does your business model embrace sustainability?

We design and deliver highlyautomated coding and labelling solutions, so that manufacturers can effectively label their products with important variable information relevant to their industry.

When printed clearly and accurately, coding can have an immense impact in driving down food, pharmaceutical and industrial product waste across a vast network of supply chains.

We actively embrace sustainability across all aspects of the business. Our R&D team has designed our market-leading core products to work in real time and they feature active print-checking technology, which can alert operators to a range of common printing errors to prevent wastage.

We have converted our car fleet to hybrid and electric models, champion companywide recycling, and we are investing heavily in renewable energy by using solar panels.

How has sustainability impacted your business?

Our sustainable approach has enabled us to vastly improve productivity, attract new employees and reduce overall business costs.

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

Future generations will be highly critical of decisions businesses are taking today and be conscious of those setting lofty sustainability goals against those that delivered on their promises.

Businesses that follow through with a sustainability agenda will gain the respect and trust of future generations, and will naturally benefit from a sizeable competitive advantage.

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

Our long-term ambition is to become a carbon-negative busines. Teams within the business are currently working collaboratively in order to assess the feasibility of powering our main warehouse entirely with solar energy.

Our challenge is to find a way to harvest and store as much daylight energy as possible to ensure we can maintain a consistent flow of power at all times.

We are also in negotiations with multiple solar energy battery suppliers to ensure we can invest in the right battery technology to maximise solar power storage in-line with our ambitious growth plans.

business network December 2021/January 2022

Murphy & Son Description: Manufacturer and supplier of process aids to brewing and beverage industries worldwide, founded in 1887 Location: Old Basford, Nottingham Headcount: 60 Spokesperson: Iain Kenny, head of technical

How does your business model embrace sustainability?

Embracing sustainability is in Murphy & Son’s DNA. The products we supply help our customers, primarily brewers, reduce energy requirements in their process and avoid large CapEx projects. We have always had environmental initiatives, such as the collection, washing and reuse of plastic drums that store products.

How has sustainability impacted your business?

Like many businesses, Covid-19 gave us a chance to evaluate the business, and it is from this we decided it was right to place sustainability front and centre in all our activities.

This has led to a full and ongoing assessment of our environmental impact – we are now in a position to record and measure our carbon emissions, as well as monitoring our impact in other areas for the benefits of our local and wider community.

So far this has been beneficial to our business in the following ways: • A recent survey of our staff showed sustainability issues are important to our people • Sustainability is becoming a factor in winning larger tenders and providing peace of mind to customers of all sizes • We have expanded our R&D programme to further focus on new sustainable products to benefit our customer base

• New jobs have been created including a recently-recruited graduate sustainability coordinator • Energy and resource-saving initiatives often come with financial savings • Embracing sustainability has increased our role in the fantastic, vibrant network in Nottingham, and this synergy with other organisations such as the Chamber and universities has had many other benefits including people development, advice and research projects How important is embracing the sustainability agenda for businesses today?

We see the sustainability agenda as the only path because this issue is so important to our people and our customers. This is the major topic our customers across the globe want to talk about and we are already seeing this become a massively important driver in purchasing.

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

The sustainability agenda has further inspired us to look to source a new site for our business in Nottingham.

The principal goal of this project is to build a factory of the future, allowing our operations to be carbon-neutral, while equipping us for growth and the challenges ahead.

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

The converted Cassutt III plane

Cargo planes switch to sustainable aviation fuel DHL Express cargo planes based at East Midlands Airport will be powered by sustainable aviation fuel after the logistics giant teamed up with the world’s leading producer.

Parent company Deutsche Post DHL Group announced during COP26 it had agreed a partnership with engineering services firm Neste as it seeks to introduce climate-friendly aviation logistics.

By purchasing €60m worth of renewable fuel by mid-2022, reducing about 70,000 tonnes of CO2, it marks the first step towards reaching its 2030 target of meeting at least 30% of its aviation needs using sustainable fuel.

John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express, which has its UK hub at East Midlands Airport, said: “We

need to reduce carbon emissions by using imaginative solutions available today.

“This deal with Neste furthers our efforts to make our services green and sustainable for our customers.

“With the investment in our East Midlands Hub, we use sustainable aviation fuel for about 200 network flights a week departing from the UK.” The renewable part of the fuel supplied by Neste is produced from used cooking oil, while avoiding palm oil.

The East Midlands Airport investment enables DHL to transport 1,500 tonnes of airfreight weekly in a more sustainable way from the UK on about 165 European and 35 intercontinental flights.

Successful test for electrified plane University of Nottingham researchers have successfully ground tested an electrified racing aeroplane that could establish the viability of faster and more efficient electric flight.

The project, which began in 2018 and has been run in collaboration with the Air Race E electric air race series, aims to demonstrate the concept of electricpowered plane racing. A Cassutt III petrolpowered, single-seater racing aircraft has been converted to run on electrical power.

Project lead Professor Michael Galea said: “Electric flight is one of the fastest developing technological areas.

“The rigours of air motorsport, with its demand for speed, performance and power management, has provided us with the perfect conditions to develop and promote cleaner, faster and more technologically advanced electric motor drives.”

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

University leads WEEE pilot study Recycling rates of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) could be improved with incentives such as discounts with retailers or credits towards tree planting, a pilot study has shown.

Nottingham Trent University led the international CIRC4Life project, which developed a recycling and reusing incentive system to increase the recycling of items such as mobile phones and tablets.

During a 12-month pilot in Getxo, Spain, consumers were able to dispose WEEE items into an “intelligent bin” and scan a QR identification code via a mobile app to receive eco-credits.

These could be used for discounts at a local electrical goods retailer or donated towards a nursery that was planting trees in the Basque town.

More than 200 end users took part in the pilot study and 476kg of WEEE was collected, comprising 590 devices – of which 564 were recycled and 26 reused.

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Rolls-Royce strikes hydrogen fuel cell deal Rolls-Royce has taken the next step in a strategic partnership that will deliver a green energy supply for data centres.

The Derby-based engineering firm has joined forces with cellcentric, a joint venture between Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group, to use its hydrogen-powered fuel cell modules.

The Rolls-Royce Power Systems division will initially use the fuel cells, which emit only water vapour, for emergency power supply in data centres, with further joint applications of the technology under consideration.

In general, the use of fuel cells is conceivable not only for emergency power supply, but also for covering peak loads and continuous power supply.

Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “For us and our customers, gensets based on fuel cells are the next big step towards the energy revolution.

“We are investing a three-digit million sum in research and development for this over the next few years and hope that this strong commitment will encourage governments and politicians to promote, and support, this extremely climatefriendly technology.

“As one of the world's three largest suppliers of backup power for data centres, we will provide our customers with solutions that significantly reduce their carbon footprint. The co-operation with cellcentric will give us access to fuel cell aggregates that will further

L-R: Rolls-Royce Power Systems president of business unit power solutions Perry Kuiper, CEO Andreas Schell, cellcentric CEO Dr Matthias Jurytko and management board member Professor Dr Christian Mohrdieck

strengthen our position.”

Dr Matthias Jurytko, CEO at cellcentric, said hydrogen-based fuel cells are a “crucial building block” to achieving net zero society and the cooperation signalled to politicians and industry of their commercial potential.

He added: “The right framework conditions for this must therefore now be put in place. This applies in particular to the issue of infrastructure and, thus, the generation, storage and transport of hydrogen.”

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BUSINESS NETWORK

www.rheintacho.com

sales@rheintacho.co.uk December 2021/January 2022 business network

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Aviation industry is ready for takeoff once more Clare James (pictured) was appointed East Midlands Airport's managing director in the middle of the pandemic in July 2020.

Almost 18 months on, she reflects on the challenges she and her team have faced, and explains why she's optimistic about the future. confess to having been both excited and a little apprehensive when I was appointed given the importance of the role. Taking over as a new MD is challenging at the best of times but doing so in the throes of a pandemic, which more or less grounded our industry overnight, took it to a whole new level.

Eighteen months into the job and I still haven’t seen a really busy day for passenger travel.

However, at last things are beginning to look a little brighter.

I’m not exaggerating when I say the pandemic has been the most difficult period in the history of aviation. The sector was one of the first to be shut down, and the last to reopen. During significant periods of the past year and a half, the doors to our passenger terminal were locked as bans on non-essential international travel took effect. It’s only when air travel is not possible that it becomes apparent how much we have taken it for granted.

I

EMPTY TERMINAL AND GROUNDED AIRCRAFT Since day one in the job, my focus has been on protecting the business to ensure this region continues to be served by an airport from which so many people benefit. In doing so, painful decisions have had to be made and it’s been sad to lose some fantastic colleagues – either through redundancy or people leaving of their own accord because, for them, the future of aviation looked so uncertain.

Throughout this period, my heart would sink when I’d take a stroll around the empty terminal, seeing the shutters over shop windows, restaurants closed that should have been buzzing with excited families starting their holiday adventures, and aircraft standing idly on the tarmac with no crew or passengers on board.

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AVIATION’S RECOVERY HAS BEGUN

The airport's cargo operation continues to grow

In the depths of winter earlier this year when we were back in lockdown, as I did my nightly run around the airport and its empty car parks, I did wonder myself whether life would ever return to normal.

However, I had to remain optimistic. I was always confident that, when the worst of the pandemic was over, and it was safe to do so, people would start travelling again.

And it’s clear there is the demand for it. Sadly, the recovery has been slower than we had hoped.

A lack of consumer confidence, uncertainty about the traffic light system, and the costs and hassle of tests have meant many people were put off an overseas holiday this year.

Our passenger numbers this summer have been a third of what they were pre-pandemic.

It’s been a similar story across of the whole of UK aviation – a situation made more frustrating by the fact that, throughout much of Europe, the recovery has been twice as fast compared with here.

Now that the Government has reformed its traffic light system to remove the amber list and no countries on the red list at the time of going to press, it is time to look to the future.

It was encouraging to see a spike in bookings during the October half-term, when we saw up to 50% of pre-pandemic passenger volumes, which is a step in the right direction. t’s also really pleasing to welcome colleagues back into work – particularly those who have been furloughed for long periods of time.

It is estimated that passenger numbers may not return to what they were pre-Covid until 2026 for EMA, so we have a long way to go. Our recovery will be gradual, and I still have a delicate balancing act to maintain in keeping costs down while making the case for investment to ensure EMA remains the airport of choice for so many customers.

If things continue as they are, I’m hopeful that come the dark long days of January when the Christmas and New Year festivities are over, people’s attention will turn to sun, sea and sangria and booking overseas summer breaks.

DEMAND FOR AIR CARGO SOARS There are, of course, two sides to the EMA operation. The knock-on effect of people saving money from not going on holiday, and spending more time at home, has resulted in a massive surge in internet shopping.

If something is ordered online and not stocked in the UK, there’s a strong chance it will be flown into the UK through our airport.

This, combined with fewer long-haul passenger flights – particularly transatlantic, which would have carried goods as well as suitcases – has meant the express air freight operators based at EMA have been busier than ever.

