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BUSINESS
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OCTOBER 2021
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THE RISE OF MEDTECH IN THE EAST MIDLANDS PANDEMIC COULD HELP MAKE REGION A HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY TITAN
INTERVIEW
POLITICS
SURESCREEN DIAGNOSTICS DIRECTOR DAVID CAMPBELL ON SUPPLYING UK WITH COVID TESTS
UNPACKING WHY BUSINESSES INNOVATE - AND WHAT'S STOPPING THEM DOING IT MORE
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THE FIRST WORD
CONTENTS OCTOBER 2021
NEWS UPDATE 4
MEMBER NEWS Biodiscovery Institute will lead the fight against disease
28 APPOINTMENTS Solicitors grows its dispute resolution team
don’t know about you, but my healthcare industry knowledge has profoundly expanded ever since the day I learned what a coronavirus was. From PPE and PCRs to mRNA and the MHRA, the 2019 me would be mightily impressed – and perhaps a touch confused – with my grasp of medical acronyms. Given the colossal amount of coverage understandably given to the most transformative event in a generation on our society, we probably all now fancy ourselves as amateur epidemiologists. The pandemic has been a tragic and miserable experience in so many ways, but one silver lining could well be the effect it has on particularly young people’s interest in the healthcare ecosystem. Even when we do eventually beat Covid-19, there’s many, many more ailments to take the fight to – from heart disease to cancer, and Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s – and for that we will need to finally overcome the STEM skills gap that has plagued science, technology, engineering and maths-based industries for some time. Such skills are paramount to the largest company in the East Midlands, the health and wellbeing giant Boots, but also to a lengthy list of incredible SMEs that have often gone under the radar until now. One of these is SureScreen Diagnostics, whose director David Campbell is the subject of this month’s big interview (p30). The Derby-based business with roots in making alcohol and drug screening tests has experienced huge growth after winning a landmark Government contract to supply the UK with 22 million rapid lateral flow tests. We also boast a growing line-up of start-ups providing services to drug discovery firms, such as those coming out of nationally-recognised incubators including BioCity Nottingham, as well as established exporters like our strategic partner Morningside Pharmaceuticals. Medilink chief executive and Chamber board member Dr Darren Clark explains in our focus feature (p60) that the East Midlands has a strong heritage in healthcare, medtech and pharma that stands up to anywhere outside the “golden triangle” of London-Oxford-Cambridge. But he also pulls no punches when he says we aren’t doing enough to make the most of the academic excellence coming out of our universities. It’s another example of where the region really ought to shout up more about meaningful achievements in order to attract investment. The Chamber stands ready to support as we look to bring our thriving medtech sector to the forefront of the region’s economic recovery.
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Dan Robinson, Editor, Business Network
THE BIG INTERVIEW 30 David Campbell, director at SureScreen Diagnostics 34 PATRONS Accountancy firm up for top award 36 CH AMBER NEWS Milestone for Chamber’s Kickstart Scheme efforts
SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS 50 Architects' role in path to net zero
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 52 How Brexit is affecting the medtech sector
POLITICS 54 Adapting and innovating in challenging times
FEATURES 57 ENTERPRISE & INNOVATION Finding meaning and connecting during times of transition 58 Five things to consider before running Linkedin ads 60 FOCUS FEATURE Healthcare and medtech in the East Midlands 65 HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE Importance of health in the workplace 69 How office furniture supports employee wellbeing
TRAINING & EVENTS Front cover photo is copyright and courtesy of: University of Nottingham
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
72 Career benefits of the director development programme
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74 Maximising social media in the run up to Christmas
BUSINESS SUPPORT 76 LEGAL Out of hours communication and the law 78 FINANCE What you need to know if you’re selling your business 81 SKILLS Understanding Government's recruitment support 82 PROPERTY Is your property underinsured?
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84 MOTORING Nick Jones tests the BMW 330e 85 INFORMATION Is your credit rating impeding growth?
COMMENT 86 THE LAST WORD Chamber president Eileen Richards MBE on helping young people reach their potential business network October 2021
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MEMBER NEWS
Team-up to boost asthma treatment Kindeva – formerly 3M Drug Delivery Systems – is seeking to improve respiratory inhalers in a new partnership with Loughborough University. The global contract development and manufacturing firm wants to enhance the performance, costeffectiveness and green credentials of the devices used for treating asthma. The knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) with the university will develop novel computational techniques that model inhalation drug delivery to the lungs in order to support the creation of inhalers with a smaller environmental impact. It is hoped the new greener products will broaden the range of respiratory diseases that can be treated with inhalers, extending their clinical use to deliver preventative medications and treatments for an enhanced range of conditions. Aaron Mann, CEO of Loughborough-based Kindeva, said: “We are leading the industry in the development of next generation low-global warming potential propellants.
“The KTP with Loughborough University is exciting and potentially strengthens our position as a leader not only in healthcare, but also sustainability.”
‘We’re delighted with this impactful collaboration with Kindeva’ The current collaboration builds on a previous KTP that focused on an innovative nasal-to-brain drug delivery system that the company is now ready to take into laboratory and proof-of-concept trials. It also demonstrated that computational modelling helps to speed product design while reducing time to market and the number of clinical trials required. Dr Zoe Marshal-Jones, from the university’s research and enterprise office, said: “We’re delighted with this impactful collaboration with Kindeva. It really brings the expertise of our academic team to the fore, generating commercial impact.”
Institute will lead the fight against disease Diagnosing, treating and curing disease is the mission of scientists working in a new £100m research institute at the University of Nottingham. Scientists, government officials and senior leaders in research and
healthcare from across the UK turned out in force to mark the official opening of the university’s Biodiscovery Institute (BDI). More than 100 guests attended the event, which saw the facility opened by Professor Fiona Watt,
Pioneering treatment helps control tics A revolutionary new stimulation treatment for Tourette’s syndrome (TS), which is proven to reduce tics, has moved closer to being available to people as a wearable wrist device with the launch of a new company. Neurotherapeutics Solutions is a new University of Nottingham spin-out that’s been launched to bring to market a wearable neuromodulation device, which uses rhythmic peripheral nerve stimulation. It will be worn like a wristwatch, for use in TS and associated cooccurring brain health conditions. The company will use research published by the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology and School of Medicine, which used repetitive trains 4
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of stimulation to the median nerve (MNS) at the wrist to entrain rhythmic electrical brain activity associated with the suppression of movements. The scientists found that rhythmic MNS is sufficient to substantially reduce tic frequency and tic intensity, and the urge-to-tic, in individuals with TS. Of the 19 people who took part in the initial study, all saw a reduction in the frequency of tics. Professor Stephen Jackson, who led the research, said: “Since the research was published last year, we have seen a huge amount of interest in our results from people with TS across the world, who are often desperate to find a way to control their tics. “With the additional funding and expertise of
the team we hope to have a finished product available within two years.” Funding has been co-ordinated by Nottingham Technology Ventures with investment by the university alongside external investors. This will enable the design and build of 85 programmable wrist-worn peripheral nerve stimulation de5vices, which will be used in a placebo-controlled trial planned for autumn 2021. Its new director of operations Paul Cable said: “Over the next two years the company will develop two products – an app to allow individuals with tics to track their symptoms, and a wearable wrist device that will, on request, suppress an individual’s urge to tic.”
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MEMBER NEWS
Digital Ethos grows through acquisition
Representatives from the University of Nottingham, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, The Brain Tumour Charity and National Institute for Health Research at the new Biodiscovery Institute
executive chair of the Medical Research Council, and the university’s vice-chancellor Professor Shearer West.
‘The work taking place within the labs is truly worldchanging’ The BDI, which is based at the University Park campus, is a world-leading hub of interdisciplinary research excellence that is shaping the future of health and biotechnology, tackling everything
from defeating cancer to sustainable transport, regenerative medicine and the Black Death. Chris Denning is a professor of stem cell biology at the university and director of the Institute. He said: “Our mission is simple yet complex – through chemical and biological discovery and engineering, we diagnose, treat and cure disease, and provide security for quality of life. The work taking place within the labs is truly world-changing and we hope that people have been able to see just a snapshot of what we can achieve.” The Institute offers new laboratories, research equipment and facilities, and is home to
about 850 academics, researchers, clinicians and support staff who have generated £223m in funding since 2014. Prof West added: “The University of Nottingham has always been at the forefront of innovation in global science and healthcare, from the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the discovery of ibuprofen. “I have no doubt that the Biodiscovery Institute will continue this proud heritage, using the very latest equipment, technology and collaboration techniques in chemical and biological discovery to tackle disease and improve lives across the world.”
Digital Ethos has acquired Cheshire-based marketing agency Boxed Red for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition is the second for the Leicester-based firm and will pave the way for further growth opportunities across both brands. CEO Luke Tobin said: “This is a huge step for Digital Ethos and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to grow our talented team and become a dominant service provider in the north. “This acquisition will increase our group revenue by around 25% while allowing us to expand our service offering. Boxed Red also has clients up and down the country and having localised business units in different cities is an important part of our growth plan.” Janna Caley, previous owner and director at Boxed Red, will remain on board to ensure a smooth transition for staff and all clients, while the company will be headed up by managing director Ruth Gresty. Janna said: “The acquisition was a natural fit for Boxed Red as the ethos of both businesses aligned so well. It was important to me that the brand and staff were retained and now with the support of a wider team, Boxed Red will be able to even better service our fantastic clients, further exceeding their objectives.”
Luke Tobin and Janna Caley
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MEMBER NEWS
Start Up scheme is making a mark The British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme has invested more than £41m in the East Midlands. The programme, which provides mentoring, support and funding to aspiring business owners across the UK, has provided 4,883 loans to entrepreneurs in the region. This follows Start Up Loans hitting a milestone of £600m delivered outside London – providing 68,559 loans to entrepreneurs since launching in 2012. Dr Sophie Dale-Black, Midlands UK network director at the British Business Bank, said: “The British Business Bank is committed to increasing access to business finance. By hitting this latest milestone, the Start Up Loans programme is providing critical support to a new generation of entrepreneurs.” Businesses can learn about finance options for growth at an event held by the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, part of the British Business Bank, and D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, on Thursday 7 October from 10am to 11.30am. To register, visit bit.ly/MEIFD2N2
Growing IT firm expands customers’ ERP offering Derby IT firm Neuways has added to its team as it expands its enterprise resource planning (ERP) offering to customers. The company, based in Chellaston, is now at 45 staff after recruiting eight people this year. This investment in ERP reflects the wider expansion experienced at the firm this year, as the managed service provider has seen its workforce in other areas of the business rise by 10% in 2021.
‘ERP systems are critical for allowing businesses to improve productivity and their functions’ Successful remote working procedures have enabled Neuways to take on experts from around the globe, which has allowed its customers to benefit from the specialist guidance.
Managing director Martin Roberts said: “ERP is right at the heart of what we have always done here at Neuways and it is always a delight to welcome new members of staff to the business. “We already had many decades of knowledge within the team, but the growth in customers we have encountered has allowed us to build on that expertise and ultimately provide more customers with the implementation of our carefully planned and executed ERP projects.” ERP systems are designed to streamline business processes, and Neuways’team of specialists grow by 120% over the past three months – with another three staff members set to join. Martin added: “ERP systems are critical for allowing businesses to improve productivity and their functions. They are key to companies being able to achieve their long-term objectives and goals.”
Accountancy firm goes global Smith Cooper, one of the Midlands’ largest independent firms of accountants and business advisors, has taken the next step of its journey by joining the global accounting network PKF International. The Derby-headquartered company, which employs 250 people across six offices, has rebranded as PKF Smith Cooper. The collaboration marks the next phase in the strategic development of PKF Smith Cooper, while simultaneously complementing PKF’s desire to increase its regional footprint throughout the UK.
‘Together, the firms have a combined fee income that makes them the 11th largest UK accounting network’ David Nelson (pictured), senior partner at PKF Smith Cooper, said: “As an ambitious, futurefocused business, we consider a strong international network to be a key component in our armoury. “In recent years, we’ve grown considerably in team numbers, fee income and, more
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specifically, client numbers, many of whom operate internationally. “Not only does a strong and meaningful international network allow us to cater to our clients’ needs, but it allows us to differentiate ourselves within the regional marketplace through a combination of increased brand profile and the ability to leverage the combined strength, resources and client credentials of other UK member firms.” The network comprises more than 220 member firms, with a presence in 150 countries. Other UK members include PKF Littlejohn in London and Leeds, PKF Francis Clark in the South-West, Johnston Carmichael in Scotland, and PKF FPM in Northern Ireland. Together, the firms have a combined fee income that makes them the 11th largest UK accounting network. PKF International CEO Theo Vermaak added: “Throughout the comprehensive admission process, it was clear that the team at PKF Smith Cooper is comprised of highly skilled, service-oriented individuals who have fostered a client-centric culture, and it was a pleasure to work with David and the wider team throughout the process.”
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MEMBER NEWS
Rebrand as company evolves Peckleton-based Meridian Digital Solutions has rebranded to evolvecx. The move follows an internal review at the firm, which specialises in self-service technology, to offer an improved customer service that extends across a variety of sectors. During the pandemic, Meridian has built a reputation for developing temperature-reading devices used by businesses as staff returned to workplaces after lockdown – but it now wants to build closer relationships with clients. Managing director Andy Viner said: “Historically, the industry has been very product-driven and often concentrated on the shifting of equipment to clients.
‘Everything we do has the customer’s success at the centre of it’ “We reviewed a range of different aspects including what we’ve achieved for our clients, who our clients have been and what they needed from us. “Everything we do has the customer’s success at the centre of it so evolvecx places a huge importance on consultancy with a hardware and software focus.” Its new name and focus on the client cements its commitment to become a valued partner in the customer journey by evolving strategies rather thansimply supplying equipment. The firm also plans to help support customers with sustainability. Some European countries have a deposit return scheme, which requires consumers to pay a small deposit for plastic and glass bottles. The UK began a consultation into a similar concept earlier this year. Meridian has launched a range of reverse vending
Andy Viner, managing director of evolvecx
machines (RVMs) to help incentivise consumers to recycle their goods via a reward system. Andy added: “Some European countries have been using RVMs for some time now. For example, Sweden only puts 1% of its waste into landfill and this is achieved in a large part by the deposit return scheme. “The Scottish government also plans to implement this next year and the UK government is due to release its consultation findings. It is a fantastic way of engaging both the extended producer of goods and the consumer, to meet their ethical and legislative responsibilities.”
Agency lauded for apprentice work Creative agency The Dairy has been named as a finalist at this year’s NottinghamshireLive Business Awards. The company, based in West Bridgford, has been shortlisted in the Apprentice Employer of the Year category at the awards, which take place on 14 October. It is recognised for its work in hiring and developing apprentices throughout its 19 years in business, including current digital marketing executive Claudia Wright. Claudia joined the agency in 2017 – completing her Level 3 apprenticeship, CIM qualifications and progressing from account junior to digital marketing executive. The Dairy’s account director Tom Walters said: “As a company, we truly recognise the rewards of investing in young talent – and the apprenticeship scheme is the perfect vehicle for this. “I have watched Claudia grow and develop both her skills and her confidence over the past four years.”
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Sale set to help Ramtech expand Fresh from completing a landmark contract to protect treasured artefacts at Nottingham Castle using smart technology, Ramtech has been bought by Halma plc. The acquisition will support the Nottingham-based wireless safety and security solutions business to enter new global markets and invest in a substantial product roadmap to build on its current annual turnover of £10m and team of 65. The deal will see Ramtech become part of Halma’s safety division while retaining its name and brand. Its senior team will continue with the company, including managing director Andy Hicks, who was one of its co-owners before the sale. Halma divisional chief executive Charles Lombard will join Ramtech as chairman. Andy said: “It is the right time for Ramtech to enter its next phase of expansion and achieve truly global growth. The investment and access to Halma’s expertise and global network are all essential ingredients in helping the company achieve this.
“Our ‘customer-first’ approach will remain, and we don’t see that passion for our customers changing in any way.” Halma is a global group of technology companies whose purpose is to grow a safer, cleaner, heathier future for everyone, every day. It owns around 45 businesses covering safety, environment and analysis, and health. Technology used by companies within the safety divisionspan elevator safety, fire detection, fire suppression, security sensors, access control, safe storage, people and vehicle flow. Ramtech’s wireless fire-safety technology was recently used to protect almost a millennium’s worth of heritage and some of Nottingham’s most treasured artefacts during the £30m redevelopment of the city’s castle. Charles Lombard, divisional chief executive of Halma, added: “We look forward to supporting Ramtech to help meet its ambitious growth plans, which will help more customers save lives and protect valuable assets.”
Ramtech managing director Andy Hicks
Encore is standing up for apprenticeships Recruitment agency Encore Personnel is responding to the spike in job vacancies by investing more time and energy than ever before in apprenticeships. From packing jobs to HGV driver shifts, the business – which has offices in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham – has noticed a staggering increase in the number of vacancies due to a “perfect storm” of the pandemic, Brexit and a growing skills gap. To tackle the challenge head-on, Encore has invested more resources than ever before in growing talent internally from the roots up through its apprenticeship programme, with 12 apprentices currently completing qualifications within various divisions of the business. Company learning and development manager Nikki Westwood, who has worked at Encore for more than 16 years, said teaching “business etiquette” and recruiting the right person, rather than sticking strictly to cardboard cut-out lists of criteria, was the key to developing a gold-standard apprenticeship culture. She said: “We’re firm believers in and loud advocates of apprenticeships at Encore, and we 8
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Aleks Malczewska with Encore Personnel’s CEO Greg Latham
always have been. We have 12 apprentices currently on board and eight more ready to start in the coming weeks in roles across all our teams, from HR to IT to our recruitment consultant apprenticeship. “Therefore, we’ve doubled the number of apprentices in just two years since 2019. All are funded through the apprenticeship levy, of which we use about £50,000 per year from our allowance.”
Aleks Malczewska joined the team when she was 19 and has passed her team leader/ management Level 3 apprenticeship with distinction. The 22-year-old said: “When I started working at Encore, I had just come out of sixth form with no life experience. I was offered a temporary contract for three months which turned into a permanent placement after two. “Now I’m a manager of four
people, with just under four years’ experience within the industrial resourcing sector and I have just bought my first home. I can honestly say that this would not be possible without Encore’s constant support in developing me, not only in my role but in myself too.” Meanwhile. Encore is planning to tackle a backlog of driver training by expanding its offer with the introduction of a dedicated, fulltime driver certificate professional competence (CPC) trainer. This will extend the company’s offer to run training sessions throughout the week and at weekends. The Road Haulage Association believes there is currently a shortfall of about 90,000 drivers in Britain. It estimates that 30,000 HGV driving tests did not take place last year because of the pandemic. Wayne Stroud, senior divisional manager in Encore’s driving division, said: “We’d noticed that during lockdown, drivers had fallen behind with their periodic training, which means there is now a huge backlog. We offered remote training but the reality was that drivers are more likely to attend in person – so we needed to address this immediately.”
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MEMBER NEWS
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Making a good job of recruitment Derby-based Sky Recruitment Solutions is set to smash its 2021 growth plans three months early as job vacancies boom. The recruitment firm, which includes Nottingham-based sister company Capella Professional, had two offices and just 10 staff this time last year – but has rapidly expanded to eight locations and 25 staff. It is now seeking five additional staff members, meaning its original target of employing 30 staff by the end of this year will be achieved with months to spare. The company, which has sites in Derby, Ripley, Burton, Mansfield, Nottingham, Castle Donington and two in Huddersfield, recognised huge growth potential in the recruitment market early on in the pandemic. It therefore credits part of its success to the fact it has managed to fulfil major recruitment drives for new and existing clients where competitor firms have failed to meet the demand. Managing director David Torrington said: “We’ve been riding on the crest of a wave and we’re already looking towards 2022, and thinking ‘what next?’” He said his firm’s need to recruit
Director added to ethics committee Duncan & Toplis director, and head of technical and compliance, Stuart Brown has been appointed as a member of an influential ethics committee for the accountancy profession. Stuart, who was appointed as a director at the East Midlands chartered accountants and business advisory firm in March 2020, joins the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) ethics advisory committee. He is an advocate of high ethical standards in the profession, believing they have a central role in building and maintaining the public’s trust in the services provided by ICAEW member firms. Stuart said: “I believe that ethics and behaving in an ethical manner are the absolute foundations of being a chartered accountant. As trusted advisors, we must uphold the reputation of the ICAEW. It is a great honour to be able to represent myself and Duncan & Toplis, and be in a position to influence the decisions that it takes.”
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The team at Sky Recruitment
additional staff was down to an increased demand for its services. “We’re seeing lots of new clients where they’re finding other recruitment agencies can’t supply the staff they need,” he added. “Recruitment agencies are generally struggling to supply staff, but Sky Recruitment Solutions has been innovative and always found ways of satisfying our clients’ needs. I’d be delighted to meet any
new client who is concerned about meeting demand as a result of the national industrial staffing shortage.” Beckie Elliott, business manager for the firm, said the enormous level of activity and job vacancies were “across the board”, in manufacturing, packaging, assembly and distribution particularly. She said: “Companies are
contacting us left, right and centre every day where they’ve not been able to find suitable job candidates due to the national shortage. It’s really busy, but really good news for Sky, as we’ve managed to deliver.” The five new staff hires Sky Recruitment Solutions is seeking for its own operations are for recruitment consultants and account managers. A number of internal promotions have also taken place.
Law firm launches new service Bhayani HR & Employment Law has launched a new recruitment service to deliver expert, flexible and workable recruitment solutions for businesses and the third sector. The new offering from the company, which has an office in Leicester, follows a 40% year-onyear increase in turnover since 2015 for the firm, and will involve its employment law and HR arms working closely to deliver an additional recruitment and search service to new and existing clients. Bhayani Recruitment will focus on roles for HR and internal recruitment, charity and not-forprofit, legal, office and customer support, sales and marketing and board-level appointments. The firm will now cover the whole employee lifecycle, from recruitment to termination and everything in between. This makes it one of the few offerings in the UK capable of sourcing candidates, managing HR tasks and offering legal employment advice all within one trusted brand. Managing director and solicitor Jay Bhayani said: “Bhayani HR & Employment Law was covering
Jay Bhayani (third from left) celebrates the launch with members of her team
everything from the moment an employee was employed right through to the moment they left the company, but what we were missing was that very first step – finding the right person for the job.” This unique collaboration of HR and legal expertise will enable Bhayani Recruitment to find the right candidate for its clients, while taking all the recruitment steps which are legally compliant. On top of sourcing and shortlisting candidates, the firm will also offer a recruitment process
outsourcing model to help businesses write compelling job descriptions, run thorough assessment centres, deliver engaging interview questions, implement psychometric testing and review candidate performance. Jay added: “One of the main benefits we bring to our clients is that they get consistent HR and legal advice all under one roof. By adding Bhayani Recruitment to our offering, we are effectively expanding that roof to cover every employee-related request our clients could possibly need.”
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MEMBER NEWS
More free training courses unveiled
The Summit Creative team
Checklist boost for online stores Nottinghamshire-based retail experience agency Summit Creative has published a free downloadable checklist to help businesses optimise their online stores in preparation for peak retail periods. With the e-commerce market set to reach around £81m in 2021, the peak trading checklist is designed to maximise sales on a company’s website in preparation for events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The team at CCM Group’s newly-rebranded creative agency Summit Creative – previously known as CCM Creative – has made the resource available and applicable to businesses of all types. Managing director Tina Brown said: “We know how difficult it can be for businesses to keep on top of their website and marketing activity during peak trading times, but the importance of utilising and optimising
these platforms alongside other elements, such as printed collateral, is crucial.” The tick-list guides users through each stage of building a website and e-commerce activity, from marketing to fulfilment Tina added: “We have designed, built and developed a wide range of successful e-commerce websites as well as supported the marketing function and our clients have seen incredible results. Getting ahead of the game for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas is a mustdo for business within the retail industry.” With a number of peak trading periods coming up, the agency is offering a 10% discount on all services until midnight on Cyber Monday on 29 November 2021 for new customers. The peak trading checklist is available at summitcreative.co.uk/resources
Community Chesterfield has launched its next phase of training and shared learning workshops. The project, which is a National Lottery-funded partnership between Derbyshire Voluntary Action (DVA) and the University of Derby, has announced the topics to be covered up to February next year. Subjects include the Makaton language taster, accredited introduction to domestic abuse training, introduction to basic counselling skills and gamblingrelated harm awareness. Training and tea sessions will return from 6 October, beginning with a series of sessions focusing on fundraising. Places are free for University of Derby staff and students with a connection to Chesterfield, as well as those working at or volunteering for Derbyshire-based not-forprofit community organisations helping people in Chesterfield. For the full list of training and shared learning courses, visit bit.ly/CommunityChes2021
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Putting people at heart of business An East Midlands businesswoman has founded a new company that helps businesses to unlock growth – by placing workplace culture and people at the centre of their organisation. Amy Healey (pictured) set up The Peoples Muse to support start-ups and SMEs across the region to effectively integrate a human-centred approach into their growth strategies. By collaborating with business leaders and their teams, The Peoples Muse helps clients succeed by creating innovative workplace cultures where people are happy, healthy, and inspired to excel and achieve shared success. Amy said: “As the Government published its four-stage plan to ease lockdown earlier this year, I realised that the world of work had changed forever and businesses needed to adapt and evolve in order to succeed in this new era. I saw a huge opportunity for companies to rethink their approach towards their people.”
