Business Network November 22

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BUSINESS

Keep up to date on latest developments at

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

NOVEMBER 2022

@EMChamberNews

ACCESS TO FINANCE AND SKILLS AMONG BIGGEST BARRIERS TO LOW-CARBON ADOPTION SEE PAGES 56-60

BUILDING BACK GREENER AND STRONGER

HOW DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS HAS BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND FINANCIAL REWARDS INTERVIEW

POLITICS

JG PEARS IS REAPING BENEFITS OF INVESTING IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY

QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SURVEY RESULTS POINT TO A TOUGH TIME AHEAD

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THE FIRST WORD

CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2022

NEWS UPDATE 4

MEMBER NEWS Recognition for cancer charity

22 APPOINTMENTS Eight promotions at business adviser

THE BIG INTERVIEW n our last edition of Business Network, we looked at the impact of twin crises in the cost of doing business and cost of living, as well as how firms are responding. With energy bills one of the biggest drivers of these pressures, this is a primary target for any organisation trying to give themselves a little wriggle room by reducing overheads.

The means used range from installing energy-saving LED lightbulbs to bigger investments that enable them to generate their own electricity or lower operational energy demands. This leads us onto the topic of this issue – sustainable business, which refers not only to those reducing their environmental impact but ensuring they are financially secure for decades to come.

A great example is JG Pears, the rendering firm that recycles animal by-products into premiumquality goods such as animal feed, biofuel and fertiliser. It has installed a biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant at its factory, near Newark, which turns some of the unusable material into renewable energy – improving its carbon footprint and business resilience.

Richard Laxton, sustainability lead at the company named Nottinghamshire Business of the Year by the Chamber in 2021, explains in our big interview (p25) why it has taken this approach and what impact this has had. Not every business is in a position to embrace the sustainability agenda so wholeheartedly, of course. Speakers at the Chamber’s Sustainability Summit discussed barriers to adoption, such as access to green finance and skills.

Our focus feature (p56) summarises the ideas to improve engagement, while showcasing more examples of East Midlands companies making progress in the green economy and signposting to low-carbon business support. We also analyse what the Green Growth Trends in the East Midlands 2022 study produced by the Chamber and University of Derby shows about engagement among the manufacturing and services industries on p47.

For readers unsure of where to start, there is a raft of suitable content throughout this edition, including articles about practical and high-impact methods for cutting emissions (p9), reducing a website’s carbon footprint (p14), advice on plastic packaging tax (p74) and considering sustainable travel when organising events (p81).

This only scrapes the surface and our Sustainable East Midlands initiative will continue to offer advice and case studies to help our region’s businesses become more environmentally and financially sustainable. For more information, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

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25 Richard Laxton, safety, health, environmental and sustainability manager at JG Pears 30 STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS Morningside Pharmaceuticals acquired

by Aspire Pharma 32 CHAMBER NEWS East Midlands Chamber named UK’s best Chamber of Commerce

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS 46 How sustainable are the East Midlands’ Top 500 Companies?

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 48 Local international traders in the spotlight

POLITICS 50 Latest QES shows Government must act

FEATURES 52 DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES Marketing tips for service businesses 55 What’s the big idea? Digital marketing for SMEs 56 FOCUS FEATURE We're in the decade of action - but what's holding businesses back?

62 BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE How to unlock your trapped cash

Dan Robinson, Editor, Business Network

64 Navigating to exit a business in uncertain times

TRAINING & EVENTS 68 Picture special from this year’s Enterprising Women Awards

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

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73 LEGAL Being prepared for the EV revolution

70 Upscaler project sows Seeds for growth

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78 PROPERTY Old buildings must be part of green future 80 MOTORING We test drive the Kia EV6 Air 81 INFORMATION Making events greener with sustainable travel

COMMENT 82 THE LAST WORD Chamber president Lindsey Williams discusses the sustainability agenda November 2022 business network

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MEMBER NEWS

Station’s community space arrives on time Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has completed a £10,000 project to modernise its Whistlestop Classroom facility at Matlock Bath railway station and made it a communal space.

The project, funded with £5,000 from East Midlands Railway and match-funded with £5,000 from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, has transformed the space from a dated children’s classroom into a modern, well-equipped learning and event space for all ages.

During the pandemic, the trust witnessed the benefits of connecting with nature on people’s wellbeing. With this in mind, it wanted to create a space for multiusers, adults and children, to learn

about nature or be near nature.

The interiors have been redecorated in a neutral scheme with newly-built integrated storage to keep children’s crafts and equipment tidied away, and a 65inch television that can be used for presentations and teaching.

A new kitchen area has been added to enable users to prepare their own refreshments or to serve catering provided by the neighbouring Whistlestop Café.

Nature Tots sessions have restarted at the venue and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust will use the space to train schools and nursery staff to gain qualifications in Forest School and outdoor learning.

Planters prove to be blooming great Water-saving planters manufactured by a Derbyshire company helped councils, gardeners and horticulturalists to maintain floral displays during this summer’s drought.

The self-watering planters, which are made by Alfreton-based company Amberol, are specially designed to conserve water.

The containers have a built-in water reservoir below the compost with a series of capillaries to “suck up” the water, which is then evenly dispersed via an expander pad.

As the water is stored under the compost, it doesn’t evaporate in warmer conditions. This means that even in the hottest, driest season, hanging baskets and containers need only be watered once or twice a week, saving on both water and maintenance.

Amberol commercial manager Steve Parker said: “The plants are able to access water and nutrients as and when needed, so using selfwatering containers also helps to ensure optimal growth. This is particularly important during drought conditions.”

This summer, England had its driest July since 1935, and just 10% of the usual rainfall and drought conditions were predicted to last until October, according to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

To mitigate the impact of potential hosepipe bans, like the ones enforced in the south of England, Amberol’s customers were able to purchase a range of selfwatering planters, including 4

business network November 2022

Amberol’s water-saving planters helped in the drought

hanging baskets, large floor standing planters, wood effect barrels and tiered containers.

“We were extolling the virtues of Amberol’s self-watering planters to the RHS Britain in Bloom judges on their recent visit,” said Draycott in Bloom group volunteer Ali Bowley, who has been using the planters for the past few years.

“We’re not sure where we’d be without them, especially this year.

Adapting our planting to include more succulent plants combined with the use of self-watering planters has been a win-win situation regarding watering requirements this year.”

Charity praised for providing community help Leicestershire charity Hope Against Cancer has been recognised for its contribution to the community by Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire Mike Kapur.

Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire Libbie Turnbull visited the cancer research charity’s head office in September to deliver the award on behalf of the Lord Lieutenant, commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

Hope Against Cancer has worked for almost 20 years to fund a number of significant initiatives in collaboration with the

University of Leicester and the Leicester hospitals. It has seedfunded a number of research projects, which have gone on to gain national and international recognition as breakthroughs in the fight against cancer.

It also funds the Hope Cancer Trials Centre at Leicester Royal Infirmary, where thousands of patients living with cancer have been offered new pathways to better outcomes, improved quality of life and even survival of different cancers.

To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Lord

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MEMBER NEWS

Composites manufacturer is a hero for zero

Guests celebrated their sector at Mercure Grand Hotel Leicester

Awards honour Leicestershire’s ‘real-life heroes’

From left: Barbara North, claims and administration manager at Hope Against Cancer, Libbie Turnbull, Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire, and Nigel Rose, CEO of Hope Against Cancer

Lieutenant instigated his own community and business award for 70 deserving organisations within Leicestershire. The accolades recognised and celebrated the achievements of those organisations, which had done something exceptional and positive for their communities.

CEO Nigel Rose said: “The Platinum Jubilee celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s lifetime of service and achievements on behalf of the nation, and it is all we can now do to dedicate ourselves to further achievement in her memory.”

The winners have been revealed of the annual Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) Awards – after hundreds of “real-life heroes” were nominated.

The charity awards, which are backed by headline sponsor Morningside Pharmaceuticals, celebrate the people and organisations that offer community support services throughout Leicestershire and Rutland.

The sell-out event in September attracted more than 220 guests in the Grand Hall at Leicester’s Mercure Grand Hotel.

Kevin Allen-Khimani, executive manager for public sector contracts and projects at VAL, said: “It was fantastic to see the calibre and number of nominations for the 2022 VAL Awards. The past two years has seen unprecedented pressure and stresses on our charity and voluntary sector here in Leicestershire and Rutland, so it has been a wonderful opportunity to come together again and celebrate their achievements and hard work.”

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, chairman of Morningside Pharmaceuticals, added: “Having a vibrant and inspirational charity and voluntary sector in our county is an essential component of a successful society – and precisely why Morningside Pharmaceuticals is proud to support.

“The awards are an incredible opportunity to allow us to take a moment to reflect and recognise the inspiring people and organisations that work diligently behind the scenes to support our community.”

WINNERS OF THE VAL AWARDS 2022 City Charity of the Year Eyres Monsell Club for Young People County Charity of the Year Hope Against Cancer Rutland Charity of the Year Rutland Clothing Bank Social Enterprise of the Year Action Trust – Action Homeless Volunteer-Led Organisation of the Year We Care UK Trustee of the Year Ian Knight – Menphys Volunteer of the Year Praful Thakrar – Shreeji Dham Haveli Inspiring Leader of the Year Dr Iris Lightfoote – The Race Equality Centre Lifetime Achievement Award (joint winners) The late Kathryn Burgess – CALS (Community Advice and Law Service) Priya Thamotheram – Highfield Centre Charity of the Year Eyres Monsell Club for Young People

A Derby composites firm has been shortlisted for a national net zero award for its pioneering work to find a more sustainable composite manufacturing process.

Composite Braiding, based in the iHub at Infinity Park, is in the running for the Sustainability Award – NetZero Initiative from Composites UK, the trade association for the composites industry.

Last year, the company scooped the Innovation in Composite Materials category at the same awards for its work developing lightweight, antimicrobial grab poles for use in public transport.

This year, it’s been shortlisted for devising a lower-carbon manufacturing process for structural composites, which also enables higher production volumes and lower costs. The initiative was part-funded by an Innovate UK loan.

Managing director Steve Barbour (pictured) said: “We’re very pleased to have been shortlisted for another Composites UK award this year, particularly as this one recognises composites solutions that contribute significantly to decarbonisation efforts — and this is the key challenge facing our world right now.”

The firm has developed a manufacturing process that reduces energy consumption by up to 99%, compared to traditional processes, and uses tooling that’s 50% lighter and made from less material.

On top of the decarbonisation benefits, the team’s new process and tooling means they can produce composite parts in minutes instead of hours, enabling them to increase volumes and reduce costs.

“This is a game-changing capability,” said Steve. “If this process is adopted by multiple users, which is our aim, it will help deliver decarbonisation at scale. We are already talking to third parties about broadening the awareness and availability of our capabilities to multiple sectors.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Retiree Jeff earns his bus pass after 50 years’ service Trentbarton and Kinchbus managing director Jeff Counsell will retire in February after 24 years with the company and almost half a century in the bus industry.

In March, trentbarton group commercial director Tom Morgan will step up to the new role of managing director (buses), overseeing parent company Wellglade’s entire bus operation.

Jeff started as a 15-year-old engineering apprentice at Lancashire United Transport in the 1970s. He joined trentbarton in 1999 as engineering director and progressed to director of service delivery before becoming managing director in 2009.

His role directing both operations and engineering also encompassed the two companies’ relationships with national and local government, an aspect which has been of prime importance during Covid-19 and beyond.

Jeff said: “Throughout my years, the industry has seen many opportunities and challenges including deregulation, recessions and the pandemic. But our industry is all about people, and our people at trentbarton and Kinchbus always pull together.

Derek made an Academy fellow Professor Derek McAuley (pictured) has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition of his work translating technology research into innovation, business value and real-world impact.

The Royal Academy of Engineering elected 72 leading figures in the field of engineering and technology to its fellowship.

Derek is professor of digital economy in the School of Computer Science and director of Horizon, a research institute funded through the UKRI Digital Economy programme.

His research has contributed to many areas of computer systems engineering, including optical networking, internet technologies, operating systems and distributed systems.

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Jeff Counsell

“It’s a great team – from the bottom to the top. Our frontline staff are always impressive. Our drivers, engineers, everyone, they never flinch from the challenges.”

Tom’s new role will cover the commercial, operational and external relations activities of Wellglade’s bus companies.

He joined in 2009 to work on the Nottingham Tramlink project and has subsequently been trentbarton’s assistant operations manager for Derby and the general manager at Kinchbus.

Tom added: “I’m very grateful to Jeff for his guidance and faith since

‘Our industry is all about people’ bringing me into the business, and for the chances to progress in my career. I’m incredibly excited about what lies ahead.”

Meanwhile, trentbarton has resumed its services to a new bus station at Nottingham’s Broad Marsh.

The new station welcomes buses and customers from skylink Nottingham, skylink express, rushcliffe villager, mainline, the Keyworth, the cotgrave and its sister operator’s Kinchbus 9.

More than 250 trentbarton and Kinchbus services a day will call at the bus station in Canal Street.

Iwona wins top national accolade Iwona Lebiedowicz (pictured) has won Business Woman of the Year at the Nachural Signature Awards 2022.

The managing director of PAB Languages was presented with the award at a black-tie event in London, which was attended by more than 500 business leaders.

As well as running the linguistic services firm, Iwona is a director and trustee of Centrepoint Outreach, a charitable organisation working with homeless and vulnerable people.

During the pandemic, she offered the services of the PAB Languages team free of charge. It ensured key health messages were translated from English into foreign languages to protect non-English speaking individuals and those for whom English is a second language.

Iwona said: “We were so excited to even be nominated for a Signature Award in two categories, but to come away with the award on the night is just incredible.”

Gauge tool solution for surgeons A medical accessory designed by Loughborough-based Bennett Engineering Design Solutions is set to be used in operating theatres around the world.

The company has been working with medical professionals at Kings College London for the past 20 years to help solve “niggles” in their working environment.

In response to practitioners having to find a strap or use an ineffective clip to attach Tyco-style pressure gauges to medical equipment, Bennett Engineering designed a gauge holder that is simpler to position and clean.

The gauge holders have now been sold to UK hospitals and exported to an Australian company, where they have proven popular due to their ease of use. The securing rings can also be sterilised, making the accessory more hygienic than alternative methods.

To create the product, surgical perfusionists, who help maintain blood flow to the body’s tissues during an operation, were consulted on how it would make the job more efficient.

Managing director and owner John Bennett said: “Having designed these gauges quite a few years ago now, it’s been a real team effort in getting this project moving so we could supply the UK market as well as some overseas orders.

“The effort has focused on using our engineering and marketing

skills within the team to find the best production method, materials, packaging and user guidance.

We’re now ready to push this product range and our engineering abilities to help solve complexities in the medical environment from the years of experience we’ve quietly built up.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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Team-up is a real Treat for doughnut lovers Confectioners join the dark side

Derby-based doughnut maker Project D has teamed up with Nottingham sweet company Treat Kitchen to combine the best of both products.

The partnership was officially launched in October at Treat Kitchen’s flagship store, in Nottingham’s Victoria Centre.

The occasion was marked by a giveaway of 500 free doughnuts, which were gone within the first hour and saw customers queueing to the doors of the main centre.

Thousands more were sold during the first full week of trading.

Project D has specially crafted the doughnuts for its new permanent Nottingham concession to include Treat Kitchen’s wide range of confectionery products.

The partnership agreement includes the sale of Project D’s vegan doughnut recipe, designed to complement the sweet manufacturer’s own “gourmet” vegan confectionery range.

Max Poynton, operations director at Project D and a winner of the Generation Next Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2021, said: “Project D has proved insanely popular with the public every time we’ve held an

Mini robot helps children with ASD

Trailer idea is thinking outside the box

A product design and technology graduate from Loughborough University has launched an interactive robot that helps children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Ben Powell has designed the hand-sized robot to teach children with ASD about emotions and social appropriateness.

Named Orbit, the robot smiles and encourages users to press a button on its back, reacting with a beaming smile if pressed gently, and with a sad face if the interaction is too hard.

Inspired by his own experiences, Ben created Orbit as part of his final year project to allow children with ASD to see emotions in context and develop their social skills independently.

He said: “A common difficulty for children with ASD is that they struggle to socialise with others due to emotional recognition issues. I wanted to create something that will help.”

Colleague Box has unveiled its latest innovation – a converted horse trailer that is available for on-site gifting experiences, celebrations, festivals and events.

The trailer, nicknamed “Tilly”, has been kitted out with a fully-stocked bar, plus a triple fridge to keep stock at the optimum temperature. It’s been given the nickname Tilly by the Colleague Box team.

The Derby-based company – which was awarded a five-star food hygiene rating earlier this year by Derby City Council – has teamed up with local businesses including healthy drinks business So Good Kombucha and Project D. Tilly’s first outing was a wellbeing event for Lister House Surgery Derby before she was taken to Sort Group, based at Derby Conference Centre.

CEO and co-founder Natalie Bamford, the Chamber’s 2021 Business Woman of the Year, said: “While we have seen a lot of interest in corporate events – ideal for those

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event in Nottinghamshire, so the deal with Treat Kitchen is simply fantastic.

“Treat Kitchen holds many of the same values that we do at Project D, and it’s clear that shoppers in Nottingham love the new products.”

…and that includes the Terminator!

Arnold Schwarzenegger was in attendance at an exhibition where Project D sold its protein doughnuts.

It was at last year’s Arnold Sports Festival in Birmingham where the awardwinning firm originally launched the unique protein version of its popular white chocolate and milk chocolate doughnuts.

The treats, which contain 20g of protein in their toppings, were designed as a tasty supplement for body builders, athletes and fitness enthusiasts – just like The Terminator actor.

Max Poynton, operations director at Project D, said: “We were literally inundated with messages from last year’s attendees asking if ‘we’ll be back’. I was delighted to say we will – with even more products than last year, and the biggest event stand we’ve ever built.”

whose workforce has returned to the office – it’s also perfect for occasions such as weddings, baby showers, birthdays and gender reveal parties.

“Sort Group has been a client of ours for a while and the team loved the idea of having Tilly visit their offices.

Treat Kitchen’s parent company TTK Confectionery has launched a partnership with the original stormtrooper licence, unveiling a whole new range of products for stormtrooper fans.

Known for its creative takes on sweet treats to make product stand out, the original stormtrooper licence is a fitting addition to its range and will be sold at the Treat Kitchen store.

The company has transformed the iconic stormtrooper helmet into a Belgian milk chocolate treat.

TTK Confectionery CEO Martin Barnett said: “The stormtrooper character is iconic for so many people and I am immensely proud that my business is now associated with such a legendary licence.”

“Each employee received a Colleague Box, which was covered by a customised Sort Group sleeve.