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Helping firms navigate the changes to trading

By Lucy Granger, international services team leader

Passenger travel won't return to pre-Covid levels until 2026

In the run up to Christmas, the likes of DHL, UPS, FedEx and Royal Mail will be working flat out to ensure your presents, household gifts and clothes reach you in time.

The EMA cargo operation has also thrown a lifeline to regional businesses that rely on imports and exports.

In the early days of the pandemic, critical PPE and hospital equipment, some of which was manufactured in this region, was flown around the world to hospitals that needed it most urgently.

We are already seeing a 10% increase in the volume of goods compared with 2020, so records are likely to be broken again this winter.

FREEPORT OPPORTUNITY As the pandemic eases, I can look a bit further ahead and begin thinking more strategically about how this airport continues to provide an invaluable service to all customers.

There are big opportunities around the corner.

Assuming success of the East Midlands freeport bid, EMA will be “port” to the UK’s only inland freeport.

We can also start to give more thought to our role within the region and how we can best support the work happening to shape a new identity for the East Midlands.

I’m also considering what sustainable aviation will look like and which measures we need to take now to ensure we hit our goal of zerocarbon emissions by 2038.

Changes to technology and people’s expectations will drive significant development within aviation and we need to be ready.

The future is not without its challenges, but aviation is resilient and enduring, our people are passionate and motivated. There is much to look forward to and I relish tackling the opportunities ahead.

Over the past 12 months, we have seen the landscape of international trade change.

The introduction of a border between the UK and EU has brought a lot of challenges for traders all across the East Midlands.

Some businesses have never been classed as an exporter or importer before but since 1 January, anyone trading outside the UK has this status. There have also been changes in how we trade with Ireland and Northern Ireland, with goods being classed at risk, while new IT systems have also been introduced in the Trader Support System (TSS) and Import One Stop Shop (IOSS). Easements brought in this year to smooth the transition included postponed VAT accounting (PVA) and delayed Import declarations.

Many businesses travel to the EU to complete work, attend trade fairs or meet potential customers, so the new border meant new processes needed to be followed in order to get goods through quickly.

The ATA Carnet document was the solution for the temporary transport of goods into the EU. This acts as a passport of goods, allowing for a smoother process through customs without the need for a customs declaration, and also means no duties or taxes are paid.

CHAMBERCUSTOMS Customs declarations have been the main hurdle for traders, with many businesses not having the capacity to complete them. They can also be time-consuming and require specialist skills. East Midlands Chamber launched a new service at the beginning of the year to help traders with this process, called ChamberCustoms. We set out to help businesses complete their customs declarations and advise them along the way.

We submit the declarations directly to HMRC to ensure they remain compliant, and their goods can be moved on time.

We will have completed 2,000 declarations by the end of 2021.

We also found many businesses were having to deal with new paperwork for the first time, such as import certificates, ATA Carnets, certificates of origins and EUR1 movement documents. In March, we launched a new consultancy service called Your Export Office, which can effectively act as an additional member of staff for businesses.

We have also offered free advice to more than 600 businesses this year, guiding them through the new trading rules.

MORE CHANGE ON THE WAY Although we have just got used to the changes made at the beginning of 2021, we have more to come.

One easement that was introduced, delayed import declarations, will no longer be applicable, and many declarations for imports will need to be pre-lodged before the goods leave the EU, although PVA is expected to continue throughout 2022.

The goods vehicle movement service (GVMS) will be introduced on 1 January 2022 to support both accompanied and unaccompanied goods. HMRC is set to publish a list of ports this will affect shortly.

Changes were recently made to food imports as part of a phased approach, affecting what can and can’t be brought into the UK, as well as the documents needed.

Updates are coming regularly from HMRC and traders need to keep informed to ensure they are not caught out by changes. The Border Operating Model guide is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/theborder-operating-model The Chamber’s international team is also here to guide you through the changes. Call 0333 320 0333 (option 4) or email chambercustoms@emc-dnl.co.uk

UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAINING COURSES 8 December, 9-1: Incoterms 2020 rules (£184+VAT for Chamber members) Get a detailed and focused commercial view of the latest Incoterms 2020 standards used for moving goods 11 January, 9-4: ITOPS – International Trade Operations and Procedures (£1,690 + VAT for Chamber members) 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 January, 9-12: Understanding commodity coding (£139 + VAT for Chamber members) Guides participants through the complex international system for coding products for customs purposes, including how to avoid penalties for wrongly assigning a code 19 January, 9-12: Inward/outward processing (£139 + VAT for Chamber members) Introduction to methods of obtaining inward and outward processing relief from customs duty and VAT on international transactions For a full list of courses, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/enabling-international-trade/internationaltrade-training3

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POLITICS

Confidence returns, but the road ahead is still uncertain If 2020 was scarred by a once-in-a-century health and economic crisis, the past 12 months have been a topsy-turvy ride of restrictions, renewed freedom and eventually uncertainty of what lies ahead. Chris Hobson (pictured), director of policy and external affairs at the Chamber, gives his take on where we’re at right now as we approach 2022. uckily for me, I’ve never been a betting man. I say lucky because, if I were, I’d have lost a decent chunk of money on how this year has panned out.

Twelve months ago, I predicted 2021 would be the year where we got greater meat on the bones of levelling up, devolution, Global Britain off the back of Brexit, and of course the future of HS2 – turns out I was right about one of those things at least.

I also predicted the economy would see a swift and continued rebound from the depths of summer 2020 – right in parts, but perhaps not of the magnitude I had been thinking.

Most significantly, I predicted that by the time we reached the end of 2021, coronavirus would be a footnote to the year. Something that might have been a factor in our lives in the first quarter, but would dwindle away as the year progressed.

My optimism back then was evidently misplaced, but the strong hope now is that as a country and globe, we can continue our recovery and don’t see anymore restrictions placed us in 2022 similar to what’s been before.

now. Uncertain. The uncertainty caused by both nature and policy’s response since early 2020 has been a blight on businesses’ planning.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”.

But what he didn’t go on to say (for understandable reasons), was that with good risk management, you can shorten the odds on outcomes by managing those factors in your control. And that’s what our policymakers need to do better in 2022.

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CONFIDENCE RETURNING BUT ECONOMIC PRESSURES PERSIST Despite not panning out exactly as hoped, 2021 has seen the beginnings of the recovery, as demonstrated by responses to our Quarterly Economic Survey.

Domestic markets in particular bounced back strongly and, despite concerns from some, the end of the furlough scheme hasn’t yet led to great jumps in unemployment – indeed, we have a job market that is arguably too tight for the roles the economy is creating.

The questions facing businesses now as 2021 ends are markedly different from those faced at the end of 2020.

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The freeport at East Midlands Airport represents an exciting opportunity for the region

PULLING IN THE SAME DIRECTION

At the Chamber, we work closely with the Bank of England and in a recent session, members described to us inflation pressures caused by shortages and delivery issues as economies across the globe return to growth.

They also told us about wage increases due to the aforementioned labour woes and the impact skills shortages were starting to have on their businesses.

In these discussions, it wasn’t a lack of demand that was the issue – it was the capacity to service this demand without spreading themselves too thinly, and running the risk of cashflow problems or worse.

UNCERTAINTY AHEAD One way to grow capacity is to invest – be it in equipment or people – but increasingly businesses are telling us that they feel uncertain as to exactly what kind of environment they are investing into.

And that is perhaps the most important word that has characterised the past almost two years

Yes, it’s impossible to predict the exact course of events for the coming year, but consistency in policymaking and explaining how decisions are arrived at is something that is in their gift to do – and as a country, we have to get better at this next year.

As for businesses, having faith that policy won’t be reneged upon will hopefully give the confidence needed to push on with the investment plans many have. That faith won’t come overnight and to support it to happen, we need to have clear and transparent communication from Government about plans for 2022 and the thinking going into those.

One quick way of helping do this will be to finally give us more detail on those issues discussed at the start of this piece.

We also need businesses to be treated as partners in this joint effort of economic growth.

In our region, this will include the freeport at East Midlands Airport, the East Midlands Development Corporation’s vision for key strategic sites and developing the business case for maximising what was included in the Integrated Rail Plan.

This means including us in discussions, using our experiences and listening to the concerns

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POLITICS

Five outcomes from COP26 that will affect East Midlands businesses COP26 represented a golden opportunity to take a big step forward in the fight against climate change as world leaders congregated in Glasgow to make commitments to how they will aim to keep global temperatures below 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels. Amy Kopyrko, the Chamber’s Sustainable East Midlands policy officer, was tuned in to keep track of announcements that will impact businesses in our region.

the business community has – as well as the opportunities we see once the economic landscape settles into its new pattern.

None of this in theory should be that hard to do. As always, the hard work will be readily and willingly done by the businesses themselves, which are used to putting in a shift in order to succeed. We just need to know we’re pulling in the same direction.

So that’s the hopes for the coming 12 months.

No predictions this time around after a woeful performance last time out, but instead a strong hope we can learn the lessons of 2021, and put communication and partnership work at the centre of our collective efforts for the coming year. As a Chamber, we exist to try and make exactly that happen and to this end we look forward to working with members and policymakers alike during 2022.

2022 CHAMBER EVENTS 9 March: Digital Conference @ Derbyshire Festival of Business 16 March: Manufacturing and Engineering Conference 24 March: Celebration of Culture and Communities 1 June: CSR Summit 30 June: Annual Dinner 7 July: People & Skills Summit 15 July: Generation Next Awards 22 September: Midlands Sustainability Summit 30 September: Enterprising Women Awards 4, 11 and 18 November: Business Awards 1 December: Midlands Energy Summit

The climate change conference wrapped up with the publication of the Glasgow Climate Pact, which marked the first climate agreement to reduce global coal usage – although it attracted controversy for changing the wording from “phase out” to “phase down” in a last-minute intervention.

While some criticised the agreement for not going far enough, many agreements made at the conference should be celebrated for their efforts to transition to a low-carbon economy while creating green jobs in areas including the East Midlands. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the announcements made at COP26, but the benefits for SMEs committing to net zero have never been clearer.

1. LARGE FIRMS TO SET OUT NET ZERO PLANS One of the first announcements from COP26 was that large firms and financial institutions will be required to demonstrate how they plan to decarbonise. This is expected to trickle down to smaller companies in the supply chain, making good business sense for SMEs to develop net zero pathways. To support the transition, HSBC announced a new £500m Green SME Fund, while local funding support can be found at www.emcdnl.co.uk/sustainability.

2. ZERO-EMISSION CARS Transport Day brought a flurry of commitments, one being the declaration on accelerating the transition to 100% zeroemission cars and vans by 2040. The commitment was signed by governments including the UK, Canada and Mexico, alongside car manufacturers such as Midlands-based Jaguar Land Rover. The East Midlands’ strong position in the automotive supply chain means it could benefit from this new focus.

3. DECARBONISING HGVS The UK Government also confirmed all new HGVs weighing more than 26 tonnes will have to be zero-emission by 2040 – with petrol and diesel phased out for lighter lorries by 2035.

Work is already underway in the East Midlands to begin the sector’s decarbonisation with the H2GVMids project, developed by the Energy Research Accelerator and partners from industry and academia, including Toyota and the University of Nottingham. It is preparing

COP26 ended with a commitment to 'phase down' coal usage

the ground for a green hydrogen-fuelled 44tonne truck demonstration programme in the Midlands.

4. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION There was a strong focus on science and innovation throughout COP26 and the presence of universities in the East Midlands showcased how the region can be a hub for new technology. The University of Leicester was one of 11 organisations to be awarded funding for the GHGWatch project. Run alongside Birmingham-based Geospatial Insight, it will help tackle climate change by using space-based technologies to detect and monitor greenhouse gas emitters. The University of Nottingham, in partnership with Durham University, Johnson Matthey and NFU Energy, will also assess the viability of deploying catalytic technology to manage livestock methane emissions – with the potential to help the UK contribute to the new global target of reducing methane emissions by 30%.

5. FOOD PRODUCTION The decarbonisation of agriculture is expected to gather pace as Nature and Land Use Day saw the UK commit to engaging 75% of farmers in low-carbon practices by 2030. Sustainable production and consumption was also prominent, with supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Co-op partnering with the WWF charity for a “basket measures” initiative, pledging to halve the environmental impact of a weekly shop by 2030. This is another commitment expected to trickle down into the supply chain as greater importance is placed on waste, packaging and sustainable diets.

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FEATURE

EXECUTIVE SEARCH & RECRUITMENT

Invest in EX to avoid the ‘Great Resignation’ As employees reconsider where they work, and why, employers are revisiting their company culture and talent needs. It’s a learning process for all involved.

Amy Healey (pictured), founder of The Peoples Muse, shares her insight and outlines some of the biggest HR challenges faced since Covid-19 began. he “Great Resignation” is a buzz term that’s got a lot of people excited and others’ very concerned. The labour market is going through massive shifts as more than a quarter of employees plan to change jobs in the next six months, according to Randstad UK. And there is no hiding from the fact that increasing employee turnover will damage business productivity and the bottom line.

It is also an indisputable indicator of how employee experiences conceal toxic workplace cultures, low levels of engagement and issues with management.

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WHAT IS THE GREAT RESIGNATION? Since the Covid-19 pandemic, employees are leaving the workforce or switching jobs in droves, leading to what has become known as the Great Resignation.

In the US, more than four million people quit their jobs in April this year, a 20-year high. This followed with a record of almost 11 million jobs being available by the end of June.

A Microsoft study found that 41% of the global workforce were considering quitting or changing professions this year, and polls of UK workers show a similar pattern.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed vacancies in the UK soaring to an all-time high of 1.3 million in October. This will come at a considerable cost to the UK private sector. Research carried out by Oxford Economics found it takes recently-hired professional workers 28 weeks to reach optimum productivity – which has an attached cost of £25,200 per employee.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? As lockdown confined people to their homes, personal and workplace experiences were most certainly jostled, instigating many to re-evaluate what is important to them.

Employees have recognised they want to be happier in their everyday life and believe their employer has a big part to play in this.

PEOPLE ARE RETHINKING HOW THEY CHOOSE AN EMPLOYER Different workforces are having quite different challenges about their workplaces but, irrespectively, there is a consensus in opinion that: • Having a healthy work-life balance is essential for job satisfaction and employee wellbeing • The right to flexible working is a norm • Careers have been stifled, so better learning opportunities and career prospects are in demand.

THE WAR ON TALENT The war on talent is another term associated with the Great Resignation but is a by-product of it.

Switching jobs has become less of a risk as more openings have been created by employees who have found their dream role elsewhere.

Rising trends in remote working have also removed geographical restrictions, increasing the number of opportunities in the marketplace.

It really is an employee-led market. This has left businesses having to reconsider how they retain top-performing staff, and how they can make themselves more appealing than other employers when it comes to attracting and hiring talent. With the right approach, is there really a war on talent or does the best company (for the candidate) get the candidate?

EMPLOYERS ARE RECALIBRATING The pandemic has become a catalyst for HR reinvention. Leaders have been forced to be more innovative in reshaping longstanding HR policies and practices to look for more strategic, flexible and adaptive ways of managing their people function. Sadly, those who still regard it as a cost centre will be left behind.

The competitive advantage is very much with those businesses that invest in their employee experience (EX), exploring productivity and reconnecting with the reality of their company culture, resourcing and internal communications.

WHY ‘EX’ MATTERS MORE THAN EVER A business that does EX well will concern itself with relationships seeking to measure and understand perceptions at every stage of the employee lifecycle. They will do everything they can to keep people motivated, engaged and productive.

Strengthening EX not only contributes to a more positive company culture, it will help your business achieve its goals by attracting and retaining top talent; reducing absenteeism; increasing work quality; and improving customer relations. Your people will also be happier, healthier and more fulfilled.

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EXECUTIVE SEARCH & RECRUITMENT

FEATURE

The shift in recruitment marketing

By Anita Jackson (pictured), managing director of Recruit 2 U he world of recruitment finds itself in a vastly different situation to where it was pre-Covid. The past couple of years have been challenging for all recruiters, with employment figures plummeting, fewer candidates making themselves available for work and firms struggling financially.

Britain’s economy suffered its deepest recession for more than 300 years due to the crisis – fewer companies were advertising for new staff and job vacancies were at one stage a third below prepandemic levels.

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SKILLS SHORTAGES Recruiters are under massive pressure to deliver, while combatting serious talent shortages at the same time. Three-quarters (77%) of CEOs say the unavailability of talent is their biggest business challenge, according to PwC. Not only has the pandemic adversely disrupted the availability of talent, but so has Brexit.

The recent HGV driver shortage was emblematic of this issue. Many European workers returned to their home countries or opted to work elsewhere. Pre-Brexit, they were able to come and go as they please.

Foreign workers must now provide a share code to prove their immigration status before being placed into work. These are harrowing factors to recruitment and make it more challenging than ever.

However, with post-pandemic normality slowly making its way back, vacancies beginning to open again, and more people searching for work, now is the time to ensure these candidates come flooding your gates, rather than your competitors’.

RECRUITMENT MARKETING Recruitment marketing could be the solution and allow recruiters to develop long-term relationships with potential future candidates.

These relations could transform into leads, applicants and customers.

So, what is recruitment marketing? Effectively, it comprises of all the strategies and schemes your company has in place to locate, attract and engage potential candidates.

How might a business find potential talent? How should they advertise a certain vacancy, and where should it be publicised?

Fundamentally, it’s about distancing your brand from the rest.

Do something different. Switch up your strategy – don’t just get lost in the crowd. It’s useful to keep up with current affairs and follow new trends while they are popular.

An example of a contemporary trend is the emergence of TikTok, a video-based social media platform.

Many recruiters have jumped on the TikTok bandwagon and had great success.

The hashtag #jobsearch has more than 461 million views, with other similar hashtags also boasting large viewing figures.

Old-fashioned thinkers would suggest that because it may not directly lead to sales, following trends like TikTok would be a waste of time. What they wouldn’t consider is the build-up before the sale is equally as important.

that are useful in guiding your desired target audience through the customer lifecycle funnel.

These may include a social media recruiting strategy (which will create interest, generate applications and intensify brand awareness), a recruitment outreach plan (which can ensure your emails and offers stand out more than fellow recruiters) or content marketing (interesting video content, events, or other engaging

recruitment-based content). These can strengthen awareness and humanise the brand.

Recruitment is an ever-growing market, therefore having a dependable marketing plan in place is pivotal for a business to succeed and grow, particularly in the wake of Covid-19 and Brexit, and the force they inflicted on employment and economic figures. Nevertheless, with things finally on the up again, now is such an exciting time for recruitment.

BUILDING AWARENESS Think of it like a funnel. Firstly, you want to build awareness. Get people to know that you exist as a recruiter, and get your brand familiarised within the community.

Then you want your newfound following to develop an interest in the services that you offer. This then leads to the final segment, consideration, whereby a follower of your brand becomes a customer or applicant, thus converting a sale for your business.

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FOCUS FEATURE

FINANCE AND INNOVATION

The financial benefits of forward thinking The past 18 months have had an enormous effect on business finances, but there are incentives available to innovative companies willing to invest, as Dan Robinson learns.

he word “innovation” might conjure images of a new iPhone feature, plastic-free packaging or self-driving cars. But for SMEs more used to the smaller, incremental steps towards progression, it might be as simple as upgrading product lines in a factory, tweaking back-end processes to make them more efficient or finding more sustainable materials.

The reason this matters is not to back up a shiny marketing slogan, but because of what it means to the bottom line of a company.

Any business involved in research and development (R&D) could be eligible to receive cashback or a tax relief worth up to 25% of their spending in this area via the Government’s R&D tax credits scheme.

Scott Burkinshaw, a chartered tax adviser who heads up business taxes at Chesterfield-based accountancy firm Shorts, says: “There’s a lot of businesses that perceive the level of innovation required is a lot more than it is.

“The man on the street thinks of research and development as pretty high-level activity that’s only relevant in pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and big tech, but the bar is actually quite a lot lower.

“If you’re a company paying technical specialists to solve technical problems – even through small iterative steps – that’s a very different level to what the layman might perceive, but there’s a good chance they could claim for R&D tax relief.

“A lot of the time it stems from a customer requesting them to do something a bit different and then someone in the business saying ‘yes, of course we can’ without talking to the technical team, which then has to go away and find a new solution.

“The likes of Elon Musk putting rockets in space is a clear instance of innovation, but the less obvious examples are the small gaps that people try to close every day – and they’re just as relevant.”

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IT WAS AT the turn of the millennium when Britain finally woke up to the reality of globalisation.

Emerging economies in China and India were able to produce goods at far cheaper rates than the UK and wider Europe.

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R&D TAX CREDITS EXPLAINED

BY SCOTT BURKINSHAW R&D tax credits are designed to encourage companies to invest in R&D, and are delivered via an SME R&D tax credits scheme, and a large company scheme known as Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) • To meet eligibility, a company must be either creating new products, processes or services; or changing or modifying an existing product or service • The relief is often worth about 25% of qualifying R&D spend and is delivered as either a corporation tax deduction or a cash repayment • It is one of the most significant Government-backed tax reliefs available today, but many companies do not realise they qualify • The average R&D claim amount for Shorts’ Radius clients last year was £38,000 • They are available to SMEs and large companies, whether profit or loss-making

RECENT CHANGES TO FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR INNOVATION R&D tax credits featured heavily in the Autumn Budget alongside other financial incentives for innovation. Scott summarises: • Businesses will be able to make R&D tax credit claims for expenditure on cloud and data services incurred for their research and development • Changes are also due to be made to refocus the reliefs towards innovation in the UK, rather from overseas, subject to legislation in the Finance Bill 2022-23 and to take effect from April 2023 • An increase to core funding for UK universities and research institutions of £1.1bn per year by 2024-25, as well as further financial support for green and health-related technologies • Announcement of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), which will carry out high-risk, high-reward research to support ground-breaking discoveries across the UK.

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FINANCE AND INNOVATION

FOCUS FEATURE

SEVEN OBSERVATIONS OF THE BREXITCOVID DUAL IMPACT ON BUSINESSES Malcolm Pope (pictured), audit and accounts partner at Shorts, gives his take on where the economy is right now in a chat with Dan Robinson.