Amy has held several senior positions in both the public and private sectors, and most recently was head of people and culture at multi-award-winning managed service provider Air IT.
‘I saw a huge opportunity for companies to rethink their approach towards their people’ Amy was instrumental in driving change across the business by embedding strong culture, values and positive employee experience in preparation for Air IT’s transformative investment by August Equity in January 2020. Current research supports a positive link between employee engagement
No sign of an end to rising M&A activity Mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity is on the rise – with PwC’s transaction services team in the Midlands completing more than £2bn worth of deals in the first of 2021. It represents almost double the value of transactions in the first half of 2019, which stood at £1.1bn. Helen Ward (pictured), transaction services partner for PwC in the Midlands, said: “While it was initially believed that the assumed capital gains tax changes were driving activity in the first few months of 2021, the deals market has remained buoyant – demonstrated by completed transactions involving highly resilient businesses. “These businesses provide opportunities for further value creation and a pipeline of future transactions, providing continued positive expectations for the rest of the year.” Headline deals include Travis Perkins’ sale of its plumbing and heating business to HIG Capital, the sale of critical security services business Orbis Protect to Synova, and investment by CBPE Capital in Mindera. Helen added: “There has been significant merger and acquisition activity over the past six months, despite the continued uncertain economic backdrop brought on by the pandemic. We’re proud to have supported a fantastic range of clients across a number of transactions both large and small.” 12
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and organisational performance, where it found the most successful businesses make sure people are central to business strategy planning. Amy, who launched her company in March this year, added: “I wanted to use the lessons learnt at Air IT in creating a successful high-growth company through a people centric approach and use this to help other local SMEs do the same to start their own journey and unlock their true business potential – and this is when the Peoples Muse was born. “Our mission is to always put people at the heart of change. By developing leadership capabilities, empowering and engaging your teams, and getting talent management right, you will become more agile, innovative and successful.”
True MSP co-founders Neil Shaw (left) and Tim Rookes
Joint venture will enable firms to offer wide range of services
Breedon Consulting MD Nicki Robson
Breedon Consulting has announced a formal partnership with IT support company True MSP to offer a full scope of HR, learning and development and IT services. The joint venture will combine the Leicestershire-based HR firm and True MSP’s services to provide a fully comprehensive offering with a straightforward approach. Breedon will provide its full scope of HR services and True MSP will provide a suite of managed IT support services. The partnership comes after years of friendship between Breedon Consulting managing director Nicki Robson and True MSP co-founders Tim Rookes and Neil Shaw. Nicki said: “We are so pleased to be partnering with True MSP – both Tim and Neil are unusual in the world of IT service providers in that they speak in plain English and provide a fantastic service, so for them to have a similar approach to clients as Breedon does made this the perfect match.” Companies that sign up to the new joint service will gain access to specialists in HR and IT – enabling them to maintain strong staff development and customer service. Tim said: “True MSP is thrilled to be working in partnership with Breedon Consulting to deliver a combined service of HR and IT support. Neil and I have been friends of the business for many years, and we look forward to providing straight forward solutions across both client bases.” Neil added: “We often get asked by our clients if we can help them with IT governance and usage policies. This collaboration will help to strengthen our offering as we can now refer these queries to Nicki and her excellent team at Breedon Consulting.”
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BCC chief backs SMEs to lead way
Chesterfield Festival of Cricket at Queen’s Park
Jillian Thomas (left) and Shevaun Haviland
Derbyshire financial planner Jillian Thomas secured an exclusive interview with the new director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). In a wide-ranging filmed discussion, Jillian asked Shevaun Haviland what she believes are the main threats to the UK economy, what the Government should be doing to ensure growth and what needs to happen to “level up” the North and Midlands. Shevaun joined the BCC in March from the Cabinet Office, where she ran the business partnerships team for five years following an extensive private sector career. Jillian, who owns Renishaw-based Future Life Wealth Management, said: “The success of the BCC is absolutely imperative for the wellbeing of the British economy. “During our conversation, Shevaun outlined how our SMEs are the powerhouses that underpin our national economy and how she’s currently calling on the Government to build a contingency plan that covers business support once the furlough scheme concludes. “And it’s also quite clear that she has every intention of championing exporting, as well as levelling up the UK North-South divide. “In short, under Shevaun’s leadership, I’m in no doubt that the BCC will continue promoting the British economy in precisely the right way to ensure our collective success.” Jillian is a past president of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce – one of only two women to hold the position since it was established in 1857 – as well as being a patron for East Midlands Chamber. Shevaun said: “The Chamber network has been at the forefront of helping businesses navigate the pandemic and building our new trading relationships with the world. “Our businesses will be central to driving recovery and renewal in their communities across the UK. “I am thrilled to be championing the needs of our members – at home and around the world – helping them to drive change and seize opportunities to thrive and grow.”
Festival to get at least five years more innings Derbyshire County Cricket Club and Chesterfield Borough Council have agreed a deal for the Chesterfield Festival of Cricket to continue for at least the next five years. The festival, which has seen multiple sold-out matches at Queen’s Park, in Chesterfield, is a cornerstone of the Derbyshire summer and the new agreement builds on the club’s long-standing relationship with the council. Queen’s Park has been a key venue in the history of the club ever since Derbyshire’s maiden first-class fixture at the ground in 1898. In recent years, the week-long festival has played host to firstclass matches, as well as the traditional Vitality Blast between the Derbyshire Falcons and Yorkshire Vikings – and Derbyshire will now continue to perform under the spire for the next five seasons. Derbyshire CCC chairman Ian Morgan (pictured), who also chairs the board of directors at the Chamber, said: “The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket always brings
together a huge number of people from across the region and Queen’s Park is a much-loved and popular venue, making the fixtures a highlight of the season for supporters from across the county. “After an extremely challenging time for the club and its supporters, I was delighted to see Derbyshire return to Queen’s Park in August in front of our largest crowd of the summer and I look forward to seeing the festival continue to progress over the coming seasons.” This year, the club, working alongside the council, has also moved to bring live music to the venue, with the An Evening of Queen musical event attracting a new audience to Queen’s Park. Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket is one of the standout weeks in our annual events calendar. We look forward to welcoming both home and away supporters to our town and to the economic boost that their attendance brings to our hoteliers, bars, restaurants, and retailers.”
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IT firm turns its focus on recycling A business IT support provider that faced lost revenues during the pandemic has turned its attention to creating a new recycling service. Microbusiness UKBITS, based in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, has established Ashby IT Recycle, which helps businesses to get rid of old equipment – by either repairing them for resale or, after wiping private data, breaking them down into components for recycling. The company was supported by the Business Gateway Growth Hub, which provided a £3,000 grant to set up a new recycling area in its warehouse and to buy a computer, label printer, camera and racking for storage. Sales co-ordinator Helen Sutton said the company had been hit by falling revenue as clients reduced their spend and it was ineligible for Covid19 grants due to not paying business rates. “It was during a regular catch up with business adviser Aruna Bhagwan that we found out about the Leicestershire Recovery Grant and our ideas began to formulate around a recycling project,” she said.
Dame Jessica Corner opens the new lab, watched by Robin the robot and Professor Steve Benford
Lab will help you find the droids you’re looking for A new lab for human-robot interaction research designed to support industry in exploring the use of this technology has been launched at the University of Nottingham. The Cobot Maker Space is designed to provide a dedicated facility for research and industry collaboration into innovations in robots and artificial intelligence.
‘This new dedicated space will allow the university to continue to lead the way’ It will explore ways to enhance human-robot interaction in a range of real-life scenarios – from business and manufacturing to home life, with social and rehabilitation robots. There is also a public-facing space to deploy digitallyenhanced products and to display new human-robot interaction as a publicly accessible demonstration. Professor of computer science Steve Benford is one of the lead academics on the project.
He said: “We have a wealth of expertise in humanrobot interaction at the university that we already use to help solve problems, improve processes and enhance human experiences across a range of industries – from robots to detect allergens on the factory floor to interactive storytelling and performance. “The launch of the Cobot Maker Space will allow this expertise to be bought together and give access to industry partners for a range of exciting collaborative projects.” Some of the robots available include Robin, a humanoid-style robot with a poseable head and arms – as well as on-board audio and video that can be used for speech and face recognition – and Spot, a Boston Dynamics dog-like mobile robot, suitable for use in a variety of indoor and outdoor terrains. The facility was officially opened by pro-vicechancellor for research and knowledge exchange Dame Jessica Corner. She said: “Research into robot technology and AI is moving at pace and this new dedicated space will allow the university to continue to lead the way with new innovations and knowledge that can be shared and applied to real-life scenarios.”
Museums and NAS unveil creative fellows Derby Museums and US-based arts and culture organisation NAS have announced the 25 creative entrepreneurs selected to the 2021 cohort of UK Creative Community Fellows. Celebrating its second year, the fellowship is a learning and collaboration experience for individuals using the power of arts and culture to drive transformational change in communities throughout the UK. East Midlands entrepreneurs among the list include Derby-based David Chabeaux and Rosalind Allen, Mickleover-based Anisha Parmar and Matlock-based Clare Limb. Derby Museums executive director Tony Butler said: “It is an honour to support individuals doing vital work with and for their communities to drive cultural and social change. “We are so excited to announce the second year of UK Creative Community Fellows and continue building a group of cultural trailblazers committed to using the arts to make their communities fairer and more inclusive places to live.” 16
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Established in 2020, UK Creative Community Fellows is an international partnership between Derby Museums and NAS – a non-profit organisation based in Washington DC that aims to upskill arts and culture leaders in order to improve the entire ecosystem – to bring its longrunning Creative Community Fellows programme to the UK. Fellows will explore proven tools and frameworks over five months in a curriculum designed with the University of Pennsylvania's
centre for social impact strategy to foster authentic leadership skills. The programme includes an online retreat and focused learning modules, in addition to a fiveday in-person convening at an “incubator-like” environment in Yorkshire. The fellows will work with Derby Museums, NAS, faculty partners, mentors and each other to examine opportunities for strengthening partnerships and strategies, to forge deeper relationships within their communities, and elevating the programmes’ impact. NAS president and CEO Gail Crider said: “Leaders who work at the intersection of arts and community change have few opportunities to connect with each other, exchange ideas, and learn and grow together. “UK Creative Community Fellows creates space for this exchange and support, and we are pleased to work alongside Derby Museums to add another incredible cohort of fellows to a growing and global community of change makers supporting more inclusive and equitable communities.”
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Top tips to help strengthen your supply chain For companies across the world, one huge impact of the pandemic was the global supply chain breaking down, twinned with the effects of Brexit for UK-based businesses. In response, Western Union Business Solutions channel partnership manager Amy Deakin (pictured) looks at six ways businesses can strengthen their supply chains. Supply chain resilience has become a hot topic for 2021, with Covid-19 and Brexit highlighting the fragility of businesses and breaking down the importance of supply chain management. Therefore, as we emerge from the shadow of the pandemic and look forward, having a robust strategy to guard against adverse macro events is top of the agenda for managing supply chain risk. Embrace diversification Streamlining suppliers has long been seen as a way of negotiating better prices as well as cutting administrative costs, and as a result, there has been a loss of diversification. Finding a balance between a streamlined supply chain and one that is robust enough to withstand external pressures will be key to future resilience. Know when to pay Logic may dictate that paying as late as possible makes sound business sense. But a flexible approach can help maximise all available discounts or allow you to take advantage of fluctuating exchange rates. Many businesses extend their “days payable outstanding” (DPO) to help maximise their free cash position, so paying sooner can be beneficial. Have all the information at your fingertips Key to a successful account payables strategy is having visibility of all your outstanding cashflows, so you can respond to opportunities when presented. Minimise the amount of cash tied up in inventory Inventory optimisation is typically viewed as a function of right-sizing
inventory level and supply chain responsiveness. This includes balancing inventory on-hand with near-term demand to keep as little cash tied up in idle inventory as possible. Look at the bigger picture Instead of describing right-sizing in terms of inventory units alone, consider the cost of acquiring the inventory and the corresponding payment terms. If you can acquire the same amount of inventory for less money, and hold the funds for longer, you may be able to reduce the cash trapped in inventory and improve your free cash position. Put a currency risk management strategy in place If you haven’t paid for the inputs to your finished product prior to making a sale, your profits may be exposed to currency risk. Time delays between when you need to pay your supplier and when you receive funds for the product sold are intensified by currency fluctuations and can erode your margins. As part of your pricing strategy, employing a suitable hedging policy can protect profits against unfavourable market movements.
To find out more information please visit our website www.sueyoungcancersupport.org.uk or give us a call on 0116 2230055 business network October 2021
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Mental health pioneer to lead national programme A major appointment has been made to develop a nationallyacclaimed mental health initiative into a long-term programme. Sean Russell has moved from a role leading the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Covid-19 response to become the co-investigator for the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot (MHPP) at Coventry University.
‘We want the work currently being carried out to have a legacy’ MHPP is a three-year partnership funded by Midlands Engine and is a collaboration of Midlands universities, local authorities and the mental health charity Mind – aimed at increasing productivity by tacking mental health in the workplace. Sean will work on establishing the programme as a longer-term initiative beyond its current end date next June.
Sean Russell
He said: “We have eight million people experiencing mental health issues and we believe that MHPP could form a highly effective longterm measure in reducing that number but it needs to be a programme that is well and truly embedded. “We want the work currently being carried out to have a legacy, and I would love to see a plan to extend it to 2031 and that is what I will be working for.” Sean spent 27 years in the police force rising to the rank of
superintendent, and in 2011 took the lead for policing mental health in the West Midlands force. He worked on developing regional and national pilots on mental health before being seconded to the Mental Health Commission as the implementation director, and then becoming head of Thrive at Work, a structured wellbeing programme that is embedded into workplaces, at the WMCA before taking up responsibility for the region’s Covid response. Coventry University deputy vicechancellor Prof Guy Daly is a member of the WMCA wellbeing board. He said: “Sean was a pioneer in the field of mental health when he worked in the police force and has been instrumental in ensuring mental wellbeing has been a cornerstone of policy in the region. “We believe that MHPP has real merit tackling what is a major health problem and, at the same time, help the productivity of companies across the region.”
Covid impact on employee benefits A survey by wealth management company Mattioli Woods has revealed that 64% of employers had changed their benefit strategy since the coronavirus lockdown started. With a further 55% actively changing their benefits package, the Leicester-based firm is urging employers to access online employee assistance programmes. These could include resources that support mental wellbeing, as well as online healthcare with access to GPs. Mattioli Woods, which also specialises in supporting employers with benefit packages, has found an increase in people accessing such websites since employees have been working remotely over the past 18 months. Employee benefits team director Sean Westwood said: “These changes to employee benefits are for the better, for both parties. “Employees gain improved health benefits and can access them remotely, while employers are supporting their staff’s wellbeing – which should in turn help with attendance and productivity.”
Burger chain opens at designer outlet
Laura Mitchell and Cllr Kewal Singh Athwal launch the new fleet of electric bicycles
E-bike scheme is wheel deal Rural Action Derbyshire has launched a small fleet of electric bicycles through its Wheels to Work project. The project tackles transport inequality for people living in rural area, and already offers moped loans, reconditioned bicycles and in some circumstances temporary transport costs. But while bicycles are a useful for shorter journeys, they are less convenient for people living in remote areas as commutes are usually greater and the hills can be off-putting. The Matlock-based charity has therefore looked to e-bikes as an alternative option. Wheels to Work project manager Laura Mitchell said: “There are many well-known benefits to e-bikes, from environmental to health, but for us, it is the opportunity
to offer an affordable transport solution to people in rural Derbyshire.” Derbyshire County Council is a long-term supporter of Wheels to Work and contributed £52,500 to help fund the project this year, some of which will be used to pay for the e-bike pilot. Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal, cabinet member for highways assets and transport, said: “The introduction of electric bicycles to the Wheels to Work fleet is an excellent addition to their current offer. As well as improving transport options for people in Derbyshire it also helps Derbyshire County Council meet its environmental commitment to cut carbon emissions and encourage the use of more sustainable modes of transport.”
Global fast food restaurant chain Five Guys has opened at East Midlands Designer Outlet. Five Guys, known for its American-style burgers and milkshakes, opened its doors at the discount shopping mall, off Junction 28 of the M1, in August – creating 50 jobs. The McArthurGlen team has worked with the restaurant to add additional outdoor seating, as well as more than 100 internal seating spaces. David Jackson, centre manager at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet East Midlands, said: “We love the brand’s dedication to fast, fresh, high-quality food and its sourcing of ingredients. Alongside Wagamama and Pizza Express, it will be a welcome addition to the centre and our food mix.” business network October 2021
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Tackling digital poverty in Nottingham Digital infrastructure provider CityFibre has donated computer equipment to disadvantaged women to help tackle the digital divide in Nottingham. The company, one of the UK’s largest independent full-fibre platforms, has teamed up with Nottingham Women’s Centre after learning that many of its users had faced barriers to essential services because they couldn’t access the internet from home. Dominika Walker, CityFibre’s city manager for Nottingham, said: “At CityFibre, our ambition is to ensure everyone can access fast, reliable digital connectivity, and by supporting groups like Nottingham Women’s Centre with device donations we can help to address digital exclusion in the city.” Katie Finnegan-Clarke, partnerships co-ordinator at Nottingham’s Women’s Centre, said: “After identifying women’s digital isolation in our autumn and winter 2020 campaigning issues paper, we're very thankful to CityFibre for its generous donation of 10 laptops, which means we’ll be able to help more women in Nottinghamshire meet their basic technology needs.”
Synergy assists Sue Ryder Procurement services company Synergy has used its expertise to save £65,000 in shipping costs for charity Sue Ryder. The company, which has an office in Derby, responded to a problem reported by the palliative care and bereavement support charity. The national Sue Ryder team found that shipping costs had soared, making it unable to sell garden furniture and equipment, which the charity relies on heavily to raise vital funds for its services. Working closely and speedily with OIA Global Logistics, Synergy reduced shipping costs by more than £65,000, a saving of about 35%. It also made a donation of £22,000. Mark Baldwin, head of new goods at Sue Ryder, said: “We are enormously grateful to everyone at Synergy. Garden furniture sales are really important to us and of course this is a seasonal market. “Without Synergy, there is a real danger we would not have received these goods in time for the summer season. Thanks to its support, we will be able to provide more care to more people.”
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CityFibre's Nottingham city manager Dominika Walker, left, presents laptops to Katie Finnegan-Clarke, Glos Smith and Kate Lewin at Nottingham Women's Centre
REAL Foundation Trust opens community building A north Nottinghamshire community building has been transformed into a new social hub and sports centre by the REAL Foundation Trust – with a new teaching facility set to launch. After months of restoration, the first phase of the Pleasley Landmark Centre’s revamp is now complete and open for education, community use and for hire by businesses and individuals. The building, which has been branded The Landmark, now offers a sports hall, a boutique gym, meeting rooms and physiotherapy. A new café and outdoor allweather pitch will open in 2022. Sean Ryan, chair of trustees at the REAL Foundation, said: “Our foundation seeks to build resilience
L-R: Richard Smith (REAL), Chloe Sproston (Blueprint Interiors) and Sean Ryan (REAL)
and self-esteem in young people and their communities. “We believe that education is at the heart of positive change and we hope The Landmark will have a lasting impact on the local community by providing essential
wellbeing and educational services.” The REAL Foundation Trust was founded in 2008 by REAL Education. The foundation creates support for the broader issues surrounding learning and wellbeing.
Bereavement charity launches appeal Leicestershire-based charity The Bodie Hodges Foundation has launched an appeal to raise £450,000 over the next two years. The campaign was established after a private investment it was due to receive last year fell through. It would have supported core costs and the purchase of a building that was due to become a new home for the foundation. But the organisation, which supports families who have been bereaved of a child, has decided to go ahead with the purchase of the building to support its development and create a community for the families it helps. The current owners of the building have agreed to
support the charity further by allowing it to rent the building for the next two years, in order to raise the necessary funds to purchase the property. CEO Donna Hodges said: “It’s hard to put into words what it means to us as a charity to be able to launch a capital appeal to purchase Bodie’s House. “Our vision to create a child bereavement community within Leicestershire is now within sight and as a charity, it means that we can offer more support to grieving families and offer ways that we can come together and support one another.” To support the charity’s campaign, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/designmep
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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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Call us on 07971 671840 or email priti@eatoneventhire.co.uk for a FREE quotation for any requirement need for your next event however big or small. Website www.eatoneventhire.co.uk Priti Lodhiya
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Almac Group earns key accreditations Contract development and manufacturing organisation Almac Group has achieved globallyrecognised certifications in both health and safety, and environmental management, at its Charnwood site in Loughborough. The company has me International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standards 45001 and 14001, following a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)-accredited audit of the site’s integrated management system (IMS). Almac expanded to the Charnwood site in Loughborough in 2015, in response to client demand. The site is a complement to the company’s existing pharmaceutical drug product development services at its global headquarters in Craigavon, Northern Ireland – which has been certified with health and safety, and environmental, standards for over a decade. James Hurst, Almac’s vicepresident of operations and Charnwood site head, said: “As an organisation, Almac takes our commitment to corporate social responsibility seriously. “We are therefore delighted the results of the UKAS audit certify that we meet the high ISO standard of health and safety and environmental management – a significant achievement in demonstrating that our Charnwood site is a safe, sustainable and responsible place for our global partners to conduct their projects.” “It was during a regular catch up with business adviser Aruna Bhagwan that we found out about the Leicestershire Recovery Grant and our ideas began to formulate around a recycling project,” she said.
Debt support needed as furlough scheme ends The Money and Pensions Services (MaPS) has increased its debt advice budget for 2021/22 by 70% in preparation for a rise in demand for debt support as furlough and payment holidays come to an end. The organisation, which co-ordinates the national strategy to improve people’s financial capabilities, expects this to help provide 1.5 million more sessions of debt advice over the next year.
‘We’re expecting to see a dramatic rise in the demand for debt advice’ Enhanced financial guidance will also be available to a further two million people across all its services. The Government arm’s length body is raising awareness of the impact this has on business – not just because employers have a duty of care to their workforce, but because when money worries impact
employees at work, the business suffers. An Aegon study into financial wellbeing and productivity found that low financial wellbeing costs £1.5bn each year due to absenteeism and presenteeism. Partnerships co-ordination manager Paul Rhodes (pictured) said: “During the pandemic, financial support such as furlough and payment holidays, helped millions of people to keep their heads above water. But now these programmes are coming to an end, we’re expecting to see a dramatic rise in the demand for debt advice.” MaPS is now looking to partner with businesses to extend its reach into workplaces and provide the support people need. Paul added: “The East Midlands region ranks lowest in the UK for people knowing where to find free financial information, and as a Government body, we can provide free and impartial advice – whether you want to develop your own financial wellbeing strategy or share our helpful tools and articles with your colleagues.”