Inside were personalised gifts such as water bottles and notepads. They also received a drink of their choice and a Project D doughnut decorated with the company logo.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Top tips for cutting your emissions It’s never been more important for businesses to turn their attention to sustainable practices amid rising costs and increased scrutiny.

Charlie Davies (pictured), project manager at Hillside Environmental Services, suggests practical and high-impact methods for organisations can cut emissions.

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITS Start by assessing your current sustainability policies and processes, including measurement of your carbon emissions. Once you understand your environmental impact, you can set targets for improvement and implement systems to address it. An audit should include, as a minimum, emissions from: • Fossil fuel-based electricity, heat, and steam you purchase from the grid • Fossil fuels you burn in-house to provide energy • Company vehicles such as lorries or cars • Third-party suppliers

THERMAL AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY It’s important to ensure building fabric is adequately insulated so you aren’t using more heat than

you need to and can reduce energy required. Likewise, look at your installed systems like heating and lighting to ensure they use as little energy as possible.

Consider becoming ISO14001 and ISO5001 accredited to set up environmental management systems internally and for external stakeholders.

RENEWABLE ENERGY RETROFITS If the capital is available, the biggest reduction of emissions for businesses usually comes from switching to renewable energy sources for heat and power. Retrofit projects require significant outlay but provide great return on investment and can be worked into sensible economic plans.

Installing a ground-source heat pump reduces the amount of energy needed to warm buildings.

You can also install solar panels to produce green energy onsite to power the heat pump, plus lighting and other electrical appliances.

ECONOMIC MODELLING Economic models clarify the investment required to reduce emissions and when it will be repaid over time, particularly for bigger projects like energy retrofits.

Investment options include private green finance programmes and Government grants. Repayment can come via cost reductions through reduced reliance on the grid and by partaking in market trading of energy you produce onsite.

OPTIMISING ENERGY CONSUMPTION Battery storage and smart energy controls allow businesses to store surplus heat and electricity generated on-site via renewable

systems. This results in buildings not needing to wait for the weather to facilitate solar energy and they can become less reliant on the fossil fuel-based grid.

THERE ARE MANY avenues to reducing your emissions and becoming a sustainable business.

The good news is there is always a method to suit your organisation and plenty of advice to guide you.

Consider getting in touch with an environmental consultant who can point you in the right direction.

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MEMBER NEWS

Initiative aims to cut business crime North Notts BID has announced the launch of Industrial Watch – a new safety initiative introduced to help protect businesses in the commercial areas of Bassetlaw district.

Industrial Watch is the latest scheme to be introduced by the North Notts Business Crime Reduction Partnership (NNBCRP) to complement the existing Shop Watch and Pub Watch initiatives in Worksop and Retford town centres.

Membership of the NNBCRP includes business owners, the police, local authority, civic societies and business forums – which all work collaboratively to tackle business crime.

Sally Gillborn (pictured), chief executive at North Notts BID, said: “We want to equip members with the right tools and knowledge through the delivery of initiatives, training and shared insight in the fight against business crime.

“Industrial Watch will help identify crime, safeguard businesses, strengthen measures to reduce impacts and prevent individuals from carrying out criminal acts.”

Bespoke staff survey gives insight into the workplace The Little Survey Company has developed a bespoke staff survey for technical solutions company Coriel – enabling its senior management team to gain insights on workplace culture.

Following the departure of two engineers, Coriel’s chief executive Philip Leslie approached the Bakewell survey provider to gain insights into how the rest of the team felt about their work and the organisation’s culture.

Senior leaders wanted an indepth understanding of employee perspectives and clarify what more they could do to create the right environment to recruit and retain business-critical individuals.

The Little Survey Company developed a bespoke two-stage survey to gather the views and

experiences of the team, beginning with online questions related to employee engagement and workplace wellbeing, followed by comprehensive video call interviews to discuss key areas in more detail.

‘The impact of these valuable, peoplefocused insights is far-reaching’ Participants were reassured that all feedback would be aggregated and remain anonymous, helping them to feel comfortable to share honest feedback.

The survey findings revealed a team that’s proud of the quality of

the products and solutions it deploys, and the calibre of its clients and partners. Team members also enjoy working alongside highly motivated colleagues in a fast-moving company, and feel part of a closeknit team with accessible and approachable leadership.

Anna Johnstone, director at The Little Survey Company, said: “As a result of the survey, Coriel's senior leadership now has an enhanced understanding of what's working well, what needs to improve, and what really matters to the team.

“The impact of these valuable, people-focused insights is farreaching. It has led to changes in how senior leaders engage with team members and shape the culture on a daily basis.”

Wholesale offering is a crafty move Derby-based China Petals has launched a wholesale offering through its website.

Founder of the business Diane Daley, who is based in the University of Derby’s creative industries incubation centre Banks Mill Studios, uses broken, unwanted china and glass to create artwork and personal keepsakes, and sells crafting kits.

Since launching her first kit on Etsy during the first Covid-19 lockdown, Diane has appeared twice on the shopping channel Craft TV and was presented with a Small Business Sunday award by TV Dragon Theo Paphitis. This ultimately led to Diane winning a stand at The Spring Fair, due to take place at the NEC in February 2023.

Diane said: “The kits were really popular, so I started to introduce a few more designs. I now have 13 to choose from and I’m constantly trying out new ones to add to the range.

“It has been a dream of mine for a while to sell China Petals mosaic kits to independent gift shops, garden centres and organisations but I have always been a bit nervous about putting it into reality. I never in a million years would have thought that industry leaders would see the potential in my kits and give me a fantastic opportunity to meet potential stockists at the largest retail trade fair in Europe.”

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Office upgrade a Mutual decision Office fit-out specialist Blueprint Interiors has carried out the refurbishment of Melton Building Society’s Mutual House offices.

Work started in early October to modernise the interior of the well-known building, a landmark passed regularly by commuters travelling along Leicester Road.

There will be no disruption to service during the renovations, which are intended to improve the functionality of the workspace for the building society’s colleagues, and also provide new meeting and event space.

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MEMBER NEWS

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emc-dnl.co.uk/EMComingTogether

The Bradbury Centre in Humberstone Gate

Laptops will help the most needy Data science business Peak Indicators has donated 19 laptops to Chesterfield College to be used by local people who need them most.

The donation follows a recent call from the college to help it close the digital divide as part of the national Laptop for Kids campaign.

Once the laptops have been wiped, the college will work with charities in the area to distribute them to families and groups who don’t have access to a computer or laptop.

Peak Indicators’ managed services team prepared the laptops, ensuring they were donation-ready. The donation is just one initiative in the Chesterfield company’s “Giving Something Back Scheme”.

Managing director Kenneth Neilson said: “I am delighted that we can recycle our laptops in such a way that they will make a huge difference to those that need them most.

This initiative is also a brilliant opportunity to develop the skills of the college’s students, and helps us to contribute and support our local community.”

Resource hub will help elderly in Leicestershire Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland has launched The Bradbury Centre, a dedicated information, advice and carers hub in Leicester city centre.

Located in Humberstone Gate, the centre is a hub for elderly people in the local community to access vital information, advice and support on matters including care and housing, benefit check entitlements, carers’ rights and support.

During the cost-of-living crisis, the centre expects about 200 people to visit each day to request help.

Pensioners are already feeling the pinch and the latest research

from Age UK shows 2.8 million elderly people will be living in fuel poverty this winter despite the winter fuel cap, leaving millions in need of support to face the costs of daily living.

In the past year, about 3,000 people have used the information hub to access telephone, face-toface or online support, and the charity expects to see an increase in demand this winter.

Carol Tattersall, information and advice worker at the charity, said: “Some people are at breaking point. People come in and sometimes they are actually in tears because they don’t know

Academy rewarded for supporting MoD

The Ignys team

Tech firm makes tree-planting pledge Electronics design and software development consultancy Ignys has pledged to plant 30,000 trees by 2030.

The Nottingham company has set a target to plant a tree for every billed day of work.

Working with planting partner moretrees, the scheme sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, protects animals from deforestation, increases biodiversity, and supports communities across Madagascar, Kenya, and Haiti.

Managing director Richard Fletcher said: “As a tech firm, we have to acknowledge our unique responsibility 12

business network November 2022

what to do next. They can’t think of a way to make their ‘ends’ stretch any further.”

To mark the launch, Leicester City Football Club’s chief executive officer Susan Whelan lent her support alongside Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland’s executive director Tony Donovan to officially open the building with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

Tony said: “The hub is a greatly needed resource particularly at this key time, when everyone’s finances are under pressure and older people’s in particular. This new hub will enable us to help even more people this winter.”

in the shaping of our planet’s future.

“We already work on a range of green projects with customers, helping to drive forward the next stage of renewable energy consumption, but we want to do more.

“With this in mind, we’re taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint, while continuing to bring great ideas to life.”

One of the core values of the organisation is “innovation with a heart”, which means the team actively turns down projects that could cause direct harm to people, animals or the environment.

The Youth Enterprise & Employability Academy has been recognised for supporting cadet forces and the wider Armed Forces community.

The Nottinghamshire-based charity has been awarded silver under the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) The ERS Silver Award is the second highest badge of honour presented to organisations that demonstrate their support to the Armed Forces and inspire others to do the same.

Founder, chairman and CEO Kurtis-Jay Castle said: “As a charity, we value the skills that veterans and reservists bring to the table, and more importantly for us it's about enabling them to pass the skills and experiences they’ve got to the young people.”

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MEMBER NEWS

Meet Chesterfield’s finest!

First-time finalists and new independent high street businesses dominated the 2022 Love Chesterfield Awards.

Of the 15 award categories, 10 of the winners were first-time finalists and five of the winning businesses have only opened in the past two years.

A total of 34 businesses, individuals and developments were shortlisted across the 15 categories in the annual awards, but it was Master Debonair, Sicily Restaurant and Great2Grow – part of Great2 – that took the headline awards this year as Retailer of the Year, Restaurant of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year respectively. All three businesses were established in Chesterfield less than 30 months ago.

Sponsored by the Chamber, the Retailer of the Year Award was awarded to menswear store Master Debonair, which opened its Chatsworth Road branch in 2019.

Although the third store for the company, it is the first outside the North East where it also has stores in Sunderland and East Boldon.

CEO Simon Whittaker said: “We’re always looking for new locations that have other

independents around and Chesterfield fitted the bill for us when we decided to invest here.

There were some fantastic independent businesses shortlisted in our category so we’re very humbled to win.”

EastEnders icon and household name Shaun Williamson hosted the sell-out black-tie event organised

by Destination Chesterfield at the Winding Wheel Theatre last month.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, vice-chair of Destination Chesterfield, said: “The finalists and

winners of this year’s Love Chesterfield Awards are testament that our hard work is paying off.

"Since 2013, Destination Chesterfield has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of businesses in our town. Between April 2021 and May 2022, more than 35 independent businesses invested in the town centre. Their confidence in Chesterfield, together with ongoing investment, is helping to ensure that we have a town centre that meets the needs of a new generation of shopper and visitor.”

LOVE CHESTERFIELD AWARDS WINNERS 2022 Best New High Street Business MD Hair Excellence in Customer Service Il Mondo Travel Independent High Street Business Blanc and Blanc Occasions Retailer of the Year Master Debonair Market Trader of the Year Ibbotson’s Fresh Quality Produce Best New Hospitality Business Host Coffee Restaurant of the Year icily Restaurant Café of the Year Koo Pub/Bar of the Year Junction Bar Accessibility Award The Café at Northern Tea Merchants Food Producer of the Year Resting Devil Brewery Regeneration Award Badger Croft (Led by Henry Boot Construction) Apprentice of the Year Will Brooks – Superior Wellness Entrepreneur of the Year Great2Grow – part of Great 2 Group Sustainability Award Northern Tea Merchants

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MEMBER NEWS

How to reduce your website’s carbon footprint Since co-founding Shrinker Digital five years ago, Jalwinder Kang (pictured) has helped organisations to promote themselves to the widest audience possible with the smallest carbon footprint possible. He explains how organisations can reduce their digital carbon footprints through their websites.

Many of us are unaware the internet would be the sixth-largest CO2 emitter in the world if it was a country, with the production of power accounting for around a quarter of all worldwide emissions.

The plain truth is that very few of us consider the internet's significant carbon footprint, when in fact, the production of electricity, which is necessary for operating the internet, produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases that hasten climate change worldwide.

How do organisations typically create a digital carbon footprint?

Companies frequently run websites that are poorly designed, in which energy efficiency was not a primary

consideration when they were created. Websites are now four-times bigger in terms of data size than they were a short time ago as a result.

An ineffective website requires more data to be downloaded and transported across the internet's infrastructure when a user loads it.

This translates to a rise in the heat generated by equipment and structures, which calls for more cooling. More cooling requires more power, which raises expenses, and increases the amount of CO2 pumped into our environment.

What can be done?

Understanding the scale of the problem, through measuring the size of the CO2 emissions that make

up an organisation’s digital carbon footprint, is the most crucial factor.

We provide a thorough analysis of a website’s CO2 carbon footprint. Once the measuring is done, it falls to the website operator to implement the list of improvements that will make the site “leaner and greener”.

However, should you wish to start doing something right away, we recommend choosing a webhosting service that uses renewable electricity and optimising the file sizes of photos on the website’s homepage.

Benefits of reducing your website’s digital carbon footprint Helping the planet to not slide into

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Jalwinder will speak more about how businesses can reduce their digital footprint, and the polluting nature of the internet, at a Chamber sustainability forum on Thursday 10 November. To book a place, visit https://bit.ly/ EMCDigitalFootprint

Encore acquired by global staffing giant

Communications firm continues expansion plans Full-service communications agency Cartwright Communications has expanded into London, following the launch of a Birmingham office earlier this year.

The Nottingham-headquartered firm has opened a base in Farringdon, which will be headed up by marketing director Helen Ansell, alongside PR account manager Hannah Bullock.

Helen said: “Launching Cartwright in London is a momentous milestone for the agency and strategically positions us to better acquire and support leading clients across property and construction, building products, food and beverage, and healthcare sectors.”

Through increased networking and a refined marketing strategy, Cartwright has already secured three clients with a significant presence in London – construction project management consultancy EDGE, construction social value provider Fortem and international luxury desserts restaurant franchise Heavenly Desserts.

The move also provides enhanced regional support to its existing portfolio of national clients, which includes construction firm Willmott Dixon,

a climate disaster is a pretty good reason for doing everything you can to reduce your own and your organisation’s digital carbon footprint.

“Greener and leaner” websites load faster, which helps boosts sales.

Faster sites also lead to improved SEO through Google rankings, improved conversion rates and even an enhanced brand reputation.

Hannah Bullock, account manager (left) and Helen Ansell, marketing director

framework provider Pagabo, potato grower Branston and major Nottingham city regeneration project The Island Quarter.

Managing director Liz Cartwright, an ex-journalist who founded Cartwright Communications in 2006, said: “We have a fantastic ambitious and dynamic agency where strong relationships between the teams and offices are integral to our success, enabling us to consistently punch above our weight and work with internationally-renowned clients across the firm's specialist sectors.”

Encore Personnel has been acquired by one of the world’s largest multinational staffing companies, Gi Group Holding.

With offices in Nottingham, Leicester and Derby, Encore operates in eight other UK locations, as well as across 22 managed service sites, offering temporary and permanent recruitment solutions.

Headquartered in Milan, and with more than 6,000 employees, Gi Group Holding is active in more than 100 countries across the globe.

Pete Taylor (pictured), managing director of Encore Personnel, said: “It was always my preference that should Encore be acquired it would be by a world-class recruitment leader in our sector, that shared our vision and cultural values.”

Stefano Colli-Lanzi, CEO and president of the Gi Group, added: “There are big opportunities for us to achieve synergies and to deliver solutions that truly respond to the increasingly complex needs of the UK market.”

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

Sarah Walker-Smith

Businesses back rebuilding event The parent company of law firm Shakespeare Martineau has supported Anthropy – a brand-new event designed to bring together the nation’s leaders to help build back from the Covid-19 pandemic through a longer-term vision for Britain.

With more than 1,000 senior leaders and influencers from across politics, education and the arts through to global companies and household brands attending, the event aimed to generate practical solutions and policy recommendations to drive positive, socially-responsible economic change.

Legal and professional services group Ampa joined the event, which took place between 2-4 November at the Eden Project in Cornwall, as an official content partner. CEO Sarah Walker-Smith spoke at various sessions throughout the three days, as well as chairing Ampa’s own session.

She said: “With the complex and long-term challenges ahead, changes in business behaviour will be a necessary part of the solution for the economy, society and world, and it is great to see so many organisations and leaders willing to stand up and help solve some of these problems.

“The long-term perspective of business transcends shortterm political considerations and as business leaders, we can – and should – lead the way to ensure business is both purposeful and profitable, benefiting our people, clients, communities and the environment.”

Dozens of luminaries from a wide cross-section of British business, academia and civil society contributed to the event’s expansive agenda, including Eden Project founder Sir Tim Smit; Mayor of London Sadiq Khan; Cobra Beer founder Lord Bilimoria; prima ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell; Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves MP and EY UK managing partner Hywell Ball.

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business network November 2022

PR company launches new service for local start-ups Public relations agency 1284 has launched a new service aimed at innovative East Midlands start-ups.

1284START combines premium PR expertise with AI software to offer affordable campaigns for purposeful emerging businesses.

It completed its first project – with the James Dyson Awardwinning medtech company ACT Medical – before having officially launched in October.

1284 director George Oliver is now in talks with other well-known local start-ups and social entrepreneurs about campaigns for their brands.

“My goal in founding 1284 back in the summer of 2020 was to specialise in communications relating to the East Midlands innovation sector,” he said.

“After working on strategic projects with Leicestershire Innovation Board, Leicestershire Innovation Festival, and other experienced change leaders,

George Oliver

1284START moves us further towards that goal by formalising our offer of tactical PR for startups.’”

Development of 1284START was supported by a growth grant from the LLEP Business Gateway Growth Hub. It contributed 35% towards

George’s investment in equipment and software needed to improve productivity.

George, a former newspaper editor, has also created a free PR Essentials for New Businesses in the East Midlands guide that can be downloaded on 1284’s website.

Law team helps secure licence deal

Ex police chief joins ‘Judge’ for TV show A former police chief from Derby who has worked on high-profile cases in the UK is to return to the interrogation room – on a brandnew TV programme featuring Robert “Judge” Rinder.

Kul Mahay, who spent more than 30 years working for Derbyshire Constabulary before setting up a business specialising in leadership and emotional intelligence, has joined the Good Morning Britain host for a 10-part series called Rob Rinder’s Interrogation Secrets.

Available on Apple TV and Prime, the programme takes a unique look at the battles in the interview room between police and suspects in some of the most disturbing UK criminal cases in recent years.