1. INTERNATIONAL TRADE CHALLENGES “We had some clients that stopped selling to the EU because the cost of delivering that business became too great. Essentially, a company needs a profit and cash to survive, but exporting has become a real challenge for some. One client had previously been happy to receive part-loads of containers but now it needs to pack them as much as possible because costs have increased tenfold.”

2. BUSINESS PERFORMANCE BY INDUSTRY VARIES SIGNIFICANTLY “Hospitality has been hit hard but we’re seeing some signs of that recovery at the back end of this year.

Whether that lasts longer term I don’t know because we’ve seen a lot of pent-up demand unleashed to support the bounceback, so they’re perhaps going out more than they did pre-Covid.”

3. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ISSUES ARE WIDE-RANGING “Most industries are being affected in terms of recruitment – and retention – of good people. Lockdown provided the moment of clarity for some to go and do something new. For example, there’s a client involved in the secondary market of construction that had a very good designer, who has decided to jump ship into a different industry where there’s better pay and hours.

Once the dust settles, companies may also find the skills and expertise they need has changed since the pandemic began.”

4. UK REMAINS ATTRACTIVE TO INVESTORS “Britain seems to be open for business and people want to invest into it, with a lot of American firms in particular

and then a separate scheme for large companies in 2002.

Scott, who also leads Shorts’ Radius department, which specialises in R&D tax relief, explains: “We’re a small volume with one-twentieth of the people in those countries, so if they set out to undercut us then there’s not much we can do really.

“So as a relatively small population economy, the rationale was to go for quality, not quantity.

“The UK has a longstanding history of a well-educated workforce with our world-class universities and a track record of companies that do innovation, so we wanted to encourage more of that.

wanting to set up here. The lack of clarity from our country’s leaders is the only thing restricting further investment.”

5. TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES ARE DOING VERY WELL “Software is a good area and has had an acceleration as what was expected to happen in 10 years has taken less than two years. We’ve just helped a software company to exit to a big player in its industry so the M&A market is active.”

6. EXPECT TO SEE MORE BUSINESSES COLLAPSE “The biggest risk I see coming is in insolvencies. We’ve had the lowest number over the past 18 months so this suggests there’s a large number of businesses being propped up by Government support. We’ll start to see some of those that would normally have folded in the past couple of years run out of cash in the coming year.

For the rest of the business community, we need to be extra careful about the credit you offer to customers.”

7. INFLATION PRESSURES ARE A WORRY “If energy prices continue to remain high, it will force a lot of energy-intensive businesses with big premises and machinery to put their costs up – so there’s a risk we will very quickly see inflation and interest rates rising, which just keeps adding to the unit price. For businesses, it’s about making sure they’re reviewing their pricing on a regular basis to stay one step ahead.”

“We wouldn’t compete on cost but we’d come up with things that people would pay for, no matter how much, because they’re crucial to their business.”

Scott, like many in his industry and others, believes R&D tax credits have been a resounding success – perhaps most evident in how they have survived successive governments in more than two decades since.

They even remained following the 2008-09 financial crisis and were a central pillar of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s post-Covid recovery plan in his March and Autumn Budgets.

A return on this public investment can be expected too.

In the Autumn Statement, the Government estimated that every pound it spends on R&D will stimulate, on average, about £2 of private investment.

It expects these measures – which included widening the exposure of the support to comprise cloud and data infrastructure, as well as separate support for green and health-related technologies – to increase UK spending on innovation to £22bn per year by 2026/27. Ultimately, it hopes this will make the UK a scientific and technological “superpower”.

“There’s been lots of research carried out over the years by governments and various institutions that prove the more innovation and intellectual property rights you have in an economy, the more successful that economy will be,” says Scott.

“This creates jobs, wealth and living standards, so it’s an important policy that’s remained largely the same albeit with a few tweaks.”

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FOCUS FEATURE

FINANCE AND INNOVATION

HOW THE CLOUD AND AI COULD MAKE ACCOUNTING EASIER

AS THE R&D tax credits scheme has matured, the number of claims have increased – more than doubling to 85,900 claims in the year ending March 2020.

This also represented a 16% rise on the previous year and 89% of claims (76,225) were made via the dedicated SME scheme, which also accounted for a larger increase (16%) than the Research and Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) programme (12%), which is aimed at large businesses.

However, much of the concentration for these claims was in London and the South East – which together accounted for 35% of claims and 49% of the £7.4bn total value received in relief support.

The East Midlands lags behind – 4,875 claims resulted in £290m recouped for businesses in relief support in the latest regional figures for 2018/19.

The impact of the pandemic on innovation isn’t yet covered by Government data, although the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey for Q2 2021 found that 91% of East Midlands businesses innovated in response to Covid-19.

Scott wants to see more companies take up the opportunities but says things are heading in the right direction.

“Five years ago, there were huge swathes of the economy that hadn’t heard of R&D tax relief,” he says.

“That’s changed a lot but we still talk to eligible businesses that have never claimed.

“For some companies, the reliefs have been the difference between them shutting up shop and staying open, while less dramatically, it’s meant they can afford to take a punt on something a bit different or given them to breathing space to hire new people. Success breeds success.”

Which brings us back to the challenge in getting businesses to understand when they are innovating, even just thinking outside the box to bridge those small gaps.

Scott believes there are two main types of innovation – defensive innovation, when a business can no longer do the same old thing and needs to find a new USP, and opportunistic innovation, when companies react to the latest trends to create new products or services.

Both Covid-19 and Brexit have instigated a new appetite for doing things differently to find new markets or repurposing resources to gain a competitive edge, and the need to innovate has arguably never been greater.

Scott adds: “The bar for some industries just to stay relevant has been raised, and innovation will help businesses to get ahead of competitors and stay on top of trends.”

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Accounting is on a turbo-charged transition into the digital realms powered by cloud technology and artificial intelligence.

But rather than adding endless layers of technical detail for SMEs not armed with the necessary expertise, it could make running a business much easier by picking out key insights to inform decision-making.

That’s the view of Ruth Chapman, a partner in RSM UK’s accounting and business advisory team, who says data can display what’s going on with a business at any one time – ranging from which products deliver the best margins to the most profitable customers, and all the risks lying in between. It can also identify where scarce resources can best be applied to benefit an organisation most.

“In the past 10 years, digital and cloud accounting has moved from the domain of the large corporates with deep pocks, to be readily available for SMEs,” she explains.

“The pandemic has helped them to migrate into this digital world, particularly for more mature companies that have seen how younger, more agile organisations are gaining big chunks of the market by demanding access to data.

“With everyone working from home, those who couldn’t readily access their data might have found it more difficult to prepare information for banks, adapt in their response to customers or even know how much stock they had at any given moment.

“Using business intelligence software to present data insights is a real gamechanger in how people can look at their company.”

Ruth, a qualified accountant with more than 25 years’ experience, including at Big Four firms, believes the impact she can have on businesses has never been greater than since she joined RSM last year to showcase the benefits of cloud accounting and data-based insights.

“Every business is someone’s livelihood, and these are such powerful tools to help them survive and grow,” she says.

As well as providing accounting advice, she helps businesses to create personalised dashboards that contain real-time information about an organisation, such as categorising income and expenditure by accounts and locations, or considering the proportion of stock that comes from each supplier. These specific business insights can be accessed anywhere at any time.

Integrating various platforms is crucial, as Ruth notes there are some companies that now have access to accounting software like QuickBooks but still have someone typing out balance sheets on spreadsheets.

RSM, which has offices in Nottingham and Leicester, works with clients to implement low-cost machine learning bots to automate repetitive tasks, which frees up the time of the finance team to work on strategy. By enabling them to add value to a business, this can lead to creating, rather than cutting, jobs.

“It’s not just about getting on to a cloud platform, but what that allows them to do,” she adds.

“The clever business insight comes from those peripheral observations to make better business decisions, which are invariably quicker and more informed, often bringing parts of the organisation together that don’t usually talk to each other.

“The opportunities are evolving all the time and it’s changing the way businesses work with their accountants."

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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 December 2021/January 2022 business network

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BUSINESS NETWORK

Sustainability is a mindset

Sustainability is a hot topic right now, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reporting a “code red” alert for our planet ahead of COP26, which signalled the way forward for business. Chris Armes (pictured), group marketing manager at Denby-based PVCu manufacturer Liniar – which designs energy-efficient and recycled products for the construction and landscaping industries – explains how to embrace low-carbon trends.

A MINDSET CHANGE I’ve been part of a design team creating energy-saving windows and doors for more than 14 years, so sustainability is firmly on our agenda. But I know that’s not the case for many businesses, especially those in the manufacturing sector.

I believe that in order for the UK to become more sustainable, we need to help consumers with a fundamental mindset change.

Many of the materials used in the construction industry, including PVCu, can be – and are – recycled.

PVCu is a valuable commodity if it’s treated and re-used correctly – the challenge is to get consumers to understand the process and investment required and to see recycled products as valuable rather than inferior.

The more the subject of sustainability comes to the top of everyone’s agenda, both within our businesses and our everyday lives, the more it will help all companies to continue down the net zero path.

DESIGNED FOR SUSTAINABILITY Using an in-house recycling plant, our decking and fencing ranges were designed specifically to use recycled PVCu. A piling and retention system is made from 100% recycled PVCu, and is used by the Environment Agency and the National Trust as a sustainable, lightweight solution for many wildlife projects.

Over the years, we’ve designed many new products with sustainability in mind. We have low scrap rates anyway, but every single piece of PVCu waste is recycled, so we haven’t sent any production waste to landfill since our Denby facility opened in 2007.

MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES I’m aware not everyone is lucky enough to have a purposebuilt single site with a recycling facility or underground water chambers to recycle the billions of gallons of water required in an extrusion operation, but there are plenty of other opportunities for businesses to make positive changes.

It’s becoming easier for any company of any size to become more sustainable. It really is about having that mindset change and raising it to the top of the agenda internally.

This isn’t a sudden move for us – we’ve made lots of changes over the years that keep moving us closer towards net zero carbon.

It could be joining in with beach cleaning, recycling at home, raising awareness that plastic can be a valuable commodity when collected and recycled in the right way, or asking your suppliers about their own sustainability practice – we can all do something.

In many cases, you could save money by making more sustainable choices – and if everyone does their bit, it will benefit us all in the long term.

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FEATURE

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

The Derby Railway Technical Centre: Loram’s historical home in the Midlands

The Derby Railway Technical Centre

he city of Derby has long held a rich history of rail operations, tracing all the way back to the 1800s - which has made it the ideal location for many rail companies to set up shop over the years. And one exceptional, incredible feat of rail mastery in Derby is the Railway Technical Centre (RTC).

Built in the early 1960s, the RTC has been described as the largest railway research complex in the world and was originally the headquarters of the British Rail Engineering Centre.

As the home of major technological advancement in rail, including the design and creation of tilting trains, the RTC is ideal for large-scale rolling stock projects. Thus, making Derby the perfect place for Loram to carry out the majority of our repairs, maintenance and business operations.

We are driven by the vast cultural history of rail within the city, inspired to generate new work in this part of the East Midlands, and are proud to call the RTC our home.