DMA Awards get new headline sponsor Derbyshire-based mail management specialist Citipost Mail will be the headline sponsor of the Data and Marketing Association (DMA) Awards for the next three years, taking over from longstanding sponsor Royal Mail. The DMAs are recognised as one of the marketing industry’s most prestigious awards, with fierce competition across multiple disciplines and sectors. Last year’s winners included NHS England, Sainsbury’s, Virgin Media and BT. Citipost Mail deputy managing director Lesley Yeomans said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured this partnership deal with the DMA. “As a category judge in 2019, I was impressed with the extremely high standard of entries submitted by the UK marketing community.” Citipost Mail is one of the UK’s largest 22
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independent direct mail companies, processing more than seven million advertising and business mail items every week. In 2021, the company celebrated its move to a larger headquarters in Alfreton ahead of what the business expects to be a year of growth. Lesley added: “Being headline sponsor of the DMA Awards helps Citipost Mail fulfil our vision of being the recognised custodian of direct mail letters in the UK and caps a remarkable year of progression for us. “We have celebrated moving into new, larger headquarters this summer, and what better way to mark the evolution of our own business than to headline sponsor the awards that recognise our vision and values. We are all very excited and look forward to the judging process and awards celebrations in December.”
Lesley Yeomans
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New home for children’s heart centre The £15m relocation of the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre (EMCHC) from Glenfield Hospital to its new Leicester city centre home has now completed. National independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard has worked in close co-operation with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust to locate children’s congenital heart services in the region within a state-of-the-art setting. The children's congenital heart service department was previously based at Glenfield Hospital but has been moved to be part of the larger Leicester Children’s Hospital within Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI). The move is part of the enabling works for the NHS Trust’s plan to transform healthcare in the city after winning £450m from the Government to build a maternity and children’s hospital. The relocation has taken place over three phases of construction, with the first and largest element being a new-build extension to the Kensington Building to house the cardiac outpatient’s department, new cardiac theatre and new hybrid catheter lab.
One of the rooms at the new East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre
‘The first phase of what will become a standalone Children’s Hospital on the site’ The second phase of work included a new cardiac ward situated on the first floor, and finally a new paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) was installed on the fifth floor of the building. Nigel Bond, deputy director of estates and facilities at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “The relocation of
EMCHC to the LRI secures this fantastic service for the people of Leicester and the East Midlands area. It also represents the first phase of what will become a standalone Children’s Hospital on the site.” Pick Everard provided principal designer services for all works, and electrical and mechanical design
services for the PICU and cardiac ward. These services were also provided for work on the Kensington Building infrastructure, including phased strip-out, refurbishment and replacement of various features. Joshua Sandbach, project manager at Pick Everard, said: “We’re really proud to have facilitated such an important project, ensuring a high-spec central treatment centre for congenital heart services. Working within the client’s team has been a real key to the successful delivery of this project due to the pressures and unpredictability brought on by the pandemic and Brexit. “There have, of course, been a number of challenging points, but we have now created a truly considerate facility that meets the users' needs and exceeds their expectations.” Nigel added: “Having Josh from Pick Everard embedded in our delivery team has been a delight and a significant contribution to the quality of the outcome. He has worked tirelessly with the clinical team, my staff and the contractors to ensure we got the building this service needs and deserves.”
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MEMBER NEWS
MEMBER FOCUS: THE LITTLE SURVEY COMPANY Derbyshire-based The Little Survey Company gathers feedback from employees to help companies make positive changes within their operations. Recently pivoting to focus solely on surveys, director Anna Johnstone is now using her 20 years’ experience working within the industry to help businesses prioritise employee wellbeing, as she explains to Business Network. Tell us what your company does and a brief overview of its history? The Little Survey Company gathers insights from within organisations through unique and tailored employee surveys to deliver the information leaders need to create a happy and high-performing organisational culture. As for the history, having worked with surveys for 20 years, I recently pivoted the business to concentrate solely on surveys. I realised it was the people that mattered most to me and I saw the opportunity to use my survey skills to support other leaders who also want to focus on their people. Who are your main customers and what is your USP to them? We work with a variety of industry sectors, including healthcare and technology, and are currently seeing a surge in interest from the education sector. Working in partnership with our clients, we maintain a resolute outcome focus throughout to ensure we deliver the most accurate, informative and useful end result as possible. We read, understand and categorise all responses, undertake thorough analysis, and produce insightful and actionable findings. What is your position in the business and what does your dayto-day role involve? There are two of us involved in the business day-to-day, with additional aspects outsourced as required. Amanda Bye is our fantastic client relations manager, and as director, my role involves all aspects of the business. It’s a real mix of tasks – I am often learning new skills and engaging expert advice to help me deal with each new business challenge that comes along. How have you fared during the Covid-19 pandemic? Many of our clients are placing a greater emphasis upon employee wellbeing, with increasing recognition that those who look after their staff will have the competitive edge and outperform those who don’t. As recruitment becomes increasingly difficult, retaining and growing
Yusuf named one to watch A Loughborough University PhD student has won the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation competition’s One to Watch award after designing a low-cost ventilator. Yusuf Bilesanmi was a member of the engineering research team that created the non-electric ShiVent system – which can be used by non-specialised health workers in only 30 minutes, and in medical settings with unreliable power, to treat Covid-19 patients. He was one of 12 innovators who pitched their ideas to a live online audience, which then voted for the design that showed the most promise and potential for impact. He received a £5,000 prize from the Royal Academy of Engineering, which organises The Africa Prize 24
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Anna Johnstone (left) and client relationship manager Amanda Bye, of The Little Survey Company
talent is proving to be a much more successful strategy. Finding out what matters most to your employees ensures you can use your resources most effectively to improve their experience and build loyalty. What are the company’s plans for the future? We will be expanding our team very soon and will be offering more industry-specific surveys, as well as new organisational culture surveys. Plus, we are very excited to soon announce partnership arrangements with experts in leadership, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, where aligning the natural synergy of our work will be a huge benefit to our clients.
NEW MEMBERS The Chamber welcomed 24 new members in August:
for Engineering Innovation in order to stimulate, celebrate and reward engineering entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa. Yusuf said: “I was dumbfounded and super elated. I couldn’t believe we had won. “It makes all the difference in the work we have done, the support we have received from the Loughborough community.” The system works by connecting hospital patients to an existing oxygen source and blends air with the high-flow oxygen supply.
• Aeon Times • Atheleas Daughters Training Club (ADTC) • Care 100 Limited • Charlieanneart • Bam Boom Cloud Ltd • Cudot Architecture • Dorsi Spinal Institute • DS Performance • SadlerGates Catering • Engineering Consultancy Service Ltd • Eastwood Hall • Indi Teepee Adventures • MacMartin Creative • LH Financial Planning Ltd • MD Hair • Meridian Mortgages • Nottingham Fire Safety Ltd • Peak Gate Textiles • Penstocks (UK) Ltd • Pure Cloud Solutions
Eastwood Hall
• • • •
SA Green Fitness Ltd DC Promo Ltd (International) Tallbird Records Terwin Instruments Limited
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MEMBER NEWS
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BUSINESS NETWORK
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BUSINESS NETWORK
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APPOINTMENTS
Managing director Peter Botham with Craig Clapperton
Craig to develop business at Shed After a period of growth gaining new customers from across the UK, Shed Grounds Maintenance has recruited a new member to its expanding team. Craig Clapperton has joined the company as business development manager, with hopes his experience and expertise can continue to expand its outreach to more customers and businesses across the UK. Craig has 22 years’ experience in the grounds maintenance industry. He worked his way up the career ladder from starting in skilled labourer jobs, then progressing to work as a foreman, senior foreman, and gaining a management position as grounds maintenance manager. He said: “Helping Shed reach its goals and beyond is my main focus and already I can see the spirit and desire of wanting to succeed. “We are all pulling together as a team to achieve this.”
Engraver making his mark at Total A production manager at Leicester-based Total Industrial Engraving has been given shares in the company. David Pitcher has been in his current role at the industrial engraving company for just over a year and has been rewarded for his hard work by managing director Tanya Gordon. Starting as a trainee engraver eight years ago, David has progressed through the ranks and took on his team in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tanya said: “I always saw Dave’s potential, and with coaching and training, he’s grown beyond recognition. He has worked hard to get where he is and truly deserves the chance to be part of our growing company. I look forward to seeing where we go with Dave helping me to lead our bright team.” 28
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From left: Rob Cooke, Ellie Davies, James Parden, Kate Fowler, Ashley Wood and Giles Searby
BRM Solicitors grows its dispute resolution team Law firm BRM Solicitors has announced two new appointments to its dispute resolution department. Kate Fowler joins the firm, which has offices in Chesterfield and Sheffield, as an associate from Lupton Fawcett, specialising in property litigation and bringing more than eight years’ legal expertise to the team. Ellie Davies joins as a trainee solicitor and, upon qualification, will specialise in litigation and dispute resolution. BRM executive director Rob Cooke said the appointments supported ambitious growth plans for the firm, which is “gaining recognition for their consistently high service standards”.
The latest recruits complement the recent appointment of executive director and department head Rob, whose extensive experience spans areas including commercial and property litigation. Giles Searby, who has 25 years’ experience in commercial litigation with expertise in manufacturing and technology, also joins as a director from DLA, in Sheffield. He added: “Having lived in Chesterfield for the past nine years and continuing to act for a number of local clients, the opportunity to base my practice here, while still also keeping in touch with the Sheffield business community, represents the perfect mix for both myself and my clients.”
Nigel’s in the Frame for top role
From left: John Wallis, Barney Curzon-Jones, Becky Sandars and Dav Nash
Purpose expansion sees four new hires Digital marketing agency Purpose Media has added four new hires and promoted two team members. The shake-up comes after a year of strong growth for the South Normanton-based company, which has taken on a raft of new clients. Following up from its recent hire of Dav Nash as head of digital, it has further invested in video and account management. Alistair Bullock has joined as a videographer and photographer, having previously worked for himself and on prominent motoring channels Car Throttle and WTF1. The agency has also grown its account management team, adding Barney Curzon-Jones, who brings
sales, marketing and business development experience within the construction industry. Becky Sandars and Josh Wallis have joined as account executives to support the wider team with the day-to-day interactions with clients. There have also been two internal promotions, with Matthew Bonser now account director, while Emma Blaken has moved from her account manager role to head of marketing. Managing director Matt Wheatcroft said: “I’m delighted to welcome five new members to the team in the past month, and it’s brilliant to see Matthew and Emma deservedly being promoted within.”
Nigel Leivers (pictured) has been appointed managing director at Frame Fast UK after 18 years with the trade manufacturer. Frame Fast manufactures PVCu and aluminium windows, composite and aluminium doors, conservatory roofs and glass units from its 55,000 sq ft factory in Ascot Drive, Derby, supplying local installers. Previously in the role of sales director, Nigel says the secret of his success is listening carefully to customers and expanding to meet their needs. “One of my main focuses when joining Frame Fast was to build strong relationships with customers. This has been invaluable for both us and them, as we’ve been able to implement changes in the factory to support them,” he said.
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THE BIG INTERVIEW
Lateral thinking Lateral flow tests have been one of the major tools in the Government’s armoury in its fight against Covid-19, with more than 20 million units ordered from a family business in Derby. SureScreen Diagnostics, which was previously best known for its rapid pregnancy and drug tests, has been one of the region’s greatest pandemic success stories but its roots are in forensic science. Second-generation director David Campbell explains how its journey has unfolded to Dan Robinson.
t’s no great exaggeration to say the explosion of interest in forensic science can probably be traced back to the CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) TV series and the numerous franchises it spawned. Grisly murders and mysterious deaths captivated audiences and is credited with creating a huge increase in demand for degrees on the subject throughout the early 2000s, but by that point Jim Campbell OBE was already on the scene – quite literally. He had spent time working for the Home Office – where his job involved “looking at blood spatter patterns on walls of crime scenes to work out what went on in that room”, according to his son David – before he decided to set up his own company, SureScreen Scientifics, in 1991. The samples now analysed at its laboratory, based in a converted Georgian grade two-listed manor in Morley, Derbyshire, are a little less gruesome, with car manufacturers and mining companies among the main clients. “It specialises in root cause analysis,” says David, who heads up its sister company SureScreen Diagnostics that eventually splintered off and has perhaps eclipsed the original business during the pandemic. More of that to come, but it’s useful to first understand the unique expertise – he labels his dad a “pioneer” of diagnostics – that lays behind it. He adds: “For example, the lab will receive a gear box from a Formula 1 car that’s failed during practice and will investigate what’s happened to it by looking at the cracks in the part – with oil splatters, not blood revealing what failed first. “We’ll provide an expert report explaining why it’s failed, including suggestions on what the manufacturer should do to fix the problem. There’s also a lot of manufacturing companies that have problems with materials they’re using, but particularly in automotive – anything from taxis to the fastest cars in the world.” Testing water samples for DNA around sites where big engineering projects such as HS2 are being built can also help environment surveyors to understand whether there is any endangered wildlife in the area. “Rather than setting traps, as they’d traditionally need to do, we can just put a collected water sample through a PCR test to understand which organisms live there,” David explains.
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THREE-MINUTE ALCOHOL SCREENING TEST COULD HELP UNLOCK A&E EFFICIENCIES An alcohol screening test that delivers results in three minutes is the latest innovation by SureScreen Diagnostics. While the pandemic has occupied much of the company’s resources, it hasn’t stopped it from working on another potentially transformative new product. The new test is currently being trialled for use in hospital A&E departments, where doctors and nurses will be able to improve decision-making on where to treat a patient upon their arrival. David explains: “A hospital in London said it had a lot of people coming into A&E with high alcohol levels and it wanted to quickly determine whether the patient’s issue was due to alcohol or some underlying condition. “Previously, it would have had to send a blood sample to a lab, which could take anything from two to 24 hours. “We researched how we could detect alcohol quickly and have developed this rapid screening test.” Even before the pandemic, London hospitals only managed to see 74% of patients within four hours of their arrival – the Government’s target – but this could be important for managing flows. “It will have a huge impact,” adds David, whose team is also working on a urine test to rapidly diagnose acute kidney injuries. “Previously, the clinicians would take a blood sample while assessing other potential issues to make a diagnosis, which would take time. But now they can screen them on arrival, or paramedics can test the patient in the ambulance en route to hospital so they can give the information to a clinician immediately. It’s opened up new options for where alcohol testing can be used in the hospital too.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited SureScreen Diagnostics’ lab after the Government ordered millions of its lateral flow tests
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THE BIG INTERVIEW
COVID-19 TESTING EXPLAINED SureScreen Diagnostics has supplied both antigen and antibody lateral flow tests during the pandemic. David explains what the various terminology means: • Lateral flow: A patient can get the results there and then with a testing stick that can provide results within 10 minutes • PCR: An acronym for polymerase chain reaction, this molecular test involves multiplying the collected material, but a sample is instead sent to a laboratory for scientists to interpret the results using specialist equipment • Antigen: Diagnoses whether a patient currently has the virus • Antibody: Carried out as a finger prick test, this detects whether a patient’s blood contains antibodies, which are created by the body’s immune system – either as a result of previously having the virus or following a vaccine – to fight against the virus causing harm.
David Campbell
‘Over the years. we’ve been able to develop innovative new products to deliver the unmet needs of the healthcare system’
THERE’S A GOOD chance the acronym PCR would have been met with a blank look from most of the general public 18 months ago. Short for a polymerase chain reaction, it tests the genetic material of a specific organism, such as a virus, to detect whether it is present. Developed in the 1980s and previously used for diagnosing viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B, PCR tests are now synonymous with Covid-19 by providing results on whether a patient is infected within three days of a test. So too are lateral flow tests, which can be used at home and can return results within 10 minutes. But just as he was way ahead in the forensic science game, Jim had already spotted the potential of rapid diagnostics long before the pandemic in testing applications ranging from pregnancy to drugs and alcohol. After the success of his scientific consultancy business and looking for a new area to grow into, he set up SureScreen Diagnostics in 1996 to provide rapid diagnostic equipment and services that don’t require labs. David, 31, who took over as director alongside his brothers Alastair and Alex a decade ago with Jim now semi-retired, explains: “This was around the time when the first pregnancy tests were being developed.
“My dad had a lot of experience from working in the Home Office toxicology labs. He was able to look at the new technology and see an opportunity that, over time, people would start to use point-of-care diagnostics rather than relying on labs. “So we were one of the first companies to operate in this area in the UK and he became a pioneer of lateral flow testing by developing new tests. “He went to the US to develop new parameters for drug screening and eventually created a cost-effective lateral flow tests that returned rapid results, which reduced the need for them to be processed in labs with longer lead times and at 10-times the cost.” HM Prison Services were among the first customers, having identified the benefits of being able to carry out onthe-spot drug and alcohol screening for inmates. Other products followed, including tests for pregnancy, fertility and menopause. The company became a key supplier, directly and indirectly, into the NHS and it estimates more than half of GPs use its four product types – urinalysis, health and infectious disease screening, drugs of abuse screening, and alcohol screening. Businesses in industries where health and safety are paramount, including construction, manufacturing, logistics and shipping, have also called upon these tests to deter drug and alcohol misuse among staff in order to avoid accidents at work. This has been “revolutionary”, believes David, as it allows healthcare practitioners and HR professionals to do something that previously wasn’t realistic due to both costs and delays in receiving results. “Over the years. we’ve been able to develop innovative new products to deliver the unmet needs of the healthcare system, employers and private individuals, meaning we’re able to offer diagnostic tools that lead to quicker and better management or clinical decisions,” adds David, who says accuracy has increased from 95% to 99% since the original tests were created. “Word of mouth about the reliability of our tests has helped us to grow organically as we also expanded our product range.” SURESCREEN DIAGNOSTICS WAS already on the map beyond the UK as 2020 crept into view, with 40% of its sales overseas. business network October 2021
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THE BIG INTERVIEW
SURESCREEN EXPANSION TO CONTINUE The success of SureScreen Diagnostics’ Covid-19 antigen tests has resulted in huge expansion – including new premises and a major recruitment drive. After the UK Government ordered 22 million of its rapid lateral flow tests, the company – which had employed about 50 people in Prime Parkway, Derby, before the pandemic – has kicked into action a plan to build manufacturing capacity. It now straddles two counties after opening a new site at Sherwood Business Park, in Annesley, and employs about 450 people, with plans to create another 1,000 jobs in areas such as R&D, technical, operation and warehouse distribution. Sister company SureScreen Scientifics has a further 30 staff. David says: “We’ve invested in a lot in machinery to automate much of the process, working alongside skilled individuals to get the best out of them. Moving from manual production to automation has really helped our output. “The new site is a bespoke fit-out for exactly what we needed. It was a warehouse previously but now we’ve added clean rooms to allow us to manufacture the tests at great scale. “It’s a great opportunity for us to build a platform for the future, and we have an excellent, highly skilled team that’s been critical in our success.”
Company founder Jim Campbell OBE
About four in five exports would be sent to the EU but its tentacles have spread far and wide ever since China first reported an outbreak of coronavirus to the WHO on 31 December 2019. David and his team, which had previously done some work on influenza and the 2003 SARS pandemic, had been keeping a keen eye on the news and was quick off the mark in mobilising its diagnostics expertise. This meant it was one of the first companies in Europe to develop a rapid Covid-19 antibody test, which showed whether someone had previously been infected with more than 98% accuracy. It was given the rubber stamp of approval by leading institutions including King’s College London, which found it performed “outstandingly” during examinations, and was used for patient screening at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals, in London. It was also validated by Public Health England. “Early on in the pandemic, rapid antibody testing was hugely important for clinicians because it was a very new disease and there wasn’t the PCR capacity we have now to test for the virus,” says David. “Our test was able to help hospital environments, as doctors could make better decisions on whether patients should go into Covid or non-Covid wards, helping to reduce the spread of the virus in hospitals. “As the pandemic progresses, it will become increasingly important to consider the antibody status of individuals alongside PCR and lateral flow antigen tests. It gives you a larger window to identify infection and can also be linked to immunity.” There were approvals in countries including Belgium, France and Portugal, and SureScreen’s antibody tests have now been supplied to 53 countries. Also comprising places like South Africa, Peru and Panama, it has provided a huge post-Brexit tonic for the business as it seeks new global markets.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets the SureScreen senior leadership, including the Campbell family
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A rapid antigen test, which detects whether a patient currently has the virus, followed in October 2020 and also has 98% accuracy. David says: “One of the areas where our test differs to others is that it takes only 10 minutes, rather than 30 minutes, for the results to appear and the user only needs to put the swab 1.5cm up their nose, as opposed to throat or deep nasal swabbing. “That makes it much more accessible to people so they aren’t put off taking a test before they go to work in the morning.” This has also performed strongly overseas as it was shipped to about 40 nations, but it was on these shores where SureScreen really made its name during the pandemic. In January, the UK Government ordered two million of its tests and followed up a month later with a contract for another 20 million. Prime Minister Boris Johnson even visited its Derby lab and factory, and used the company as an example to hail the city as a “home of innovation”, while then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock took the test. “It’s been an unusual 18 months, both challenging and rewarding,” adds David. “It’s obviously had a huge impact on us and the successes we’ve had have been a really big boost for our excellent team, which has been working tirelessly to make the best products we can. “To have the recognition of the Prime Minister’s visit was a great achievement and we now hope to build on the platform that we’ve given ourselves to grow as a company.” SureScreen’s efforts during the pandemic has landed plenty of other external recognition, winning the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Medilink Midlands Business Awards. It is also one of the big players at this year’s Chamber Derbyshire Business Awards as finalist in three categories – Outstanding Growth, Excellence in International Trade and Excellence in Innovation. While David, like the rest of us, hopes the danger of Covid-19 will gradually die out, he’s hoping its pandemic experience has planted a seed of the importance of the rapid diagnostics his dad Jim helped to pioneer all those years ago. And just as CSI was the dawn of a new era for forensic science, perhaps Covid-19 could be transformative for rapid diagnostics. “Hopefully, it won’t be much of an issue before long, but we expect some of the Covid testing will be in place for the foreseeable future,” David adds. “We have many products in the R&D pipeline so we’re focusing on bringing new innovations into the market as that’s what we’ve been doing for so many years. “The understanding of what a lateral flow test is, is now completely different to what it was 18 months ago, and I could see the home diagnostics market becoming a vital part of primary healthcare going forward. “Perhaps rather than going into a GP surgery, you’d carry out your own health MOT tests at home, with results sent to your doctor for interpretation. That’s certainly an area we’re looking at.”
The company has played a key role during the pandemic
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BUSINESS NETWORK
www.rheintacho.com
sales@rheintacho.co.uk business network October 2021
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PATRONS
Accountancy firm up for top award East Midlands accountancy and business advisory firm Duncan & Toplis has been named a finalist for one of the biggest awards in the accounting profession. The company, which supports more than 12,000 businesses and individuals, has been shortlisted for the Large Firm of the Year award in the 2021 Accounting Excellence Awards. The shortlist puts Duncan & Toplis ahead of some of the largest accountancy groups in the country and is the only Midlands-based company to appear as a finalist in the Large Firm category. For more than a decade, the Accounting Excellence Awards have recognised the most
innovative, ambitious and successful accounting firms, individuals and vendors within the UK. Duncan & Toplis deputy managing director Ian Phillips said: “Since the start of the pandemic, we have made a concerted effort to help every one of our clients through the many challenges they’ve faced. Our team has embraced remote working practices and worked hard to deliver outstanding service to our clients at a critical time for so many businesses. “We’ve given free guidance to
the wider business community in our area, helped businesses access millions of pounds in financial support and given them the advice they’ve needed to adapt and to survive what the pandemic has thrown at them. “I couldn’t be more proud of the Duncan & Toplis team and it’s a real honour to see us recognised.” After social distancing rules forced the 2020 awards presentation to go virtual, the 2021 Accounting Excellence Awards will return to The Brewery in London for an in-person ceremony on 21 October.
The Duncan & Toplis team
University to take over Malaysian partner
Children at the Falcons Camp received RDS-branded T-shirts to keep
RDS sponsor summer fun IT firm RDS Global helped put a smile on the faces of hundreds of youngsters who attended a cricket holiday club this summer. The managed services provider sponsored the 2021 Derbyshire Cricket Foundation’s summer holiday Falcons Camp, which allows children across the county to take part in the sport. The summer camp was devised by the foundation to help children from a range of backgrounds experience playing cricket. Derby-based RDS’ backing 34
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included sponsoring T-shirts, which were given to more than 400 children who took part in the camp. Sales and partnership manager Rachel Flinn, a trustee of the foundation for the past six years, said: “It’s really important to both me and the RDS team that anyone can get the best chances possible, which is especially true for children. “By providing sponsorship from RDS, it has enabled the foundation to deliver the best holiday club possible to many children. That’s a very satisfying feeling.”