Experts including Kul, ex-Essex Police detective Paul Maleary and Nottingham’s Darren Stanton – known as “the human lie detector” – analyse police interviews, examine original police footage of interrogations and share their thoughts on cases.

Kul, who develops leaders and people via his company Ignite Your Inner Potential, said: “My role was to analyse the interview process using my experience as a police officer. I was also able to use my current work in emotional intelligence to ‘read’ how the both the police officers and suspects adjusted their language, body movements and emotions throughout the interview process.”

Browne Jacobson’s specialist cleantech law service advised AIM-listed Clean Power Hydrogen Group Limited (CPH2) on its licence agreement with Bentec GmbH, a member of the Kenera business.

Scotland-headquartered Kenera, which is part of KCA Deutag Group, will manufacture CPH2’s unique membrane-free electrolysers from its facility in Bad Bentheim, Germany.

The deal will also provide Kenera with a licence to sell CPH2’s patented electrolysers in Germany, Scotland, Azerbaijan, Denmark and Norway, as well as specified countries the Middle East.

CPH2’s sustainable technology is designed to deliver a modular solution to the green hydrogen production market in a cost-effective, scalable, reliable and longlasting manner.

Browne Jacobson has advised CPH2 on numerous deals, including its project with Northern Ireland Water and its admission to trade on AIM stock market.

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MEMBER NEWS

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MEMBER NEWS

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

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MEMBER NEWS

Covid pandemic taught us some very valuable lessons Last year, SureScreen Diagnostics scooped up four trophies at the Chamber’s Derbyshire Business Awards, including being named Business of the Year for its ground-breaking work in manufacturing Covid-19 lateral flow tests that have been exported across the world. As the awards return this month, director David Campbell (pictured) reflects on the firm’s achievements a year on.

While the 2021 Business Awards feel like yesterday, a lot has happened since then.

Covid-19 brought about huge disruption and challenges for industries across the world, but with hopefully the worst of it behind us now, there are some silver linings.

As Vladimir Lenin famously said, “there are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.”

It felt like this during parts of the pandemic where adoption of new technologies was pushed forward at lightning speed in a bid to tackle the spread of the virus.

This was especially the case with vaccines and testing, which became the two main pillars of the pandemic response.

Lateral flow technology (LFT) itself is not new, and anyone who has ever seen or taken a home pregnancy kit test will have known how they work, but the speed of product development, and the general public’s understanding and

proficiency in using them is new, and something that will live on for a long time to come.

This acceleration in understanding opens the door to achieve a new mindset for healthcare, such as moving away from waiting until you are ill to be seen by the doctor, to more routine, easy-to-use screening tests that can catch issues early before they get serious.

‘Opens the door to achieve a new mindset for healthcare’ SureScreen’s growth has allowed us to develop a platform for the manufacture and development of such tests for the future, thanks to the heavy investment in our £20m production and distribution centre just off junction 27 of the M1.

We are utilising this to develop new innovative products that can help people across the world. A recent example is our 10-minute

Metalfacture wins national accolade

monkeypox LFT tests – similar to the Covid-19 tests everyone is familiar with.

At the height of the pandemic, millions of people used lateral flow tests every day and that high level of usage has demonstrated how easy and effective diagnostic testing can be, meaning that in the future, we may be able to catch issues much earlier by routinely testing – putting us more in control, saving time and the NHS millions of pounds every year.

The Chamber’s 2022 Business Awards begin in Derbyshire on 4 November. Find out more at www.emc-dnl.co.uk/connectingyou/business-awards

A CLEAR step forward for logistics Logistics sector leaders have welcomed the launch of a new training centre supporting the vital supply chains that underpin the UK economy, offering a robust “career ladder” for its workforce.

Speaking at the launch of the Centre for Logistics Education and Research (CLEAR) at real estate firm GLP’s Magna Park development in Lutterworth, the UK Warehousing Association’s CEO Clare Bottle said the sector brings significant opportunities for employees to progress and benefit from engaging careers.

CLEAR is the brainchild of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC), which is working in collaboration with supply chain partner Wincanton and GLP to provide skills training and professional development at all levels across the spectrum of logistics and supply chain roles.

Centre for Logistics Education and Research officially unveiled at Magna Park

Its launch was marked by an event held at Bittesby House in September, where speakers also included Ian Howe, director of logistics for Screwfix.

Marion Plant OBE FCGI, principal and chief executive of NWSLC, said: “Our ambitions for CLEAR are based on offering a holistic one-

Ben JonesFenleigh

stop-shop training service both from its base at Magna Park and also remotely online, enabling a flexible skills pathway tailored to meet the needs of specific businesses and providing individuals with well-defined opportunities to progress their careers.”

A Chamber member was among eight national winners at the British Chambers of Commerce Awards 2022.

Metalfacture, a sheet metal manufacturer based in Wigston, won the Global Player Export Business of the Year category after being commended by judges for “seizing opportunities provided by the international market” and developing a “smart and brave business strategy that is delivering outstanding results”.

It followed its success at the East Midlands Chamber Business Awards 2021, in which it won the Excellence in International Trade, Outstanding Growth Award and Leicestershire Business of the Year categories.

British Chambers of Commerce director-general Shevaun Haviland called Metalfacture an “inspiration to lots of other businesses”, adding: “It has demonstrated significant and sustained international growth through a clear understanding of overseas markets, proving that borders are not a barrier to trade.”

Metalfacture – which produces innovative displays used in shops that increase brand awareness for brands including Heineken, Molston Coors, Asda and Sainsbury’s – recorded an 8,000% growth in one year and its exports to 52 countries comprise almost half of the business.

Chamber members accounted for seven of the eight regional winners in the East Midlands. Alongside Metalfacture, the other six were Maggie’s Nottingham (Problem Solver Award), SureScreen Diagnostics (Rapid Riser), Precision Facilities Management (Workforce Developer), White Peak Distillery (Game Changer), TTK Confectionery (Community Champion) and emh group (Equality Trailblazer).

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MEMBER NEWS

MEMBER FOCUS: LT VA SERVICES Location: Matlock, Derbyshire Number of employees: Four Spokesperson: Lisa Tennant, CEO

Tell us what your company does?

The business was started in a testing phase in 2020, and in September 2021, LT VA Services was incorporated as a limited company. We provide virtual assistants to business owners to allow them to delegate the jobs they don’t need to do themselves, freeing them up to concentrate on where they are needed most, and giving them back time to grow their business.

Who are your main customers?

We work with any size company, from people on their own to well-established corporates. Our clients are usually looking for us to fulfil a role.

We may work as the executive assistant to a CEO of a medium enterprise, or the office manager of a marketing agency.

Often, we work with individual business owners who need support with admin, email and diary support, social media management, invoicing, and content writing.

I ran a business from 2004 to 2014 which I sold, and in that time, I failed to delegate. I understand how hard it is for business owners to let go – therefore, we offer a budget-friendly, flexible approach, aiming to walk beside our clients on their business journey. We ebb and flow with them, allowing free cancellation, downgrades and even pausing plans to adapt to the business needs.

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

As the CEO, I work with several clients and manage the small team of virtual assistants (VA) that we are building on. As new clients come in, I work to match them with the right VA for their needs.

I work on the business growth and future goals, and offer support and training to our VAs, all of whom have their own businesses. For me, it’s not about competition, it’s about collaboration, and working together to bring the best skills and knowledge we can to our client base.

Team work translates to industry award win

A well-established Derbyshire business that supports exporters to communicate effectively in foreign markets is celebrating an award win for the second time.

Peak Translations, based in Whaley Bridge, won Project Management Team of the Year 2022 at the annual ATC Language Industry Awards. The awards, hosted by the Association of Translation Companies, seek to recognise and celebrate 20

business network November 2022

Helen Provart (right) receives the award from Ruth Partington, chair of the ATC

excellence in the language services profession.

The company first scooped the award in 2018, and since then, the project management team has grown from two to four members, with one of the 2018 winners now heading up the team.

Managing director Helen Provart said: “Our whole team is committed to going the extra mile for our clients and to be recognised for its hard work is extremely rewarding.”

What challenges have you faced in recent times and how have you tried to overcome them?

The hardest challenge is getting new customers.

The VA world is a saturated market and it’s important to be heard above the noise.

I work hard on actively marketing the business using every method available, including traditional magazine advertising, social media adverts, direct mail, leaflets, and newsletter campaigns. We have also struggled to find the software needed to further develop the business but with the help of the Chamber, we have secured a £2,000 growth fund towards developing the software we need.

What are the company’s plans for the future?

We plan to build a fully remote team, employing account managers to take care of VAs and the clients they work for as we grow. We aim to offer our services in the UK, USA and Australia.

I’m also working on plans towards a net zero business, which I believe can be more achievable by building a business that is completely remote.

Most importantly, I want to help business owners to grow their businesses and to find the balance between work and family, by showing them that delegating doesn’t have to be scary.

How have you engaged with the Chamber’s membership benefits to support your business activity?

I have been a member since May 2022 and have found it to be amazing. The community is incredible, and I can’t believe how much support is available – the value of what you get back compared to the membership cost is unbelievable.

I’ve been on many courses, attended lots of networking events and taken advantage of projects, such as support from ScaleUp 360. I always recommend Chamber membership to anyone I meet.

NEW MEMBERS In September, the Chamber welcomed 18 new members: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

AP Metalising Ltd Auditel Battlefront Miniatures Europe Limited Brain Tumour Research Bulb Studios Canine Partners Carers Federation Limited Community Home Solutions Ltd Dawn Wesselby Art Down to Earth Derby CIC Elmhurst Energy Services Ltd Blue Lion Training Academy Limited Gide Loyrette Nouel Logezy Ltd Pointer Solutions Ltd Regency Source Ltd Roberts Travel Group WatchPilot

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MEMBER NEWS

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APPOINTMENTS

East Midlands trainees, from left: Tait Grundy, Sarah Johnson, Abigail Lynch and Sophie Plant

Sanjeev Batra and James Alger

Law firm welcomes two regional leaders Law firm BRM has named two new regional heads of real estate to lead the teams at its Sheffield and Chesterfield offices.

Director James Alger has been appointed as head of real estate for BRM’s Sheffield office, with director Sanjeev Batra the new head of real estate at Chesterfield.

Having re-joined BRM in 2019, James is an experienced commercial property lawyer, who has contributed to the BRMs continued growth and success.

Sanjeev specialises in acquisitions, sales and leasebacks, disposals, security transactions and landlord and tenant issues.

Adrian Sheehan, head of real estate at BRM, said: “These are well deserved promotions for two of the most highly regarded Real Estate lawyers in the region. If gives great pride to see them both evolve into market leaders during their time at BRM.”

Trainees with bright future Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed 11 trainees – its largest ever cohort – including four in the East Midlands.

Abigail Lynch, Sarah Johnson, Tait Grundy and Sophie Plant have joined the firm, and will be based in its Nottingham and Leicester hubs.

Kiran Kaushal, Katie Parker, Helen Rowland, Lucy Feghhi and Sophie Roberts will be based in the West Midlands, primarily in Birmingham.

Camilla Uppal will be working from Shakespeare Martineau’s London hub, while Joseph Shields is the firm’s first Scottish trainee and will be based in Edinburgh. The trainees will undertake four six-month seats in a variety of specialist practice areas across

the firm, including real estate finance, commercial property, education, social housing and litigation.

Emily Cupi, early ambitions development adviser at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “We are delighted to welcome 11 trainees to the firm across a variety of regions, including our first in Scotland, and we are committed to ensuring they receive the very best start to their legal careers.

“We firmly believe in investing in our people to ensure we have the skills and talent necessary to drive the firm’s future organic growth. I look forward to watching them grow and develop as lawyers in their time with us, and I am excited to see what the future holds for them.”

Kwaku Kwarteng, Francesca Curry and Muhammad Anas

Nigel named to key position at Addooco Chesterfield-based Addooco has appointed Nigel Mallender (pictured) as head of sales and marketing.

Nigel joins the managed IT, cloud and communications provider to assist with its next phase of growth, and brings with him more than 20 years’ experience in the IT solutions sector.

He said: “Having worked for my previous employer for nearly 24 years it felt like the right time for a new challenge and change.

“It was through a chance meeting with head of operations Paul Walters that I learnt of this position and Addooco’s ambitious plans for the future. I’m very much looking forward to being part of the team and I’m confident this will prove a great fit for all.”

Managing director Richard Walters added: “Nigel is an experienced individual and a people person, who appreciates the importance of building relationships and developing a client base.”

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The eight promoted staff at Duncan & Toplis

Promotions reflect growth for adviser Experts in business, law and assurance have secured senior roles at Duncan & Toplis, one of the East Midlands’ biggest accountants and business advisers.

Leading the eight high-profile promotions, Alison Smith, Chris Wright, Daniel Smithson and Mark Foster have been appointed as business services directors at the group’s Boston, Stamford, Newark and Grantham offices, respectively.

Rachel Rudkin has been appointed assurance director at the Newark office, and Amy Codd, who is known for her time serving as chair of the Newark Business Club, has also been promoted to director of legal services.

Meanwhile, Vanessa McConnell, who works at the company’s Melton Mowbray office, and Chris Bradford, based at the Grantham office, have been promoted as business services associates.

Managing director Adrian Reynolds said: “These eight promotions reflect the incredible growth of Duncan & Toplis, despite the varied impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and other external factors affecting the wider UK economy.

“This is a real accolade for our company. It speaks to the incredible drive and sheer vigour of our growing team and it’s our responsibility to ensure that talent is recognised and nurtured for the benefit of businesses across the East Midlands.”

In recent years, Duncan & Toplis has grown to become the UK's 34th largest accountancy and business adviser, and the past year has seen further expansion with the launch of new services.

Blueprint adds three staff to support team Workplace consultant and commercial office fit-out specialist Blueprint Interiors has strengthened its support team following the appointment of two apprentices and a quantity surveying graduate.

Joining the firm is preconstruction assistant Kwaku Kwarteng, accounts apprentice Muhammad Anas and project administrator apprentice Francesca Curry.

The appointments are part of the firm’s commitment to supporting the education of young people and preparing them for their chosen career.

Operations director Rachel Biddells said: “We recognise the benefits that come from investing in young talent.

“They have already had a huge impact by bringing in new ideas and approaches and this insight helps to ensure we remain at the forefront of understanding the needs of future generations in the workplace.”

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APPOINTMENTS

Three new directors elected to board of LLEP Three new directors have been welcomed onto the board of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

The trio were announced during the well-attended annual general meeting at City Hall in Leicester in September.

They will be among 19 LLEP directors tasked with making decisions relating to the delivery of the objectives and outcomes set out in the economic growth strategy.

The new directors, who take up their roles after a public recruitment exercise during the summer, are Gosia Khrais, commercial and marketing director at Charnwood Campus, Jo Tallack, senior general manager at Highcross Leicester and Glynis Wright MBE, partner at law firm Nelsons.

The board are ambassadors for Leicestershire at local, national and international level. The roles are unpaid and last for a minimum term of three years.

Former LLEP chair and RSM UK Leicester managing partner Kevin

Baroness Martha Lane-Fox CBE

Baroness Lane-Fox is BCC president From left: Glynis Wright MBE, Jo Tallack and Gosia Khrais

Harris and Jaspal Singh Minas, who served as president of the Leicestershire Asian Business Association (LABA) and led the formation of the National Asian Business Association, stepped down from the board and were each recognised for their work over the past eight years.

LLEP co-chair Anil Majithia said: “We thank Kevin and Jaspal for their commitment and leadership since 2014 and also welcome Gosia, Jo and Glynis to the LLEP board.

“Each is a well-known and respected local leader with a deep knowledge of their sector and of regional and national networks.”

Mo Suleman

Entrepreneur and business leader Baroness Martha LaneFox CBE has been elected the new president of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

Baroness Lane-Fox was elected by representatives of the accredited Chamber network at the BCC’s annual general meeting last month.

She will succeed Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE as president, whose two-year term came to an end in accordance with the BCC Articles of Association.

‘I know first-hand the challenges firms are up against right now’

Enterprising Women Female Employee of the Year winner Karen Miles with Scarlett Tinsley

Scarlett on the up at ER Recruitment Scarlett Tinsley has been promoted to business and marketing manager at Leicester-based ER Recruitment.

The promotion comes shortly after Scarlett celebrated seven years at the recruitment firm, where she joined as a marketing intern on a part-time basis while at De Montfort University (DMU).

During her time in her prior role as brand and marketing executive, Scarlett has been instrumental in raising the brand’s profile and engagement.

Mo takes up finance role at Bloc Digital Digital technology specialist Bloc Digital has welcomed Mo Suleman as finance director.

The appointment comes as the Derby company embarks on its next phase of growth and development, expanding its reach across the digital visualisation and creative technology sector.

Mo joins the business after nine years as director of resources at the culture and heritage charitable trust, Derby Museums.

He said: “Bloc Digital epitomise what Derby is about – innovation, ambition and doing great things in the community. Bloc Digital is on an exciting journey and I hope that, with my expertise and previous experiences, I can help them achieve its strategic and financial aims.”

Bloc Digital supports business, industry, academia and tourism through its six specialist studios – creative, media, technology, engineering, arch viz and learning. Co-founder Keith Cox said: “Growth across sectors has been our pathway for a number of years. We’re delighted to have Mo’s wealth of experience, Derby connections and strategic vision on board as we shape the next chapter of our plans.”

Baroness Lane-Fox cofounded Europe’s largest travel and leisure website, lastminute.com in 1998. She is a passionate internet activist and was a digital champion for the UK from 2009 to 2013, helping to create the Government Digital Service.

She is a director of Twitter and chair of WeTransfer, and she co-founded and chairs LuckyVoice, which has revolutionised the karaoke industry. She is the chancellor of the Open University and was also made a crossbench peer in the House of Lords in 2013.

Baroness Lane-Fox said: “Having founded and run my own businesses, I know first-hand the challenges firms are up against right now.

Chambers provide invaluable support to ensure they can expand, invest and trade, and I look forward to helping British businesses thrive.”

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Making the circular economy go round Sustainability is embedded in the DNA of JG Pears, which over the past 50 years has pioneered environmentally-friendly practices in processing animal byproducts and food waste. Modern technology means the Chamber’s incumbent Nottinghamshire Business of the Year now turns material that would otherwise be sent to incinerators or landfill into products such as animal feed and biofuels. Safety, health, environmental and sustainability manager Richard Laxton takes Dan Robinson on a tour of its green energypowered factory just outside Newark.

“Waste not, want not” may as well feature on signage at the entrance to JG Pears’ factory, given how this catchphrase runs through just about everything the company does.

Whether it’s rendering animal byproducts into animal feed and fertiliser, or repurposing the waste this principal part of the business can’t use into renewable energy to power operations, “use it, don’t lose it” is another favourite four-worder that summarises the philosophy.