With our 100,000 sq. ft site at the RTC, we have recently chosen to expand our footprint in Derby and play our part in supporting the local economy. We have begun offering a brand new,

T

fully refurbished office for all our staff and are refurbishing our workshops at the business park, with further expansion planned for the near future.

This business development has led to the creation of many new jobs in the East Midlands, which exemplifies how the expertise of the local workforce is one of our greatest, most valuable assets.

One of the recent wins that has led to the further creation of jobs is our new contract with Network Rail, for refurbishing and repurposing their side tippers and existing fleet. This work also gives us the ability to stress-test our internal systems on wagon works, with an element of heavy engineering works.

Loram have also begun the building of new advanced rail grinders, a state-of-the-art assembly line that will bring many years of innovation back to the RTC. “As our facilities are centrally located in the heart of the Midlands, we believe this new production line will be vital to the local community in both job creation and introducing new skills into the local working community.

Loram’s unique rail grinding machinery requires ambitious, highly skilled individuals ready to

learn new skills and competencies in assembly and production.

Our advanced technologies focus on carbon footprint reduction throughout design, procurement and assembly. Additionally, Loram will incorporate alternative power options, reducing carbon emissions during operations - a truly first class service for rail grinding equipment.

These machines are vital for the maintenance of railway infrastructure and will be utilised not just in the UK but also across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa - which in turn will increase our export footprint.” – Lee Tinney, director of Rail Grinding Systems and Services Through our new work and solid business relationships with rail OEMs, we are certain that the history of rail within Derby will continue with our products. Leading to a future of new rail advancements, a boost to the local economy, and further enhance our unity with the city.

Loram UK Ltd. Telephone: 01332 293035 Email: commercial@loram.co.uk Website: www.loram.co.uk December 2021/January 2022 business network

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Long live the cheque

By Lynton Buxton, group marketing manager at Tall Group/Checkprint icture the scene. A payment needs making to a supplier. Mobile and internet banking is unavailable due to internet issues. Cash is not a secure option to send in the post. The local bank branch has reduced opening hours or is closed permanently.

Step up the “good old dependable cheque”. While the old adage, “the cheque’s in the post”, may conjure up intriguing cashflow manipulation techniques, it holds true that this payment method is a veritable treasure when it comes to financial control and business processes.

While the personal use of cheques has fallen in recent years as bank customers have opted to use other payment methods, payments by cheque are still very important to many individuals, businesses of all sizes, charities and many other sectors.

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were processed with a value of over £230bn. The cheque remains one of the most secure means of payment and is certainly the only (non-cash) mechanism available where all that is known of the payee is their name, or their name and address.

The introduction of the Image Clearing System (ICS) in the UK, which replaced the paper-based cheque clearing system, allows bank customers to pay in cheques using an image rather than the paper document itself through remote deposit capture or images at the branch.

This use of the cheque image in the clearing system has provided customers with the benefit of reduced payment processing times from up to six days down to next working day receipt of funds.

KEEPING SECURE TECHNOLOGY HELPS CHEQUE REMAIN POPULAR In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, 188 million cheques 70

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Cheque security remains at the forefront of this innovation in cheque payment and clearing.

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Without the paper document to validate the clearing system, fraudsters immediately recognised the potential to exploit a potential “weak link” in transactions.

The payment processing industry, banks and cheque producers fought back against such attacks with the implementation of image survivable features (ISFs) printed on the face of the cheque to deter cheque fraud.

These images, as the name implies, survive the chequescanning process and remain on the cheque image into clearing, where the cheque contents can be automatically verified against the data held in these encrypted features.

The introduction of ISFs, and work by law enforcement to target organised criminal gangs operating cheque fraud, has seen cheque fraud losses fall from £53.6m in 2019 to £12.3m in 2020 – a 77% reduction, with a corresponding 56% reduction in the volume of fraudulent cheques.

NOT CHEQUE-ING OUT ANYTIME SOON As society in general relies more heavily on digital processes and applications, it is heartening to many that the introduction of the ICS has reinvigorated the cheque as a payment method.

The digitisation of the “back-end” cheque clearing process, allowing customers more choice in how they pay in cheque payments, either by remote deposit or in branch, has the added benefits of reduced payment processing times and greater security, which will appeal to many as businesses open up following the Covid-19 pandemic.

This reduced clearing time has obvious advantages for the payee as funds are available sooner than the previous six days within the paper clearing system. Another unseen advantage for the payer in using cheques comes when making large numbers of relatively low-value payments. A freedom of information request by The Times found that more than one in 10 cheques sent to taxpayers by HMRC have not been cashed.

Even for an organisation like HMRC, bank charges mean that making a cheque payment may cost far less than those charged for making faster payments. As many of these cheques are simply not presented, or are deposited many months later, this self-evidently improves its cashflow.

Once again, the cheque proves its value and flexibility in the modern business setting, and those detractors who

Lynton Buxton

seek to undermine its worth should remember that every organisation relies on a steady cashflow.

Having a reliable, secure and efficient method of payment is essential. While many organisations are set up and organised to embrace electronic payments and online transactions, there are many who prefer to use cheques for some or all their business banking.

The ability to make and receive cheque payments can still be the perfect payment solution, offering organisations a differentiator in their particular marketplace.

Long live the cheque…

‘A freedom of information request by The Times found that more than one in 10 cheques sent to taxpayers by HMRC have not been cashed’

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TRAINING

Peer Networks programme offers SME leaders a ‘back-pocket board’ Senior leaders in SMEs across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire can benefit from a “board in their back pocket” by joining a peer-to-peer networking programme.

The D2N2 Growth Hub Peer Networks scheme, delivered by the Chamber, brings together likeminded directors and senior managers to develop their organisation for future success.

They can share common business challenges and objectives to solve in regular sessions, which are facilitated by experts in their field and supported by specialist guest speakers.

Sector-based networks such as manufacturing, visitor economy, medtech and life sciences, and creative – as well as specialist groups for high-growth and female-owned businesses – begun last month but there is still time to join.

The Chamber’s deputy chief executive Diane Beresford, who heads up the Peer Networks delivery, said: “There are so many directors running a business without the support network behind them to bounce ideas off and discuss problems with – either they don’t have the time to involve other people or don’t want to discuss business problems with junior members of staff.

“With the Peer Networks programme, the group almost becomes their senior leadership team, with more than 100 years of experience in one room able to help participants solve a particular challenge within their business.

“Some people from previous cohorts have even described it as having their own ‘backpocket board’.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for individuals across the management spectrum to learn from their peers and develop both themselves and their organisations. We’d encourage anyone who feels they would benefit to get involved.”

Peer Networks, which is fully funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), is eligible for any SME that has operated for at least one year, employs at least five people and records a turnover exceeding £100,000.

It must also have an aspiration to improve and the potential to scale up or export – or is exporting already.

Up to 11 individuals are involved in each cohort and are required to give a time commitment of about 18 hours across the entire duration of the free programme, which lasts several months.

William Sutherland (second right) runs Original Recipes

HOW THE PROGRAMME HAS SUPPORTED SMES William Sutherland, director at Original Recipes, a Chesterfield-based family business with 1920s roots, attended a previous cohort of the food and drink peer network.

The company supplies potted meats and pâtés to restaurants, hotels and caterers across the UK and into major retailers, but William asked his peers for support on identifying new sales channels when the pandemic forced the closure of the hospitality industry.

“I really enjoyed being part of a small proactive network of like-minded people,” said William, who was also given new contacts via the group. “I felt my contribution was valued and suggestions were taken on board.

“People’s positive perception of myself, and my business, provided me with a real confidence boost to move forward and make important decisions based on our discussions.”

Nikki Velinsky joined the women in leadership cohort to help her understand how to manage the increased workload that came with her promotion from accounts assistant to general manager at FireRiskAssessments.com, based in Calverton, Nottinghamshire.

Advice from her peers on the programme included establishing which roles other employees could fulfil, what accountability she had and clarifying the expectations of her directors.

It also led to her outsourcing business processes to free up time so she could focus on other key areas, while she credits the “extremely productive” experience with building confidence in her decision-making ability.

Nikki said: “The questioning from peers allowed me to think about areas I hadn’t considered, but it also highlighted some issues I had already identified, which gave me some confidence in what I was doing.

“The solutions suggested were supportive, relevant and easy to implement, and based on others’ knowledge and experience.”

They can also gain three-and-a-half hours of one-to-one bespoke support from an expert, meaning they benefit from a package worth thousands of pounds.

Anyone interested in taking part in the Peer Networks should fill out an express of interest form at www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk/grow/peernetworks

Learn how to become an effective team leader Learning how to lead teams in-person and remotely is the goal of a Chamber-run training course that returns in early 2022.

The two-day Effective Team Leader programme takes place on 1 and 2 February and includes all core areas of good practice when managing staff, including motivation, personal organisation and planning, leadership, and giving and receiving feedback.

It is aimed at aspiring or existing team leaders, supervisors or managers who require a

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practical, working knowledge of up-to-date techniques, and good practice in managing teams and individuals.

The Chamber’s business training manager Vicki Thompson said: “This course serves as an introduction to the key aspects of team leading, providing an opportunity for delegates to consider their performance and identify areas where they can improve.”

Delivered by a highly-qualified and experienced trainer from the Chamber’s training

partner Challenge Consulting, it is due to be held face-to-face in Nottingham. The course programme includes recognising different knowledge, skills and behaviours required to supervise staff and developing a leadership style.

The Effective Team Leader course costs £475 + VAT for members. For more information, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/developingskills/leadership-and-management or email vicki.thompson@emc-dnl.co.uk

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EVENTS

Love Business EXPO is set to return Hundreds of businesses will be showcased at the Love Business EXPO as one of the biggest B2B events in the East Midlands returns to the calendar next year.

Taking place at Holywell Park Conference Centre, in Loughborough, on Thursday 17 February, Love Business 2022 is expected to attract thousands of delegates to see exhibitions from companies in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

After missing out this year due to the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown, the team at event organiser Quiet Storm Solutions has worked closely with a host of event partners to make sure it returns in the new year.

Steve Megson, managing director of Quiet Storm, said: “The past 18 months have been strange and unprecedented as every business had to deal with the impacts of the global

pandemic. While there was no Love Business EXPO in 2021, it’s great to see businesses already looking to 2022 and booking on to the event.

“It just goes to show that with the right mindset, businesses can emerge stronger from the pandemic and grasp the opportunities the future will undoubtedly hold. Love Business 2022 will be all about looking to the future, bringing businesses together, helping them to succeed and celebrating the heart of the Midlands.”

The Chamber continues as longstanding headline sponsor, while KuKu Connect, Mocha Marketing, the Institute of Directors and Federation of Small Businesses have pledged their support as partners.

Hardy Signs, dpi, Your IT Department and the Midlands Engine Investment Fund are also sponsoring the event, which will mark its 10-year anniversary – having grown from humble

Conference to celebrate Digital Growth Programme The latest digital marketing insights will be on offer for SMEs at the upcoming Leicestershire Digital Marketing Conference 22.