The University of Nottingham has confirmed its intention to buy out its joint venture partner that runs the institution’s Malaysia campus. It said the proposed £23.5m acquisition would secure the long-term future of the University of Malaysia (UNM), where it employs 650 people and has 5,200 students enrolled. The deal would involve buying out its Malaysian partner of more than 20 years, Boustead Holdings Berhad (BHB), through a whollyowned Malaysian subsidiary to run UNM as the majority shareholder. Vice-chancellor Prof Shearer West said: “This bold investment in our Malaysia campus will help secure our continued success and contribute to that of the UK as it forges its place on the global stage in a post-pandemic world.” The creation of the UNM in September 2000 was considered the first ever overseas branch campus of a British university. It started with a small cohort of 89 students in Kuala Lumpur, before relocating to a 48-hectare campus in Semenyih in 2005.
University of Nottingham's Malaysia campus
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PATRONS
Bounce back loans: What you need to know At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Government unveiled an unprecedented support package for businesses struggling due to Covid-19 economic uncertainty. They were able to borrow up to £50,000 under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), but as post-Covid-19 trade remains strained, the heat is rising for firms to raise funds for repayments. Martin Buttriss (pictured, left), partner at business turnaround and rescue specialist Begbies Traynor’s Leicester office, answers frequently asked questions concerning outstanding loans, personal liability and company rescue options. Will company directors be held personally liable for an outstanding Bounce Back Loan? When Bounce Back Loans (BBLs) were massmarketed to businesses, they came with the reassurance that company directors would not be bound by a personal guarantee agreement and the Government would provide 100% security to participating lenders. If you can’t afford to repay a BBL and your company becomes insolvent, the responsibility to repay the loan will fall on the Government. But if you breach the terms and conditions of the BBL and misuse the funds, you could be held personally liable. Bounce Back Loans were prescribed to businesses under the basis they would be used to provide an “economic benefit”, such as paying staff wages, purchasing new stock and maintaining company cashflow. If you used it for a purpose other than providing an economic benefit, such as for personal use, you could be held personally liable for the debt. The Government is also making way for new legislation that grants powers to launch an investigation into director conduct where company strike-off is pursued to escape an outstanding BBL. Can I delay BBL repayments until my business is in a better financial position? If you are unable to keep up with monthly BBL repayments, a business rescue strategy can help you better manage company outgoings and improve company cashflow. If you are struggling to maintain your VAT, PAYE or corporation tax bill, a time to pay (TTP) arrangement can grant additional time to make payments, typically over 12 months.
If your distressed company is asset-rich and cash-poor, you may consider company administration to protect your business against creditor action while you establish a long-term solution, supported by a licensed insolvency practitioner. If you are in arrears with multiple creditors, consider entering a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). This formal insolvency procedure must be entered into under the guidance of a licensed insolvency practitioner and enables you to consolidate payments under a legally binding payment arrangement typically lasting three to five years. What happens to my Bounce Back Loan following company closure? If you decide to place your company into a creditors’ voluntary liquidation (CVL) as it is insolvent, your BBL will be treated as any other unsecured loan. During a CVL, a licensed insolvency practitioner will be responsible for raising funds to repay creditors and your remaining BBL will be included in this process. Company debts will die with the business. However, if a personal guarantee is in place, this personal liability will remain after the business is closed and removed from the Companies House register. If you are unable to afford BBL repayments, seek professional advice from a licensed insolvency practitioner. Begbies Traynor offers a free consultation to company directors of Chamber members. Contact Martin at Martin.Buttriss@btguk.com
THE CHAMBER IS HONOURED BY THE SUPPORT OF ITS STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS
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CHAMBER NEWS
Milestone for Chamber’s Kickstart Scheme efforts ast Midlands Chamber is celebrating after passing a major milestone – helping more than 1,000 young people to secure a job placement via the Kickstart Scheme. The organisation has been commended by the Minister for Employment after playing a key role in assisting companies to create six-month work placements for people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit or at risk of long-term unemployment. The Chamber is the UK’s largest and – with almost half the vacancies created resulting in a position being filled – top-performing gateway organisation, which lodges funding applications on behalf of businesses to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It celebrated the landmark achievement by welcoming key civil servants at the DWP to the Chesterfield Jobs Fair, hosted by Chesterfield Borough Council, last month. The Chamber’s deputy chief executive and Kickstart lead Diane Beresford, along with education and business partnership manager Pieter Eksteen, also met with Jo Macdonald, who chairs the Kickstart gateway approvals board for the DWP, to explain how the Chamber has managed to secure so many placement starts among young people.
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Diane said: “Young people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic both in terms of their mental and physical wellbeing, and the significant amount of unemployment it has created.
‘We’re continuing to support businesses and job centres to place young people’ “The Kickstart Scheme has therefore been a lifeline for them to get the skills and work experience that will be vital to their future prospects. We’re delighted with our track record in converting applications into real jobs, which have played a key role in giving young people the chance they may not have otherwise had while also enabling companies to trial new roles. “We’re continuing to support businesses and job centres to place young people, as well as look beyond the six-month period to ensure there’s a future roadmap to full-time employment.” The DWP funds 100% of the agerelevant National Minimum Wage, national insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week over a six-month period. Employers can choose to top up this wage and are also 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. The Chamber has had more than 2,700 placements approved among almost 800 businesses located in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and other locations. Of these, 2,200 have resulted in vacancies being created and 1,075 of those have now been filled. Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said: “It’s fantastic to see that over 1,000 young people have begun their Kickstart journey thanks to the vital support from East Midlands Chamber, in a range of exciting new roles, setting them on the road for their future careers – crucially part of the over 69,000 young people who have now started these jobs. “Our Plan for Jobs is focused on creating and spreading opportunity just like this around the UK as we push to level up across the country.” Nick Hogan, owner of Chesterfield Escape Rooms, has hired six games masters via the Kickstart Scheme – with two other vacancies now live and an application for another position currently being processed – and joined the celebration event with Kickstart employee James Bryan.
Representatives from East Midlands Chamber, the Department for Work and Pensions and Chesterfield Borough Council at the Chesterfield Jobs Fair
Nick has entered into a joint venture partnership with some members of his Kickstart team to establish Chesterfield Games Quarter, which will comprise the escape rooms as well as a video games zone, virtual reality zone and the existing Geeks board game venue. Based in Soresby Street, it is due to open this month. “I used the Kickstart scheme because I wanted to give something back to the town and create new opportunities for young people,” said Nick, who has given the team a five-figure, interest-free loan to the team to help it run the business. “But it has also allowed me to get my foot into the market to assess the business opportunity, and has given me the confidence to now grow this into the Chesterfield Games Quarter concept.” Freelance actor James, 22, of Chesterfield, is four months into his Kickstart placement at the escape rooms business after finding acting work opportunities deteriorated during the pandemic. He said: “It’s been the opportunity of a lifetime to get involved with a new business.” 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
Celebrating Black History Month throughout October emh group chief executive Chan Kataria OBE
Leicestershire-based social housing and care organisation emh group and the Chamber have joined forces to promote Black History Month, which runs throughout October. During the month, the two organisations will run a social media campaign celebrating Black history, arts and culture, and the positive impact it has made on our society. The joint campaign this year showcases the achievements of people in the public, private and voluntary sectors in the East Midlands. As well as posting key information about inspirational figures, there will also be links to events and activities happening across the region. The campaign will present the voices of people from carers to CEOs to the question “What are you proud
of?” and aims to engage with a range of sectors and communities. Chan Kataria OBE, chief executive of emh group, said: “Building on our joint commitment to promoting diversity across the region, we are proud to be partnering with the Chamber once again to celebrate the achievements in Black History Month.” Lucy Robinson, director of resources and the Chamber’s diversity champion, said: “We are delighted to once again link up with emh group, strengthening our strategic partnership in work around the themes of equality, diversity and inclusion – which we recognise as vital to recognising our vision to enhance East Midlands businesses and communities.” To learn more about the Black History Month awareness-raising campaign, follow emh and East Midlands Chamber on Twitter at @emhgroup and @EMChamberNews respectively throughout October.
UK Swap Shop secures sponsor A business-swapping platform created by three entrepreneurs in Derbyshire that has since gone national has received the backing of the Chamber as its first official sponsor. The UK Swap Shop, which was set up in May 2020 to help SMEs continue trading during the first national lockdown, now has a community of 900 members and has welcomed more than 300 “swaps” of services. With a target to hit 1,000 within the coming weeks, it has brought on board the Chamber to sponsor the platform. Swap Shop co-founder Rachel Hayward, who owns bid-writing company Ask the Chameleon, said: “The Chamber’s support confirms that Swap Shop is not just for Covid – we are very much part of the future for the small business economy.” A limited number of sponsorships remain available. Contact hello@derbyswapshop.co.uk
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CHAMBER NEWS
A mixed picture in a choppy recovery The top-level results from the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey for the third quarter of 2021 show a mixed picture that hides a number of variables at play in the East Midlands economy, as director of policy and external affairs Chris Hobson explains. irstly, the positives. Growth continues across most indicators, with domestic markets again being the strongest performer. Cashflow continues to improve for more businesses than not, training investment intentions are positive and overall confidence in future turnover continues its upward trajectory. As the economy continues its reopening after a successful vaccine rollout, the pentup demand that characterised much of the summer remains a positive factor. But there are also a few of areas of concern. Price pressures continue to come from increased raw material costs, pay settlements and, increasingly, energy costs. This has knock-on effects with investment in machinery and equipment growth – an important ingredient in fuelling a recovery – falling back slightly on the previous quarter. Performance in overseas markets remains volatile and, while turnover confidence has grown from Q2, confidence in increased profitability has fallen back, a result of squeezed margins. Recruitment is also a growing problem, with over seven in 10 struggling to fill vacancies across all skills levels. Uncertainty reigns supreme So what does all of this mean for the longer-term prospects for businesses in the East Midlands? Well, there’s still much that we don’t yet fully understand. There are many factors at play in shaping current challenges for businesses – the impact of policy responses to the pandemic on the recovery, changes in individual approaches to work expectations, structural changes to supply chain operations and immigration rules as a result of Brexit, and global shortages as the whole world looks to bounce back, to name but a few. The balance of influence of these different factors, some which are temporary and others that may be longer term, is still being unpicked. As we learn more over the coming months, we’ll have a better idea of whether they are flies in the ointment or something more fundamental. There is also trepidation ahead of the 27 October Autumn Statement, where we’ll find out more about how Government plans to tackle supporting the economy
F
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STATE OF THE ECONOMY INDEX
Indicator
UK sales
East Midlands net values* +37%
UK orders
+36
Overseas sales
+8%
Overseas orders
+6%
Past employment
+25%
Chris Hobson
Future employment
+38%
over the next period and the balance between tax and spend. Regardless, the coming months will be instructive as to what shape the recovery will take. As we learn more about which challenges are going to be longer term, it’s important that policy responds to this appropriately and doesn’t get distracted with temporary issues the market can take care of itself.
Cashflow
+15%
Future price concerns
+46%
Investment intentions in machinery
+16%
Investment intentions in training
+26%
Confidence on turnover
+63%
Confidence on profitability
+37%
*Net values are based on the percentage of businesses that highlighted an increase or decrease to each economic indicator over the previous three months, or predicted as such over the coming three months. The QES Q3 2021 report is based on 408 responses between 23 August and 14 September 2021.
Question
Yes response
Have you attempted recruitment?
67%
Have you faced problems with recruiting people?
71%
Is your operating capacity full?
41%
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BUSINESS NETWORK
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BUSINESS NETWORK
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business network October 2021
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CHAMBER NEWS
Confidence in winter plan – but uncertainty remains The Government’s winter plan for tackling coronavirus will give businesses confidence that lockdowns aren’t set to return – but uncertainty remains, says the Chamber. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has laid out Westminster’s toolkit for combat Covid-19 over the coming month. While plan A focuses on healthcare measures such as vaccines, testing and isolation, further measures could be introduced under plan B – including vaccine passports, advice to work from home and compulsory face masks.
Scott Knowles
‘Vaccine passports in particular could result in costly overheads and potentially deter customers’ The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said businesses welcomed communication and believes the determination not to bring back full lockdowns “will offer much-needed confidence”, enabling them to invest in growth and create jobs. “However, some of the contingency measures within the Plan B packaging, including vaccine passports and encouraging people to work from home, will bring some concern for companies,” he added. “Vaccine passports in particular could result in costly overheads and potentially deter customers at a time when they need to be welcomed back enthusiastically. “While many organisations are gradually reopening
their workplaces and seeking to establish a hybrid of physical and remote working, a change in messaging once again would deal a significant blow to their efforts to encourage employees to see the benefits of working alongside colleagues in offices. “The consequences of this would be felt far and wide, with home working having a detrimental impact on the town and city centre-based businesses that serve office-based employees and public transport usage still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels.”
Local unemployment rate still below average Unemployment in the East Midlands has grown slightly – but remains below the national average, according to the latest figures. The region’s unemployment rate for the period between May and July 2021 was 4.4%, up by 0.1% compared to between April and June, the Office for National Statistics’ latest regional labour market report revealed. But for the second successive month it was lower than the UK-wide figure, even as this dropped from 4.7% to 4.6% during the same timeframe. Previously, the region’s jobs market had consistently been hit harder than the rest of the country during almost the entire pandemic – peaking at 5.9% and 0.8% above the national average. Although the UK’s August payrolls showed another monthly increase of 241,000 to 29.1 million, the headline figure was that job vacancies hit a record high, rising above one million for the first time since they were recorded in 2001. Meanwhile, July marked the sixth consecutive month of GDP growth, although it has slowed – with the 0.1% rise below the 1% recorded in June.
Simplified travel system welcomed A simplified system for international travel offers a tonic to the East Midlands economy, believes Scott Knowles. Scrapping the amber list and reducing testing requirements for fullyvaccinated travellers is “long overdue” and too late to save the summer, he said, but “will nevertheless provide a major boost to the East Midlands and wider UK economy”. He said: “East Midlands Airport is one of the region’s most important strategic assets and while it has enjoyed record levels of cargo traffic as part of its overnight operation, its daytime role in travel and tourism remains its core business.” He pointed out that the aviation industry had received no bespoke financial support throughout the pandemic and, while the UK had led the world in its vaccine rollout, it had lagged behind in reopening borders. “So this announcement finally provides the certainty that many people have been pleading for in order to book overseas trips,” Scott added.
Rise in national insurance may slow business growth A new health and social care levy could have a detrimental impact on businesses just as they are eyeing future growth. That’s the view of Scott Knowles, who said a rise in national insurance contributions for both employers and employees “risks blunting jobs growth at an absolutely critical time”. “Companies have been hammered by 18 months of Covidrelated restrictions, with many building up debt burdens and struggling for cash flow,” he said. “This rise could impact the wider economic recovery by landing significant costs on firms when they are already facing a raft of new cost pressures, and dampen the entrepreneurial spirit they need
to drive the return to sustained growth.” Scott pointed to the latest Quarterly Economic Survey data, which showed confidence in turnover and profitability growth among East Midlands businesses was up by a net 63% and 37%, respectively. He added: “This encourages businesses to invest in recruitment, training, facilities and equipment – ultimately generating prosperity through creating jobs. “The focus should be on creating the best possible environment for them to continue growing and thriving so they can sustainably deliver the tax revenue needed to support our public services and the wider economy – not adding to their financial burden.” business network October 2021
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CHAMBER NEWS
generationnextemc.co.uk
Generation Next Awards celebrate young talent Entrepreneurial thinking was at the heart of the first ever inperson Generation Next event – as the network’s inaugural awards winners were celebrated. The Chamber’s new network for young professionals and next generation of business leaders teamed up with one of its partners, Nottingham University Business School, to hold a networking event at its Jubilee Campus. Some of the seven category winners of the Generation Next Awards also received their prizes, including Future Leader Award winner Kate Walker, who founded Loughborough-based ExpHand Prosthetics to make 3D printable prosthetic limbs that are customisable and affordable for children. Hardy Signs marketing manager Daniel Nikolla, one of 13 “champions” who sit on the Generation Next board, revealed the network had now reached 300 members in a keynote speech. He said: “We’re very fortunate to have such a diverse range of businesses and young leaders in this region.
Hardy Signs marketing manager and Generation Next champion Daniel Nikolla
“The level of talent in the East Midlands is nothing short of amazing and will help the region to be the best. Reaching 300 members is a fantastic achievement for a new organisation and I have no doubt it will grow to be the biggest young person’s initiative in the East Midlands.” Daniel said the awards recognition helps to boost confidence and grow the next
generation of leaders. Looking ahead to next year’s event, he added: “Take a look around your office for young people who go the extra mile and deserve to be recognised in these awards.” The networking event on 16 September, titled Ingenuity in practice: Creative solutions to business challenges, took place at the De Vere Jubilee Conference Centre and involved a tour of the
nearby Ingenuity Lab business incubator. An ingenuity process workshop was hosted by Professor Simon Mosey and Dr Chris Carter, who both work in the business school’s Haydn Green Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The business school’s director of executive education Professor David Park gave a speech to explain how the Ingenuity Lab could support students and entrepreneurs, including Generation Next members. He also introduced the audience to Robin the service robot, a humanoidstyle robot that can be used for speech and face recognition. Nottingham University Business School is one of five Generation Next partners alongside Fraser Stretton Estate Agents, GBS Apprenticeships, Hardy Signs and Loughborough College. The University of Derby is the headline partner.
Project D ready for growth after award win Among the Generation Next Awards winners was Project D, an artisan doughnut bakery based in Derby that has used social media to grow rapidly during the pandemic. Its three founders, who won the Entrepreneur of the Year category, sponsored by Fraser Stretton Estate Agents, spoke to Jasmine Thompson at the Ingenuity in Practice event. What’s been the company’s journey to reach this point? Jacob Watts (strategic director): I ran a gardening and landscape business before the three of us got together and decided we wanted to set up something related to food. We’d never made a doughnut previously, but spent hours researching different ways to make them before we found the perfect one. The pandemic hit us really hard to begin with because we had three shops that closed. It took us about a week to work out what to do with our time and the staff we had. For a while, we were selling eggs and flour as there were shortages, before we decided to set up a delivery service and the pop-up stalls we now have. You’ve been a real hit on social media – how have you used these platforms to grow the business? Max Poynton (operations director): Our whole business is built on social media. We started with about 12,000 followers on Instagram and now have 135,000, while there’s about 100,000 people following us on Facebook. Our customers love new flavours and combinations, so combining that with new content we’ve put a lot of thought into has been key to the success of our business. We’re now trying to build a TikTok presence and recently launched a YouTube channel because the important thing is to evolve with everything else that’s happening. 42
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Project D co-founders Jacob Watts, Matthew Bond and Max Poynton
What does the future hold for the business? Matthew Bond (creative director): Having started with the humble doughnut, it’s taken us on an incredible journey. We’re always looking to improve on that and we’re currently testing a new recipe we think people will love. Project D will also expand into protein doughnuts and potentially other products like cake truffles and doughnut ice cream cones. It’s about continuing to developing fresh new products that people might not be expecting. How did it feel to win the Generation Next Entrepreneur of the Year title? Jacob: It’s the best award I’ve personally ever won so it’s amazing. Max: The same for all of us – and off the back of this, we’ve met some great people we can work with.
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CHAMBER NEWS
Generation Next sponsored Ramtastic for the Derby Ram Trail
Ramtastic sculpture raises charity funds A ram sculpture sponsored by Generation Next helped to raise more than £300,000 for a Derby cultural charity. The 5ft installation, designed by artist Amrit Singh and nicknamed “Ramtastic”, was located at the very beginning of the city centre Derby Ram Trail, outside Derby Museum & Art Gallery, throughout the summer. It was among 30 rams to be sold at an auction held at the Museum of Making last month, with some reaching prices exceeding £10,000. The trail raised more than £150,000 and will be matched by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, contributing a final total over £300,000 for Derby Museums’ Endowment Campaign – which is now threequarters of the way to the £1m it needs to raise by September 2022.
MBA available for healthcare leaders Ambitious leaders in the healthcare sector are being offered the opportunity to progress their careers with a scholarship from Nottingham University Business School. There are 15 Executive MBA Healthcare Future Leaders Scholarships offering £5,000 towards the tuition fee of this specialist Executive MBA. The part-time course is designed to give doctors, clinicians and other healthcare professionals the key management and leadership skills they need to excel in today’s complex healthcare environment. Course director Stephen Timmons is professor of health services management and directs the business school’s Centre for Health Innovation, Leadership and Learning. He worked as an NHS manager in London before beginning an academic career. He said: “Many of the challenges that healthcare services face are as much managerial as they are clinical. The Executive MBA course is designed to respond to the changing global and UK landscape by developing competitive
solutions to manage the competing demands of service users, commissioners, and regulators.” The course includes essential management subjects such as marketing, accounting and finance, leadership, strategic change, and sustainability. There are also three healthcare-specific modules – ethics, governance and risk; commissioning and service redesign; and healthcare finance and economics. The programme is designed to fit around students’ work and other commitments and is very flexible. It can be completed in two to four years, with a choice of several starting points throughout the year. Nottingham University Business School has also launched a new East Midlands Chamber of Commerce Executive MBA Impact Scholarship for candidates who can demonstrate they are passionate about meeting business challenges while driving positive change as a socially responsible leader. Find out more about the Executive MBA scholarships at www.nottingham.ac.uk
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CHAMBER NEWS
Chamber calls for clarity on HS2 The Government needs to “stop playing games with the future of our region”, says the Chamber after more speculation over the HS2 Eastern Leg. A series of national newspaper articles, citing Whitehall sources, over the past few months have cast doubt on the green light being given to Phase 2b of the high-speed rail project, which is due to include a hub station at Toton on the line between Birmingham and Leeds. Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles (pictured) pointed out that, fundamentally, “nothing has officially changed” since last year, when the Government said it would set out its proposals in the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP). “Yet it seems like every other weekend, we are reading reports in national media outlets in which anonymous Whitehall civil servants are sending out signals to diminish its chances of happening,” he said. “With the IRP being kicked down the road continuously and not expected until the autumn, it has left a void for constant speculation that is causing huge uncertainty at a time when we need to know the direction ahead for future regional economic planning. It’s time for the Government to stop playing games with the future of our region, and those other areas that would stand to benefit significantly from HS2 East.”
Derby bids for Great British Railways hub Derby is putting itself forward to become the home of Great British Railways (GBR) as part of the Government’s national relocation and levelling up agenda. GBR is a new public body, created in May this year, that will integrate all aspects of the rail network with an aim to make UK railways more efficient. Last year, the Government announced its commitment to move 22,000 civil service jobs out of London by the end of the decade. The relocations will be an opportunity to improve the capacity of the civil service, by helping to attract and retain talented staff across the whole of the UK, and for decision-making to better reflect the whole population. Toyota, Alstom, the Chamber and D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership have joined city leaders and MPs in backing the bid by writing to the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to ask for the city to become the new home for Great British Railways. Derby City Council chief executive Paul Simpson said: “As a city, we’re home to Europe’s largest and most diverse rail cluster, and speaking with key rail industry stakeholders, there is outstanding appetite for the Great British Railways headquarters to be in Derby.” 44
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The benefits of HS2 have not diminished
Scott said that while many of our perceptions have been adjusted during the pandemic, the huge economic benefits that HS2 can bring as part of the “much-hyped levelling up agenda” haven’t changed. “Much of the understanding around HS2 appears to be hopelessly flawed,” he added. “It is much more than just a new railway, bringing growth in the form of business investment, house building, place regeneration, high-skilled job creation, innovation, green technologies and
more to areas that have faced chronic underinvestment over a number of years. “Indeed, we are already seeing these plans start to come to fruition across Birmingham, where the certainty of the first phase of HS2 has already spurred private sector investment and development. “Without the development of HS2 as promised, these plans will be critically undermined, and any delivery that does happen will certainly not be of the magnitude aspired to.”