Even the water evaporated from the byproducts is reused where possible before being safely returned to the environment, packaging is recyclable and intermediate bulk containers carrying animal fats are brought back for reuse.

This is all part of a commitment to instilling the circular economy – which deploys sustainable business processes to lengthen the lifecycle of resources, thus limiting their environmental impact – across every aspect of JG Pears’ operation.

“The circular economy is embedded in our entire ethos,” says Richard Laxton, who is at the forefront of this work as the company’s sustainability lead.

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“Our idea is waste not, want not – making sure we can put a use to everything.

“It’s not a linear stream of taking a product or raw material and processing it, then chucking it out at the other end. Instead, we think about how we can get materials going round and round.

“By keeping resources in use for as long as possible, it means the carbon and resources required to rear animals for the human food chain are minimised, and the nutrients are kept within the animal feed chain. So the ambition is that nothing should be wasted in what we do.”

A University of Illinois-led study in 2021 reported that global food production is responsible for a third of all greenhouse gases, with meat accounting for 57% of the industry’s carbon footprint.

There have never been so many eyes on agriculture and yet there are many blind spots for the general public, business and government.

It’s unlikely the average consumer tucking into a roast chicken dinner will have at the front of their mind the route taken to deliver their meal, but rarer still do we contemplate what happens to the animal parts that don’t go into human consumption.

‘We’re one of those hidden industries but we’re a vital cog in the food chain’ Indeed, for every kilogram of meat that is consumed, there is almost a corresponding kilogram of inedible meat by-product that must be treated in a safe, bio-secure manner. More than 50 billion kilograms of these inedible byproducts are generated by the UK food industry annually, of which the rendering industry processes 30 billion kilograms.

Modern rendering techniques turn poultry and meat production wastes into a wide variety of everyday products. At JG Pears – which renders a third of chicken by-products in the UK – these include premium-quality meals, oils and fats sold as animal feed, biofuel and fertiliser.

“People don’t understand what we do,” says Richard. “We’re one of those hidden industries

One of the company’s latest collection trucks

but we’re a vital cog in the food chain. If we stopped, the entire poultry processing industry would stop too, because there’s nothing they would be able to do with the waste – it can’t go into landfill.

“We’re at the cutting edge of this process but it’s something we have always just got on with.

We only recently realised what we do is pretty amazing, so we think it’s time to share our story.”

THE CONCEPT OF rendering animal by-products – carcasses and body parts – from the meat and livestock industry is by no means new. The process involves a cooking or drying process that destroys harmful micro-organisms.

Separating the fat and protein meal components creates the range of marketable products.

In ancient times, animal skins provided shelter and clothing; the Romans used tallow, or animal fat, to make candles, soaps and grease ox carts; in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was an essential part of make-up.

By the 20th century, it became a widespread practice in the meat industry, but the methods used have progressed significantly in recent years to protect public health, animal health and the environment. Companies involved in the process require certification and approval by organisations including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Environment Agency.

JG Pears’ own story started in 1972, when the Pears family developed a livestock farming business in and around Penistone, South Yorkshire, which remains the head office site.

Richard with commercial manager Vicky Prussia outside the CHP plant

A control centre oversees all aspects of the rendering plant

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As time went on, the family farming business diversified into animal by-product and food waste collection services. The company, still family-owned, has grown both organically and by acquisitions, with two by-product processing plants added to the group’s portfolio in recent years to fully internalise the end-to-end collection and processing services.

The group now collects, transports and processes more than 10,000 tonnes of animal material per week. While all this takes place in the UK, about 80% of its products are exported around the world for uses such as biofuels, pet food and aqua culture feeds. The company employs about 420 people, including 200 at the largest factory in Low Marnham, just outside Newark, where Business Network takes a tour

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New investment is constantly being made into JG Pears' plant and machinery

Tallow being loaded for biodiesel processing

with Richard and commercial manager Vicky Prussia. It also has a site in Market Harborough known as The Bone Works.

“Rendering is an age-old industry but where we’ve effectively taken it is into the 21st century is in what we can do with the products and handling the volumes,” says Richard.

“If you think about the amount of meat that’s eaten nowadays, the old methods of boiling in open pans just wouldn’t work.

“So the sector has developed into an industrial scale, but at the same time added all the best techniques to minimise odour and improve efficiency while making a valuable product.

“Fundamentally, that’s what we’ve been doing for the past 50 years, but if you look at the technology we use, it’s changed so much.”

Each year, the company invests significant sums of money into plant and machinery, including the recent arrivals of a sensor-based plastics removal and advanced metal detection systems. A multi-million pound feather processing line is being installed at Low Marnham, where a new centralised operations control room is also located.

New technology also includes modern processing equipment that processes material to prevent protein from degrading and can manipulate product specifications to meet pet feed industry needs. Much of the process is now automated but one minor complaint for Richard is there are no domestic manufacturers of the relevant technology, which is typically made in Denmark.

The JG Pears senior team collecting the Nottinghamshire Business of the Year Award

BUSINESS AWARDS AND GOVERNMENT NEEDS After JG Pears was crowned the Chamber’s Nottinghamshire Business of the Year last year, Richard hopes the recognition will now spread across the industry.

The trophy, which was complemented by the Environmental Impact Award at last year’s Business Awards, sits proudly in a glass frame in the visitor entrance at the company’s Low Marnham site.

“It was a case of looking at what we’ve done here and realising we have a good story to tell – particularly regarding the circular economy – which is what prompted us to apply for the Business Awards,” says Richard.

“Winning Business of the Year has definitely raised our profile as a company.

We also hope it will increase visibility for the whole industry and showcase how we’re at the leading edge of what it’s doing.”

Among the visitors who have seen the award are DEFRA representatives, who recently visited to get a better understanding of the rendering process.

Richard says there are a lot of misconceptions about what it involves due to its nature and history as a localised industry associated with nearby abattoirs.

As evolving food hygiene standards prompted a move towards large professional slaughterhouses serving wide geographies, rendering has also become more centralised.

“The rendering industry starts by helping farmers, continues to assist the food industry in the disposal of animal byproducts, and is a little known but essential part of our human food chain,” he says.

“We’re trying to actively work with all the Government agencies to take our industry forward. The whole area of what happens to the food and food by-products that humans don’t eat hasn’t been as high on the agenda, so we’re trying to raise the profile of the great service we’re offering not just to food processors, but to the country by making sure the food they eat is safe.”

Richard points out how in other countries, renderers are helped centrally to collect fallen stock from farms to ensure regular collection, which prevents degradation of the material and minimise other potential issues such as odour and disease risk. In the UK, renderers want to work more closely with Government on this aspect.

The company is currently working for the Government to help in the hygienic and safe disposal of birds from farms affected by avian influenza.

“Avian flu has been something we’ve had to approach and deal with as an industry,” Richard adds.

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burns more than 60,000 tonnes of MBM each year, replacing more than 90% of fossil fuels otherwise used.

MBM is a sustainable alternative fuel with a calorific value of the same magnitude as coal, meaning 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide are saved per year.

The CHP plant produces 90% of the steam requirements of the Low Marnham rendering plant and about 65 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually, with a significant amount of this electricity exported to the National Grid.

Artist's impression of High Marnham Green Energy Park

GROWTH SET TO CONTINUE AT SOLAR FARM The next stage of JG Pears’ sustainability journey involves a major solar farm near its Nottinghamshire factory.

It has proposed to build a solar array on 140 acres of land adjoining the site of the former coal-fired High Marnham Power Station, which operated from 1959 to 2003 and was bought by the company in 2020.

A planning application has been submitted to Bassetlaw District Council for a solar farm with a 43MW generating capacity as part of the company’s plans to create a High Marnham Green Energy Business Park.

The electricity it generates, enough to power 11,400 homes, could be used to power industrial operations on the same site, used by both JG Pears and other occupiers. No core rendering operations will be based there, and would instead store finished products and

trailers. The company, which is awaiting a decision by the council, hosted a public exhibition on the proposed development in April. It told residents the park was its “latest venture to strengthen and diversify” the business by “building and attracting synergistic low and net zero carbon developments”.

Richard says: “We want to effectively turn what used to be a huge fossil fuel site into something that represents what we’re doing as part of the UK’s net zero future.

“Already, we’ve demonstrated this commitment by installing the biomass CHP plant at our Low Marnham site.

“The High Marnham Green Energy Business Park, along with housing a solar farm, would be used for other green technologies such as hydrogen production and battery storage.”

Even road transport is regularly reviewed to bring it up to the latest standards. Its fleet comprises more than 280 trailers, about 40 lorries and over 30 smaller wagons.

Richard says: “Some companies in the food and agricultural industries subcontract to external transport providers but we operate all the supply side transport ourselves so we can maintain control over the material we are bringing in.

“We’ve invested in state-of-the-art tractor units that are fuel-efficient and, in the future, we will likely explore biodiesel or hydrogen. We take material from all over England and Wales, so we’re constantly looking at how we can transport it around the country in the most efficient manner.”

JUST OUTSIDE BRADFORD, a factory operated

by P Waddington & Co – part of the JG Pears Group – renders category one and two animal by-products and fallen stock.

These are the highest risk of three categories and could include carcasses of animals deemed unfit for human consumption, including fallen stock and birds from farms affected by avian influenza.

The meat and bone meal (MBM) the plant produces must be destroyed but, rather than going to an incinerator or landfill, is instead diverted to a biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant at Low Marnham.

Here, it is turned into a renewable energy source to provide the lower-risk category three rendering facility – comprising, for example, chicken heads and feet, as well as other parts from animals destined for human consumption – with heat and power.

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Testing in the company laboratories

‘The CHP plant is a huge part of reducing our carbon footprint’ Ash from the furnace is rich in natural phosphorous and potassium, giving it another use as a base for natural land fertiliser used by farmers.

Richard explains: “The CHP plant is a huge part of reducing our carbon footprint and actually becoming carbon-negative at our Low Marnham site. As well as the electricity it produces, we use all heat that’s generated from burning the MBM to power the category three rendering process, which needs heat to cook the avian by-products.

Emissions are controlled via a modern abatement system that removes pollutants before the combustion air is discharged to the atmosphere, while continuous emission monitoring systems relay data to the CHP plant control room. The circular economy continues by recycling effluent water for grey water use and reusing phosphorous produced by ash to create

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sustainable fertiliser that replaces chemical alternatives.

Further renewable power is generated via a seven-megawatt (MW) windfarm in South Yorkshire and plans are afoot for a solar farm at the nearby former High Marnham Power Station site – which could be turned into High Marnham Green Energy Business Park.

As a result, JG Pears was awarded silver status – above average in the food industry and feed sector – on the EcoVadis sustainability platform, an environmental benchmark for businesses.

Richard believes the energy crisis has signposted the importance of investing in renewables.

“The energy crisis is centred on natural gas and every country in Europe is screaming for it, so we as businesses need to make ourselves as resilient as possible.

“Resilience and sustainability are part of the same equation. The biomass CHP plant was built before the energy crisis and we haven’t been immune to the costs side, but it’s helped us out hugely in managing our way through it.

“It’s also helped to diversify our business and we’re not stopping there as we have lots of ideas about how we can use products in different ways to produce energy.

“For example, thinking about how we use heat in the rendering process for something else and finding another use for the carbon, albeit from a renewable source, which still goes up the big stack no matter what fuel we use. So, we have a lot of things in the pipeline to continue our philosophy of ‘don’t lose it, use it’.”

A CHURCH AND houses in the small village of Low Marnham are visible from JG Pears’ largest processing plant, separated by a tree-flanked

WHAT IS THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY? In our current economy, we take materials from Earth, make products from them and eventually throw them as waste.

By contrast, in a circular economy, “we stop waste being produced in the first place”, explains the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, a charity dedicated to tackling climate change by building a circular economy via three principles: Richard in front of certificates and awards for JG Pears

High-grade animal feed produced at JG Pears

field. The company seeks to actively engage with the community and frequently reports to the parish council on issues it is involved in, stating on its website a goal to be a “better neighbour” by working hard to minimise the impact of its operations.

The most challenging aspect of this impact to address is the odour resulting from the perishable nature of the material being processed in its plants.

Odour abatement is therefore a principal consideration alongside environmental sustainability for the firm via an odour management plan that meets industry requirements but is always being reviewed to make gradual improvements where practically possible.

This includes thermal destruction via a thermal oxidiser for intensive cooker odours and large biofilters to treat the internal building air.

Upgrades to the lorry trailers is also helping to minimise smells from transport, while an acoustic fence erected around the site perimeter has also reduced noise by 25%.

“Businesses have a social contract,” Richard adds. “We are a wealth creator by employing people from the local area in skilled roles and apprenticeships, but by the same token, we have

1 Eliminate waste and pollution 2 Circulate products and materials (at their highest value) 3 Regenerate nature “It is underpinned by a transition to renewable energy and materials,” reads the charity’s mission statement. “A circular economy decouples economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. It is a resilient system that is good for business, people and the environment.”

For more information, visit ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

to be a force for good in the community.

“We spend a lot of time and money looking at how we can support local schools and projects, but our Achilles heel is that when we cook up the animal parts, there’s an odour generated.

“You can’t completely get away from the odour but we’re trying to put in processes and treatment systems that minimise this as much as possible.

“Given the strides we’ve taken in recycling material, creating a green energy supply and reducing odour, it shows there’s plenty of technological progress our industry has made and will continue to do so in years to come.”

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STRATEGIC PARTNERS AND PATRONS Businesses urged to join skills scheme East Midlands businesses looking to take advantage of skills being developed on their doorstep have been invited join forces with Loughborough University for a unique talent scheme.

Loughborough Talent Match+ provides a tailored recruitment service for organisations that are keen on engaging and hiring the university’s students and graduates.

It partners with businesses to create a bespoke recruitment package and helps to increase interest among graduates in their opportunities – whether it is for short-term internships, year placements or graduate-level jobs.

The Talent Match+ team guides employers through the recruitment process by consulting on who they are looking to recruit and how; advising on how to create a standout job advert to attract students; offering engagement opportunities on campus or virtually to interact with students; providing advertising and communications support; and a full review after the recruitment has been completed.

For more information and pricing for Talent Match+, email employer.services@lboro.ac.uk or visit www.lboro.ac.uk/services/ careers/employers/ lborotalentmatch

Acquisition offers healthy outlook for pharma firms Morningside Pharmaceuticals – the Loughborough-based manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor and supplier of highquality generic and branded medicines – has been acquired by UK life sciences business Aspire Pharma.

The deal includes the Morningside Healthcare businesses based in Leicestershire and India.

Aspire said Morningside would add “talent, increased in-market range and an industry-leading pipeline” to complement its own business, which aims to become established as a premier speciality pharma organisation in the UK with ambitions for international growth.

Richard Condon, CEO of Aspire Pharma, said: “We are excited to welcome the Morningside team to the Aspire family.

“This is a transformative opportunity for both companies to expand and enhance our market position as a result of both companies’ highly complementary product portfolios.

“The combination will create one of the largest and fastest growing UK pharma companies, and see further accelerated growth potential in our current and future product portfolio, in the UK and internationally.

Morningside Pharmaceuticals CEO Tim Brady (left) with Aspire Pharma CEO Richard Condon

“Our commitment remains with our team, patients, and our partners in the NHS and beyond, to ensure a smooth integration of businesses.”

Morningside CEO Tim Brady added: “Aspire’s acquisition of Morningside is validation of the long-term growth plan that the shareholders and management of Morningside Pharmaceuticals and Morningside Healthcare have developed over the past 30 years.

University now in country’s top 50 The University of Derby has been placed in the Top 50 in The Guardian University Guide 2023 after climbing 11 places.

It is now ranked 48th out of 121 institutions, moving up from 59th. The university also has five subject tables in the Top 10 – hospitality, event management and tourism; marketing and public relations; media and film studies; children’s nursing; and fine art. A further three in the Top 20 – mental health nursing; animation and game design; and electrical and electronic engineering.

The rise up the rankings has been driven particularly by improvements in average entry tariff (up from 117 to 122), continuation rates (a rise from 90% to 92.8%) and graduate prospects (up from 72% to 73%).

Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, vice-chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “Reaching the Top 50 is testimony to our focus on academic excellence, student experience and satisfaction, as well as the employability of our graduates and the hard work of our students and staff.

“These are values which have always been at the heart of our institution, with our priority being to ensure our students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, experience and resilience to become the game-changers of the future, and I am delighted this has been recognised in the guide.”

The Guardian league tables rank universities according to a variety of criteria it considers most relevant to students, including satisfaction with the 30

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University of Derby campus and (inset) Prof Kathryn Mitchell

course, teaching, feedback, and student-to-staff ratio.

Institutions receive an overall score, and individual assessments are also given for a range of criteria, including employability, spend per student and continuation.

Derby’s success comes after Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 Modern University of the Year Award.

This was based on its substantial rise in the league table and recognised a continuing focus on teaching quality, student experience and graduate employability.

The 81% student satisfaction rating was significantly above the sector average. NTU also received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research activities.

“The combined company will benefit across several areas, including the realisation of enhanced business development capabilities with over 120 complementary mid and late-stage programmes.”

Respective organisations will continue to operate as standalone businesses until further integration and transition announcements are made.

Rebrand reflects law school’s real status Nottingham Law School’s teaching law firm has been rebranded to NLS Legal to more accurately reflect its status as a regulated law firm and its growing range of services.

Formerly the Nottingham Law School Legal Advice Centre, NLS Legal is a conduit for Nottingham Law School students to support the general public with free and affordable legal advice, securing financial awards totalling £5.5m for its clients and winning multiple awards.

Supervised by a small team of experienced lawyers, they assist on a range of legal areas including employment, family, housing, business, civil litigation, intellectual property, special educational needs and disability, welfare benefits and victims’ rights.

The firm, which offers hundreds of work experience opportunities for Nottingham Law School students each year, also delivers a number of public legal education sessions each year in order to raise awareness of legal rights and responsibilities.

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Residents will benefit from Loughborough Town Deal Training specialist supports refugees

Loughborough University’s Town Deal team

The Loughborough Town Deal has awarded a £2.5m grant to help build on the town’s reputation for sporting excellence and harness this knowledge for the good of its residents.

The funding has been given to Loughborough University’s Healthy and Innovative Loughborough project, which will create jobs, help new businesses and improve people’s health.

‘Make Loughborough a healthy place to live and work, while enabling new businesses to prosper’ This is one of 11 projects the Loughborough Town Deal is supporting after securing £16.9m of Government funding. In total, the projects are worth more than £40m of investment for the town. The university project will support the expansion of SportPark – home to several leading sporting organisations – as well as new businesses and entrepreneurs.