Taking place at the Leicestershire Marriott Hotel, in Blaby, on 3rd February, it will celebrate the success of the Chamber’s Digital Growth Programme (DGP), which ends in March 2022, and features presentations from some of the digital consultants who help deliver it, including Ian Lockwood, Paul Ince, Liam Lally, Rob Gregory and Martin Broadhurst.

They will showcase case studies of successful outcomes from the programme – which supports eligible SMEs across Leicestershire to embrace the digital world via one-to-one support, workshops and grants – and talk about how SMEs can continue to access digital support via schemes such as Digital Upscaler.

The conference will be delivered by the DGP in partnership with headline partner De Montfort University, and partners Leicestershire County Council and Superfast Leicestershire.

beginnings to be one of the highlights of the region’s business calendar.

The expo also features an agenda of guest speakers and presentations designed to inspire and inform attendees, bring them up to date with the latest economic insights affecting the region, and offer practical tips for business growth.

Exhibition stands can be booked at www.lovebusinessexpo.co.uk/book-yourexhibition-stand Free delegate passes can be reserved at www.lovebusinessexpo.co.uk/delegate-booking

Join the Chamber’s charity race night The Chamber is hosting a charity race night on Wednesday 8 December.

Racing entertainment will be served along with a buffet dinner at the Best Western EMA Yew Lodge Hotel & Conference Centre, in Kegworth, from 710pm.

Tickets cost £30 and will raise money for the Chamber’s Charitable Fund, which will be split between Chesterfield Samaritans, Help the Homeless Leicester and Nottinghamshire Hospice this year.

To book a place or enquire about sponsorship, visit https://bit.ly/EMCRaceNight21

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

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Working in partnership with UK businesses, we have seen countless examples of poorly managed Microsoft 365 estates making life harder for IT teams. From out-of-control mailboxes, to losing track of users, if left unmanaged your Microsoft tenancy can impact productivity and even leave you vulnerable to common mistakes, such as: 1. GIFTING HACKERS ACCESS TO YOUR ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT If your administrator mailbox becomes compromised, whoever accesses this account will have control of your entire estate. They can set up fake mailboxes, put redirection rules on your emails and more, all without you knowing about it. Remember… 91% of cyber-attacks start with an e-mail.* *www.barracuda.com/13-email-threat-types

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2. PAYING FOR UNUSED LICENCES We recently spoke with a small business that had 28 unused email accounts! Those unused Business Premium licences were unknowingly costing the business over £400 a month… for nothing. Could this be happening to you?

3. NOT BACKING UP YOUR MICROSOFT 365 DATA One of the most shocking facts for businesses is that their cloud-based data is NOT automatically backed up! In fact, if you review Microsoft’s

terms of service, you will find that they only offer a 30 day retention for deleted emails, and 14 days for deleted SharePoint data!

The good news is, your IT partner should be able to help you avoid these mistakes. If you’re struggling to get help, fellow EMC member Welcomm can give you the visibility that you need in a free and remote Microsoft Tenancy Insight session.

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Keeping MUM with Google in 2022 Digital Growth Programme consultant Ian Lockwood (pictured) explains the latest Google updates being rolled out in 2022, and how businesses can take advantage of new visual search features to get products in front of their next customer.

At Google’s Search On event in September, it revealed how the AI technology MUM (Multitask Unified Model) is being used in search. MUM was first revealed in May, apparently 1,000-times more powerful than the BERT technique currently used to understand our intent when we type (or speak) our searches.

MUM provides a more comprehensive understanding of information than previous models and is multimodal – it understands text and images, can expand to video and audio too. It can answer complex questions like “I’ve climbed Snowdon and now want to climb Everest, what should I do differently to prepare?” With MUM, your results would include the best time of year to do it, the easiest routes and warn you about altitude sickness.

It can also take information in one language, understand its relevance to your query and present it to you in your own language. Being multimodal,

Google expects to reach the point where you could take a photo of your climbing boots and ask “are these suitable to climb Everest?” to get an answer and some recommended gear.

In the coming months, MUM will be introduced to power a new form of visual search, with the ability to ask questions about what you see.

Using Google Lens, you could take a photo of a shirt and then search for “socks with this pattern” or take a photo of a bike part then search “how to fix”.

MUM is powering a new “things to know” feature. Google’s example shows a search for “acrylic painting”, generating a list of things to know, such as step-by-step guides and how to paint with household items.

For videos, Google will show related topics even if they aren’t explicitly mentioned in the video. Search results are getting more visual too due to MUM’s understanding of images, especially for searches like “vertical garden ideas”.

Google has also made the mobile experience for clothes shopping much more visual, including local shops, style guides and filter options such as by style or brand. If you’re a clothing retailer, this makes it more important to get your products into Google Merchant Centre and if you have a physical shop, provide information on stock availability instore.

Finally, Google has just released its November 2021 core update, again referencing E-A-T (Expertise,

Authority and Trust), maintaining the focus on user experience, reputation and trust signals in Google’s algorithm.

To hear more about digital marketing insights for 2022, join the Digital Growth Programme for the Leicester Digital Marketing Conference 22 on Thursday 3 February. To see a full schedule of events, visit: www.leics-digital.co.uk/DGP22

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Time to update your website?

By Rebecca Erskine (pictured), owner of Yellow Bird Marketing and Communications Has the story you tell on your website lost pace with the services you offer? Are visitors losing interest in your site? If so, it may be time for a refresh.

There are technical considerations, of course – your site should be mobile-friendly, with relevant meta descriptions and correctly-sized images, and so on – but your first focus should be on content.

Who is your target audience?

What do you want to say? And why should anyone care?

Your website can achieve impact through the following:

1. TEAM BUY-IN It’s important to get buy-in from all involved. How would colleagues define the company’s brand characteristics? Friendly?

Professional? Innovative? What are the key products and services that should be promoted?

This might seem obvious, but where the company has changed quite significantly – say, through acquisition, merger or sizeable growth – your website may no

longer reflect the reality of what you offer today, or seek to offer tomorrow.

2. USEFUL CONTENT What constitutes “useful” to your audience?

Answering the questions they’re asking is a good start. The search listening tool AnswerThePublic gives a useful steer, as does your team’s feedback on what’s front of your customers’ minds during discussions.

These “pain points” should be addressed in your web content, blogs, FAQs and training material.

3. KNOWING WHEN LESS IS MORE Don’t create web pages for the sake of it. If you’re struggling to write 300 words per page, consider including fewer pages but with meatier content on each.

4.CELEBRATING WHAT YOU’RE NOT You don’t need to pretend to be what you’re not. Your business might be micro in size but offer

more personalised customer service as a result. Yours may be a more limited product or service range than your competitors’, but one that benefits from your full attention.

Often, the best way to describe what you offer is to explain what you don’t. If you’re known for an unshakeable commitment to quality, this includes being clear on not cutting corners.

Your message might read: “Please don’t be offended if we politely decline an order with a tight turnaround. It’s important our commitment to quality is never compromised.”

Include case studies that demonstrate how your company’s USPs have helped to address customer challenges.

5. SUBSTANTIATING YOUR CLAIMS Whatever your claim, you need to qualify it. Exceptional customer service might be acting on enquiries within a 24-hour period.

Competitive on price might be qualified by describing what action

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you take to keep your raw material costs low. Exemplary quality standards might be explained by how you choose your packaging according to its performance under certain conditions.

6.CLEAR CALLS TO ACTION Be clear on the action you would like visitors to take. Sign up to your newsletter? Leave their contact details so you can tell them more?

7. BRINGING IT TO LIFE Of course, there will be interest in when your business was formed and where you’re based. But just as appealing is your story and the people who make up your business, along with their credentials and experience. After all, none of us deal with organisations – we deal with the individuals within them.

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LEGAL

IP audits: The unsung key to business success In light of the UK Intellectual Property Office’s recent launch of an IP Access grant as an extension to the UK IPO Audits Plus scheme, Emma Ward (pictured), partner and solicitor heading up the contentious intellectual property (IP) team at Nelsons, discusses what IP audits are and why they are an essential part of any business looking to succeed.

As a way to support SMEs in their recovery from the pandemic, IP Access grants will see the Government pay up to £5,000. This can be put towards a number of costs including professional fees, to help protect and commercialise their IP and provide them with confidence and financial support – allowing them to develop and grow securely.

not necessarily mean the business won’t be able to deploy an IP right to prevent copying, it’s worth bearing in mind that unregistered rights tend to be less extensive, more difficult to prove the existence of, and have a shorter duration than registered rights.

CAN ANYONE DO AN IP AUDIT?

WHAT SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE? The IP Access grant is essentially an “add on” to support provided through the IP Audit Plus Scheme, which provides funding of £2,500 to help qualifying businesses obtain an IP audit.

That funding can only be used for the audit itself and can’t be used to implement any of the recommendations identified. This is where the IP Access grant comes in – businesses that have completed an audit through the IP Audit Plus scheme could also qualify for additional funding of up to £5,000 to help implement some of its recommendations.

WHAT IS AN IP AUDIT? An IP audit is a review of the business, focusing specifically on identifying existing IP, and potential opportunities to register and protect IP. For example, it might identify unregistered rights that a business was previously unaware of – such as copyright, unregistered design rights, confidential information or trade secrets – or find opportunities to create IP based on the work the business is already doing – such as applying to register a design, patent or trademark.

In both cases, that identification and creation of IP could open up further business opportunities to exploit the Intellectual Property

Right (IPR). These could take the form of a sale, assignment or even using the IP to secure funding. As with any other asset, IP can be mortgaged and used as security for lending, making it an incredibly valuable resource.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR A BUSINESS TO DO IP AUDITS? When used correctly, IP can be a very useful asset that can help a company gain a competitive advantage in the market. Take the example of a novel product – once it’s on the market, there will be a risk that a competitor will copy it.

If, prior to the product’s launch, an audit has identified the type of rights available to protect that product, such as a registered design or patent, then the business would be in a better position to claim a monopoly over the product, thereby preventing their competitor from copying it.

However, if an audit has not been undertaken and the product does get copied, while this does

Ultimately, an expert should be brought in to conduct the audit as they will be much better placed to spot the potential to create and protect IPR. They will also be able to provide advice on the registration process, internal processes – to make sure that trade secrets are treated as such within the business, for example – and ensure any IP created by employees belongs to the business. They can also support with the implementation of an IP strategy.

HAVE IP AUDITS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT SINCE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC? The pandemic hasn’t actually increased the importance of IP audits, but we are seeing diversification as a lot of businesses are expanding into new sectors, and delivering their goods and services in a different way.

A particular area where this is relevant is online shopping. New apps are constantly being created and corresponding software written for those apps. In addition to the practical issues of ensuring the app works, there are IP issues that may arise.

Ultimately, the importance of facilitating regular IP audits shouldn’t be downplayed, as the biggest risk is the loss of opportunity – something SMEs will be looking to embrace as they emerge from the pandemic.

Free legal health check for farming businesses Shakespeare Martineau has launched a free legal health check for farming families and their businesses.

The interactive online questionnaire aims to identify and highlight any potential issues and legal gaps that may need addressing to safeguard a farming business’ future – providing certainty and security for forthcoming generations.