East Midlands freeport to bring massive jobs boost The full scale of plans for the East Midlands freeport have been revealed for the first time – showing an estimated 25,789 direct jobs and potential boost to the region’s economy of £8.4bn across 25 years. Another 30,000 indirect jobs are also estimated off the back of the project, helping to improve locally-based supply chains and energise the region’s economy. The East Midlands Freeport Board has submitted its outline business case to the Government, with the project designed to create tens of thousands of jobs in industries like manufacturing, construction, distribution, logistics, transport and clean energy. The public-private sector partnership will see more than £2bn invested into the region initially, supporting the development of three anchor sites at Ratcliffe-on-
Soar power station, East Midlands Airport and near Derbyshire’s Toyota Island. A freeport is a low or zero-tax area, allowing businesses to import and export while avoiding tariffs and reducing red tape. Scott Knowles said: “We are very excited to see these plans for the freeport, which illustrate the huge benefits it will bring to the East Midlands economy and the confidence it will give to businesses as we return towards normality. “Our region already has fantastic national and international trading links – something highlighted during the pandemic – and freeport status means we can cement our role at the centre of Britain's postBrexit global trading relationship.”
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BUSINESS NETWORK
Contact Rachael Dilks: T: 07956 582705 E: rachael.dilks@smartpasupport.com W: smart-pa.com
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CHAMBER NEWS
Business investment set to fall behind UK business investment is expected to decline this year despite the prospect of record economic growth, according to the British Chambers of Commerce’s (BCC) economic forecast. The business group predicts UK GDP growth for 2021 of 7.1%, which, if realised, would be the strongest outturn since official records began in 1949. Following robust GDP growth in the second quarter, the UK's economic recovery is projected to slow into the autumn as staff shortages and supply chain disruption partly limit the gains from the lifting of restrictions in July. Consequently, the UK economy is only expected to return to its pre-pandemic level in Q1 2022, with growth of 5.2% forecast for 2022. The UK’s economic recovery is expected to be driven by historically strong consumer and Government spending. Suren Thiru, head of economics at the BCC, said: “The UK economy remains on course for a historic revival this year as the release of pent-up consumer demand as
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restrictions end, and higher Government spending helps drive a substantial surge in economic activity. “However, our latest outlook also points to a loss of momentum in the coming months as staff shortages, supply chain disruption and rising cost pressures limit output from many sectors. “It is concerning that business investment looks like being the weak point of the recovery because it undermines the UK’s ability to raise productivity and increase our long-term growth prospects. “Our latest forecast also suggests that the UK economy will emerge from Covid more unbalanced. Heightened uncertainly still looms over UK’s economic outlook. A prolonged period of acute supply and staff shortages could derail the recovery by forcing firms into a more permanent reduction in their operating capacity, eroding their ability to fulfil orders and meet customer demand. “Renewed restrictions would also weaken the projected economic revival by damaging confidence and limiting activity.”
KEY POINTS IN BCC ECONOMIC FORECAST • UK GDP growth forecast is 7.1% in 2021, 5.2% in 2022 and 2.1% in 2023 • Following the Q2 2021 growth of 4.8%, quarter-on-quarter GDP growth forecast of 2.8% in Q3, (down from our previous forecast of 3.5%) and 1.6% in Q4 In terms of sectors: 1 Services output growth is forecast at 7% in 2021, 5.6% in 2022 and 2% in 2023 2 Manufacturing output growth is forecast at 8.6% in 2021, 5.1% in 2022 and 2% in 2023 3 Household consumption growth is forecast at 5.5% in 2021, 7.6% forecast in 2022 and 2.8% in 2023 • Business investment is forecast to decline by 2.5% in 2021, before growth of 6.5% in 2022 and 1.4% in 2023 • Export growth of 1% forecast in 2021, 5.9% in 2022 and 1.5% in 2023, compared to import growth of 3.4%, 8.2% and 2.4% respectively • UK unemployment rate to be 4.9% in 2021, 4.7% in 2022 and 4.4% in 2023, compared to a youth unemployment rate of 13.7%, 13.5% and 13.1% respectively • CPI inflation is expected to rise in the near-term, peaking at 4% in Q4 2021, before dropping back to the Bank of England’s 2% target in Q4 2022 • Interest rates are expected to start rising in Q4 2022, followed by a second rate rise in Q4 2023
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CHAMBER NEWS
Chamber moves into new Derby office The Chamber has cemented its position at the heart of Derby by moving its team into a new city centre office. The Derby city team at the region’s leading business representation organisation has colocated with the University of Derby at its Enterprise Centre, in Bridge Street. It also has offices in Chesterfield Nottingham, Leicester, Mansfield and Glossop. This co-location further strengthens the strategic partnership between the Chamber and University of Derby. They have worked closely together, especially during the pandemic, on projects such as the Generation Next young professionals’ network, low-carbon business research, joint bidding for economic recovery business support such as the Community Renewal Fund, and a number of business expos as part of the wider Derbyshire Festival of Business. The Chamber’s director of resources Lucy Robinson said: “Like all businesses, due to the acceleration of the Chamber’s digital transformation following the effects of the pandemic, we have been evaluating our office footprint
The Chamber's Derby team will now be based at the University of Derby Enterprise Centre
to ensure it is fit for purpose in this new era of agile working.
‘We will be able to continue providing excellent service to members and customers in this part of our region; “This is not just in terms of the facilities we use but the needs of our members, customers, the wider business community and Chamber team, and this felt like a fantastic opportunity to work closer together with one of our strategic partners.
“Our Derby city-based team is very much looking forward to working in such close proximity to so many amenities and be part of a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurship in this shared workspace. “All the team based in Derby are customer-facing and the fantastic meeting spaces here, alongside our other Derbyshire-based office in Chesterfield, means we will be able to continue providing excellent service to members and customers in this part of our region.” The move will also create a business support hub for new startups, as well as thriving and growing businesses, in the heart of Derby.
Chamber members can benefit from use of the Enterprise Centre’s Business Lounge, which features informal co-working space, free WiFi, refreshments and access to University of Derby business events and networks. As the headline partner of Generation Next, the university is also able to bring entrepreneurial students closer together with the local business community – helping to shape their future careers. Professor Kamil Omoteso, pro vice-chancellor and dean of the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences at the University of Derby, said: “This move speaks volumes about the hugely constructive relationship we have built with the Chamber over recent years. Our partnership work is thriving, and the development of our varied and comprehensive offer to the business community is no doubt helping to take that even further. “The Enterprise Centre is already a valued hub for business support, so the Chamber’s presence there is a natural fit for us both.” The Chamber has been based in Derby for more than 100 years and previously had its presence in the city at Pride Park.
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CHAMBER NEWS
Helping employers to recognise the value of inclusive recruitment With data continuing to show that many businesses are struggling to find workers with the right skillset, adapting recruitment practices to be more inclusive could hold the key. Maria Ward (pictured), stakeholder manager for Nottinghamshire in the Building Better Opportunities programme, explains why. What do we mean by inclusive recruitment? Inclusive recruitment is the process of connecting with, interviewing and hiring a diverse set of individuals through understanding, and valuing different backgrounds and opinions. An inclusive recruitment environment considers how different experiences, opinions and values can work together to achieve a common goal. In short, it’s about looking at your company’s practices and ensuring you are not placing anyone at a disadvantage. It means you are looking locally, adapting your practices to bring new people in to help your company grow. It’s about knowing your local community and the organisations that can help you to diversity your workforce. And recognising that everyone has a past and your company could be a part of their future. What were the issues yesterday? Pre-pandemic data told us that we had significant numbers facing challenges to getting work. In Nottinghamshire alone at that time, there were nearly 5,000 people claiming benefits for disability, while those with a registered disability were three-times more likely to be unemployed and more than 123,000 people were experiencing anxiety and depression. If you had a learning disability or were an unpaid carer, you would struggle to find and remain in employment. What are the issues today? The pandemic has had a devastating impact on many businesses and communities. The Department of Work and Pension (DWP) has recorded significant rises in universal credit claimants in all areas, while companies have identified a significant number of people who 48
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have left the labour market due to family or health issues. The challenges faced by those furthest away from the labour market prior the pandemic have increased significantly, and the end of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme will mean more people looking for work. Many of those people will also struggle as they may not have had to contemplate securing new employment for many years. We have a perfect storm where businesses are also struggling to recruit. In the Chamber’s latest Quarterly Economic Survey for Q3 2021, 67% of firms said they attempted recruitment and, of those, 71% faced problems in finding the right people. There are a record number of vacancies, particularly in industries such as logistics, hospitality, and health and social care. Who is going to bridge this gap? It’s the very people who are furthest away from the labour market and who, with support, could be your future employees. What do we need to do to change the future? Stakeholder managers for the Building Better Opportunities programme like myself work with a range of employment and skills providers that, pre-pandemic, were
already working with those furthest away from the labour market. This includes people with longterm conditions, victims of domestic violence, those who have struggled with mental health and substance misuse, or are past offenders. Some employers would not give them a chance as they were viewed as challenging and some people did not want to enter the world of work. The Chamber’s employment services team and other providers already do a lot of excellent work around changing mindsets around this for both the individuals and businesses.
Through a series of events called Recruiting Talent, we have showcased a wide variety of organisations that are funded to help companies work with people who face barriers, and overcome those obstacles. Companies need to consider if people truly know about the range of opportunities you have. Many people walk past your door every day with no clue about what happens behind it or the vacancies available. Businesses often don’t think local people have the skills to do the work, but how will you know unless you engage with them? There are young people in our communities who should be aspiring to work with local firms, mothers who are returning to work and people with long-term conditions who could work if the hours suited. It is up to businesses to show the community a different face and we know there are plenty of good examples out there as we showcase them at our events. But as we work to change the mindset of those furthest away from the labour market, we need more companies to help by seeking our support to recruit inclusively, locally and with confidence.
How can we support you to recruit local talent? In 2019, stakeholder managers started working with employers to help them with their recruitment and retention needs.
Stakeholder managers are funded through the Building Better Opportunities programme, which aims to promote social inclusion and challenge long-term unemployment. In Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, there are four stakeholder managers, hosted within each upper-tier local authority. They are employed by the Chamber and work closely with the D2N2 LEP to connect employment and skills provisions. For more information and to access a free library of resources on how businesses can develop inclusive recruitment practices, visit www.bbo-d2n2.org.uk
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BUSINESS NETWORK
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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS
www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability
Role of architecture in path to net zero The UK built environment is responsible for 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions, almost half of which comes from energy used in buildings. In response to the climate emergency, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has launched the 2030 Climate Challenge. Sustainable development adviser Jess Hrivnak (pictured), who recently spoke at a Chamber Sustainability Forum, explains what it involves.
What is the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge? Launched in 2019, the 2030 Climate Challenge focuses on three key areas common to all buildings – namely energy use, embodied carbon and water use. It sets out performance targets against these key metrics for new and retrofit buildings to be achieved by 2025 and 2030, meaning the targets are to be achieved in completed buildings under the strain of occupation. Why are performance targets significant? The construction industry has traditionally shied away from analysing and evaluating building performance for fear of litigation or perceived reputational risk. However, if we are to tackle the climate crisis, societal inequalities, burgeoning waste burden and biodiversity crisis, as an industry we must improve our knowledge of how effective and efficient the buildings we design are performing in reality. The Climate Challenge is therefore an invitation to the RIBA membership, and the wider construction industry, to shift towards outcome-based performance targets and radically transform the built environment. What are the targets? Taking the recommendations from the Green Construction Board, the targets – which have been developed by RIBA in consultation with other professional UK construction bodies – are ambitious but realistic. The targets align with the future legislative horizon and are a vital first step to ensure the construction industry has delivered the significant reductions necessary by 2030 in order to have a realistic prospect of achieving 50
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the UK’s net zero 2050 goal. The Challenge outlines maximum thresholds figures for water, energy and embodied carbon for commercial, domestic and educational building projects to achieve as soon as possible – but no later than by 2030. In summary, the target figures equate to the following percentages:
1. Reduce operational energy demand by at least 60% from current business as usual baseline figures, before offsetting 2. Reduce embodied carbon by at least 40% from current business as usual baseline figures, before offsetting 3. Reduce potable water use by at least 40% from CIRIA benchmark and building regulation figures
Who are the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets for? While the 2030 Climate Challenge is specifically open for RIBA chartered architectural practices to sign up to, the targets themselves are open source and are being referenced across industry. Since the Challenge’s launch in 2019, the targets have been used by clients in project team selection processes, embedded into
business plans to demonstrate leadership and ambition, and referenced by manufacturers to showcase progressive construction products. Signatories to the Challenge commit to two things: firstly to attempt to meet the targets on all their new and major refurbishment projects, and secondly, to submit data on these projects to RIBA. It is only through collaborative data-sharing that as an industry, we can improve effectively and at the speed required to limit global temperature rises. Does the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge replace existing sustainability goals? It does not seek to replace or replicate a building environmental assessment, and there is no associated RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge certification procedure. Instead, the Challenge focuses on the three main issues – energy, carbon and water – that are common to all building typologies. It sets out an ambitious direction of travel but requires signatories to achieve the targets without negatively impacting health and wellbeing metrics by avoiding unintended consequences of any reduction strategies. The Challenge should not be viewed in isolation to other established sustainability design methodologies but seen as a call to action to the industry for everyone to do their part. It is voluntary and based on trust – there is no penalty imposed on practices or projects that fall short of the Challenge. The purpose of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge is to encourage a collaborative shift in the profession towards better building outcomes for people and planet.
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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS
Region needs more EV charging points
DHL Express adds electric vans to fleet DHL Express has added 50 electric vans to its UK fleet as part of its target to reach zero logisticsrelated emissions. The global delivery service provider, whose UK hub is based at East Midlands Airport, will add a further 50 electric vehicles before the end of the year, with 220 more in its UK-wide fleet before the end of 2022. It follows an initial introduction of electric vans in London two years ago, with last month’s announcement marking another important step towards meeting the company’s sustainability goals and reducing the impact of commercial vehicles on the environment in UK cities. Richard Crook, director of fleet at DHL Express, said: “Both our vehicle and, as importantly our driver training roll-out plans, are now picking up speed as we start to electrify our fleet across the UK. “Many of the UK’s major cities are working hard to reduce emissions and improve air quality, and we plan to play a major part in supporting this. Long term, we’re also investing in charging infrastructure so we can continue to expand our green fleet.” Parent company Deutsche Post DHL Group recently announced a €7bn investment across the group to help meet its Mission 2050 goals of net-zero emissions, which includes plans to have more than 80,000 e-vehicles on the road and 60% of last-mile delivery electrified by 2030. DHL Express is working towards this goal in the UK with the intention that every new courier vehicle purchased will be electric, resulting in 100% of the UK-wide fleet being electric by 2030.
Pioneering eco pain relief A Mansfield-based medical devices firm has helped the first person in the UK to use climate-friendly pain relief during labour. BPR Medical’s Ultraflow analgesic demand valve was used by Kaja Gersinska, who breathed gas and air via the device – which was connected to a nitrous oxide capture and destruction system – as she gave birth to daughter Rosie Martha O’Sullivan in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary last month. Entonox, also known as gas and air, is a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen that has been used to provide pain relief for women in labour for more than 100 years. However, nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas, almost 300-times more potent than carbon dioxide, and escapes into the atmosphere after being exhaled by a patient. The Ultrawflow device was attached to an anaesthetic gas scavenging system (AGSS) in order to direct the gas she exhaled into a mobile destruction unit, which collects and destroys exhaled gas and air by breaking it down into harmless nitrogen and oxygen.
Urgent action is needed to speed up the installation of electric vehicle charging points across the Midlands, according to new analysis from the region’s transport body. Midlands Connect has authored a report that suggests EV use will increase by more than 3,000% by the end of the decade – meaning the installation of public charging points must be six-times as fast to support growing demand. At present, 93% of EV owners have access to off-street parking and can install an at-home EV charger. But with a third of Midlands households not having this facility, many drivers switching away from petrol and diesel cars will need to rely solely on public chargers to power their vehicles. Midlands Connect chief executive Maria Machancoses said: “We’re in the grip of a climate emergency, and when it comes to installing EV charging points, the Midlands cannot fall behind. “We know that being worried about not being able to charge when needed is a major factor that puts many off making their next car electric – this needs to change. By working together to create a region-wide EV strategy and overcome the challenges of installing the infrastructure we need, we can move one step closer to decarbonising our transport network.” Estimates suggest that by 2030, the Midlands could be home to more than 1.7 million EVs, with over one in four vehicles being electric – up from the current one in every 100 ratio. To support this growing number, 39,410 charging points must be installed across the Midlands by the end of the decade – equating to 11 every day, which is sixtimes the current rate.
Football clubs lend support to initiative
The ultraflow device
Richard Radford, managing director of BPR Medical, which designs and manufactures medical gas therapy solutions, said: “Nitrous oxide is a concern not only for the environment, but also for the safety of maternity unit staff. “Minimising exposure to the gas is a top priority, so we’re delighted to have played a part in this ground-breaking development.”
Four East Midlands football clubs have pledged to fight climate change by joining an innovative new league – where goals are scored not on the pitch, but by green activities off it. Chesterfield, Derby County, Notts County and Nottingham Forest have joined CUP26, a 49team tournament by Planet Super League, a charity that engages families to take action against climate change through football, alongside the global climate movement Count Us In. With about 3.5 billion football fans, CUP26 seeks to harness the global passion for the sport to fight climate change. Fans can score goals for their club by completing planet-protecting activities, including eating plant-based meals, cycling and walking to games, and having a screen-free evening. Other teams include Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The Planet Super League trophy will be awarded to the tournament winner in the first week of COP26. business network October 2021
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Medtech firm Jobskin and the pressures of navigating Brexit The East Midlands is a hotbed for the medtech sector, many of which are significant exporters across the world. Rammy Arafa (pictured), sales and marketing manager at Long Eaton-based rehabilitation therapy manufacturer Jobskin, explains to Business Network how Brexit has affected the business. What does your company specialise in? Jobskin is leading the way in rehabilitation therapy and is the largest manufacturer of customised pressure garments in the UK. With more than 40 years of experience, our longstanding reputation is maintained by our commitment to product research and development, allowing us to offer innovative products unmatched in the market today. How has the way you trade internationally changed since Brexit? This is a two-fold answer due to the nature of how we operate. We have distributors in most countries and deliver straight to customers in Ireland. Distributors: Besides the problems with carriers and the longer lead and delivery time on time-sensitive products, the relationship between our partners and ourselves has taken a hit. We needed to guide our distributors through the new processes for tax and delivery charges as the majority of them weren’t concerned about the changes. Jobskin spent months researching online how different countries could claim back taxes and duties that were incorrectly charged despite having agreements in place to say that we deliver DAP (delivered-at-point), in which importer is responsible for paying taxes and duties, as well as customs clearance. We are just starting to recover from this now. Ireland: As we distribute in Ireland without having an entity there, we had initially been paying tax and duty for any shipment that went out to Ireland. Once our customers understood the implications of Brexit, they started implementing their own brokers and importers, and only now is trade getting back to normal. What have been the biggest challenges this has posed for your business? The biggest challenges are changes to procedures, additional workload and delays in time-sensitive shipments. Every order going to the EU needs a commercial invoice. We ship about 30 orders a day to Europe, which means 30 different commercial invoices need to be created and uploaded to the relevant shipper’s website. In our processes, this has also caused a one-day delay due to invoicing and an additional delay in shipping.
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How have you responded to these challenges? We have set up a new logistics team at an additional cost to the business. This team is now looking after and keeping up to date on any changes happening, so we can adapt and react quicker. It is also keeping track of shipments and chasing any deliveries that don’t meet servicelevel agreements. The Chamber has assisted us with preparing our certification of origin and embassy documents that we require for some of our exports and contracts. What do you think the future EU trading relationship will look like in the long term and does this have any impact on your own company’s exporting or importing plans? Brexit has certainly had an effect on the medtech sector. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announcing Britain will no longer need to conform to the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and its associated In Vitro Diagnostics Medical Device Regulation (IVDR) post-Brexit. As our faith in effective support has dwindled, we have taken our own steps and measures at our own cost to be more up to date and keep track of any changes that happen in the market, such as by setting up the logistics team. Jobskin’s pressurised garments
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Import declarations are changing By Lucy Granger (pictured), international services team leader at East Midlands Chamber Since 6 August, the rules around delayed import declaration changed. For goods coming through inventory-linked ports – which include Immingham, Southampton and Felixstowe – declarations still need to be completed at the point of import in order for the port to release the goods. In order to be compliant with HMRC, import declarations for goods coming though noninventory-linked ports, such as Dover, businesses must follow one of the two below processes.
OPTION 1: THE 175-DAY RULE You can still take advantage of the 175-day rule, which means you have up to 175 days to complete the import declaration. However, this must now be done under Customs Freight Simplified Procedure – Entry in the Declarant’s Record (CFSP). You must also have your own Duty Deferment Account in place, as HMRC’s FAS (Flexible Accounting Scheme) can’t be used for CFSP. Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA) can be used.
OPTION 2: THE NEXT WORKING DAY RULE
BUT PERMANENT CHANGES ARE COMING SOON Things are set to change again as the option to use delayed declarations will come to an end from January 2022 and all import declarations must be completed in FULL at the point of entry into the UK. ChamberCustoms, the customs broker service delivered by East Midlands Chamber, is authorised to handle CFSP declarations. ChamberCustoms is the only customs broker in the country with direct links to all sea, air and road ports and terminals in the UK. If you would like to onboard with us to complete your delayed declarations under CFSP, discuss the details in this article, or need any further information please contact a member of the ChamberCustoms Team at East Midlands Chamber on 0333 320 0333 (option 4) or email chambercustoms@emc-dnl.co.uk
If you do not wish to use the CFSP, you must make the import declaration by close of business the next working day following the goods’ arrival, and you can still use PVA. If import declarations are filed outside either of these parameters then they are considered “non-compliant” and in these circumstances PVA is not permitted, you will need to use your Duty Deferment Account for the payment of VAT.
IMPORT CONTROLS TO BE IMPLEMENTED From 1 October 2021, the second stage of the phased approach to import controls will be implemented. This will affect what can and can’t be imported into the UK, with different documentation and processes involved when importing. This will impact products of animal origin for human consumption, animal by-product not for human consumption, high-risk food and feed not of animal origin, fishery products and live bivalve molluscs. All imports now require IPAFFS (import of products, animals, food and feed system) prenotifications to be completed no less than 24 hours before departure to GB via a Government gateway account. Registration to IPAFFS is required, digital copies of certified export health certificates must now be provided by the exporter before pre-notification can be made, an original export health certificate must accompany the goods in transport, and the relevant border control post must be notified. From October, some products will be prohibited from being imported into the UK, including chilled minced meat of beef, pork, lamb, mutton or goat; chilled or frozen minced meat of poultry; ungraded eggs; and chilled “meat preparations”.
Extra support for international traders The Chamber has launched a new consultancy service for members that trade internationally. Your Export Office is designed to allow businesses to fill any staffing or skills gaps that traders may have within their organisation by offering access to experts covering all aspects of export administration. These individuals can work for a company on a retained basis to cover staff absences or oneoff projects, or to just provide some extra support to complete an export document when needed. The Chamber’s award-winning and fullyqualified international trade team can give exporting businesses peace of mind that their documentation will be delivered speedily, efficiently and right first time. Documents it can raise for companies include certificates of origin, EUR1s, commercial invoices and packing lists – all issued accurately and with quick turnaround times. To find out more about Your Export Service, email international@emc-dnl.co.uk or call 0333 320 0333 (option 4).
UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAINING COURSES Customs declarations Date: 14 October and 3 November, 9-2 Cost: (£280 + VAT for Chamber members) Gain knowledge to accurately produce a customs declaration or check one being produced for your company by a customs agent
Letters of credit Date: 9 November, 9-4.30 Cost: (£260 + VAT for Chamber members) Learn how to be proactive in opening a letter of credit, work with documents and present to the bank correctly.