The project will also introduce a programme of interventions to help local people improve their health and create an Impact Hub to assess and

LOUGHBOROUGH TOWN DEAL HAS COMMITTED TO INVEST: • £2.6m to create a Digital Skills Hub at Loughborough College • £900,000 to create a Careers and Enterprise Hub in Loughborough's town centre • £835,000 to help save Taylor’s Bell Foundry, the last major bell foundry in the UK • £885,000 to fund towpath improvements alongside the River Soar • £1.6m to a creative arts hub at The Generator • £1.7m to support the Bedford Square Gateway Project, which has regenerated part of the town centre analyse the health of the town to help plan for future developments and improvements.

Professor Chris Rielly, lead for the university’s town deal project, said: “The university recognises the important local economic anchor role it plays and we are delighted that – through the Loughborough Town Deal investment – we can work in civic partnership with stakeholders to make Loughborough a healthy place to live and work, while enabling new businesses to prosper.”

Ukrainian refugees in Derby are being offered valuable support in finding employment, with support from the team at Access Training.

A series of one-week training courses, delivered in partnership with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (Derby Branch), have now been attended by four different cohorts, consisting of more than 40 people.

The training covers everything newcomers to the UK may need to know to build confidence in a new country or apply for employment – including British values and culture, conduct, working in a team, work awareness, preparing for work and interview skills.

Many of the learners had jobs in Ukraine, some of which were at university degree level. However, language and limited understanding of local culture can easily knock confidence and become barriers to integration in the UK. Olena Maksymtsova and Olha Lypchynska are Ukrainian refugees currently living with sponsor families. The course has not only given them the confidence to find work but, as Olena points out, has given them “an understanding of English culture and the expectations and behaviours required at work”.

Both learners were interviewed for health and social care roles with the ICare care home in Derby, and were offered paid work immediately afterwards.

Kathryn Harrold, an employability trainer at Access Training, said: “The course gave the learners new-found confidence in navigating the UK workplace, at a time of particular anxiety.”

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

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CHAMBER NEWS Some of the East Midlands Chamber team

National accolade for Chamber team East Midlands Chamber has secured one of the most significant accolades in business after being named the UK Chamber of the Year.

It was recognised for supporting businesses to engage with the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda as it took the top prize at the British of Chamber of Commerce’s (BCC) annual Chamber Business Awards, sponsored by Quest. There are 53 accredited chambers of commerce in the UK. Judges said the Chamber succeeded in striking a good geographical balance across its membership base, serving more than 4,000 businesses across the three counties. Its strength in the areas of diversity and environmental sustainability also stood out as particularly impressive.

Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “We are delighted to receive such recognition and this award is testament to the hard work of the whole Chamber team over the past few years in supporting businesses through one of the most challenging periods in memory.

“We have always sought to provide a comprehensive offer in supporting our members through whatever the world throws at us.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we pivoted our service online with a focus on business resilience and took advantage of opportunities such as the Kickstart Scheme to become the UK’s biggest gateway provider.

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tomorrow – including the rapidlygrowing ESG agenda, which comprises a commitment to net zero, a diverse and inclusive workforce, and building relationships with communities.

“As new opportunities come forward, we will continue to be at the forefront in ensuring our members are at the leading edge of new business trends, while flying the flag for the East Midlands in order to help attract new investment and grow our region’s economy.”

‘Testament to the hard work of the whole Chamber team over the past few years’ The Chamber’s achievements in recent years have included: • Providing a £100,000 membership relief fund during the pandemic and helping 982 businesses to access Covid-19 funds valued at £1.4m • Supporting 902 businesses to fill 2,093 placements in the Kickstart Scheme, which created work placements for 16 to 24year-olds, with 81% of participants securing a job, or returning to further or higher education • Leading a Digital High Street project supporting 322 retailers to improve their digital offering • Supporting 700 exporters and 200 importers annually via the international trade service • Establishing a Sustainable East Midlands initiative to collate practical advice that supports members on their net zero journey, holding 26 events that attracted more than 1,000 delegates in 2021/22

• Launching a free ESG toolkit in partnership with RSM UK for members • Being an exemplar to businesses in developing a diverse and inclusive workforce by achieving Disability Confident Leader status, leading a prison employment advisory board, signing a menopause workplace pledge and “Time to Change” pledge, and supporting the Midlands Mental Health Productivity Pilot.

The Chamber Business Awards, now in its 19th year, is one of the showpieces of the business calendar, highlighting the role that chambers of commerce play in assisting firms to deliver growth and prosperity for the UK and local communities.

The awards provide an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the Chamber Network, and the vital support chambers provide to businesses.

Sarah Howard, chair of the BCC, said the Chamber was “an

extremely worthy winner of this award”.

“The Chamber’s commitment to sustainability and net zero ambitions is paving the way for other chambers to follow in the fight against the climate crisis,” she added.

“Running a successful and vibrant chamber of commerce, with its members’ interests at the core, is no easy task and I want to congratulate all members of the East Midlands Chamber team for their hard work and dedication.”

Steve Charles, head of business partnerships at Quest, said: “A strong financial performance enabled it to offer a wide range of support to members including Kickstart, in particular during the pandemic.

“It has led the way on helping members build a diverse and inclusive workforce, as well as meeting their net zero targets. It also has an exciting investment strategy to help it offer even more support to members in the future.

Well done.”

Join us for economic review Businesses from across the region are invited to take stock of the key events that have influenced the economy and explore those issues that will shape 2023 prospects at a new Chamber event next month.

Featuring input from expert economists, politicians and business leaders, the Annual State of the Economy Review is aimed at members that want to learn more about the global and local factors that are influencing operating conditions, and share ideas on how future business growth can be best supported.

The event, hosted in partnership with emh group, Geldards and the University of Leicester School of Business, also offers an opportunity for Christmas networking.

It takes place at Memorial House, in Stenson Road, Coalville, on Friday 16 December from 8.45am to 12.30pm. Register for free at bit.ly/EMCStateofEconomy22

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CHAMBER NEWS

Budget U-turns hit business and consumer confidence The Chamber has warned Government it is creating a “zeroconfidence environment” after two different chancellors issued mini-budgets with opposing ideologies in less than a month.

On 17 October Jeremy Hunt reversed almost all tax measures announced by his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng, ahead of a full fiscal statement to be issued on 31 October. It included a series of U-turns on policies including a cancellation to the corporation tax rise from 19% to 25%, a 1p reduction in the basic rate of income tax and a scale-back of the Energy Price Guarantee support from two years to six months.

The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said: “Staging two vastly different mini-budgets, underpinned by opposing ideologies, within a matter of weeks is an unprecedented situation for our country and this relentless cycle of uncertainty is crippling our economy.

“It creates a zero-confidence environment that affects businesses’ ability to plan definitively, which in

Scott Knowles

turn has a negative impact on investment into growth and jobs – something our region will be concerned about given the unemployment rate has increased over the past two months, albeit from a record-low figure.

“Upholding the commitment to cutting national insurance will be welcomed by businesses, but reversing almost every other measure on taxes paid by firms will be hugely worrying when we are dealing with a cost-of-doingbusiness crisis. A significant scaleback of the Energy Price Guarantee

is a particular concern as this will affect both businesses and their employees.”

COMMENTING ON LIZ Truss’ resignation as Prime Minister, Scott said: “One of the roles of Government is to create an environment where businesses can thrive in order to create jobs, stimulate economic investment and generate wealth.

“This endless saga of political instability is anything but that and, once again, businesses are left to pick up the pieces. For months, they have had to endure a relentless cycle of uncertainty that has created a zero-confidence environment, hampering their ability to plan ahead and invest.”

He congratulated Rishi Sunak for being appointed as Ms Truss' successor at Number 10, adding: "We need the new PM to move quickly in forming a Government that can introduce costed policies to give immediate reassurance to businesses, which are facing significant cost pressures that risk crippling their ability to succeed."

AGM will take place in Derby The Chamber will host its annual general meeting (AGM) at the Museum of Making, in Derby, on Tuesday 13 December from 11.30am to 2.30pm.

At the event, Lindsey Williams will give a speech reflecting on her year as president and award money raised via the Chamber’s charitable fund to her three nominated charities – Focus, Treetops Hospice and Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

Stuart Dawkins will be formally inducted as the new president, with members also voting on new board appointments.

Chief executive Scott Knowles will give a business update to members, the three Business of the Year winners will be invited to give speeches, and longstanding members will be celebrated.

Members can register for the event via a link they will receive on the week commencing 28 November.

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Nora to address energy summit

Lifetime Achievement Award winner Rosemary Conley Conley CBE DL

Rosemary honoured as a truly enterprising woman Rosemary Conley CBE DL admitted she “loves enterprise” as she was honoured for her career as a businesswoman and author.

She was surprised with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Enterprising Women Awards, held on 30 September at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium in partnership with Futures Housing Group.

The special award, sponsored by Paradigm Wills and Legal Services and one of 11 presented at the gala dinner, was created to mark the 25th anniversary of the Enterprising Women network.

Rosemary, who started her career as a secretary and Tupperware dealer, became a household name after authoring low-fat diet and exercise programme The Hip and Thigh Diet in 1988, which sold more than two million copies.

• The national picture – markets evolution and the whole energy system – Dr William Knight, head of future electricity security strategy at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy • Regional energy collaboration and innovation for the net zero agenda – Faye McAnulla, programme director for the Energy Research Accelerator • The regional picture – the role of the East Midland Freeport in accelerating the region’s commitment to decarbonisation and net zero – Nora Senior CBE, chair of East Midlands Freeport

‘I love enterprise. I am president of Young Enterprise and it utterly inspires me’ She was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire in 1999, became the first woman ever to be honoured with the Freedom of the City of Leicester in 2001, was awarded a CBE in 2004 and starred in ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2012. Rosemary is now a trustee at Steps Conductive Education Centre, in Shepshed.

Taking to the stage, she said: “I love enterprise. I am president of Young Enterprise and it utterly inspires me, as I am being in a room like this and seeing you people taking your journeys.

“I have been in my business for 50 years and started with an investment of £8. It grew into a multi-millionpound company and even though it had a bit of a bump in the end, when I look back at it, we helped more than two million people learn how to lose weight and get fitter.

“We trained over 800 people to exercise to music and nutrition trainers, and created over 400 businesses.

We also raised more than £2m for Cancer Research UK during those 21 years, so it was an amazing time.”

Offering advice she learned from late motivational speaker Richard Denning, Rosemary added: “Success is

The businesswoman leading the East Midlands Freeport is among the keynote speakers at the Chamber’s Midlands Energy Summit next month.

Nora Senior CBE will explain how the three sites the freeport comprises can reduce emissions in industry by positioning the East Midlands as a centre of excellence for alternative energy sources and green technologies.

She is one of a number of business leaders and energy experts who feature at the summit, held in partnership with the University of Nottingham’s energy innovation and collaboration team. It takes place at the Hilton East Midlands Airport hotel on Thursday 1 December from 8.30am to 1.30pm.

The latest agenda includes: • How the University of Nottingham is building a sustainable future in unprecedented times – Professor Shearer West, vice-chancellor and president at the university

Business Woman of the Year winner Emily Smith

not about money. Success is about having a goal, having someone to share it with and that what you do makes a difference. I’ve heard from a lot of people tonight who are making a difference.”

The Business Woman of the Year award was given to Emily Smith, operations and finance director at Michael Smith Switchgear, a Leicester-based manufacturer of low-voltage switchgear and control panels.

She said it was a collective recognition for the team, adding: “For me, it’s not just about making a profit but creating a culture and a sustainable brand, which I think we’ve achieved over the past couple of years and I’m really proud to have led that.”

• Transforming innovative energy research into realworld solutions – Professor Gavin Walker, director of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Hydrogen • The global energy crisis: Implications for the UK’s energy security and net zero ambitions – Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, chief executive at Renewable Energy Association There will also be panel discussions and workshops.

To book a free place, visit bit.ly/EMCEnergySummit22

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generationnextemc.co.uk

Benefits of building a professional network Networking can seem like a daunting aspect of doing business when starting out in a new career or position in a company. However, it is an important tool for career and business growth, as it involves creating long-lasting relationships, which can be beneficial to both parties. The Chamber’s director of resources and Generation Next lead Lucy Robinson (pictured) discusses the benefits of networking and how the network can support young professionals in getting out into the business community.

DEVELOP LONG-LASTING RELATIONSHIPS Networking provides the opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships with other professionals in your community.

These can be useful contacts which you can take with you through your career, whether they be a supplier, customer or mentor.

BUILD A PERSONAL BRAND Being seen at networking events from around your local area can help you build a positive reputation – people will start to recognise you and in turn, the company you work for and the services you provide.

Through your social networks, it also looks good if you are engaged in goings on around your business community and could help you increase your connections.

BUILD CONFIDENCE The more you network, the easier it will be to put yourself out there.

For many young professionals, it can seem like a daunting prospect when getting started, but it will

become more comfortable.

Something to remember is that many people are in the same boat when they first start networking – even the most confident public speakers had to start somewhere.

It also helps to start networking with likeminded people within your industry or age range, which is when membership organisations like Generation Next come in to help.

ACCESS TO ADVICE AND SUPPORT Particularly for the younger generation, learning from other leaders can be crucial in developing knowledge about key skills or industries – and networking can help you come across potential mentors, and events often showcase keynote speakers.

Networks can also be very supportive environments, as most members are going through the same sorts of queries, creating an opportunity to work together to solve problems or learn from one another’s experiences.

FRESH IDEAS

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Networking can also be a great way to stimulate new ideas by talking to others, or being inspired by a keynote speaker. Making new connections opens up the chance for collaboration on a project or idea.

The Chamber team sees firsthand the importance of a network’s role in fostering collaboration between members of the business community. In our Business Awards programme this year, companies have been recognised for successful collaborative projects that have reaped rewards for all parties involved.

A commonality between all the benefits of networking discussed is that it leads to new opportunities, which can help shape your future in business – whether that be finding useful connections or customers, raising your profile, improving your confidence or encouraging creative thinking.

Through networking and educational events, Generation Next aims to equip young professionals with these opportunities and skills to help them thrive within the East Midlands business community in the early years of their careers.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY

Generation Next will host its Christmas social on 8 December at the Gresham Aparthotel in Leicester, where the network’s chair Emma Baumback and vicechair Daniel Nikolla will discuss the programme for its membership package for 2023. To attend, visit https://generationnextemc.co.uk/e vent/generation-next-christmassocial/

It’s important to keep informed about what’s happening across the business community – and one of the best ways to do that is to catch up with its members. This again can lead to idea creation, or new opportunities for you to pitch to your team or manager.

Chamber and emh group join forces for change “Time for Change: Actions Not Words” was the theme of this year’s Black History Month, which was marked by the Chamber and emh group in a joint social media campaign.

Business leaders including emh group chief executive Chan Kataria OBE, the housing association’s specialist housing manager Laura Smith, Access Rating co-founder Mark Esho MBE, Ignite Your Inner Potential CEO Kul Mahay and De Montfort University EDI executive officer Sophie Holder were among the East Midlands personalities who took part.

The campaign aimed to foster discussion around this year’s theme while engaging businesses and communities across Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

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Chamber and its strategic partner emh group around the topic of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), following unique research into business engagement levels and a roundtable discussion on how to promote the agenda further.

Pritti Allen, head of communications at emh

group, said: “We are proud to have partnered with the Chamber on this important campaign for the third consecutive year.

“Our commitment to creating positive change through collaboration is central to our work at emh. This year the Black History Month campaign has brought into sharp focus the great work that Chamber members are doing to make a difference and the desire to build on this.

“We are grateful for the engagement and support from organisations and individuals from across the region.”

To look back at the Black History Month campaign, follow East Midlands Chamber and emh group on LinkedIn, as well as on Twitter (@EMChamberNews and @emhgroup).

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Expo gives business a sporting chance Sponsors, partners and supporters of the Love Business Expo met in Loughborough to start the countdown to next year’s event.

They took part in a roundtable discussion at the Burleigh Court Conference Centre to share ideas, discuss plans and help shape the agenda for the 2023 event, which takes place on 16 February.

The theme for next year’s expo was also unveiled. It will be based on the idea of how adopting a sports mindset in business holds the key to success.

The group heard from Team GB Olympian Joel Fearon – part of the four-man bobsleigh team that won bronze at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 – about how adopting a

positive mental attitude has helped him transition from sport to business.

The agenda for the day is being finalised, but it will have a sporting theme and hopefully boast some big names from the region’s leading sports organisations. It will also include the usual actionpacked mix of business success stories, insight from local and national business and political leaders, and advice from industry experts across a wide range of business sectors.

Steve Megson, managing director of Love Business founder Quiet Storm, said: “Love Business 2022 was a huge success. The Roaring Twenties theme went down really

well and set the tone for the day, so next year we’re looking to go bigger and better by showing businesses how adopting the right mindset can help give them a more competitive edge.

“There are countless examples of sporting success across the region, from Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists to renowned footballers, rugby players, cricketers, athletes and international competitors from many sporting disciplines.

“We’re hoping to galvanise that winning mentality at Love Business 2023, to inspire visitors to go out there and write their own success stories.”

The Chamber is once again the

headline sponsor of Love Business 2023. It will be joined by a host of other key partners, including KuKu Connect, SMB College Group, Federation of Small Businesses, Fancy Entertainment, Generation Next, Hardy Signs, British Business Bank, East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre, Accent Commercial Resources, Loughborough Chamber of Trade & Commerce, Lexus, Inchcape, Dpi and Cross Productions.

Help the Homeless Leicester and Me & Dee are the event’s official charity partners.

Exhibition stands can be booked at www.lovebusinessexpo.co.uk/ book-your-exhibition-stand

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Project earns national accolade for data engineer A data engineer who has created a regional business research and intelligence unit that will be used to drive more investment into the East Midlands has won a national award.

Harsh Shah, a knowledge transfer associate based at the Chamber, beat competition from 20 other finalists to be crowned with the Future Leader Award at the Innovate UK KTP Awards.

As part of the 27-year-old’s role, which was created last year in a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) between the Chamber and De Montfort University (DMU), Harsh creates data-driven insights about the East Midlands economy that can be used to improve competitiveness and productivity across the region.

‘Recognition for all the hard work we have been doing at the Chamber and DMU’ Harsh, who graduated from a DMU master’s degree in business intelligence systems and data mining in 2020, said: “I am overwhelmed to win this award, which is wonderful recognition for all the hard work we have been doing at the Chamber and DMU in establishing a regional business intelligence unit.

“It gives me great confidence to not only perform better in my role, but also highlights the work we are doing and validates the project – which aims to equip business leaders and policymakers with data-driven insights that will improve decision-making and ultimately drive more investment to the region.”

The Future Leader Award is given to associates who have shown “exceptional skills in driving and delivering innovation strategy, demonstrating great teamwork and outstanding leadership potential”.