This includes family arrangements – partnership issues, wills, family agreements and potential disputes – and 80

diversification, supplier contracts, renewable energy schemes and business aspirations.

Peter Snodgrass, head of agriculture at Shakespeare Martineau, which has offices in Leicester and Nottingham, said: “We want to help businesses review their current arrangements and highlight any areas where further advice, support or action could be beneficial or required to ensure they meet their objectives and have peace of mind that all arrangements are up to date.”

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BUSINESS NETWORK

Contact us now T: 01623 825516 E: nfsl@notts-fire.co.uk December 2021/January 2022 business network

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FINANCE

Myth-busting: Six misconceptions about international payments Adam Wing

Inheritance tax traps homeowners The recent housing boom could mean more people now fund themselves liable for inheritance tax when they are left property, money or other assets after someone has died, according to a financial adviser.

As average house prices rose by 11.8% in the year to September 2021, Adam Wing, independent financial adviser who specialises in inheritance tax planning at UHY Hacker Young’s Nottingham office warned the increasing values of homeowners’ estates could result in many people nudging past the threshold when inheritance tax is due.

Figures from HMRC show that in the 2020/21 financial year, inheritance tax receipts were £5.4bn – a 4% increase compared to the previous year.

Adam said: “Inheritance tax is a tax on the estate – which includes property, money and possessions – of someone who has died. The standard rate is 40% and the threshold depends on the beneficiaries.

“If you leave your family home to your children or grandchildren, £500,000 is the maximum value your estate can reach before you start being liable for inheritance tax.

“This can increase to £1m if you are a surviving spouse or civil partner who has already inherited the property from them. If you don’t fall in this category, your limit is £325,000 – the standard nil-rate band, which is currently frozen until at least April 2026 and has been since April 2009.

“These thresholds reduce if the deceased’s total estate is worth more than £2m, meaning some people with larger estates can effectively pay 60% on part of the estate.

“If a property increases by £50,000, this could incur an additional £20,000 in inheritance tax, or £30,000 in the worst-case scenario.”

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By Karen Penney (pictured), UK vice-president of payment products at Western Union Business solutions MISCONCEPTION 1: BANKS ARE THE BEST PROVIDERS OF INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS Using the same banking platform for all your business activities may be convenient but may not be transparent, and is unlikely to be the cheapest option.

You may be better off with a specialist payment services provider, which can offer you a bespoke service and a payments platform with transparent pricing, as well as no hidden fees.

MISCONCEPTION 2: EXPANDING INTERNATIONALLY REQUIRES OPENING MULTIPLE BANK ACCOUNTS Opening a bank account abroad is not straightforward.

There are administrative obstacles, regulatory and taxation requirements, as well as cultural and language barriers. If you are not going to have equal incomings and outgoings of that currency, they can be a false economy.

A specialist payments provider can offer other solutions, such as holding balances that allow businesses to store incoming payments free of charge for up to 90 days. This gives you control over your funds, flexibility to secure favourable exchange rates, and the ability to make same-day payments, reducing currency risk exposure.

MISCONCEPTION 3: INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS CAN TAKE WEEKS AND SOMETIMES CAN’T BE TRACED Usually, an international bank transfer through SWIFT and the correspondent bank network takes one to five working days to reach its destination. Delays can be caused by fraud prevention measures put in place by each of the correspondent banks in the process, different currencies being processed, day of the week or different time zones.

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Sometimes there are human errors, such as the incorrect destination details being inputted. To minimise the risk of this, choose a provider with safeguards in place to ensure payments do not go wrong.

MISCONCEPTION 4: MONEY IS NOT RECOVERABLE ONCE IT GOES TO A FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNT Payment providers have many tools available to them to recover funds. It’s a complex process that means contacting all the institutions involved and conducting thorough investigations, so it’s important to choose a partner with a global network and experience in dealing with fraud recalls.

MISCONCEPTION 5: RISK MANAGEMENT IS EXPENSIVE Whatever your size, if you need to forecast accurately what your incomings and outgoings are going to be, you don’t want exchange rate movements to impact on your cashflow. To start with, you can implement a basic strategy to mitigate the risks of market movements.

Know what your risks are and the impact they could have, and put a plan in place to protect you against the worst case scenario.

It doesn’t have to be expensive. Your payment provider will be able to guide you in drawing up the plan, and in putting it into action.

MISCONCEPTION 6: BECOMING COMPLIANT WITH LOCAL SCHEMES REQUIRES FULL REPLACEMENT OF YOUR EXISTING PAYMENT SCHEME International payments pass through different regulatory environments. There is no need to change your payment scheme or structure. You may need to adapt your compliance controls. Understanding regulations, nuances, and what's needed in each region will give your business more flexibility and help you have more robust and tailored compliance.

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FINANCE

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SKILLS

New funding will address skills gap

Charnwood Campus

Partnership aims to help graduates land quality jobs Loughborough College and the Charnwood Campus, a science, innovation and technology park, have forged a unique partnership to help create a life sciences careers pipeline for students.

The new approach seeks to bridge the gap between classroom learning and developing the right skillset for a career in sectors including healthcare, bioscience, medical equipment and devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

‘Our learners are highly trained when they leave us and ready to meet the needs of local employers’ It will do this by creating a pathway for learners to go straight into careers via work placements, T levels, apprenticeships and other commercial training.

As well as supporting student employability, it also meets the recruitment needs of local employers, which will be involved in shaping the training and education received by students.

Jo Maher (pictured), principal and CEO of Loughborough College, said: “Industry feedback is crucial to ensuring that we deliver the most relevant, innovative and up-to-date training, so our learners are highly

trained when they leave us and ready to meet the needs of local employers. This builds on our excellent employer partnership work as Charnwood Campus boasts a wealth of outstanding employers and will present some fantastic opportunities for our learners.”

Dr Lucy Alexander, head of business development at Charnwood Campus, added: “Being able to develop, retain and attract life science skills in the region is essential for our life sciences industry, and it is crucial that business and educational centres work together to deliver this.”

The partnership marks the launch of the Charnwood Life Sciences Talent and Skills Institute, and will be supported by companies based at the campus, including Almac Pharmaceuticals, 3M, Kindeva and Charnwood Molecular.

It has the potential to be replicated nationally after receiving the backing of the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Almac Group, a global contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organisation, expanded into Charnwood Campus in 2017, creating 180 skilled jobs.

James Hurst, vice-president of operations for Almac Pharma Services, said: “This collaboration will enable us to further guide and support our next generation of employees.”

The National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC), coled by the University of Nottingham, has received funding as part of a £22.5m investment from the UK Government to address skills gaps in the UK bioscience industry.

The Collaborative Training Partnerships (CTP) scheme run by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) will address these skills gaps through doctoral training led by businesses. The collaborative partnerships will work across the BBSRC’s strategic priorities areas such as net zero, tackling infections and transformative technologies.

Four universities – Nottingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Southampton – lead the NBIC. The funding has been awarded to the centre in partnership with portfolio medical technology business Smith+Nephew and the NBIC Industry Advisory Board.

Smith+Nephew and the NBIC consortium will focus on developing interdisciplinary scientists for small, medium and large companies, addressing biofilm challenges that have a £45bn impact in the UK. NBIC Nottingham co-director Professor Miguel Cámara said: “The CTP will enable the NBIC industrial community to develop breakthrough technologies to address the economic impact of biofilms in collaboration with our academic partners, while training a new generation of researchers.”

College demonstrates VR training platform An immersive technology platform designed by an East Midlandsbased college to boost industry training has been demonstrated for the first time.

AutoLive, currently under development by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC), brings game engine technology and VR simulations to manufacturing, automotive and engineering workplaces, enabling fast and safe training to be delivered to new recruits.

Using a blend of immersive technologies to provide realistic, interactive and engaging

experiences of the production line and its surrounding environment, AutoLive enables trainees to gain “on-the-job” training in a risk-free environment, where they can learn by doing.

Benefits include reduced training costs, minimised safety risks, more consistent delivery and increased efficiency.

It was demonstrated for the first time at the Advanced Engineering exhibition, held at the NEC in Birmingham, ahead of its launch next year.

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, principal and chief executive of NWSLC, said: “When new recruits join these

businesses, or existing employees take on new roles, they need to be able to engage quickly and safely with the complex tasks involved in producing high-quality products to tight deadlines.

We are working on the launch of a training solution, due to be

launched in January 2022, that will improve the process of getting manufacturing operatives up and running across multiple sites.”

NWSLC is working in partnership with Coventry University Enterprises – Interactive (CUEi) and supported by the Ufi VocTech Trust.

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PROPERTY

What high street trends tell us about the future

By Estée Coulthard-Boardman (pictured), Derby-based surveyor at FHP Property Consultants It will come as no surprise for me to say that the past 18 months have been an uncertain time for the high street, but it isn’t all doom and gloom – far from it in fact.

You will be pleased to hear the high street isn’t “dying” like the media tries to make us all believe, it is rather “changing” or “repurposing”.

As we approach the end of the year, I thought it would be interesting to share some of my views on the trends I have witnessed in Derby’s retail and leisure sector over recent months.

REPURPOSING OF CITY CENTRE BUILDINGS Freehold multi-storey retail properties have become increasingly popular with local investors, who are now much more creative in finding ways to produce income from their assets. We are

seeing a rising number of clients convert upper floors of city centre retail properties into residential accommodation.

Not only does this repurpose vacant and redundant commercial buildings, bringing more life to our high street, it also allows landlords to lower the rental values on the ground-floor commercial space.

INCREASED ACTIVITY FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES Since Covid-19 hit, we have witnessed a lot of activity at the smaller end of the retail and leisure market, particularly in units with rental values below £25,000 per annum, with the majority of enquiries and take-up coming from local independent businesses and start-ups.

As historically “expensive” high street rents have disappeared, businesses that once couldn’t

afford high street locations are now able to.

BUSINESS RATES STILL AN ISSUE ON THE HIGH STREET It would seem that, although rents have decreased to a somewhat affordable level for smaller occupiers, rateable values have not followed suit.

Business rates payable on a property can often be its main cause of continuous vacancy, and although the further rates reduction announced in the Autumn Budget will be a big help for retail and hospitality businesses, it simply isn’t enough to encourage them to sign up for five to 10-year leases and create the longevity needed on the high street.

REGENERATION It would appear the Derby high street is very convenience-led at

present. This is partly due to the fact the city lacks high-spec central office buildings and city centre living.

Delivering these would create an influx of businesses and people walking the streets, which would be hugely beneficial for Derby, and I’m pleased the city’s current regeneration projects seek to do this – including the Becketwell scheme and Nightingale Quarter redevelopment.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE So what will the future high street actually look like? I believe city centres are becoming mixed-use destinations – spaces where people can live, shop, work, relax, learn and be entertained, all in one place.

Town and city centres have responded to challenges throughout their history and they can certainly do it again.

Factory redevelopment to bring jobs boost Up to 1,000 jobs could be created at the former Imperial Tobacco factory in Nottingham after plans to transform the derelict site were unveiled.

Henry Boot Developments (HBD), which secured a £53.8m deal with Oxenwood Real Estate in September to forward fund the project, has submitted a detailed planning application to Nottingham City Council.