Inward/outward processing Date: 11 November, 9-12 Cost: (£139 + VAT for Chamber members) Introduction to methods of obtaining inward and outward processing relief from customs duty and VAT on international transactions
Export foundations Date: 17 November, 9-4 Cost: (£260 + VAT for Chamber members) Understand the role of an exporter across a full picture of how many elements of international trade fit together – from the administration in getting an export consignment ready for the journey and the best ways to be sure of getting paid
Customs procedures and documentation Date: 18 November, 9-3.30 Cost: (£260 + VAT for Chamber members) Learn about the array of customs regulations that apply to international business transactions and the need for compliance For a full list of courses, visit www.emcdnl.co.uk/enabling-internationaltrade/international-trade-training3 business network October 2021
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POLITICS
How East Midlands firms are
adapting and innovating in challenging times Research by the Chamber in partnership with RSM recently found that nine in 10 East Midlands businesses have innovated in some form due to the pandemic. To gain a deeper understanding of what has propelled some companies to do things differently – and the challenges faced to innovate further – the Chamber hosted a roundtable, with Dan Robinson in attendance. ver the past 18 years, Penny Price Aromatherapy has established a strong reputation in manufacturing skincare and cosmetics using natural oils – both for its own range and to supply big brands. But as shops were forced to closed during lockdown and its brand customers were left with warehouses full of stock that couldn’t all be sold online, new thinking was needed. Lockdown afforded its team more time than usual to consider options and hold discussions with clients about new products, resulting in a decision to pivot into a new area – pet care aromatherapy. Director of operations Ellie Dunmore, whose mother Penny Stephen set up the Hinckleybased company in 2003, says: “Without having to spend so much time on other aspects of running our businesses, it gave both ourselves and our customers a chance to sit back and think about how to move forward. “It was great to have the time to research these products and the machinery we’d need, do the testing and safety checks, and everything else needed to get ready for launch when the country was up and running again. “At the same time, we were able to look into improving our internal processes to strengthen what we do for customers.”
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The Scenariio smart building
GIVEN THAT FOUR in 10 businesses reported being too busy as a barrier to innovation in research conducted by the Chamber and audit, tax and consulting services firm RSM in the Quarterly Economic Survey for Q2 2021, the importance of breathing space – usually such a luxury – appears significant.
Time is also referenced by Tom Erskine, director of business development at smart buildings specialist Scenariio – which, like Penny Price Aromatherapy, is a contender for the new Excellence in Innovation category at this year’s Chamber Business Awards. His company works with the construction
INNOVATION STATISTICS FROM CHAMBER AND RSM RESEARCH of businesses innovated due to the pandemic’s impact on operating models, while half of companies credited Brexit as a contributing factor
91% 65%
of those firms that innovated wanted to improve workforce efficiency, which was the most popular method of innovation, followed by the development of new products and services (61%) and improving IT and technology (55%) plan further innovations in products and services over the coming 24 months
57% 46%
of businesses said a lack of a funding was the biggest barrier to innovation, with other key reasons including staff being too busy (40%) and a lack of appropriate
skills (25%) Penny Price Aromatherapy director Ellie Dunmore
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The research was conducted during the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey for Q2 2021, in which 432 businesses responded between 17 May and 8 June.
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POLITICS
R&D TAX CREDITS A KEY ROUTE TO INNOVATION The East Midlands is a hotbed of innovation – but many firms are missing out on potential cashback for the work they are doing, believes a tax expert. The latest HMRC figures for 2018-19 show more than 59,000 claimants in the UK received £5.3bn in R&D tax credits – which are used by the Government as an incentive and tool for companies to claim a cash refund or corporation tax reductions for money spent on developing new products, processes or services, as well as enhance existing ones. With the East Midlands ranking eighth for regions making claims –3,805 companies claimed £240m – Sheetal Sanghvi (pictured), partner and head of innovation reliefs in the East Midlands at RSM, has urged more businesses to reap the benefits. She says: “It amazes me when I see the level of innovation taking place in the region, but we still rank lowly when it comes to submitting R&D tax relief claims to HMRC – and the value of those claims. “R&D tax credits are high on the agenda for the Government because without innovation, the economy won’t survive, so we need to work out why the East Midlands isn’t keeping pace with the rest of the country.”
industry to implement smart technology in buildings – helping to understand occupancy behaviour, predict trends and improve energy efficiency. During lockdown, as building sites closed, it moved into a 25,000 sq ft building in Derby city centre fitted with 120 data sensors and 50,000m of gigabit ethernet cabling to create a “working showcase” of its smart solutions. “We believe it’s the smartest building in the East Midlands,” says Tom. “We have contact-free entry and our sensors can also be used to help people find a desk that meets their requirements, including distance to others, having the right temperature and near a natural source of daylight. “Staff are coming in and instantly feeling happier about the environment they’re in as they return to the office, while it also helps businesses to improve their carbon footprint.” But Tom believes a major hurdle to innovation is overcoming perceptions, particularly in the UK’s construction industry where he identifies a “traditional way of doing things”. “The biggest battle we have is that everyone perceives it to be expensive,” he says. “There’s an initial cost but it’s pretty much on parity to installing a new lighting system. “We’re bringing innovative products into the UK that are being implemented across the globe – the biggest installation of this type of technology is a one million sq ft building in Bangalore – but in the UK, we’re behind the curve a little bit.” MANY COMPANIES DON’T necessarily even realise they’re innovating. Anjuu Trevedi MBE (pictured), head of business engagement at the University of Leicester, has noticed more SMEs
proactively approaching the institution to work together. “There’s a growing appetite to do new things,” she says. “They’re not necessarily calling it innovation but they want to collaborate with the university, and get to a place where they improve processes, skills or their position in the market.” She is also heartened by a finding in the Chamber-RSM research that showed 46% of businesses recognised the importance of developing an internal culture to support innovation. “In the past 20 years, I think I’ve heard companies say this on just two occasions, so this is a lightbulb moment and very refreshing to see,” he adds. “We can build on this to say culture, mindset and skills are just as important as a product or service if you want to make innovation work.”
‘We need to give our leaders the space to learn from investments and create a culture where innovation becomes the norm’ Such examples of collaboration are crucial to finding new commercial opportunities, believes Sarah Sandle, head of innovation for central technology at Rolls-Royce, while Nottingham University Business School associate professor Dr Robert Wapshott claims there must be a systemic approach to tackling innovation by ensuring young people are trained in a multitude of skills – rather than just particular attributes needed by a single employer. And although the pandemic has shone a light on the ability of firms to get creative, Andy Reed asks what will happen once necessity disappears. “We need to give our leaders the space to learn from investments and create a culture where innovation becomes the norm,” adds the vice-chair of Leicester and Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership. “We want to get to a point where innovation isn’t talked about as something separate but is absolutely central to everything we do – because that’s the way you survive and thrive.”
Getting levelling up right for the East Midlands It’s one of the most used, and most contentious, terms favoured by the current Government, but what levelling up actually means remains unanswered. With a Levelling Up White Paper expected to be published before the end of this year, the Chamber’s director of policy and external affairs Chris Hobson (pictured) sets out the key wishes for the region. Whether levelling up can become something meaningful for the East Midlands, time will tell. However, the opportunities are there for Government policy to make a difference. There are three specific areas we think policy could focus on. Firstly, manufacturing is at the heart of what we do as a region – but as a country, we’ve turned our back on this. If we level up, not just in terms of geography but also sectors, then we can grow our productivity and resilience by supporting UK manufacturing businesses to succeed. Secondly, policy needs to better support businesses that innovate. Innovation involves a lot of risk and policy needs to meaningfully back those businesses prepared to take that risk in innovating, above and beyond how it has before. It also needs to help us develop the skills required to do so. With nine in 10 of our companies innovating in some form over the past two years and 95% expecting further innovation, policy needs to harness this creative mindset and back those firms. As part of this, the green economy has the potential to shape the future of the economy. There’s lots of rhetoric behind how we build back greener but our businesses are already doing this – in fact, 37% of Chamber members are involved to some extent in lowcarbon goods, products or processes. Levelling up must mean proper, financial support for those businesses. Finally, and very importantly, we must invest in our infrastructure. The region continues to be bottom of the pile in terms of public sector investment, despite being one of the top regions for attracting private sector investment. The other elephant in the room with regards to levelling up is how those decisions are made and at what level. Devolved decision-making is something that has worked successfully in other parts of the country but isn’t yet something that has been embraced within the East Midlands. Leaders, both locally and in Westminster, need to think seriously about how this could work in our area – and be brave enough to try new approaches.
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FEATURE
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ENTERPRISE & INNOVATION
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ENTERPRISE & INNOVATION
FEATURE
Finding meaning, connecting, and embracing the twists and turns of the past 12 months By Fionnuala Barnes (pictured), performance psychologist at Game Changer Performance ransitioning through critical life moments – whether that be entering a new year, progressing into a new job, or moving into a new house – often provides us with the feelings of a fresh start, a time to clear out less helpful habits and an eagerness to integrate behaviours more in touch with who we would like to be and what we would like to achieve. Here we offer a slightly different approach to 2021, and whether you would like to strive for achievement, or whether you would like to take things slower, it will guide your own personal awareness moving forward. In doing so, the following three key points offer a way to connect, find meaning, and embrace the experiences of 2020 – the lessons learned from the highs, lows and moments in between.
how do you explore both the advantages and disadvantages, the risks and rewards, the gains and the losses?
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BEGIN WITH A REVIEW: LOOK BACK TO LOOK FORWARD We are accustomed to reviewing our performance in sport, including the technical and tactical aspects of our game. We are less familiar with reviewing our own personal achievements, personal characteristics and personal development. Think about this step as though you are holding up a mirror to yourself and your past 12 months, to look back at it with honesty and fairness. The initial etchings on paper or characters on a blank word document can be the hardest part in the whole review process. Simply start with considering what went well? What were you proud of? Then build from here – what could you have improved? What was one thing you took away which you didn’t know before? How did the experience make you feel? And finally, which one golden nugget would you share with a friend if they were about to embark on something similar? You might find you have reflections on the good, the bad, and the I’m-not-quite-sure-of-this-
LET GO AND RESET: PROGRESS FORWARD WITH YOUR INSIGHT
yet. Capturing these on paper not only helps us to remember, but gives us longer to think and consider what else we can take away. It’s important to recognise that we do not learn from the experience itself, but more from reflecting upon the experience.
• When things haven’t gone to plan, how do you recognise that there are others experiencing similar situations as well? • When something has happened,
Based upon your musings from step one and two, what does this mean for you now? What can you tweak or modify as you move through 2021? Who will you bring with you through this year? What will you let go of that is causing unhealthy habits or holding you back? Enjoy the process of looking back and reviewing the past 12 months for the lessons and insight it will provide you. For the help in carving out a pathway for the future. As Confucius once said, “study the past, if you would define the future”.
FOLLOW WITH RESPECT: BE COMPASSIONATE FOR YOUR EXPERIENCES These past 12 months will have brought new challenges, as some goals or aspirations you had set out to achieve at the beginning of 2020 may have been stopped in their tracks. Self-compassion, which refers to relating in a positive, accepting and understanding way to ourselves and experiences, is a key component in respecting what we have been through. The power of self-compassion is beginning to receive considerable attention in the world of sport and performance psychology. Fostering a self-compassionate frame of mind has been suggested to not only help athletes deal with negative or stressful events, but to also provide a psychological edge to enhance and maintain high levels of wellbeing and athletic potential. To follow suit, when considering your reflections of the past 12 months, consider these key pointers:
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ENTERPRISE & INNOVATION
5 things to consider before running LinkedIn ads By Jetpack Marketing operations director Orhan Ahmed and managing director Rahoul Naik inkedIn can be one of the most important platforms for your business, if its power is harnessed in the right way. Boasting 722 million users across 200 countries, the opportunity LinkedIn gives businesses to build a fanbase and sell is huge. But before you start jumping head-first into the platform, it’s important you consider these five key aspects to make the most of your efforts.
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1. ADVERTISING COSTS LinkedIn advertising can be quite expensive when compared to other social media platforms. For example, Facebook’s average cost-per-click (CPC) is $1.72 (£1.24). In comparison, on LinkedIn, it is between $3 and $6 (£2.17 to £4.34). LinkedIn’s detailed database comes at a premium price, but it
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should mean better conversion across your campaigns.
2. DETAILED TARGETING Before promoting your LinkedIn campaigns, it is best to understand exactly who your audience is. This will help when creating your campaigns as LinkedIn allows you to be incredibly specific. You are able to target your audience based on their job title, industry, company, location, and seniority. This level of targeting can only really be found through LinkedIn and is one of its greatest strengths. Use it well and the sky's the limit for your campaigns. For example, if you are a Leicester-based insurance provider, you can select an audience filled with decision-makers such as COOs and operations managers in your local area and systematically serve up relevant advertisements that drive action.
3. UNDERSTAND ADVERT FORMATS There are a variety of advertising formats available on LinkedIn. Choosing the right one for your business goals and campaign objectives will be key to success. LinkedIn offers the following formats: Sponsored content: These adverts show directly in the feed and look like regular LinkedIn posts. This format is great for building brand awareness and website visits as the majority of users are used to clicking links on posts. Text ads: This format features in the sidebar and helps to build brand awareness and website visits. The size of the advert is relatively small, so remember to keep it punchy. Dynamic ads: Appear in the right sidebar column and highlight the
users profile image with your logo. It also helps to build familiarity and brand awareness. Sponsored messaging: Speak directly to prospects through direct messaging. This helps to increase website visits, generate leads and website conversions. Video ads: Perfect for visual interaction with your audience on their feed. This helps build brand awareness, increase website visits and generate new leads.
4. BUILD YOUR SALES FUNNEL It is vital that you build your sales funnel before investing in LinkedIn advertising. The sales funnel is the journey your customer will take before they decide to make a purchase, or take the desired action. To begin with, the customer will enter at the awareness and interest
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stage of the funnel, where they will be looking for solutions to their problem. At this stage, you might want to present value to your customer through free eBooks and blog posts. Then, when they reach the decision stage, you can start to present your core offer to the customer. Finally, at the action stage, they are ready to make a purchase, and you could offer them free trials and demos to help push them over the line. Your adverts and campaigns for each stage of this funnel need to be carefully curated and relevant to inspire action from a viewer. Consider your images, copy and call to action.
5. RETARGETING ON LINKEDIN Before running a campaign, you must add LinkedIn’s insight tag to
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your website, which will help you track leads and retarget them in the future. This tiny piece of code could help unlock regular leads through LinkedIn. With the extra data this tag gives us, such as if they have visited your website, you are able to create relevant adverts for warm leads. This could be with a specific offer or a free trial. Another example would be targeting those who have watched x% of your video. You can segment the viewers based on how long they watched your video for (eg 25%, 50%, 100%). This gives us a further layer of data to make smart decisions to make your LinkedIn campaigns efficient and cost-effective. With the right strategy and executions, LinkedIn ads can contribute massively to your marketing success.
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HEALTHCARE AND MEDTECH IN THE EAST MIDLANDS
A region at the heart of the healthcare sector From vaccines to ventilators, the pandemic has shone a spotlight on the UK’s strengths in the healthcare, medtech and pharmaceutical industries. The East Midlands is an important player, as Dan Robinson finds out, but has work to do if it’s ever to become as renowned as the so-called “golden triangle” in the South East. ho knows how many lives have been saved by Sir Peter Mansfield’s decision to not listen to his careers officer as a teenager. The advice he received to avoid pursuing a job in science thankfully fell on deaf ears and ultimately led him on a journey that resulted in his invention of magnetic resonance imaging to identify diseased organs inside the human body – and a Nobel Peace Prize. The MRI technology that was first performed – on himself – in 1978 while he lectured at the University of Nottingham is often held up as an example of the huge contributions made by the East Midlands to the rest of the world. But simultaneously, it’s a reminder for Dr Darren Clark of how the region has failed elsewhere – namely in turning academic brilliance into commercial opportunities. While Nottingham boasts the fifth largest number of start-ups for areas outside London – behind Cambridge, Oxford, Alderley Park and Edinburgh – according to the latest UK Life Science Start-Up Report by BioCity published two years ago, it was 20th in a table of university life sciences spin-outs between 2014 and 2018. The East Midlands was also bottom for the total number of university spin-outs per region, also ranking low for investment and having the greatest gap between the volume of spin-outs and “research power”. “Nottingham is the birthplace of the MRI scan but the technology was commercialised by large companies instead,” says Dr Clark, chief executive of Medilink East Midlands, the industry support organisation for healthcare and bioscience companies based in the region. “We also had DNA fingerprint testing come out of the University of Leicester thanks to Sir Alec Jeffreys but it was a similar story, so they both feel like two missed opportunities. “There’s some notable strengths in our region within this area but there’s a real disparity between the research strengths of our universities, and spin-out activity and investments into companies.”
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THE UK IS regarded as a centre of excellence by the global healthcare community, with its researchers and institutions pioneering major scientific breakthroughs including the discovery of penicillin, DNA structuring, neuroscience advancements and stem cell developments. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, one of the first to be developed in the fight against Covid-19, was a crowning moment for the UK’s £80bn health and life sciences sector, which employs 256,000 people. 60
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MRI technology was developed in the region
Sir Alec Jeffreys
Dr Darren Clark, chief executive at Medilink
Sir Peter Mansfield invented the MRI scanner at the University of Nottingham in the 1970s
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HELPING THE NHS TACKLE A BACKLOG Onshoring manufacturing in the healthcare industry could help the NHS to get through its waiting list backlog, believes the boss of Derby-based Pennine Healthcare. After the country’s challenges in sourcing PPE during the pandemic, the high cost growth in production materials and a critical shortage of HGV drivers following Brexit currently hampering supply chains, the medtech company’s managing director Graeme Cameron (pictured) wants to see more British manufacturing. He says: “Resilience is very important for the NHS to ensure patient safety but a big challenge moving forward is that freight from Asia is extremely expensive and incurring significant lag times, while the lorry driver shortage is affecting trade with the EU. “Traditionally, the NHS has imported much of its medical devices, while many British organisations in our sector need to export. But given the issues in bringing products into the UK, we want to turn this around and ensure organisations like Pennine can be key partners in developing manufacturing domestically.” Pennine Healthcare, founded in 1963 and an employee-owned trust since 2021, is one of the UK’s most significant manufacturers of single-use sterile medical devices and custom procedure packs. From its purpose-built and hi-tech 100,000 sq ft Derby factory, where it has about 200 staff and handles more than 2,500 pallets, the company distributes to over 50 countries worldwide. During the pandemic, Pennine used its procurement expertise to import PPE and pivoted its own manufacturing to supply face coverings. Graeme, who joined the company earlier this year, added: “Innovation has been important to us since the very beginning and we were the first business to bring customs procedure packs to the NHS. The life sciences sector has been identified by the Government as a core driver to support UK prosperity, and local innovation and production must be key to this. We now want to become an even stronger partner with the NHS to play a key role in supporting it to clear a backlog of waiting lists.”
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But much of the spotlight is concentrated on the socalled “golden triangle” of London, Oxford and Cambridge – not to be confused with the same description that places the East Midlands in the centre of the UK for logistics. In the face of such heavyweight competition, other regions can feel like they are jostling for national and international recognition, but Dr Clark argues the East Midlands has a strong healthcare and life sciences heritage – which can be traced back to a familiar source.
‘Where we’ve been challenged is that we’re a jack of all trades’ Jesse Boot’s efforts in turning his father John’s company into the “chemists to the nation” – now best known as Boots – in the 19th century helped to develop expertise in pharmaceuticals that morphed into health and wellbeing by the end of the 20th century, eventually spreading to other sectors like life sciences and medtech. “The region has some obvious strengths and heritage in healthcare, but where we’ve been challenged is that we’re a jack of all trades,” says Dr Clark, a member of the Chamber’s board of directors. “Cambridge is known for its biotech and even Leeds is positioned around surgical instruments, but we have a lot of different activities and it can be difficult to say what our particular defined focus is. Maybe that’s why we’ve gone under the radar.” Some of the specialisms within this broad knowledge set are particularly significant, however. It was in Loughborough where global giant 3M developed the breath-actuated inhaler for asthma in 1989. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca once employed 2,500 people in the nearby Charnwood research centre, which was the main site for developing its dry powder inhaler before activities were transferred to Sweden in 2010. Boots remains one of Nottingham’s major employers at the 279-acre Beeston headquarters it has called home since 1927 – where more than 5,000 staff are based – and once again topped the most recent East Midlands business network October 2021
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HEALTHCARE AND MEDTECH IN THE EAST MIDLANDS
THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL HEALTH BioCity Discovery Building
Top 500 Companies index produced by De Montfort University in partnership with the Chamber. But it too has scaled back in the region, selling its pharmaceutical manufacturing business to Germany-based BASF in 1995, resulting in the closure of its Nottingham R&D site five years later. Dr Clark believes the loss of such major employers, which act as a “magnet” for finance and skills development, has been a problem for the region. But from their ashes other opportunities have arose as left-behind employees launched start-ups. The former Boots Pharmaceuticals site in Pennyfoot Street eventually turned into the BioCity Nottingham bioscience park in 2003. It is now the UK’s largest bioscience innovation and incubation centre with 70 companies – there’s also a sister MediCity pharma incubator based at the Boots HQ – and a second site, the £27m BioCity Discovery Building, followed in 2017 as one of the city’s most significant developments in a decade and with a mandate to support 700 new bioscience jobs over the next 30 years. The anchor tenant Sygnature Discovery, a world-leading integrated drug discovery and non-clinical solutions provider, may not be a household name but is a good example of the journey many of the East Midlands’ SMEs in this sector have experienced. Chief executive Dr Simon Hirst founded the business in 2004 after working for industry titans including AstraZeneca and spotting an opportunity to supply services back to manufacturers. Then there’s Quotient Sciences, a University of Nottingham spin-out specialising in drug development services that has grown rapidly across the UK and US over the past decade, with about 1,000 employees. These are just two examples of successful life sciences start-ups to come from Nottingham, which accounts for 80% of the East Midlands’ companies in this sector according to the BioCity report. “We don’t have many companies developing drugs but
Boots’ headquarters in Nottingham
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Digital health is pointing the way forward for the future of the NHS – and a company based at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park is seeking to lead the way. Alcuris aims to join up the fragmented data in health and social care via its Connect+ and MemoHub assistive technology platforms, which provides realtime insights that can help with remote care for vulnerable and elderly people living independently. The start-up is already gaining prominence, having been one of 18 companies selected from 1,600 firms in April last year for Techforce19, an initiative by NHSX – the Government unit with responsibility for bringing digital technology into the healthcare system – to see how tech-led companies could support the fight against Covid-19. It has also raised just under £3m in private investment. Alex Nash (pictured), a Loughborough product design engineering graduate, founded the company in 2016 after observing the social care challenges faced by his grandfather, a dementia patient whose only ability to seek help was to press a button. He says: “We want to set the digital standard in a care ecosystem to connect people, data and services. “We use a range of sensors fitted into a person’s home and by pulling all the data together, we can learn about when they get up and what activity they do, which helps us to identify any odd changes to behaviour. “As a software-as-a-service company, we can integrate with hub providers, alarms and systems so we can become the default platform for understanding everything from pollution levels to a person’s health and wellbeing.”
one of the strengths of our region is in the drug development supply chain,” says Dr Clark. “We have a strong concentration of contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs) and contract research organisations (CROs), but not having a GSK or AstraZeneca – names that the Government and people generally can recognise – is perhaps one of our challenges. It’s almost the opposite to automotive, where the Midlands has a big reputation in the industry because we have the likes of Rolls-Royce, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover based here.” FROM THE VENTILATOR challenge in the early weeks of lockdown to the vaccine race, the general public’s understanding of the healthcare industry and its various offshoots has risen astronomically over the past 18 months. “There’s been a recognition of the role played by healthcare and medtech products, which would previously have been very much in the background,” says Dr Clark. “Twenty years ago, when people talked about this sector, it was mainly about new drugs and the growing area was in biotech because it’s easier to understand how a pill, for
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THE TRUE VALUE OF THE MEDTECH INDUSTRY Medtech is worth an estimated £1.6bn to the Midlands economy, according to the latest research. The sector – which includes products such as contact lenses, hearing aids, wheelchairs, surgical instruments, diagnostics and wearable technology – employs 23,600 people across 1,000 companies, it was reported by the Midlands MedTech Sector Analysis published by MI Health in partnership with the Midlands Engine in February. It found medtech employment had grown by 15% in the East Midlands between 2009 and 2017, in contrast to a 12% fall in the West Midlands – although the sector’s footprint was now split almost equally between East and West. The two major hubs of businesses were located around Nottingham and Birmingham, with further clusters located in Loughborough, Leicester, Derby, Coventry and Stoke. About 75% businesses were engaged in some form of collaboration. Key regional specialisms included assistive technology, hospital hardware, single-use technologies and infection control.
example, could treat a condition. It’s great having all the Covid-19 vaccines but if you haven’t got technology like the ventilators – or, equally, the catheters, tubing and similar products that keep the healthcare system running – then it all grinds to a halt.” Dr Clark, who also expects digital health to be a huge growth area aided by the huge dataset available to the NHS and a wave of wearable technology innovations, admits the diverse and complicated supply chains for each healthcare pathway provide one of the biggest challenges for the industry. The main Covid effect here was a rise in nationalism as many governments sought to ensure their manufacturers were supplying adequate stock within their own countries before exporting worldwide. It was said that NHS stocks of paracetamol, which is mostly made in India, were down to a single day’s supply at one stage of the pandemic. There were also huge issues in sourcing PPE as its key producer China went into lockdown and factories closed. “In the East Midlands, we were helped by having some real strengths in manufacturing that could provide highquality PPE, but the problem is the NHS procurement system isn’t really set up to deal with multiple SMEs. “Many UK companies currently need to take their products around the world to get proven before coming back to the NHS, so there also needs to be some work around how we make it more willing and easier to adopt innovation and new technologies.” MEANWHILE, EXCITING INNOVATIONS continue to pour out of our universities. Dr Clark highlights the example of eye-tracking technology being developed at the University of Nottingham, which aims to train artificial intelligence methods of analysing bioimages to detect diseases. It could have a huge influence on improving radiology performance globally. Nottingham continues to receive recognition for its academic prowess, with the School of Pharmacy ranking top in the UK and second globally in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021. “There’s no doubt we perform really well from a research perspective,” adds Dr Clark, who expects a key growth area for the East Midlands to be in rehabilitation healthcare and regenerative medicine aided by the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre being developed at Stanford Hall, in Leicestershire. But the challenge has to be how we capitalise on this and turn it into commercial success by spinning out from academia, while getting investors to look outside the ‘golden triangle’ and towards the Midlands.”