Harsh began the two-year KTP in April 2021 with a goal to create a business research and intelligence unit that collates, analyses and utilises data-led intelligence in order to address the productivity gap and lack of inward investment across the East Midlands.

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Department for Education’s Local Skills Improvement Plan, which aims to put employers at the heart of skills delivery. The observatory enables businesses and further education colleges to better understand where skills gaps lie locally in order to improve training and education provision.

At the same time, he has presented at a national data strategy event hosted by Experian, developed reports used by regional media outlets to illustrate economic trends, and taken part in the Alan Turing Institute’s Data Study Group to resolve challenges for Siemens and Rolls-Royce, where he won the Data Driven Approach award for his enthusiasm and determination.

Dr Rhianna Briars, knowledge exchange officer at DMU, added: “It is very exciting for Harsh and the KTP for him to be recognised nationally in this way. I’m anticipating great things to come for the ongoing work from this partnership and am certain Harsh has an exciting career ahead of him.”

Harsh Shah with his KTP Future Leader Award

Mentoring can offer real assistance

By Tracy Whitehouse (pictured), executive assistant at Orbit Homes and a member of the PA Forum Often those of us working in a role such as an executive assistant can find it quite lonely, feeling on the periphery of a team even though we are also often considered the glue that brings the team together. This feeling of isolation, for some, has been more keenly felt since the pandemic and with the practice of agile working.

During the first lockdown, the PA Forum discussed what more could be done in order to keep people engaged as it was felt some of our members were losing self-confidence after being furloughed and worried for their futures.

In a former role, I chaired a women’s network and we introduced a mentoring programme to develop female talent, which proved very successful. I suggested this might work for PA Forum members to offer peer-to-peer support to those facing an uncertain future, from mentors who understood their roles.

And so the PA Forum mentoring programme was launched. We provide mentors and mentees with a framework to follow at the outset of their relationship, and some guidance on how to manage those first few interactions.

We have a cohort of 14 mentors working with one

or more mentees at any one time. Mentees tell us they have really benefitted from the programme, with many having the confidence to grow into more senior roles, and we have also had mentees who are now mentors – keen to repay the benefits they have gained.

Find out more about the PA Forum mentoring programme at paforum.co.uk/mentoring.

The PA Forum is keen to encourage East Midlands EAs, PAs and business support professionals to get involved and particularly in working towards the East Midlands PA Awards in 2023. To find out more, contact PA Forum founder Daniel Skermer on daniel@pa-forum.co.uk

UPCOMING EVENTS • 8 November: Nick Elston – open session (members only) • 10 November: Lunch and learn with Lizebeth Koloko-Green – Data management in Office 365 (members only) • 15 November: PA Forum discussion on CSR supporters – economic responsibility • 21 November: PA Forum virtual coffee club with Lindsay Taylor • 22 November: Menopause group – Let’s keep talking • 1 December: PA Forum roundtable discussion *Events open to all unless stated otherwise

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Feast of funding for region’s food and drink sector

Delegates at an East Midlands Manufacturing Network meeting

Network offers more benefits for manufacturers Manufacturers across the region have been given another compelling reason to join the East Midlands Manufacturing Network after it entered into a partnership agreement with Make UK. It means that members of East Midlands Manufacturing Network – which itself is entirely free to join – can benefit from complimentary affiliate membership of Make UK, the largest force to back British manufacturing.

The organisation, which has helped the sector to compete, innovate and grow for 125 years, is in regular contact with Government about industry needs.

‘Will help businesses across our region to get their voice heard’ Affiliate membership of Make UK offers benefits including industry reports, publications and insight; member events, webinars, podcasts and briefings; a range of discounted products and services; and preferential rates on the Brexit Toolkit and Pay benchmarking reports.

It complements the East Midlands Manufacturing Network, which empowers local manufacturers to connect with others in their sector, share best practices and discuss experiences in a trusted peer environment, as well as explore new collaborations.

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Upcoming East Midlands Manufacturing Network dates • 8 November: Derbyshire – Demonstration of Lean/Six Sigma and site tour at Pennine Healthcare, Derby • 11 November: Derbyshire Dales and High Peak – Open discussion on Government’s emergency budget and its implications for network members • 15 November: Leicestershire – Presentation from University of Leicester on funding opportunities and case studies on reducing energy consumption at the National Space Centre, Leicester.

• 16 November: Nottingham – Agenda TBC, Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham.

• 22 November: North Nottinghamshire – Presentation from TXM Lean Solutions on survival strategies for SMEs in 2023, at NTU University Centre, in Mansfield. already had 125 members sign up.

We see it as an integral part of the Chamber’s business support services for the long term.

“Our partnership with Make UK only cements this commitment and will help businesses across our region to get their voice heard.”

Food and drink manufacturers met to toast all that the East Midlands has to offer at the Food and Drink Forum’s (FDF) celebration event.

Held at the School of Artisan Food, in Welbeck, the September event marked the close of the East Midlands Accelerator project, which received £5.27m from the Government via the UK Community Renewal Fund, and was led by the Chamber in partnership with the region’s universities and business support agencies.

The FDF’s role in the project was to deliver sector-specific support to food and drink manufacturers. As well as helping businesses to access the grants and growth vouchers on offer, it provided expert guidance through on-site visits from a decarbonisation and sustainability expert – helping businesses assess which changes might be made to their production space and processes – and via dedicated new product development tests.

In total, 97 food and drink manufacturers were supported by the project. These included:

LADYBOWER FISHERIES, HIGH PEAK

The fly fishing venue received funding to develop a state-of-the-art smokery. FDF also gave guidance on developing a decarbonisation action plan, as well as technical support on product labelling and recipe formulations, and kitchen and new product development support.

Owner Geoff Smith said: “Through East Midlands Accelerator, we’ve been able to fast-track our food manufacture plans. In turn, this generates investment for the long-term future of the reservoir as a visitor destination, securing the valuable role it plays in the lives of so many local people.”

COCOA AMORE, LEICESTER The chocolate maker received a growth voucher towards specialist consultancy on sustainable and recyclable packaging for its products.

Owner and managing director Peter Gardner said: “The growth voucher has allowed us to accelerate in an area we knew we had to address, taking ownership of our supply chain.

“Bringing packaging in-house means we have much greater control of its look and feel, with the added benefit of creating bespoke designs for different customers. Ultimately, investment in this area has helped to safeguard the livelihoods of six members of staff.”

ORIGIN KITCHEN, NOTTINGHAM The food producer received grant funding to purchase new Roboqbo machinery, helping to improve product quality and shelf life of its naturally healthy, dairy alternative products. It also led to the creation of a new, permanent job of food production operator.

Operations director Leah Brown said: “That we were able to secure grant funding from East Midlands Accelerator within a matter of weeks is the perfect springboard to make our global ambitions an early reality.”

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Peer-to-peer learning on agenda at Business Festival Manufacturing business leaders across Leicestershire can find out about opportunities to collaborate together at a Leicester Business Festival event hosted by East Midlands Chamber.

The Chamber is inviting individuals to find out more about the Leicester and Leicestershire Manufacturing Peer Network at an event on Thursday 10 November 2022 from 8am to 10am.

It forms part of the Peer Networks programme, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Midlands Engine with the aim of creating a trusted support network that helps to build and strengthen the overall performance of businesses.

Expert facilitator Sandra Wiggins, co-founder of DPI UK, will lead seven informal sessions in which peers discuss their challenges within a confidential environment and work to overcome them through conversations.

Diane Beresford, deputy chief executive at the Chamber, said: “The East Midlands is a region with a strong manufacturing heritage and

Diane Beresford

the potential to have an equally strong future by working together.

“Our Leicester and Leicestershire Manufacturing Peer Network has a key role to play in securing the industry’s future success in our region by bringing together the huge fountain of knowledge and skills existing here within a dedicated, supportive peer network.”

The Leicester and Leicestershire Manufacturing Peer Network is available to senior leaders within

any SME business based in Leicestershire that has operated for at least a year, a turnover exceeding £100,000, at least three employees, an aspiration to improve and the potential to scale up or export, or is exporting already. Sessions run from 10 November to 16 March.

Leicester Business Festival features a total of 82 free-to-attend events covering a broad range of topics including marketing, growth, law and finance. Other events involving the Chamber are: • 9 November: Get to grips with Google Analytics (GA4) and convert more visitors into sales and leads • 10 November: Digital Upscaler workshop – a guide to successfully selling online • 16 November: Digital Upscaler networking opportunity Tickets are available now and can be secured online at www.leicesterbusinessfestival.com To sign up to the Leicester and Leicestershire Manufacturing Peer Network event, visit bit.ly/LeicestershireManufacturingP eerNetwork

Start Up Loans scheme expanded The British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, which has so far delivered more than £49m in funding to 5,400 new business owners in the East Midlands, has been expanded.

It now includes start-ups that have been trading for up to three years and second Start Up Loans are now available to eligible businesses that have been trading for up to five years.

The programme previously provided finance to start-ups that had been trading for up to two years.

Start Up Loans provide funding at a fixed interest rate of 6%, as well as 12 months’ mentoring to its recipients.

The impact has been particularly noticeable among individuals who might find it difficult to secure loans from traditional lenders.

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Ivanhoe Line return is right on track A bid to reopen a passenger railway line between Burton upon Trent and Leicester has taken a significant step forward – and the Chamber says there could be significant benefits for businesses along the route.

The Campaign for Reopening the Ivanhoe Line (CRIL) has led a movement to restore the 31-mile line, which was sacrificed in the 1960s and 1970s as part of the Beeching Cuts – when British Railways chairman Dr Richard Beeching closed thousands of stations and hundreds of branch lines to make the nationalised railways profitable again.

After receiving Government funding to conduct a feasibility study on its reopening last year, the Department for Transport announced in June that CRIL’s scheme was among nine – chosen from 39 schemes – rail projects authorised to move on to the next stage as part of the Restoring Your Railway initiative.

Network Rail will now provide funding to conduct a detailed study of the costs of construction and scrutinise the benefits as part of a full outline business case. If this confirms the line’s viability, it will carry out design work and, subject to Government approval, work could begin in mid-2024 should it receive parliamentary approval

‘Bringing this important rail route back to life would provide a boost to the economy’ ahead of a potential opening 2026 opening date.

The route includes eight possible railway stations – in Drakelow & Stapenhill, Castle Gresley (for Swadlincote), Moira, Ashby-de-laZouch, Coalville, Ellistown, Meynell’s Gorse and Leicester South. However, at this stage of the project, only Gresley, Ashby, Coalville and Leicester South are included in the business case

Network Rail is reviewing.

The Chamber’s chief executive Scott Knowles said: “While there is still a long way to go, bringing this important rail route back to life would provide a boost to the economy for the many communities along the route by opening up further connections with the rest of the region and country.

“Improved connectivity would enable companies to tap into a

wider labour pool across Derbyshire and Leicestershire. The proposed Leicester South station, meanwhile, would complement Leicester City’s plans for an expanded King Power Stadium and wider development scheme.”

CRIL, which was founded in 2019, will support Network Rail as a member of the programme board by engaging with local politicians and businesses. The relevant local authorities will decide on where stations, access and car parking are located.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We welcome the opportunity to work with all stakeholders along the line to further develop the business case to justify the reopening of the Ivanhoe Line to passengers, building on the work done so far by CRIL. “We encourage businesses to think about how a reopened line may be incorporated into their future business plans and to feedback via CRIL any economic or employee benefits they feel it might bring to them.”

To speak with CRIL about how the Ivanhoe Line would support their business or employees, contact Stacey Ash at crilbusinessliaison@gmail.com.

For more information on the CRIL, visit www.ivanhoeline.org

Community farm is a real growing business What began as a healthy street food concept before the pandemic has grown into a sanctuary promoting nutrition and wellbeing to young people – with the help of the Business Gateway Growth Hub. After pivoting the business before it was up and running, Terri-Jayne Mowle has set up VegVan Community Farm CIC. It remains inspired by the initial idea that a fully nutritional diet should feature five colours of the rainbow on a plate, with the two-acre farm in Belton, Leicestershire, welcoming students aged five to 16 to identify these colours and build healthy menus.

The experience also includes yoga and kinaesthetic learning via digging, planting and moving things around, plus eating the food grown on-site. It is a place for communities to access nature and relearn forgotten growing skills while supporting others.

Terri-Jayne, who has a business background in coaching as well as interior decorating and design, said: “You don’t know what is going on behind closed doors. There will be children that need that little bit of help, will want to acknowledge that they are not alone and should be shown it does not define them.”

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signposts for funding when working on her previous business venture, she met Aruna Bhagwan, a Business Gateway Growth Hub adviser. Aruna became her mentor for six months by providing support on HR, marketing and legal aspects, putting a company structure together, and accessing small grants.

Terri-Jayne, who now has a team of eight core team members and at least 40 volunteers, said: “I imagine it would have taken a couple of

years to find out everything I’ve learnt from Aruna and Business Gateway workshops.

“The support has got the business to where I want to be quicker, not just for me but the people who need help right now following the pandemic and the isolation, not to mention the local food production we need to feed our nation. It’s also very timely with concerns about climate anxiety, wellbeing and the action we need to take right now.”

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CHAMBER NEWS

November 2022 business network

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

How sustainable are the East Midlands’ Top 500 Companies?

The GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Nottingham

University focuses on green hydrogen A team of experts that will enhance the University of Nottingham’s research strength in green hydrogen technologies is being established as part of a £4.7m professorship.

The Leverhulme International Professorship will see Dr Martin Dornheim (pictured), an internationally-recognised scientist in the field of hydrogen technology with a special focus on hydrogen storage and compression, join the university’s Energy Institute in September.

Hydrogen technologies will play a key part in enabling the UK to meet the 2050 net zero emissions target, with green hydrogen expected to replace coal, oil and fossil gas in industries including steel production and key areas of transport.

Storage of hydrogen at medium or small scale remains a challenge, as it has a much lower volumetric energy density than current liquid fuels. High densification of the gas is required to achieve a sufficiently high volumetric energy density and the processes used to achieve this are energy demanding and expensive.

Research by Dr Dornheim, who joins from the Institute of Hydrogen Technology at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Germany, where he was head of the Department of Materials Design, aims to overcome these obstacles to pave the way for a new, green hydrogen economy.

He said: “By using a new approach to design hydrogen storage materials, we are able to optimise both the hydrogen storage capacity as well as the hydrogen uptake and release time of such materials. This will allow the development of novel highdensity hydrogen stores.”

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In another deep dive into the findings of the East Midlands Top 500 Companies index for 2022, David Rae (pictured), professor of enterprise at De Monfort University’s Leicester Castle Business School explores the sustainability practices of the featured businesses.

While the economic performance of business is often the focus, consumers and investors are increasingly concerned about how companies are addressing major societal concerns such as climate change, modern slavery, diversity and inclusion.

As a result, it is becoming increasingly clear that an important measure of business success will be the ability of companies to demonstrate not only their contribution to the economy, but to society and the environment more widely.

To gauge what the Top 500 are reporting about their sustainability activities and achievements, researchers collected information from each company’s website and annual reports (note that the index from the previous survey in 2021 was used for this study).

HOW MANY COMPANIES PUBLICALLY REPORT THEIR SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES? Nearly half (45%) of the Top 500 companies mention sustainability and provide information about their social and environmental commitments and activities. This increases to 74% and 85% for the Top 100 and Top 20 companies respectively.

While 277 companies (55%) did not mention the term sustainability (or related terms such as corporate social responsibility), on closer inspection nearly 60% of these – 165 companies in total – published information related to sustainability, such as on their website or in their annual financial report. This is important, as it shows that although companies do not explicitly talk about sustainability, they recognise and show concern for their impacts on society more broadly.

HOW DETAILED ARE COMPANIES’ REPORTING OF THEIR SUSTAINABILITY ACTIVITIES? The level of detail provided by companies that mention and report their sustainability practices

was generally limited. Only 18% of firms provided detailed information about their sustainability goals and contribution, which increases slightly when company size is taken into account (30% and 35% of the Top 100 and Top 20 respectively).

However, the majority of businesses reported only a limited amount of information publicly about their sustainability goals, activities and impacts.

WHAT SUSTAINABILITY ACTIVITIES DO COMPANIES REPORT? The five most common areas and activities that companies reported in relation to sustainability were: 1. The environment – actions to address climate change and improve energy efficiency 2. The community – working with and supporting local charities 3. People – commitments towards employees and, to a lesser degree, suppliers 4. Social – covering a wide range of activities including ethics, equality, inclusion, human rights and stakeholder engagement 5. Governance – corporate policies, processes and mechanisms for the management of sustainability.

WHAT DO THESE INSIGHTS SHOW? Overall, the study showed that a good proportion of the Top 500 are considering and reporting their social and environmental impacts and activities, but much more detail is needed by them to truly show the extent of their contribution to the region in addition to their economic impacts.

The full East Midlands Top 500 Companies index is available at www.business-live.co.uk The full sustainability insights are available on DMU’s East Midlands Economic Data Repository at emedr.dmu.ac.uk/east-midlands-data

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SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS

Manufacturing vs services: Another piece of the green growth puzzle Research by the Chamber and University of Derby shows the proportion of East Midlands businesses selling green goods and services had almost trebled over the past seven years, but it also laid bare major differences between how the manufacturing and services sectors engage with the low-carbon agenda. Dr Polina Baranova (pictured), a senior lecturer in strategic management at Derby Business School who co-authored the Green Growth Trends in the East Midlands 2022 report, talks through the data and explains what must happen.

GROWING PORTFOLIO OF GREEN PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Some 37% of service companies have no green offer in their portfolio, compared to 32% of manufacturing businesses.

Manufacturers lead in every single category showing what percentage of turnover is derived from green products and services. The 1-19% turnover category is the most popular position reported by both manufacturing and services companies, with manufacturing leading services by 10% The biggest difference is in the 20-49% turnover category, where the number of manufacturing companies reporting green products and services turnover is almost triple of services companies.

Supply chain skills are in high demand from manufacturers

For example, the demand for supply chain skills in manufacturing is double of that from the services companies. Waste management skills are in demand from half the manufacturing companies we surveyed, in contrast to 36% of services companies. Lastly, a reverse trend in relation to green marketing and branding skills – more service companies signified their importance to green growth than manufacturing companies.

SKILLS GAPS

OVERALL, MANUFACTURING AND service companies differ in the way they engage with green growth, as well as the policy and business support underpinning this. The importance of sectoral specifics, namely the policy and regulatory environment, play an important part in stimulating proenvironmental business behaviour.

The manufacturing industry has more established and regulated practices that drive positive environmental performance.

Supply chain pressures for environmental performance, and demands for green products and services, is another stimulus for its companies to green their operations. Although such pressures are growing in the services sector, they are far less pronounced.