The Horizon Factory, in Thane Road, closed in 2016 and was bought a year later by HBD, which received outline planning approval in December 2019.

It has now brought forward a full proposal for the 28-acre New Horizon industrial scheme, including seven industrial buildings measuring up to 145,000 sq ft, all of which will be developed on a speculative basis. HBS is aiming to start work on site in early 2022, with completion expected in Q1 2023 following the earlier demolition of the Imperial Tobacco factory.

Justin Sheldon, director and head of region at HBD, said: “This is a major scheme for Nottingham – it will not only bring a disused brownfield site back into use, but could create up to 1,000 new jobs.”

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MOTORING

Stylish, refined and

appealing

Velar derives from the Latin word Velare, meaning as it does “to hide or conceal”, which Land Rover was keen to do back in the 1960s. As the name rises from the ashes, motoring journalist Nick Jones takes a drive to see just what this road-biased Range Rover has to offer. irstly, I’d like to put on record that the more I walked out to the Velar every morning for a drive, the more the shape grew on me – I think colour is a big factor with this car, along with the wheel and tyre combination to suit the eye.

There are a raft of engines to choose from, kicking off with a 2.0-litre diesel and rising to the most powerful P400e, which is a plug-in hybrid stirring nearly 400 horsepower. In between these, we can choose a 3.0-litre diesel V6 (the D300) and two petrol units – a four-cylinder P250 and a V6 P400.

Electric seems to be the way to go currently.

However, pick of the bunch has to be the entry-level diesel that gets the job done in an accomplished manner.

Yes, perhaps the V6 will have more mid-range punch, but the D200 will save you a fair wedge of money and wafts you along unceremoniously, while still reaching a high top speed and a 7.7-second zero to 60mph time with the promise of 45 miles to the gallon.

Mine here had the 21-inch alloy wheels that were a no-cost option and really looked smart. The V6 models come complete with air suspension as standard, but the ride isn’t something you’d be complaining about, whichever model you choose.

Comfort mode does what it says, then dynamic mode stiffens to improve handling and lowers the ride height slightly.

Interior ambience is first-rate with the sumptuousness clear for all to experience. My seats, for example, come with 20-way electric adjustment that move in every way, including the lumbar direction – and will even cool, heat and massage you on your journey.

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FACTFILE MODEL Range Rover Velar D200

PRICE OTR From £45,925

PERFORMANCE Top speed: 135mph 0-60 mph: 7.7 seconds So yes, I’m not going to bore you with “how nice it is in here”, but just take it from me it’s damn awesome.

Just as cool and spacious in the rear seats, too – and for anyone wondering, 630 litres of boot space is quoted. My golf bag, trolley and all the accoutrements fit quite easily.

I’m not going to list what is standard and what isn’t as we’d be here all day, nor am I going to mention the options you can have – check your local dealer to see what impresses you and to suit your budget.

Overall, the Velar is a stylish, refined and a seriously appealing SUV that totally won me over on the test for a week. Great piece of kit.

CO2 EMISSIONS 168 g/km

COMBINED MPG 44.2mpg

‘I’m not going to bore you with “how nice it is in here”, but just take it from me it’s damn awesome’

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INFORMATION

14 lessons from 14 years leading my own business As founder of Nottinghamshire-based The Leadership Training Workshop, Tony Brooks (pictured) helps business leaders to change how they “think”, “see” and “do”. As he reflects on his own career as a company owner, he believes there are learnings he can pass on to others.

1. YOUR MINDSET IS YOUR FOUNDATION Leaders can possess the greatest skills in strategy, planning, communication skills and other areas, but your mindset can hijack you or support you. Finding ways to manage the more destructive self-talk and thinking (I call this the destructive self) and realise your potential (the potential self) needs proven and consistent strategies.

2. KNOW YOUR DIRECTION. Your vision needs to be worked on collaboratively with your team, shared with them and kept in mind continually. I suggest you focus on a three-year vision for where you want to be in each key area of your business, then drill down to one year and finally 90 days. The threeyear vision can be more aspirational and a time to think big.

Your 90-day plans should be specific and realistic. Everyone should know and commit to the direction of travel.

3. WORK ON DEVELOPING YOUR IDENTITY Both in terms of the leader you aspire to be (your values, habits and the styles you will employ) and the identity for your organisation.

This work will drive your behaviours and those of your team.

4. WORK ON YOUR HABITS AND BEHAVIOURS These include your daily behaviours but also regular habits like reviewing your strategy, looking at key measures for the business, keeping on top of the financials and the point below. My most effective daily habit is to always plan the next day at the end of the previous day.

5. PLAN EVERY DAY IN ADVANCE Leading on from number four, at the end of each day I plan my next day. Don’t allow yourself to become too reactive, especially with the myriad of emails hitting your inbox.

Plan your day and allocate time for the important areas that are not urgent, like strategy and planning.

6. HAVE QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR PEOPLE This means both team meetings and one-to-ones for your key reports. Make this purposeful and timebox these meetings with a clear agenda and outcomes. Ensure your people know, and are accountable for their objectives and tasks. Also take time to praise your people for jobs well done.

7. DEVELOP AND NURTURE YOUR CONTACTS It can provide support, potential suppliers and opportunities. Always look to help others and come from a place of service. One day, the positive energy will come back to you in some way.

8. TAKE TIME OUT FOR CREATIVITY AND KNOWLEDGE On a regular basis, ensure you have time (ideally away from the normal office environment) to allow for some physical and psychological space. It is in the quiet that you have your best ideas. Stimulate this with some good reading and training.

9. NEVER NEGLECT LIFE OUTSIDE WORK Your work as a leader can be incredibly rewarding, but sometimes too consuming. Don’t ever neglect your family, friends and the things outside work that mean a lot to you.

10.CELEBRATE THE GOOD STUFF AND LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES Every day, I capture at least five good things about the day. When really good stuff happens, take time out (with your people) to celebrate this, and see the progress and growth. When things go wrong, individually and collectively look at this as a learning opportunity, and take the key points as reference for the future.

11. DEVELOP YOURSELF CONTINUOUSLY Read, listen to podcasts, go to seminars and training courses, hire a coach, and continuously look to grow and develop your skills.

12.LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH AND EXERCISE If your diet is poor and you don’t find time to exercise, not only will this have repercussions further down the line, but it will impact on your thinking and energy levels.

13.BE AGILE In times of difficulty (like those faced during 2020), be ready to change your plans speedily, make bold decisions, and keep a constant eye on the finances and other key elements of the business.

14.ENJOY WHAT YOU DO During all the challenges of the past 12 months, I have lost sight of this at times myself. I also see other business owners and leaders who seem to have lost the joy in what they do. They may have a good level of success, but they don’t appear to enjoy what they do anymore. If we aren’t enjoying our roles, it’s time to either change the way we are seeing things or change what we do. We always have choices.

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COMMENT

THE LAST WORD In her final column, ER Recruitment owner EILEEN RICHARDS MBE reflects on her year as president, and the challenges and opportunities ahead for the East Midlands ’ve written “a single political voice” at the top of my East Midlands business Christmas wishlist.

It’s more in hope than expectation – I don’t think it will be arriving with Santa this year. Why does it matter? There was a clue in the Chamber’s robust response to the HS2 U-turn.

Scott Knowles identified an East-West divide emerging from the levelling up agenda. The West Midlands has demonstrated the benefit of a unified regional voice in attracting structural support.

And the successful East Midlands freeport bid showed what can be achieved when regional leaders work together across political and business lines.

So please can we have a bit more of it in 2022 – especially as I’m not expecting to see an East Midlands metro-mayor under the Christmas tree?

I

OPPORTUNITY AND HS2 In speeches and columns this year, I’ve frequently returned this year to themes of resilience, decision-making and relationships.

They have got us to a stage whereby ONS data suggests the East Midlands economy is again heading in the right direction as unemployment falls to 4.1%.

I’ve also often spoken about opportunity this year – so it’s unfortunate that I sign off on the back of a transformational opportunity being snatched away from us.

As Scott continued in his assessment of the HS2 announcement, Westminster now needs to detail exactly what it will do to prevent the East Midlands from being structurally disadvantaged for generations to come. To offer new opportunity.

I’ve described repeatedly this year how our members have used the pandemic crisis to pivot or rapidly scale to meet new demand.

They have frequently found their way to growth (or survival) in spite of confused signals from Government.

In terms of HS2 at least, we were led to believe we could plan based on certainty. It turns out we could not. Westminster now needs to detail where alternative opportunity lies.

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AMAZING SUPPORT Continuing the theme, it’s been not just an opportunity but also a huge privilege to serve as Chamber president – regardless of what Covid was throwing at us.

I hope that I’ve delivered – I’ve certainly been very proud to do the job. It’s a job I could not have done without the support of the Chamber and our thousands of members.

And it’s also thanks to my team at ER Recruitment in Leicester, which has kept my own business growing as I spent time on Chamber projects.

I really have met so many amazing people across the region. Thank you all for making me so welcome.

MY HIGHLIGHTS So what have been my personal highlights of a memorable 12 months?

Well, I’ve long been an ambassador for Generation Next and it was wonderful to see our young business leaders gain their own awards – albeit on YouTube for now.

‘My big takeaway is that almost half of members have used at least two of our services since the start of the year’ I’m really excited for the future of this young professionals’ network and also to see the progress made by the 1,500 job placements facilitated by the Chamber in its role as gateway organisation for the Kickstart Scheme.

Second, of course, is Enterprising Women. We heard from some inspiring leaders this year, and the quality of finalists and winners of its awards was first class. Look out for the big one in 2022 as we reach our 25th anniversary!

Third has been the support provided to members. My big takeaway is that almost half of members have used at least two of our services since the start of the year. More than 280 queries each week are being handled by our frontline information team.

Finally, we are on target to achieve my personal target of trebling the amount we raise for our three chosen charities. Help the Homeless Leicester, Chesterfield Samaritans and Nottinghamshire Hospice will benefit, and I thank all Chamber members for their support.

COMING NEXT I wanted to identify things to look forward to in 2022 and beyond as I welcomed finalists, sponsors and guests to our regional business awards.

First was Derbyshire, where there is much to be excited about in the shape of Becketwell, SmartParc, and bids for Capital of Culture 2025 and the Great British Railways HQ. A week later, I was in Nottinghamshire intending to talk about the potentially transformative impact of HS2 but had to hastily re-write for the reasons described earlier.

And last week, I was on home turf for the Chamber’s Christmas lunch, merged with the Leicestershire Business Awards.

So many familiar faces and the chance to talk about how my own city winning £54m of Levelling Up Fund money for a string of projects.

Lovely.

SIGNING OFF Speaking of looking ahead, I’m now into the final few weeks of my term of office.

It means I’m preparing to return the Leicestershire chains and hand over the presidency to my colleague Lindsey Williams.

Lindsey needs little introduction, being a familiar face at Chamber events and happenings.

For those who have yet to meet her, she is chief executive of Futures Housing Group.

And as for me? Well, I will return to my day job at ER Recruitment.

But I’ll still be serving on the Chamber board.

Resilience, you see...

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