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HOW THE UK LED THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 Dr Nik Kotecha (pictured), founder and chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, based in Loughborough, tells Business Network what impact Covid-19 could have on the East Midlands’ healthcare industry. How much could the UK’s healthcare industry benefit from the increased exposure resulting from the pandemic? Covid-19 has been a terrible tragedy for the UK and the rest of the world. But it has also shown to a global audience the UK can be a leader in healthtech and life sciences, from the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to genomic sequencing and drug repurposing discoveries. This is not by coincidence and is down to the UK, and Midlands, being home to some of the most innovative healthcare, life sciences and medtech companies, backed up by world-leading academia. Looking forward, the Government has pledged to strengthen the UK’s position as a “global science and technology superpower”, committing to investing 2.4% of GDP into R&D by 2027, as well as a wide range of supporting initiatives. This will undoubtedly bring further investment into the UK and support the continued growth of these key industries. How can the East Midlands make sure it's positioned to take advantage of these trends post-Covid? Through my work as a board member of the Midlands Engine Council and Midlands Engine Health, I have seen the importance of bringing regional leadership to maximise opportunities for investment and innovation. By bringing the public and private sectors, as well as academia, from the East and West Midlands together, we are better able to build on our strengths, increase exposure, grow interest in the region and secure more funding. This will in turn lead to future innovations and discoveries that can improve healthcare across the UK and globally – and will ultimately benefit patients and lead to healthier communities in the Midlands. Could a legacy of the pandemic be in addressing the STEM skills gap, which costs the UK economy an estimated £1.5bn per year, by attracting more interest from young people? The awareness of the UK’s world-leading innovative work during the pandemic will undoubtedly inspire the next generation to take a greater interest in pursuing a career in sciences, technology, engineering and maths. However, it’s also important that every child is able to reach their full potential by providing them with the right skillset, which would significantly address the current skills gap. Central to making this happen will be significant Government investment in reskilling and up-skilling, which may ensure “core skills” modules are included in every course, extra support for adult learning, and SMEs receiving funding to boost management and leadership training. What role will the pharmaceuticals sector have in the fight against Covid-19 and other potential coronaviruses or pandemics in the future? In the Midlands, where a diverse population of 11 million people live, we have been doing pioneering work in disease areas, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory diseases, liver disease, cancers and respiratory conditions. While it has been reassuring to see the Government recognise the Midlands’ work in its recent vision on health, we need to see tangible investment in our centres of excellence and our small businesses. We need a commitment to onshoring related manufacturing as we seek to build secure and resilient supply chains, if we are to create real change.
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HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
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The importance of
health in the workplace
By Rebecca Tucker, founder and CEO at Whitecalm Virtual s an army famously marches on its stomach, a business grows on the engagement of its workforce. The events of the past 18 months have accelerated the shift in the way we approach health in the workplace, moving emphasis from employee and workplace safety, to employee wellbeing and productivity. On average, time spent at work accounts for a third of our lifetime and when we consider another third of this time is spent asleep, it highlights how a healthy workplace environment is critical for the overall health and wellbeing of an individual.
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Many stressors have been exacerbated by the pandemic and the distinction between work and home life blurred. Most businesses have seen an increase in employee burnout and mental fatigue, with one software company reporting a 30% increase compared to pre-pandemic figures.
THE COST OF ABSENTEEISM AND PRESENTEEISM Absenteeism is a growing problem for many businesses. In 2017, 131 million working days were lost due to sickness absence in the UK. Adding to the annual £15bn cost to society from workplace
‘Many stressors have been exacerbated by the pandemic and the distinction between work and home life blurred’ business network October 2021
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injuries and ill health (excluding cancer), it is widely accepted these figures have only increased in subsequent years. When we introduce absenteeism’s more evasive cousin, presenteeism – when an individual is at work, but unable to fire on all cylinders due to illness or other medical conditions – the actual price becomes more apparent. In fact, the same research found one in four employees reported to have a physical health condition and one in eight a mental health
HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
condition; of these employees, 42% felt their health condition affected their ability to work. Investing in employee wellbeing is no longer seen as a woolly HR tick box initiative, it is a business priority.
ACHIEVING GOOD WORKPLACE WELLBEING So, what does good health in the workplace look like and how do we achieve this? Taking a holistic view on health is the key to creating a sustainable solution to employee wellbeing. Too
often, we are caught reacting to a crisis or short-term employee needs, rather than focusing on the longterm and preventing the crisis from occurring at all. Equipping employees with the tools and resources to help manage problems before they reach a critical point is both a time and resourceeffective solution. Developing healthy habits around sleep, stress and time management, nutrition, exercise, mindset, setting boundaries and more, at a team and individual level, can drive and
sustain both human performance and potential. This can be achieved by developing a culture that fosters and supports wellbeing at work through examples such as: • Expert-led workshops and webinars • Performance reviews • Employee recognition programmes • Using digital technologies, such as web-based resources • Wellbeing initiatives, including flexible working hours • In-house mental health first aiders • Team-building activities • Community engagement and volunteering • Company exercise challenges • Staff training opportunities • Work social events Paying attention to working environments can also have a huge impact. A 2018 study by Cornell University found employees working in an office, in which natural light was optimised, experienced a 51% decrease in eyestrain, 63% decrease in headaches and 56% decrease in drowsiness. By investing and prioritising employee health and wellbeing, employers can expect a highly motivated and engaged workforce that works smart, not just hard.
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Whether you are an individual looking to advance your career, or an employer looking for a range of training solutions, 2020 Training Ltd will work for you. We offer a wide range of courses including:
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SMSTS, SSSTS, Health and Safety Awareness First Aid Mental Health First Aid Face Fit Testing and Train the Tester courses Manual Handling Work at Height And many more.
Courses run from our East Midlands Training Centre or we can deliver on site. Contact us now for more information.
T: 01332 527149 E: training@2020trainingltd.co.uk W: 2020trainingltd.co.uk
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s more people return to the office in the wake of the pandemic, it’s important for business owners to ensure they are providing a safe environment for workers. While creating a Covid-secure environment is obviously top of the list, now is also a great time to carry out display screen equipment (DSE) assessments for staff to ensure their musculoskeletal health is protected as they return to sitting at their office desk for prolonged periods of time.
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As these kinds of chairs are an investment in your employees’ long-term wellbeing, it’s important to opt for designs that are built to last and easily adjustable as staff come and go. Also, the ability to adjust chairs easily is crucial in a hotdesking environment, where businesses need to instil a culture of encouraging employees to adjust chairs to suit their needs, even if they are only at the desk for a short period.
THE MODERN DESK Indeed, a DSE assessment will be a legal requirement for the many companies that are moving premises in the wake of the pandemic or rearranging office furniture as they adjust to new ways of working such as a hybrid homeoffice model.
ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY? One of the best ways to protect staff’s long-term health and day-to-day comfort is to provide high-quality ergonomic chairs designed to support the body in a position that will prevent any damaging strain on the neck, spine and hips.
Once you’ve sourced a high-quality ergonomic chair, the good news is a standard desk height should be adequate for most people’s comfort and health as long as the surface space provided is large enough for their computer, desk light and anything else they need at hand to do their jobs. As humans, we know we are not supposed to sit in the same position for long periods of time, however it’s very easy to let this good advice of getting up for regular screen breaks slide when we’re busy trying to meet a deadline. One great solution to this is the sit/stand desk, which gives employees the option to adjust their desk from seated to fully standing at the press of a
The role of
office furniture in workplace health Mark Brown (pictured), owner of Lismark Office Furniture in Wigston, explores the role of office furnishings in creating a happy and healthy working environment for employees.
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button. This style of desk is even available in a bench desk style for two people to work opposite each other collaboratively.
MAXIMISING MEETINGS No matter the enthusiasm levels in the room, it’s very easy for concentration levels to dip during long meetings. And again, there is a higher risk of the minor day-today aches and pains, and long-term chronic diseases associated with sitting in one position for prolonged periods for professionals who spend a lot of time in meetings. To solve this problem, sit/stand meeting tables are a great investment for your meeting room. Not only do they create an energetic dynamic for short meetings and brainstorming sessions, adjusting to stand position with a button or even an app is the perfect way to shake things up in meetings where inspiration is running low and a creativity boost is needed. Studies have shown that standing meetings are up to 34% shorter than their seated counterparts, meaning productivity is boosted, as well as health, when you get up on your feet. For those who can’t, or would rather not, stand up for meetings, you can provide high stools to cater for everyone and avoid disagreements.
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE As ergonomic office furniture is essential to health and productivity, it’s always smart to buy the best you can afford – safe in the knowledge that the more you spend,
Happy workplaces create successful businesses
the longer your furniture is likely to last. High-quality ergonomic furniture is often as stylish as it is supportive too, meaning it’s easy to be on-brand and create a design statement while investing in the health and everyday happiness of your workforce.
E: contact@gorsecovertcommunitycentre.co.uk W: gorsecovertcommunitycentre.co.uk F: facebook.com/GorseCovertCentre 70
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T: 07775 252897 E: martin@mwman.co.uk W: mwman.co.uk
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TRAINING
Training was stepping stone to success With the Chamber’s flagship director development programme returning this month, 2JCP sales director Grant Devine (pictured), based in Derbyshire, speaks to Business Network about his experience on the programme – and how he used it to develop his career, business and team. How long have you been at the company and what does the business do? I’ve been at 2JCP for almost five years, not long after its incorporation as a UK entity. As a small team of engineers in the UK who possess in excess of 300 years’ experience in mechanical, electrical and acoustic engineering – supplemented by a strong team of engineers at our Czech Republic headquarters – our Ripley-based company is now diversifying to meet the demands of the clean energy sector. We have a portfolio that now includes design and manufacture of equipment for carbon capture and storage, and we continue to act as a solutions provider for the green hydrogen and renewable energy markets. In addition, the 2JCP group of companies also offer design and manufacturing capability for the food and beverage industry, oil and gas, heat transfer, pressure equipment, and the boiler and condenser sectors. What does your role involve and how have you progressed within the organisation to date? I started out as UK sales manager in 2016, progressing to the role of director in June 2020. My role involves leading and developing the company’s sales strategy. I’m responsible for profit and loss, including realised margin responsibility, and for the day-to-
day prioritising of and resource planning of the sales team to ensure successful execution of the business strategy. I’m also responsible for – in conjunction with the managing director – leading the new business development team. How important is career development to you and why did you want to join the Chamber’s director development programme? Career development has always been very important to me. Now I’m at director level – and still fairly new to the role – I’m always keen to better myself and my own skillset. I felt that by joining the Chamber’s director development programme, I’d be well informed about people development – what
makes them tick, how to get the best from people, what the true definition of the word leadership is and, of course, how to help in taking the company to the next level in terms of marketing and business development. It’s fair to say the programme both met and exceeded all my expectations, and I got to meet a great bunch of people along the way – albeit through a computer screen! What did you learn on the course and was there anything in particularly you enjoyed? I learned a great deal on the course, from company accounts through to people development and marketing tools. A number of useful tools we still refer to now were made available
on the course. Some personal highlights included gaining an understanding of different types of people, marketing mixes, company culture and values and accounts. The trainer Charles Barnascone has an in-built ability to help people understand his methods and what is being taught throughout the programme. The course has been invaluable in helping me to question my every move in terms of decisions I make with regards to people and business development. Even now, with things like people management and business development, I think to myself, and say out loud to my fellow directors, “what would Charles say?”. How would you describe the process of moving up from managerial to director level, and what kind of knowledge or experience gap exists that requires training? Personally speaking, in many ways making the step up has been like taking a gigantic leap, and the responsibilities are in some cases very different. However, in other ways, the transition has been a seamless one and that has in large part been testament to my peers and superiors. What I will say is the director development programme has been invaluable in providing that initial stepping-stone to arm individuals with the tools needed to be a successful director.
Leader development programmes return Equipping directors and senior managers with the skills and confidence needed to drive their business forward and achieve objectives is the aim of the Chamber’s Director Development Programme. It will once again be held online across 10 half-day sessions delivered a week apart, running from Thursday 14 October to 16 December between 9.30am and 12.30pm. The programme’s sections include topics such as developing the right culture through vision and values leadership, creating a brand strategy, identifying and communicating
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priorities, finance for non-financial directors, and people management approaches. The Director Development Programme costs £1,450 plus VAT for members and £1,850 plus VAT for non-members. Also returning is the Manager Development Programme, which starts on Monday 1 November and will take place over four weekly sessions until 22 November. These are currently planned to be delivered face-to-face in Nottingham from 9.30am to 4.30pm. The four course topics are titled leadership in focus; communications and influencing to
enhance performance; managing teams and individual performance; and identifying opportunities for innovation and supporting others through change. The Manager Development Programme costs £1,100 plus VAT for members and £1,500 plus VAT for non-members. For more information about development programmes, contact Vicki Thompson on 0333 320 0333 (ext 2153) or email vicki.thompson@emc-dnl.co.uk, or visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk
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EVENTS
The welcome return of events Events seasons is upon us at the Chamber and, for the first time in 18 months, they will be held face-to-face, beginning with the Annual Dinner and continuing into the Enterprising Women Awards and Business Awards. Commercial events manager Linsey Hardy (pictured) explains how her team has prepared and why she’s looking forward to seeing people again. The commercial events team is so excited to be returning to event delivery face-to-face again. Although excited, there’s also a huge amount of pressure on the team to deliver things to a high standard, creating as much fun and enjoyment for our members as we’d like to think we did before the pandemic – while also being mindful of the current issues surrounding Covid-19. In terms of preparation, we have needed to delve even deeper into risk assessments, insurance, confirmation policies and joining instructions to ensure safety is paramount and risk is mitigated as much as humanly possible. Personally, I am overjoyed to see the return of the Business Awards as last year, they weren’t able to go ahead in person. It’s important to our members that we are able to celebrate their achievements and allow the opportunities to network across our East Midlands business community. While I felt very proud of the work carried out last year to bring a set of awards to Chamber members – not to mention the experiences gained from a different and virtual approach – at heart I’m an events person who loves to interact with people, including our members, in person. Nothing beats seeing the staging set go up and the warm “buzz” around a welcome drinks reception as the team usher people to seats ready for the event to begin.
Celebrating region’s enterprising women The best of women in business across the East Midlands will be celebrated at the Enterprising Women Awards this month. Winners will be revealed across eight categories at a black-tie gala dinner, held at the Nottingham Belfry, on Friday 8 October. Apprentices, STEM ambassadors and entrepreneurs will be among those individual recognised, while there are also group awards for the likes of Team of the Year. It will be topped off by the Business Woman of the Year title, which is awarded by headline sponsor Futures Housing Group. The awards, which will be hosted by ITV presenter Emma Jesson, are the headline event for the Enterprising Women network, which is co-chaired by Chamber president Eileen Richards MBE and past president Jean Mountain. To see the full Enterprising Women Awards 2021 shortlist, visit bit.ly/EWAwards21
Regional winners up for national prize Five winners from last year’s East Midlands Chamber Business Awards could earn national recognition after being nominated for the British Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. They will compete with a selection of winners from other regional Chamber awards at the ceremony on Thursday 9 December. The nominees are: The Game Changer – Entrepreneur of the Year: Martin Barnett, TTK Confectionery (Nottinghamshire Entrepreneur of the Year winner) The Global Player – Export Business of the Year: DB Automation and Premier Bowl Feeders (Leicestershire Excellence in International Trade Award winner) The Planet Saver – Green Business of the Year: Octopus Energy (Leicestershire Environmental Impact Award winner)
Annual Dinner raises funds for Chamber charities Chamber president Eileen Richards MBE takes to the stage at Colwick Hall, in Nottingham, for the Annual Dinner last month. About 350 people attended the event, which raised £1,130 for the Chamber’s three charities Chesterfield Samaritans, Help the Homeless Leicester and Nottinghamshire Hospice. An event gallery will be published in the November edition of Business Network.
The Problem Solver – Business Diversification Award: Composite Braiding (Derbyshire Innovation in Manufacturing Award winner) The Equality Trailblazer – Diversity and Inclusion Award: Portland College/Pathways Pathways (Nottinghamshire Community Impact Award winner) business network October 2021
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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY
Maximing social media in the run up to Christmas If you're reading this in October and you haven't yet started to plan your Christmas or seasonal social media content, you probably just about have time to do so, writes Digital Growth Programme consultant Paul Ince. There's a reason why #ChristmasInJuly is a thing – if you have it all sorted then well done, you definitely get an A for effort. If you have yet to integrate your e-commerce solution with social media, it's worth investigating the possibilities. This is something we can work on with you on one of our many forthcoming workshops.
SERVICE BUSINESSES his year, Christmas is looking like being a rather interesting one for anyone with a supply chain. Regardless of whether there are enough materials or stock to supply customers, marketing carries on with fingers crossed. Social media's ability to react to changing situations makes it ideal for communicating messages and keeping customers up to date with what's going on in your business. It's worth getting ahead of content in the run up to festivities, whether that's Diwali, Eid, Hannukah, Christmas or any other significant holiday. Doing so allows you to focus on delivery of goods and services. Here are few things to consider now to try and maximise the potential that social media offers business in a busy time.
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ONLINE RETAIL BUSINESSES You probably have all your plans in place, particularly around stock and which products you are likely to promote this season. This year looks set to record a rise in online shopping (yes, again), but this year social commerce could help online retailers capitalise on changing buying behaviours. Younger audiences are living their lives through platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Both these platforms have integrations with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce and Big Commerce, which enable users to find, share and buy products via the social media network without having to leave it (or without leaving it for too long). Facebook offers the same experience and Twitter is planning the rollout of shopping too – possibly not in time for this year's rush. Removing barriers to the purchase point should result in an easier process for the consumer and, therefore, greater sales. 74
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Perhaps there's not an obvious connection to the holiday season for a service business but, when you consider that social media is primarily a communication channel, there's a golden opportunity to convey good wishes, positive messaging or even just operational information your customer needs to know. If you're closed for Christmas and New Year, make sure your revised opening hours are included in your Facebook page information, your Google My Business profile and possibly use your social profile cover photo to give followers the updated times. Do you usually send a Christmas card to your customer base? By all means, continue to do so, but that video of the team singing Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody is perfect for social media. If you're particularly daring, pay attention to music trending on TikTok or Instagram Reels in December and go all in and recreate the latest meme – you'll be amazed at how far your content will go and, while it may seem a tad quirky compared to what you're comfortable with, each additional view is your brand name being seen to a potential new audience. We’ve had nearly two years of bad news by this point – this is the year to lose the corporate straightjacket and lighten things up.
PREPARATION IS KEY No matter the business, planning your content for the next few months will help you avoid the urge to churn out random commentary at the last minute. Here are a few ideas for how to plan in the run up to Christmas and into the new year: • Work out your key cut-off dates for delivery and schedule content reminders, working backwards – people
need reminding several times • Use multiple media types for the same message over a period of time to capture different people's attention – the carousel/multiple image post is generating particularly good results right now • Use live video to demonstrate products and services. Live video can be your digital showroom. It's interactive and allows people to see how something will work without having to be there in person – still a concern for some people • Use scheduling tools like Buffer, Hootsuite or the native features of Facebook and Twitter to create content in
advance for your key dates • Keep an eye on trends, whether that's what people are posting about or newsworthy items – helping you get into a conversation that lots of people are looking at Social media changes rapidly. If you want to keep on top of what these changes are and how your business can take advantage of the latest developments, I'd love to see you on one of the many webinars and workshops we have coming up in the run up to the festive season. To see a full schedule of workshops, visit www.leicsdigital.co.uk/events
Access digital support The Digital Growth Programme is designed to help SMEs located in Leicester and Leicestershire to improve productivity and growth using digital technology via themed action planning workshops, grants and digital advice. It is part-funded by the Chamber, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Leicestershire County Council. Visit www.leics-digital.co.uk Businesses based in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire can access similar support by visiting www.d2n2growthhub.co.uk High-growth businesses across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire can access knowledge and investment support to scale up through embracing new technologies via the Digital Upscaler programme, part-funded by the ERDF. Visit www.emcdnl.co.uk/digitalupscaler
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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY
Air IT continues growth spurt with fourth pair of acquisitions
John Whitty, CEO of Air IT
Air IT has announced its seventh and eighth acquisitions in a series of M&A deals led by CEO John Whitty. The Sandiacre-based company took over Reading-based MFG UK Ltd and Uttoxeter-based Infinity IT Solutions Limited for undisclosed considerations last month. Backed by August Equity since January 2020, this marks the fourth time the IT managed service provider has acquired two businesses simultaneously – the
first pair in October last year, the second in December and the third in March. Air IT has added MFG and Infinity to its portfolio as part of ambitious plans to further expand across the UK and become the MSP of choice for SMEs nationally. Following the deals, Air IT has increased its headcount to 270 staff – including 200 people who perform direct service-related roles – and boosted its existing presence both in the South East and the Midlands. John, who joined the business at the same time as the investment was announced, said: “We are thrilled to have found two more outstanding teams to join the Air IT Group, which has allowed us to further expand our footprint and introduce skilful, like-minded colleagues to the team. “Both MFG and Infinity are very similar to us in terms of their service maturity, product set, client type and, most importantly, culture. “We are confident they will be a great fit for Air IT and look forward to the contribution we know they will add. Our aim is to be the go-to
MSP and MSSP (managed security service provider) for SMEs across the UK, delivering a local service on a national scale, and welcoming exceptional talent to the Group will help us achieve this.” The new additions are both wellregarded MSPs in their own right, having enjoyed organic year-onyear growth and earned strong customer loyalty. Mark Flinders, managing director at MFG, said: “We have admired Air IT and followed its journey with close interest over the years. “Joining with the Air IT Group helps us in several ways. Our management team can grow further, our people will have more support and opportunities to extend their skills and experience, and our clients will benefit from the ever-growing services and technologies that form part of the new digital way of working.” Infinity chief commercial officer Simon McAlpine added: “Air IT is relatively local to us in the Midlands so joining the group is an exciting step in our journey and we can’t wait to see what it brings.
Mark Flinders MFG
Simon McAlpine INFINITY
“Our range of services is very similar to those delivered by Air IT and we can now further expand these services. We’re excited to build upon what we have been creating for the past 12 years, and look forward to meeting new colleagues who share our commitment to the excellent customer service that has helped to shape Infinity.”