As services accounted for 78% of total UK economic output (gross value added) in April to June 2022 and 82% of employment in January to March 2022, services are an important part of the solution to the net zero challenge. Its sectors seem to be lagging behind manufacturing in strategic approach and operationalisation of green growth ambitions.

What is important to realise is their needs for skills development and business support is different to manufacturing. Policy and business support instruments need to be more attuned to the specifics of the services companies when designing support packages and policy interventions.

There are differences in skills demands for green growth across the manufacturing and services sectors, particularly in the areas of supply chain management, waste management, product design and development, innovation support and knowledge management.

To read the full report, visit bit.ly/GreenGrowthTrends2022.

For more information on how to access support and funding for green growth projects, visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

GREEN GROWTH STRATEGY ADOPTION A quarter (26%) of manufacturing companies already have green growth ambitions as part of their business strategy, compared with 19% in services.

Only 12% of manufacturers have not considered green growth as a viable strategic growth option, compared with 16% of services firms.

There is an emerging picture of manufacturers being more proactive in integrating and pursuing the green growth opportunities when compared with their services counterparts.

Environmental strategy is already part of the business strategy in half the manufacturing companies we’ve surveyed and only a 40% of the service companies.

POLICY AND BUSINESS SUPPORT ENGAGEMENT Although services companies feel they are better informed about the business support available, they are less likely to access business support than manufacturers. One in four manufacturing firms currently access business support, compared with one in five within services.

Only a third of services and manufacturing companies surveyed reported they have a good understanding of policy for clean growth in the locality.

More manufacturing companies are confident in their knowledge of how to access the business support when compared with services.

Programme funds ways to make aviation greener The University of Nottingham’s Aerospace Unlocking Potential (UP) programme has pledged more than £110,000 in funding to three UK businesses working to improve sustainability in the aerospace sector.

Designed to help smaller companies develop new technologies and solutions to make aviation greener, the £20m Aerospace UP programme is being delivered by the university and Midlands Aerospace Alliance, supported by the European Regional Development Fund and Midlands Engine.

The three businesses are Space Resource Laboratory, which is developing a propulsion system that removes space debris; Holscot Fluropolymers, which is working to produce a lighter weight and reusable alternative to metal satellite propulsion tanks; and XCAM, which is developing a device that can better detect and analyse complex particulates.

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Taking a closer look at the region’s top international traders Sterling in the doldrums

By David Pearson (pictured), director of partnerships at the Chamber We all know the great British pound is currently not in favour on the currency markets, with a number of economic and political fiscal factors having an impact over the past few months.

Central banks across the world are fighting high inflation via interest rate hikes, and this combined with increased energy prices resulting from the war in Ukraine, has triggered trade imbalances.

At times like this, the US dollar (USD) is seen as a safe haven, so it has gone from strength to strength. Sterling is trading at levels significantly below long-term averages compared to the USD, but it’s not all just about the strength of the USD. The pound has weakened against 90% of world currencies during 2022.

Each year, the Excellence in International Trade category at the Chamber’s Business Awards recognises the strength of businesses in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire that trade internationally. Before the overall prize winner is announced, Jasmine Thompson takes a closer look at the finalists from each county.

Aztec Oils’ warehouse facility

Some of Katapult’s designs

DERBYSHIRE

The company, which is part of the Rondot Group, operates globally through a network of local representatives and agents to provide the necessary expertise, products and support services.

AZTEC OILS WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE EAST MIDLANDS’ INTERNATIONAL TRADERS? In general, a weak pound makes imports more expensive and exports more competitive, so there can be winners as well as losers. For exporters, there are opportunities but the time lag to secure an export opportunity through to actually completing the export sale, and getting paid, can be protracted and not a quick win.

Many imports into the region are linked to the price of oil and normally priced in USD. Buyers of goods purchased in USD will feel the pinch more immediately as they need to pay in USD for their purchases this month.

In some cases, they will have agreed to buy the products some months ago when the GBP/USD exchange rate was perhaps 1.30, but they now find themselves having to buy their dollars at perhaps 1.10. This equates to an increase in the cost of their goods approaching 20%.

HOW THE CHAMBER CAN SUPPORT The Chamber can’t cure all these ills, but we can put you in touch with partners who can mitigate your foreign exchange risks to protect your profits and optimise cashflow.

Don’t fall into the trap of negotiating an extra 1% margin and then leaving that margin to the vagaries of volatile worldwide foreign exchange markets. Steps can be taken, and at very least, the options should be considered.

To speak about currency needs and get an introduction to one of the Chamber’s partners in this area, contact David Pearson on 07823 416907 or david.pearson@emc-dnl.co.uk 48

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Founded in 1995, Aztec Oils has become one of the UK’s leading lubricant manufacturers supplying specialist products to all sectors of industry, including automotive, commercial, agricultural, industrial and food grade.

The company now owns and operates multiple sites across the UK and Europe, in addition to its original flagship factory in Bolsover. It has grown consistently and currently trades with an annual turnover of more than £33m – 24% of which comprises international trade.

CONTAINER COMPONENTS EUROPE Container Components is a manufacturer that pioneered the introduction of plastic lids in 1984. It now offers a range of plastic lids, bins and ancillary hardware for the waste industry.

It delivers to world-class container builders, plastic injection moulders, as well as top waste contractors, repairers, buy-and-sell companies, end users and local authorities. The firm operates in most countries in Europe, as well as in Asia, Africa and Australia.

GRAPHOIDAL DEVELOPMENTS Graphoidal Developments designs and manufactures lubrication and coating technology for the international glass container and tableware industries. Its expertise is in precise delivery and control of mixing, dosing and spraying of the lubricants and coatings that form a vital part of the world’s glass production process – both in the hot end and cold end areas.

KATAPULT From its headquarters in Derby, Katapult designs themed attractions and experiences that are enjoyed by 50 million visitors at 81 attractions, in 18 different countries, each year.

It helps clients generate more income, more fans and bring the vision for their visitor attractions to life.

It has worked with Lego, Merlin Entertainments, Ferrari, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros among other leading names in the leisure and attractions industry. Katapult’s services have been delivered around the world, but notably in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Americas.

LEICESTERSHIRE CONSULTUS INTERNATIONAL GROUP Consultus International Group is a trusted energy consultancy and one of the UK’s leading net zero delivery partners. It works with businesses and their supply chains to plan, prioritise and achieve their carbon-neutral goals, and in the process help them to use less energy, reduce costs, better manage risk, and increase their energy security.

With group operations in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, its clients include Weetabix, Radisson Hotel Group, English National Opera, The National Lottery and Maersk.

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAINING COURSES Export foundations DATE: 10 November TIME: 9-4 COST: £270 + VAT Get an overall picture of how the many elements of international trade fit together, including hands-on experience of the administration involved with getting an export consignment ready

Incoterms 2020 rules Members of the Fashion UK team with at the Licensing Awards 2022

DATE: 8 December TIME: 9-12.30 COST: £184 + VAT Get a detailed and focused commercial view of the latest Incoterms 2020 standards

Rules of origin DATE: 12 January TIME: 9-12.30 COST: £150 + VAT Learn about the certifications required by customs officials around the world to demonstrate the origin of a product, which determines how tariffs are decided

Customs declarations DATE: 24 January TIME: 9-2 COST: £280 + VAT Learn how to accurately produce a customs declaration or check one being produced by a customs agent for your company Mitchell Diesel has been operating for more than 60 years

FASHION UK Fashion UK is a licensed apparel footwear and accessories firm, with its own in-house printing facility catering to short orders across Europe, as well as a facility in India and subsidiary company in China.

Striving for sustainability, it has opened a recycling facility in Egypt and registered an in-house brand called one point five, where all garments have a recycled yarn element. Its customer base ranges from UK retailers and retail chains to markets in the Middle East, mainland Europe and the Nordics.

Its parent company BM Fashions (UK) Ltd was the highest new entrant among Chamber members in the East Midlands Top 500 Companies index this year in 218th place.

UNIMED PROCUREMENT SERVICES Unimed Procurement Services provides global health procurement services to humanitarian relief organisations, charities, NGOs, governments and private organisations. These organisations work with Unimed to procure medical equipment and consumables, laboratory supplies and other medical products, and have them delivered to more than 25 countries worldwide.

It has recently provided emergency health kits in Ukraine for charity Khalsa Aid. It works with manufacturers and logistics experts to deliver supplies directly to the area, providing an end-to-end solution for customers.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COPLEY SCIENTIFIC Copley Scientific is a global leader in the

design, manufacture and supply of pharmaceutical test equipment. It supplies knowledge, equipment and services to the majority of global pharmaceutical companies, which enables them to develop and commercialise healthcare products.

It serviced more than 70 separate markets in 2021, with over 85% of its products being exported. Copley’s brand and products are present in major markets, including the UK, Europe, China, India, the Far East, Australasia, the Americas and Africa.

MITCHELL DIESEL Mitchell Diesel specialises in the supply, service and parts of diesel engines, diesel generators, automatic transmissions, off-highway driveline products and explosion protection to some of the world’s leading manufacturers in the industry. The company prides itself on providing high-quality products, service and support to its customers, with its partnerships dating back more than 60 years.

CHIEF to CDS DATE: 31 January, TIME: 9-12.30 COST: £150 + VAT or £100 + VAT if taken alongside customs declaration course) With the CHIEF (customs handling of import and export freight) electronic system being replaced with CDS (customs declaration service), find out about the key changes

Import procedures DATE: 7 February TIME: 9-3.30 COST: £270 + VAT Learn about the import process from initial contact with a potential supplier through to the import customs clearance process to ensure receipt of goods in time and within budget

Understanding commodity coding DATE: 9 February TIME: 9-12 COST: £150 + VAT Navigate the complex and difficult international system for coding products for customs purposes

Export documentation ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY SERVICES Engineering Consultancy Service delivers a wide range of engineering design solutions to the rail and construction industries. Its clients range from tier one contractors currently completing the electrification of the Midland Main Line, to the numerous heritage railways dotted around the UK. Over the past three years, it has opened two offices in India, which has enabled it to deliver engineering projects in the UK, India, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

DATE: 21 February TIME: 9-4 COST: £270 + VAT Practical programme equipping delegates with necessary skills and knowledge to prepare and process documents when exporting goods overseas *Prices listed are exclusively for East Midlands Chamber members

For a full list of courses, visit bit.ly/EMCInternationalTraining November 2022 business network

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POLITICS

Quarterly Economic Survey shows necessity of Government action

By Chris Hobson (pictured), director of policy and external affairs at the Chamber

REGION AT A GLANCE * Net value = increase/decrease. ** A circle highlighted in green or red indicates positive/negative direction of change.

Indicators

Net value Q2 2022

Net value Q3 2022

Net change over quarter

Direction of change

UK sales

27%

5%

-22%

l

UK orders

22%

3%

-19%

l

Overseas sales

2%

-10%

-12%

l

Overseas orders

3%

2%

-1%

l

Labour force (past three months)

9%

13%

4%

l

Labour force (next three months)

33%

24%

-9%

l

Cashflow

4%

-14%

-18%

l

Future prices

62%

58%

-4%

l

Investment in machinery

17%

11%

-6%

l

Investment in training

17%

11%

-6%

l

Confidence in turnover

42%

25%

-17%

l

Confidence in profitability

8%

-13%

-21%

l

he Quarterly Economic Survey results for the third quarter of the year paint a difficult picture for businesses.

Many of the sentiment indicators of how the economy is performing – those relating to investment intentions and confidence levels – have been trending downwards for a few quarters now.

However, for the first time, demand indicators – how busy businesses are in selling their goods and services – have also dropped, both internationally and here in the UK. This is a concern as it suggests the impacts of inflation, especially the increasing volatility in energy markets and subsequent interest rate rises, is starting to dull activity.

Cashflow is now worsening for more businesses than it’s improving for and the wellpublicised price pressures from areas such as energy, staffing costs, raw materials and fuel haven’t gone away. Indeed, for many businesses these are now at a critical point. More positively, employment has held up, although difficulties in recruitment remain at record levels across the

T

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STATE OF ECONOMY INDEX

board. All this points to the need for immediate action to support businesses, along with a longer-term strategy in order to instil confidence and give them the encouragement they need to start taking more strategic decisions around

investment. In conversation with businesses, they ask for action from Government in three areas: Get the basics right; provide consistency and a long-term approach; and don’t put up any blockers to growth.

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POLITICS

How the West Burton A plant will look

OFF THE BACK of these messages, the new Chancellor’s “mini-budget” appears to have gone some way to responding.

Measures such as a reversal in national insurance increases, plans to increase corporation tax, and a commitment – albeit for six months – to support businesses on energy costs will put money back in the pockets of businesses right at the time when they most need it.

A commitment to streamline planning processes, develop infrastructure and incentivise meaningful business investment is also welcomed, although these are not necessarily new messages and there remains some scepticism about the ability to deliver.

‘It’s essential that Government now offers clear reassurance about its plans to ensure that as a country, we are taking a responsible approach to managing our finances From a bigger picture perspective, the very clear and significant shift in approach from the Government is one that will take some time for businesses to digest, although action to get the economy moving again is undoubtedly needed.

The impacts of the increased costs of these schemes are as of yet unknown. Following recent turmoil with sterling and in bond markets, it’s essential that Government now offers clear reassurance about its plans to ensure that as a country, we are taking a responsible approach to managing our finances and aren’t viewed as a risk by external investors.

Further detail on the costings of recent proposals, along with anticipated growth returns and timescales for this, is now needed.

The current market uncertainty damages consumer confidence and doesn’t support those that are looking to invest in their businesses, despite what positive measures might have been in the Chancellor’s Growth Plan.

As such, the proposal from Government, at the time of writing, of giving further details and costings towards the end of November feels too far away for businesses to wait.

County to host world’s first fusion energy plant Billions of pounds worth of investment and thousands of jobs will come to Nottinghamshire after it was a chosen as the home of what is hoped to be world’s first commercial prototype fusion energy plant.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced that West Burton A, near Retford, will be the world’s first site to develop a commercial power station that will use the energy produced by fusion reactions to generate electricity.

The site was among 15 nominated locations.

The ambitious project – Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, known as STEP – is led by the UK Atomic Energy Midlands Engine chairman Sir John Peace Authority (UKAEA).

Fusion, which is based on the same physical reactions that power the sun and ‘The project is more than a stats, offers an inherently safe and virtually power station – it will limitless source of clean electricity by require an ecosystem of copying the processes that power the sun.

The West Burton site has been used for innovation and development coal and gas-powered electricity generation and will become a global for decades, and the decision follows focus for fusion power’ Nottinghamshire County Council’s Fossil2Fusion campaign, supported by the Midlands Engine partnership and Energy Research Accelerator.

If successful, the prototype plant – earmarked for construction in the early 2030s and operational by about 2040 – could pave the way to commercial fusion plants producing sustainable, low-carbon energy for generations to come.

Midlands Engine chairman Sir John Peace said: “In an area which has long suffered from underinvestment, the site stands to play a crucial role in boosting local and regional economic activity, job creation and productivity.

“The project is more than a power station – it will require an ecosystem of innovation and development and will become a global focus for fusion power.

“If successful, the prototype plant could pave the way to commercial fusion plants producing sustainable, low carbon energy for generations to come.”

Professor Martin Freer, director of the Energy Research Accelerator, said: “Fusion could provide an almost limitless supply of safe, clean electricity and help with the toughest decarbonisation challenges by using heat to manufacture hydrogen and synthetic clean fuels – other areas where our region and ERA have expertise.”

Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles, added: “West Burton A, along with Ratcliffe-onSoar power station at the south of the county, has tremendous potential to lead the way in showcasing how legacy power infrastructure can be repurposed for a net zero future.”

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CHAMBER NEWS FEATURE

DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

Marketing tips for service businesses

By Mandy Hopkins (pictured), chartered marketer at Imagine Digital Marketing Whether it’s business coaching, accountancy or HR, selling intangible services is a challenge.

After all, there’s nothing for the customer to touch or handle, so it’s harder to promote the benefits than for physical products like double glazing or computer hardware. However, it’s possible to market your intangible services successfully if you take the right approach.

Here are my top tips to help you hone your sales and marketing strategy.

1. PICK YOUR NICHE Research shows that service businesses with a niche grow faster than those without. So, rather than trying to be all things to all people, pick the area you’re best at or most interested in and make this your unique selling proposition (USP).

Expertise and authority build trust, so showcase your sector-specific know-how through your marketing.

2. INVEST IN A GREATLOOKING, HIGH-PERFORMING WEBSITE Your website is the shop window for your business and the hub of all your online activities. It’s essential that it not only makes a fantastic first impression but provides a quality user experience. So, forget about templates and invest in a one-off design with photography instead of stock images, lots of interactive features, and informative, well-written content.

3. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE AND PERSONALISE YOUR MESSAGING Knowing and understanding your ideal customers’ wants, needs and aspirations is paramount. Take some time to delve into your target audience. Then, make your key messages as personalised as possible so they create genuine connections with your brand.

4. CREATE COMPELLING AND UNIQUE CONTENT Content marketing is the intangible service provider’s secret weapon.

It’s much cheaper than many other forms of promotion and tends to produce more leads. The downside is: everyone else does it, too. So, make your content different and don’t just write about the same hackneyed themes as your 52

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competitors. Jump on new trends and ideas in your sector before everyone else – or even become a trendsetter yourself.

5. BRING YOUR SERVICES TO LIFE Your services might be intangible, but they still come with benefits.

What can you offer to your customers that will change their lives for the better? It could be more sales for their business, more spare time to spend with family and friends, or peace of mind about their pension. It all comes back to knowing your audience’s pain and pleasure points, and tailoring your marketing to suit.

6. AVOID INDUSTRY JARGON Throwing abbreviations, acronyms and buzzwords into your content is one way of showing you know your stuff. Unfortunately, it’s also an easy way to alienate your audience. Stick to plain English and if you must use jargon, explain what it means.

7. ACCEPT YOU CAN’T SELL TO ‘EVERYONE’ This comes back to tip number one but relates to asking for referrals.

You may well be a company that sells to all industry sectors but asking people to refer or recommend you to ‘anyone who needs my services’ probably won’t get you many leads.

8. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET You have experience and expertise, as well as qualifications and training in what you do, so don’t be afraid to shout about it. And get other people to do it for you, by encouraging happy customers to leave glowing reviews and testimonials.

Finally: don’t despair if things don’t go to plan first time. Marketing will always feature an element of trial and error, so keep tweaking until you get the results you want.

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DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

CHAMBER FEATURE NEWS

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Cyber insurance – the question is no longer ‘is it worth it?’ it’s ‘can you get it?’

By Martin Roberts (pictured), managing director, Neuways. nsurance is one of those things that you hate to pay for until you need to make a claim.