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LEGAL
Out of hours communication: Do you know the law? The ability to “switch off” at the end of the day has perhaps never been more important than during the pandemic, when remote working blurred the boundaries between the home and office. With some form of hybrid working expected to continue, Banner Jones’ head of employment law Katie Ash looks at current UK legislation to provide insights on how companies can ensure their working practices are up to date. Since the invention of the internet, mobile phones and emails, there has been an ongoing debate over whether employers can – or perhaps more importantly, should – contact staff members outside of office hours. Actually, the law surrounding the matter is very simple. No! The Working Time Regulations 1998 stipulate that workers have the right to an uninterrupted rest break each day (11 hours), or compensatory rest as soon as possible when this isn’t possible. There is also what is known as the “implied right” to be provided with a safe and healthy working environment – which includes being free from stress – and the obligation on employers to undertake a risk assessment to ensure this is the case. If an employer fails to provide an employee with adequate rests, or a safe and healthy working environment, they could find themselves facing a claim for unfair constructive dismissal if an employee resigns from their employment because of a breach of trust and confidence arising from such a failure. That said, the lines have been well and truly blurred over the past year as a result of the pandemic, and in many cases employees have requested more flexible working hours in order to accommodate home schooling and other lockdown-related challenges.
Glynis Wright MBE heads up Nelsons’ family team in Leicester
For the most part, there has been a mutual understanding between both staff and line managers, but as restrictions lift and the world returns (slowly) to normal, that is likely to change and employers may find themselves in hot water if they don’t adhere to current legislation or the terms of the contract.
WHAT IF WE WANT TO INTRODUCE WORKING FROM HOME MORE OFTEN? In cases where businesses are now looking to embrace a more fluid and flexible way of working, they may need to go through a re-contracting exercise. This will mean revising terms and conditions, and asking staff to agree to the changes such as changing the location of their place of work. Where possible, this should be done amicably to ensure the changes best meet the needs of the business and the individual, but if a member of staff does not agree to the changes you may need to consider taking steps to try to enforce the change by way of dismissal and re-engagement.
WHAT IF MY EMPLOYEES WANT TO WORK MORE FLEXIBLY, OUTSIDE THE USUAL 9-5? If employers want to incorporate the ability for their workers to have the freedom to work outside the normal 9-5 they are also going to need to think about stipulating what that
means in terms of “out-of-hours” contact. The employer may also need to think about shifting their focus from the employee’s “input” to their “output”. Having “core” or set hours in the contract of employment and agreed outputs, perhaps in the job description and appraisal documentation, will help to protect employers who adopt such flexibility in the longer term. And this will help employees and managers to ensure there are times when the employer will be in contact with the employee, so that the employee can switch off. Whatever is decided, ultimately the emphasis will need to be on the health and wellbeing of the
employee and setting appropriate boundaries will be a crucial part of this.
TRUST AND CONFIDENCE While no one is suggesting there should be a ban on sending work related emails outside the usual working day, staff need to have the confidence they are not expected to pick up or action anything. Similarly, if your business requires someone to be on call to deal with emergency situations as and when they arise, there should be a clear rota in place to ensure that each individual is aware of their responsibilities, in order to protect their right to “switch off”.
Top solicitor is up for national award One of the region’s top solicitors has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award. Glynis Wright MBE, partner and head of Nelsons’ family team in Leicester, is a finalist in the Woman Solicitor of the Year category in this year’s Law Society Awards, the highest accolade for law firms in England and Wales. Winners will be announced in an online ceremony on 7 October. Glynis retrained as a lawyer aged 40 and set up her own law firm Glynis Wright & Co in 2011, before being acquired by Nelsons last year – when she was also awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for her services to further the cause of female entrepreneurship. She said: “2021 has marked the beginning of a new era in my career and I’m truly humbled to have been shortlisted for this award.”
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LEGAL
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FINANCE
Moving on: What you need to know if you’re selling or gifting your business The past 18 months have been testing for many businesses, pushing owners to think about their options and whether to sell off assets or “get out” entirely. There is, of course, the option to restructure or diversify – but ultimately, the landscape has been heavily impacted by the pandemic. Mike Matthews, partner and head of mergers and acquisitions, and Ben Taylor, private client and tax associate, at law firm Roythornes Solicitors discuss. WHAT HAS CHANGED IN THE MARKET SINCE LOCKDOWN? When the pandemic hit in March last year, most deals grounded to a halt with one or two notable exceptions. Advisers at the time feared the whole mergers and acquisitions (M&A) industry may be heavily impacted for at least 12 to 18 months but, within only a few months, the market picked back up and has been very buoyant ever since. We suspect many owner-managed businesses decided the time was right to exit, with the huge amount of uncertainty in the world, and the big corporates were – and still are – seizing the opportunity to consolidate. There are a lot of additional pressures on businesses at the moment. Covid-19, Brexit and an uncertain picture of the tax environment - based on the concern that that Government have to “pay for this somehow” – all play a factor.
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN THINKING OF SELLING OR GIFTING A BUSINESS? The first thing you need to consider is what you are actually selling. Are you selling your company by way of share sale or selling various assets that are either in the company or form a business? You may need to consider whether there is any corporation tax (CT) or capital gains tax (CGT) payable, what the “bill” might be and, in terms of estate planning and inheritance tax (IHT), consider what you might do with the cash – will you spend it, reinvest or could the next generation benefit perhaps? 78
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This is a breakdown of the key questions we would suggest asking yourself: • What price do you want and are there any assumptions linked to this? For example, is the seller retaining the cash in the bank? • How is the business being sold? Is it an asset sale or share sale? • Are you expecting all the sale proceeds on day one? • What do you want to do with the proceeds of the sale? • Have you considered tax, both immediate and long term?
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS CONSIDERING A CHANGE? We are frequently asked how much tax there will be on a sale. Taking tax advice early on, from the right adviser or advisers, is key as it can affect the nature of the deal and structuring. Looking at this once everything else has been agreed often leaves very little room for planning. Be careful about accepting the first offer. Many business owners receive unsolicited offers out of the blue, which they are tempted to explore. If an unexpected offer is made, a business owner should take that as a sign their business is attractive to a buyer, but do ensure that price is fair. For example, you wouldn’t sell your house to the person who knocked on your door without speaking to an estate agent to check the market price, and the same should apply when selling a business. It’s vitally important to ensure you have answers to all the important questions. Having a good professional team behind you, including a solicitor and accountant, will be a real benefit as you go through the process.
Mike Matthews
Ben Taylor
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FINANCE
IR35 changes reinforces importance of contractor and client relationships The introduction of the new IR35 off-payroll changes demonstrate the importance of building a strong employer-contractor relationship to avoid confusion when applying the new rules, according to an accountancy expert. Chris McKain (pictured), senior audit manager at national accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young’s Nottingham office, offered advice in response to the new IR35 legislation. It applies to both the public and private sectors, and aims to eliminate self-employment issues by making sure personal service contractors operating as employees pay the correct amount of tax and national insurance. The changes, which came into force on 6 April 2021, aim to shift the responsibility of employment status determination to the end client – the organisation receiving the services from the contractor. When paying contractors directly, recruitment businesses or
clients are now responsible for deducting taxes. Chris said: “Many industry sectors, particularly IT and technology, have dealt with the reforms in a responsible way – mainly due to the fact they have experienced the impact on the public sector since 2017.
‘Many industry sectors, particularly IT and technology, have dealt with the reforms in a responsible way’ “With these businesses having already adapted to the IR35 changes, the rule changes are less frequent in job listings for insurance and finance roles compared to contractor jobs.” To help employers define the status of contractors, HMRC introduced a Check Employment
Status for Tax (CEST) tool, although Chris pointed out this has been criticised for creating further confusion as a result of “unable to determine” being a regular outcome when using this. Previously, contractors were responsible for determining their own employment status and paying HMRC tax and national insurance accordingly. Contractors’ rates are now being reduced to account for the additional employment costs, such as umbrella fees. For many larger businesses that have previously employed many contractors, blanket bans have been enforced to stop them engaging with contractors working via personal service companies. Chris said: “I do not believe that reasonable care in accordance with IR35 rules and from HMRC’s perspective should be considered a failure, as the clients are not making a generalised decision on a contractor’s employment status.
“Instead, they are making the decision to employ all contractors and in turn, reducing any risk of compliance with IR35 off-payroll rules. Contractors and end clients should not make the assumption that engaging with an umbrella company is the solution.” With many freelancers being unfamiliar with the concept of umbrella working, there are fears they could sign up to an umbrella company that doesn’t have their best interests at heart. Chris, however, believes many companies will remain compliant, adding: “I believe that reputable and established umbrella companies will continue to be transparent across their dealings with contractors to ensure that contractual terms and conditions are clearly stated.”
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SKILLS
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SKILLS
How to make sense of Government support for staff recruitment and training By Corrina Hembury, managing director at Access Training One of the greatest challenges any business faces is finding and keeping hold of good people. With an average £3,000 cost for recruiting a new employee, rapid turnover can soon become an expensive problem. Fortunately, there are Government incentives to recruit suitable candidates through programmes like traineeships, apprenticeships and the Kickstart Scheme. So many different options, however, make for a confusing picture. Here’s what you need to know about what your company can benefit from, when, and for what.
apprenticeship. There is, however, no requirement to offer work experience. Under the Access Works programme, each SWAP runs for an average two-week period, with participating employers granted the opportunity to shape the programme. They can do so by highlighting particular competences that are needed for their particular business, or vocational requirements such as the Construction Skills Certification Scheme card. Their only required commitment is a guarantee of interview for all programme participants.
SECTOR-BASED WORK ACADEMY PROGRAMMES (SWAPS)
APPRENTICESHIPS
Access Training launched its new Access Works programme last month after receiving a contract to deliver the Adult Education Budget. A large part of its programme will be the delivery of sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPs). As with traineeships, SWAPs provide employers with the opportunity to trial an individual or individuals before offering them an
Undoubtedly offering the most appealing financial incentive are apprenticeships. They span many different subjects, qualifications, duration and eligibility (they are open to participation from both the unemployed and employed, at any age from 16 onwards). Apprenticeships are funded at 100% for companies employing fewer than 49 people and where the apprentice is aged 16 to 18. There is an additional £1,000
incentive to take on apprentices from this age group. Benefits are not purely financial. Apprenticeships offer an immediate opportunity to tap into free recruitment support, but also offer long-lasting advantage for employers such as helping to maintain low staff turnover. After all, an individual who has benefited from training is likely to repay that investment by staying on with the company for the long term.
TRAINEESHIPS Traineeships are unpaid periods of work experience, from six weeks up to one year, which allow an employer to trial an individual or group of individuals. While they are often the precursor to apprenticeships, that does not always have to be the case – it could simply be that an employer wants to offer individuals the opportunity to learn more about particular roles within the sector. Trainees must be aged 16 to 24, unemployed and likely to have had little success in either being selected for, or performing well at, interview. Employers are currently being
offered a £1,000 incentive for every placement.
KICKSTART SCHEME The Kickstart Scheme allows employers to place candidates aged 16 to 24, and on Universal Credit, in new entry-level posts for a minimum of 25 hours per week – for a period of up to six months. This extended trial allows them to “test out” a candidate before offering them employment or an apprenticeship. Similarly, it offers the means to assess the merit of creating a new role before committing to it long term. Depending on the age of the participant, employers can benefit from 100% funding of the national minimum or living wage. Jobs must start before 31 December and qualify for funding until 30 June 2022. Bringing in new talent into your business has never been more lucrative or rewarding.
Chamber passes 1,000 placement milestone in Kickstart Scheme – see p36
Take-off for travel and tourism students A full-size section of a commercial airline cabin has been built at Loughborough College to create a special training classroom for travel and tourism students. The 7.5m-long education space features two rows of seats, a full working galley, an intercom system and audio control panel that simulates a range of different scenarios, including emergencies and standard procedures. The cabin simulator has been specially installed for students on the college’s travel and tourism programme to prepare them for a working life in the transport industry. Programme leader Darren Creed said: “We’re extremely excited about
our training classroom. It is a truly stunning facility that will enhance learning and the experience for our students. “It will give learners an authentic perspective of life aboard a commercial aircraft and put them in a fantastic position to further their careers in the industry because of the experience they will get.” The simulator is part of a raft of investments made by Loughborough College over the summer to enhance facilities and create great experiences for students. Investments also include a new cutting-edge e-sports suite for its new e-sports BTEC programme and the launch of the Loughborough Lycans e-sports team.
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PROPERTY
82% of properties are underinsured. Is yours? By Paul Hartle, owner of Coversure Nottingham The East Midlands property market has witnessed record-breaking growth over the past five years. In Nottingham, for example, average property prices have risen by more than 18% and rents have climbed by over 30%, according to Zoopla. Driven by a combination of a booming economy and an 18% population increase since 2001, demand for residential and commercial properties has never been higher. For homeowners, commercial property owners and landlords, things have never been so good. There is, however, a timebomb ticking beneath the market: underinsurance. According to building insurance valuation service Rebuild Cost Assessment, 80% of commercial properties and 82% of all properties in the UK are currently underinsured. In the event of a claim, underinsurance could cost you thousands as your insurer will invoke the “average condition” clause.
Univeristy in city centre site bid The University of Nottingham has made an offer to purchase the Castle Meadow office site as it seeks to realise a longstanding ambition to have a greater physical presence in the city centre. It believes the 350,000 sq ft development at the foot of Nottingham Castle, currently used by HMRC and other businesses, could provide a campus for final-year undergraduates and postgraduates studying professional practice-based courses – as well as a prominent home for its work to support jobs, investment and growth for the city. Vice-chancellor Professor Shearer West said: “This is a symbolic milestone in the story of both the city and the University of Nottingham and presents a hugely exciting opportunity. Opening an additional UK campus is an expression of confidence in the future of both the university and Nottingham.”
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If they do, your payout will be in line with the premium you have paid rather than the total amount of the claim. These shortfalls can quickly run into five or six-figure sums and leave their owners with another problem at a time of crisis.
WHY ARE SO MANY UK PROPERTIES UNDERINSURED? There are several reasons, but the principal ones are: • The reinstatement value is too low: This isn't the market value of the building, rather the amount it would cost to rebuild the property in the event of a disaster • Home or rental property contents cover is too low: Many people, including landlords, forget to include things like curtains, carpets and other fittings in their policy, all of which may need replacing in the event of a problem
• Business contents cover is too low: Commercial properties often have sums insured that are lower than the cost of buying replacements • Business interruption indemnity periods are too short: Business interruption cover – the cover that pays out for should you be unable to trade or rent your property – is often underestimated by business owners. This can lead to significant losses should disruption drag on.
THREE STEPS TO ESCAPING THE PROPERTY UNDERINSURANCE TRAP Worrying as the growing property underinsurance trap is, there is a simple t-step solution to freeing yourself from it:
Step 1: Contact your insurance broker Step 2: Have them arrange a virtual assessment of your property Step 3: Get a new property insurance quotation that gives you the protection you need. I would urge you to check to see if you've been affected by the problem. The potential losses in the event of a claim – particularly for landlords and commercial property owners – can be financially devastating. A virtual assessment is hasslefree; it can be done in a few days and will give you one less thing to worry about.
Warehouse schemes are go The green light has been given for the speculative development of three warehouse schemes across the East Midlands. Investor Urban Logistics REIT (ULR) and Wilson Bowden Developments have secured full planning consent for a total 255,000 sq ft of warehouse and distribution space, which will be created in six units across three sites – in Nottingham, Castle Donington and Leicester. Construction is due to be completed in Q2 2022 and will be marketed by Chamber member FHP jointly with M1 Agency. The three schemes comprise Blenheim Park, in Nottingham, where four warehouses between
18,000 sq ft and 81,000 sq ft will be built; a single 45,000 sq ft unit at Willow Farm, in Castle Donington; and a further 44,000 sq ft development at Optimus Point, in Leicester. FHP director John Proctor said: “This is a welcome introduction of speculative space in to the mid-box market, spread across the East Midlands to balance the supply and demand characteristics.” Meanwhile, FHP has completed a deal to let a 41,000 sq ft warehouse near Junction 28 of the M1 to Sunbelt Rentals. The company supplies plant, tools and specialist equipment for the construction, infrastructure and events markets.
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PROPERTY
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MOTORING
Subtlety the key for BMW
Not one for usually portraying subtlety, the BMW brand has somewhat gone against the grain with its petrol hybrid 330e. Motoring journalist Nick Jones took one out on test to see if the blend of a 2.0-litre petrol engine and an electric motor really did live up to expectation. eading through a few statistics, I noticed a few startling claims. Firstly, 130-plus miles to the gallon on the combined cycle, an emission figure of 38g/km, and not to mention I could drive about 35 miles giving zero emissions; 35 miles commuting using just electric power, wow that’s awesome. As you might expect, this kind of cleverness comes courtesy of a unique combination – indeed, in this case, use of the 184bhp 2.0-litre petrol unit mated to an 80kW electric motor. These two elements create a combined output of 288bhp and a combined maximum torque figure of more than 300Nm, good enough when you switch into full petrol mode to send the 330e to 62mph in six seconds, all the way to over 140mph. Interestingly, the all-electric speed is 75mph which, on reflection, is hugely impressive by itself. Unless you really know your BMWs, there's almost nothing to visually differentiate a 330e from any other 3 Series saloon. Subtle changes cosmetically have taken place – the headlights feature LED indicators acting as eyebrows ifyou-like across the top of the light units. At the rear, the tail lamps are full-LED units with heavily curved light bars. The cabin looks predictably cossetting, with chrome finishing and high-gloss surfaces, and saved exclusively for the 330e, one gets important readouts behind the wheel, such as battery percentage life remaining. The 330e comes in saloon and touring form, and you do get three trim levels to choose from – SE, Sport
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FACTFILE MODEL BMW 330e
PRICE OTR – from £37,875
PERFORMANCE Top speed: 143 miles per hour 0-60 mph: 6.0 seconds Power: 288 horsepower
CO2 EMISSIONS 38g/km
COMBINED MPG and M Sport. Plus, you must have it in automatic transmission as there is no manual option. As for charge times, the battery takes six hours to charge on a three-pin plug at home, but stump up around £200 and you get a Type 2 cable that results in the charge speed jumping to 3.7Kw and a zero to 100% charge takes just three-and-a-half hours. One advantage of going electric nowadays for a company car is that benefit-in-kind tax breaks can be had to help soften the blow, so win-win all round. One does see rather a lot of 330e variants on the road, something BMW predicted a few years ago when it forecast one in four 3 Series sold would be this version. They’ve got it right.
138 mpg (WLTP combined)
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INFORMATION
Is your business credit rating impeding your growth? Business credit ratings have been around for a long time and are seen as being directly connected to the financial capability of a company – but many still don’t fully appreciate the impact they can have on day-to-day operations and growth. James Piper (pictured), founder and managing director of Lightbulb Credit, explains why understanding and improving business credit ratings could be the key to unlocking growth for firms of all sizes. UNDERSTANDING HOW RATINGS WORK IS KEY There are six main credit rating agencies in the UK, and all limited companies and limited liability partnerships are rated using their respective algorithms. The scoring methodology for each agency is different, but all use data from Companies House, alongside payment data collected to evaluate how suppliers are paid against agreed credit terms. This information is then used to determine a company score and generate a recommended credit limit. These ratings have a direct impact on borrowing, working capital, trade terms and tendering. If your rating is low, it can prevent you from obtaining trade credit or funding.
WHY RATINGS ARE IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW Whether your business is borrowing money, tendering for a contract or just trying to get the best trade terms you can, ratings really do matter.
The pandemic has escalated this situation further with tighter criteria being applied to lending and more credit checks being done than ever before, making it challenging for even an established business to get financial support. Having a strong rating with one agency doesn’t always guarantee the same with others either, as some are more active in specific industries, while others are used to run searches for specific financial situations.
GET THE BASICS RIGHT Good financial habits can make all the difference. Paying your suppliers on time (where possible), filing full accounting data correctly and on time, and making sure your business has the right SIC code are all vital steps in adhering to the ratings process. These habits help to create a positive credit profile for your business over time and can generate short-term improvements, such as better supplier terms and getting finance on more favourable terms.
REASONS YOUR RATINGS MIGHT BE LOW We see so many clients frustrated with the fact that even though their business is thriving, their ratings are still low. Sadly, this is very common and there are several reasons why this can happen. Start-ups are particularly vulnerable due to limited data filed with Companies House. Firms that have chosen to file exempt accounts or delay their account filing in 2021 are often unaware that these actions can negatively impact their ratings.
GET HELP TO IMPROVE YOUR RATINGS Many business owners don’t realise they can challenge a poor rating, or that it’s possible to get scores re-evaluated and improved quickly using real-time data, and this is because business credit repair is a new concept in the UK. We’re here to help Chamber members with this and can provide businesses with a free and bespoke credit review report, giving insight into their current ratings and highlighting potential issues.
Contact us now T: 01623 825516 E: nfsl@notts-fire.co.uk
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COMMENT
THE LAST WORD Chamber president and ER Recruitment owner EILEEN RICHARDS MBE on how inclusive networks can help young businesspeople reach their full potential eading last month’s magazine, I was struck by East Midlands MedTech innovator Kate Walker’s comment about imposter syndrome. Here's a young business leader who has received numerous awards, as well as wide recognition, for the brilliance of her newlypatented prosthetics for children. She last month won both Generation Next’s Future Leader Award and New Business of the Year at the LeicestershireLive Women In Business Awards. Yet she tells the magazine that she still sometimes feels she does not know enough to run her own company. Kate, who is 25, suggests her feelings may be compounded by her relative youthfulness in industry. Or that it may be imposter syndrome. The idea of “imposter phenomenon”, as it was then termed, emerged in the late 1970s and derived from research involving a sample of 150 high-achieving women. All participants were recognised for their professional and academic excellence. Yet they questioned their own accomplishments, often attributing their success to luck rather than ability. That original research considered women, but imposter syndrome is now seen as affecting people from all walks of life. It has been estimated that 70% of people experience such feelings at some point in their lives. So what can be done about it? I believe people and inclusive networks play an important role in breaking down doubts, promoting support and encouraging people to reach their full potential. For example, Kate describes to me how a few months ago she reached one of those stages we can all recognise where she was unsure in which direction to take our businesses. What should the next milestone be in the growth of ExpHand Prosthetics and how should Kate achieve it? Kate recognises that she benefits from her association with a business incubator. On this occasion, as she is moving towards her first funding round so, she started by speaking with her accountant. They put her on to three people, who in turn introduced 10 more. From there,
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Kate gained access to a CEO network who have offered the advice she needed to refocus her objectives. As such, Generation Next is a readymade network to our young businesspeople – but it offers more as well. Kate tells me that it was sometimes difficult, in starting her first business, to gauge what stage she ought to be at. She adds that recognition from experienced external judges at awards such as Generation Next validates her decision-making. This creates confidence to push on and achieve more. Imposter syndrome affects many people. I have personally experienced it and I have known people, ranging from MDs of large companies to
outwardly self-assured entrepreneurs, who privately question themselves and their achievements. It’s positive for leaders to be reflective and self-aware. But it can become negative when that internal analysis becomes over-critical. It’s why putting such thoughts into perspective is important. That can be done by sharing with mentors or trusted peer groups. I do wonder how many other of our fantastic young businesspeople feel like Kate. But it also makes me proud that Generation Next is available to them and as a means of learning and working – without being isolated – as they establish themselves as our leaders of tomorrow.
THE WELCOME RETURN OF EVENTS I only have to glance at my LinkedIn feed to see that events are returning in a big way. The biggest of all (of course) is the Chamber’s annual dinner. This was undoubtedly a highlight of my presidential year and I was so pleased the easing of restrictions in recent months meant I was able to finally see members in person. So much of our interaction this year has been through screens that I was starting to think that I would be the Zoom President. For those who couldn’t make it to Colwick Hall, I used my presidential address to talk about decision-making and people. As one of seven children, I’ve always been used to balancing the needs of others with carving a niche for myself. I decided from an early stage that my career would be about people. For this reason, networks of people have always been central to how I do business. As Kate rightly says, networks are the most effective way to gain and share knowledge – and at the Chamber, we are fortunate to have such a comprehensive approach to facilitating member-to-member engagement.
ENTERPRISING WOMEN AWARDS On the subject of networks and events, the Enterprising Women Awards take place at the Belfry in Nottingham a few days after the publication of this magazine. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Chamber’s Enterprising Women programme.. It was formed when the network I had launched in Leicestershire merged with my mate Jean Mountain’s network in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Among the eight awards categories is Business Woman of the Year. Headline sponsor is Futures Housing Group, whose CEO Lindsey Williams will, of course, be writing this column next year as Chamber president. I’m already looking forward to Lindsey joining Jean and I as we celebrate our quarter-century at the 2022 awards. Once again, and as pointed out by Kate, this stuff matters. Everyone benefits from a supportive network when it comes to banishing that self-doubt.
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