You then realise why you paid the money (if the policy pays out!).

You can get insured for most things; for example, Alien Abduction, Wedding ‘Change of Heart’, and even body parts, should you be so inclined (Tom Jones allegedly insured for his chest hair to the tune of £5 million); however, you may find it increasingly difficult, in future, to obtain cover for cyber incidents.

I

‘The consequence of making a weak application for insurance will be either higher premiums or, most likely, the inability to get insurance at all’

WHY? Insurance firms piled into a seemingly lucrative market by offering Cyber Insurance which would cover many aspects of a cyber breach – the cost of ransom, recovery, incident management and reputation repair, amongst others. However, the claims rates have been such that many providers are withdrawing from the market. Those left ensure that their potential clients are subject to rigorous questions about their cyber security readiness and their application of cyber awareness across their business.

Cyber insurance is no longer a thing you can just go and buy after searching for the best price – you will probably have to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire that will not only ask what equipment or software you might have deployed, such as firewalls and spam filters, but also if you have policies in place and a cyber awareness training programme that educates your employees to spot potential threats. The consequence of making a weak application for insurance will be either higher premiums or, most likely, the inability to get insurance at all.

DOUBLE TROUBLE If you currently have a mindset in your enterprise that serious cyber security is for other businesses and that cyber insurance is an expensive ‘must have’, then you may be in for a surprise. Soon, to get any cyber insurance that is of any value (it pays out!), you’ll have to pay good money to put protections in place to qualify. Not only will you have to invest in a multi-layered security approach, but you’ll also need to ensure that it is always current and subject to audit.

For some businesses, quite rightly, health and safety is a ‘must do’ and will undoubtedly be a foundation discipline that is a focus of the business – often being the first agenda item at a board meeting. Being cyber safe is now racing up behind this to consume management time and make the organisation cyber fit for the current climate.

WHERE TO START? Being reactive is no longer an option. This means, of course, being proactive – doing something – putting a framework in place and proving that you are compliant. For small and medium-sized businesses, a good place to start is with Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus, a framework devised by the UK Government by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). By gaining certification under the scheme, you can show that you are committed to being Cybersafe.

stance and the chances of your getting insured at a reasonable cost.

BENEFITS BEYOND INSURANCE The effects of a cyber compromise can be profound. It may stop you from doing business while you remediate the issue. It could result in you paying out a ransom. It could see the loss of vital money through a redirection of funds – all in themselves a disaster. Sure, you may get some money back through that expensive insurance, but will you fully regain your reputation?

People work with people they trust. If you are compromised and threaten the integrity of a business partner’s security, whether customer or supplier, they will potentially consider if you are a threat to them. By showing that you are committed to being Cybersafe you are also displaying a commitment to their business.

BEYOND THE BASICS For small and medium enterprises, the bar to reach becomes higher as the complexity of the organisation and the threat surface increase. This is when it is worth considering a more comprehensive framework, such as the CIS controls (Centre for Internet Security).

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FEATURE

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DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

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DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES

FEATURE

What’s the big idea?

Digital marketing for SMEs As an SME, adopting a digital marketing strategy is a vital tool for building a brand, increasing customer engagement and extending your reach. But what are the steps you need to take to developing a winning digital marketing campaign? Business Network explores.

TARGET AUDIENCE, TARGET CONTENT When considering your digital marketing strategy, it’s important to know your audience.

Who are they, what do they do, and how can your product or service help them? To help you understand your audience, create a buyer persona. This could include details such as their age, gender and income, allowing you to determine the kind of content you should create and what kind of social media platforms you should target.

Once you know your audience, you will find it much easier to create targeted and relevant content.

Another key factor is reaching your audience on a personal level, which means it’s important to show that you value their needs and appreciate their custom.

Tactics such as giveaways, surprise and delight campaigns and rewards schemes will help foster loyal relationships with customers.

SHOW, DON’T TELL Visual content is on the rise. Video content platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram Stories and Facebook Live, have become an increasingly popular way to connect with thousands of potential customers.

Best of all, you don’t necessarily need a big budget or expensive equipment to create content, as many smartphones cameras have high-quality video

capabilities perfect for shooting short videos and soundbites. Interviews, product demonstrations and advertisements are all good examples of video content.

When making video content, remember that consistency is key. A posting schedule will encourage your audience to tune regularly and anticipate new videos, while consistency in style and voice will help you connect on a much more personal level with your customers.

FOCUS YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS There’s no denying the power of social media, but there are a multiple of available platforms, and they are all constantly evolving. Therefore it’s important to focus your efforts on the platforms that are most relevant and where your customers are the most active, rather than wasting time on the ones that won’t bring you any new business.

B2B businesses may find such platforms as LinkedIn and Twitter the most helpful, whereas Facebook and Instagram might better suit a B2C business model.

Whichever platforms you decide to focus on, remember that it is important to retain a consistent voice across social media (and also your website) to help build a connection with your customers.

A scheduling tool, such as Hootesuite or Buffer, can help you schedule your posts to go live at times that would give you the highest traffic and social media engagement.

‘Video content platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram Stories and Facebook Live, have become an increasingly popular way to connect with thousands of potential customers’

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FOCUS FEATURE

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

Decade of

Action

We are in the middle of the UN’s Decade of Action, which calls for “accelerating sustainable solutions to all the world’s biggest challenges”.

What this means for businesses on the ground in the East Midlands is an issue that’s still emerging, as the Chamber’s Sustainability Summit, held at the University of Derby Enterprise Centre in late September, explored. Dan Robinson reports. indsey Williams recently read the book A Life on Our Planet by Sir David Attenborough, who documents the scale of climate change over the course of his lifetime. The first half, she admits, is a “depressing” experience as it illustrates the impact of rising population and carbon emissions on the Earth’s wilderness, but the latter part offers room for optimism by exploring how humanity can overcome the challenges we face.

While the innovations and technologies that drive decarbonisation will be felt globally, they start at local level in regions like the East Midlands and its small firms – for whom sustainability is as much business-critical today as climate-critical tomorrow.

“At a time of great uncertainty and increasing costs of doing business, we need to think about how we approach these issues to stir the need for action at local level,” says Lindsey, chief executive at Futures Housing Group and president of the Chamber.

“We have some great resources and skills in the East Midlands which, if we work together to utilise, we can decouple economic growth from carbon emissions.”

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Chamber president Lindsey Williams opening the Sustainability Summit

‘Green growth is an issue that’s never felt higher up the agenda’ Prof Warren Manning

In 2015, the UN unveiled 17 Sustainable Development Goals – covering areas such as affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, and gender equality – as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet” to be achieved by 2030.

At the dawn of the 2020s, it called on governments, civil society and businesses to mobilise to make faster progress as part of the Decade of Action.

The fruits of this labour may still seem a way off but “2030 is almost tomorrow from a climate change perspective”, says Professor Warren Manning, provost for innovation and research at the University of Derby, warning that interventions must arrive quickly.

He adds: “Green growth is an issue that’s never felt higher up the agenda. Over the past couple of years, businesses that have perhaps always known they have to tackle these problems are now more about the risks of not doing so – both in terms of climate change and from a business perspective – and the mitigations they must take.”

Businesses require guidance and backing when it comes to searching for the right solutions to drive simultaneous growth and decarbonisation. But Prof Manning says green business support is an “incredibly complex ecosystem from a finance, innovation and skills perspective” that must continue to evolve if sustainability is to be integrated fully 56

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Attendees at the Sustainability Summit heard about the hurdles facing low-carbon business engagement

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Panellists including Dr Jorge Santana (centre), of the Midlands Net Zero Hub, discuss how to improve access to finance for SMEs

BUSINESS SUPPORT RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ZELLAR

UK BUSINESS CLIMATE HUB

As well as enabling an SME to calculate and manage its carbon footprint, the platform helps a business understand its performance against competitors and create a decarbonisation action plan with measurable results. The Chamber’s East Midlands Accelerator project has subsidised 400 one-year licences.

Operated by BEIS, the platform offers practical steps to cut emissions, sector-specific advice and case studies. Its SME Climate Hub includes the free online carbon emission reduction training course Climate Fit, a carbon calculator and an access to finance guide.

Visit businessclimatehub.org/uk

Visit welcome.zellar.com/east-midlands

GREEN2GROW ESG SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL

Sam Lux

Delivered by RSM UK for Chamber members as a free service, this suite of tools includes a self-assessment questionnaire, training videos and best practice guidance to help businesses determine which elements of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda matter most to their organisation and stakeholders.

Visit bit.ly/ESGselfassessment

DE-CARBONISE PROJECT A collaboration between the University of Derby, Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council, this project offers business and technical support, as well as grant funding, to implement carbon reduction schemes within SMEs in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Visit www.derby.ac.uk/business-services/funding/decarbonise-project

into the day-to-day of running a company and regarded as achievable. Research from the University of Derby and the Chamber found this is one of the biggest blockers to green growth adoption, with about 35% of businesses saying they still aren’t engaged. Reasons cited include gaps in information, skills and access to finance – all good starting points if this decade is truly to be one of action.

“WE THINK MOST businesses want to do something but they don’t want to publicly make that commitment unless they know exactly what it is they are doing and want to achieve.”

A finance hub operated by the British Business Bank, it features a wealth of content designed to help small businesses prepare for green growth, including a glossary of sustainable business terms and latest tips.

Visit www.british-business-bank.co.uk/sustainability

CHANCERY LANE PROJECT Businesses can access free contractual clauses and tools they need to align commercial agreements with net zero.

Visit chancerylaneproject.org

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS The Chamber’s Sustainable East Midlands initiative features a directory of support available for businesses across the region.

Visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/sustainability

Sam Lux, net zero business engagement policy adviser at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), encapsulates the diverging forces of ambition and ability that is holding back many SMEs in particular. She believes they have already identified the cost-saving benefits of going green, but the lack of joinedup thinking when it comes to finance is holding them back from making the necessary investments.

British Business Bank research found more than a third of SMEs stated cost as a barrier for reducing their carbon footprint, the biggest hurdle of more than 20 identified.

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS BUSINESS CASE STUDY Company: Cawarden, based in Ockbrook, Derbyshire Number of employees: 80 Spokesperson: Jonathan Groves (pictured), quality director

What does your company do?

Cawarden is a family-owned and operated specialist contractor with over 35 years’ experience in delivering exemplary projects.

We have a rich history of successfully delivering demolition, land remediation and earthworks projects across the UK. These activities remain our core business. However, our capability continues to grow to meet the changing needs of our valued clients.

Today, Cawarden we can fulfil a one-off service or integrated “destruction to construction” solution.

Lewis Stringer

Lewis Stringer, senior manager for the East Midlands at the bank, says: “Awareness of finance for net zero actions is very low and therefore we need to look at how we signpost to providers, while being very consistent in how we do that. We need to look at joined-up support at local and national level.

“For everyone who deals with net zero, particularly around finance, we need to look at how we measure and baseline those actions. Where are businesses starting from and how can we change that journey towards net zero using finance?”

The trajectory is going in the right direction, as 11% of small businesses – equivalent to about 700,000 UK firms – have accessed external finance to support net zero actions and 22% say they want to in the next five years.

Kirstin Roberts, director at law firm Freeths, says: “Mindsets are changing to see it as an opportunity rather than just a challenge.

‘SMEs learn from their peers and make similar investments, so they want to hear stories from other SMEs going through the journey’ “Our firm has stopped using paper as it brings massive cost savings, as well as ticking the sustainability box, and our manufacturing clients are now looking at reducing the packaging they import, for example, because they can save the costs associated with tax and the extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme.”

Ideas discussed for improving access to finance include setting up regional working groups to understand the best methods of targeting SMEs in those areas, being more innovative with lending and repayment terms to reflect the types of investments, and refining multi-channel green communications to make the issue relatable via consistent messaging and case studies.

“SMEs learn from their peers and make similar investments, so they want to hear stories from other SMEs going through the journey,” says Dr Polina Baranova, a senior lecturer in strategic management at the university’s Derby Business School.

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How are you trying to be a sustainable business?

In 1986, the re-use of building materials was virtually non-existent. Cawarden managing director William Crooks was unfashionably keen on recycling, and saw an opportunity to reclaim them and sell for re-use. From this idea, Cawarden was born.

Fast forward nearly four decades, and we’re as passionate about reusing, recycling, and caring for the environment today as we’ve always been.

But, recognising that carbon reduction is a critical issue, we wanted to do more.

So over the past 12 months, we’ve been working even harder to lessen our carbon footprint by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. This entailed making a phased transition to a new eco fuel made from waste fats and vegetable oils. Our emissions have since been reduced by 67%, equivalent of 94 single flights to Sydney, Australia, being saved to date – that’s well over 1,000 metric tonnes of CO2. This has been achieved in just 10 months. In addition, our total recycling solution means, on average, 97% of building materials from our demolition projects are diverted from landfill.

One of the ways we achieve this high recycling percentage is by processing aggregate arisings on-site – which also has the added benefit of reduced vehicle movements. The crushed material can then be reused into new construction projects, reducing the need to import new material while making carbon and commercial savings. Over the past 12 months alone, we’ve diverted from landfill in excess of 500,000 tonnes.

We reclaim all types of materials from our projects, from bricks and timber to roof tiles and interior features. Working with reclamation yards, we’ll give all these materials a chance to be revived into something new. We also salvage and donate good-quality items to local community groups to further power the circular economy and give something back.

How has adopting green growth principles impacted your business?

Sustainability has been a very important part of our business. Following the first Covid-19 lockdown and when the skies became clear, we all could see how our environment improved substantially in only a few weeks. This gave us the momentum to make a change.

After liaising with the Environment Agency and joining the DE-Carbonise project in partnership with the University of Derby, and Derbyshire County and Derby City Councils, we were able to evaluate and calculate where our emissions were being created. From this, we changed our plant over to a new eco fuel that delivered massive reductions in emissions. Our approach to the environment has been recognised with accolades from The Green Organisation.

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

Building sustainability into our business is key to long-term survival. It is essential we take responsibility to keep delivering positive change. Clients are rightly asking for green credentials – without them it would be very difficult to secure a contract.

Not only have we been walking the walk, we’ve been talking the talk. Through online and in-person talks, we’ve been helping to create awareness throughout the business community to inspire other organisations to start their de-carbonisation journey.

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

We annually invest in new plant and vans that have the most efficient engines and lower emissions, but new technologies are going to play a big role in helping to deliver net zero targets. Our journey continues to deliver further improvements to achieve our ultimate target of net zero – a commitment we’ve cemented by signing up to the SME Climate Hub and The Climate Pledge.

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

FOCUS FEATURE

Lewis adds: “Keep the language simple and keep it business. We’re in difficult times right now, so we should be helping them to understand the opportunities to save costs rather than incur costs, rather than throwing jargon at them.”

ONE WORD AT the forefront of many business leaders’ minds right now is skills, particularly a lack of them – the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey shows that while two-thirds of East Midlands firms want to recruit, four in five of this cohort struggle to fill roles.

When it comes to green skills, there is more ambiguity.

PwC defines green jobs as roles where activities seek to provide environmentally-friendly products and services, or adapt work processes to be greener.

There were 410,000 such jobs in 2021. The Government’s Net Zero Strategy aims to add another 190,000 green jobs by 2024 and 440,000 by 2030.

‘There’s a significant link between STEM subjects and skills required, but there’s a lot of transferrable skills between different sectors’ PwC’s Green Jobs Barometer is an interactive tool that tracks job creation, job loss, carbon intensity of employment and worker perceptions with relevance to the green transition.

Broken down into regions and sectors, the East Midlands ranks seventh out of 12 regions when measured across five pillars on its progress in developing green jobs, with an overall index of 42/100.

One of these pillars is in job creation and an evaluation of 11.2 million unique job adverts in Britain placed between July 2020 and June 2021 showed that 125,000 of these roles were green jobs – just 1.2%, the same proportion for the East Midlands.

IDENTIFYING GREEN GROWTH TRENDS IN THE EAST MIDLANDS Unique research by the Chamber and University of Derby over the past seven years illustrates how green growth is rising up the agenda for businesses in the East Midlands. Key findings in the latest report, titled Green Growth Trends in the East Midlands 2022, include: • In 2015, 16% of companies derived turnover from supplying environmentally-friendly goods – such as energy efficiency, waste recovery and eco-food and drink products – but this increased to 45% in 2022 as more firms identified opportunities in the UK’s race to net zero • But 35% of businesses still aren’t engaged with green growth • There is a rising trend of diversification into green markets, with a fourfold increase (7.5% to 28.5%) in businesses reporting that between 1% and 19% of their turnover derives from green goods and services between 2015 and 2022 • The proportion of businesses considering green growth as part of their business strategies has more than doubled over the past four years from 9.7% in 2018 to 21.5% in 2022 • More than 80% of large businesses are actively pursuing green growth opportunities, compared with 61% of medium, 56% of small and 36% of micro-sized companies • Only 17% of firms surveyed said the current policy landscape allows them to fully engage with green growth • A third (33%) did not feel well-informed about the support available for green growth, although this was a drop from 42% in 2021 • The largest demands for skills development are in the areas of energy and resource efficiency, renewables and access to green finance.

To read the full report, visit bit.ly/GreenGrowthTrends2022 Dr Polina Baranova November 2022 business network

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

SUSTAINABLE EAST MIDLANDS BUSINESS CASE STUDY Company: Composite Braiding Ltd, based at iHub, in Derby Number of employees: 7 Spokesperson: Steve Barbour (pictured), managing director

What does your company do?

We design and manufacture advanced composite structural components from materials such as glass or carbon fibre.

How are you trying to be a sustainable business?

We embrace sustainability in three significant ways: 1. Our manufacturing process is capable of using up to 99% less energy than standard composite processes. This reduces not only energy bills but can save tonnes of CO2 emissions. We also typically only have about 1% production scrap, which is already industry-leading, and have demonstrated that most of this is re-usable.

2. In use, our products can be as stiff and strong as steel, but typically weigh between 60% and 70% less. This gives huge CO2 savings for use and installation.

3. As we normally combine our fibres with thermoplastic resins – some of which are bio-based – we can re-use, repurpose or recycle these materials relatively easily, making the end-of-life options easier to manage.

Alison Breadon

“The Government’s ambition is to get to 6.2% of total UK employment being green jobs, so there’s some way to go,” says Alison Breadon, PwC’s markets senior partner for the East Midlands.

“There’s a significant link between STEM subjects and skills required, but there’s a lot of transferrable skills between different sectors.”

The most prominent green job roles are professional scientific and technical, and the top sectors are electricity and gas, water and sewerage, and mining. These are also where most jobs will be affected.

Six million jobs are expected to be touched by the transition to net zero but 56% of the British public have never heard of the term “green job”, according to the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).

“We have a long way to go,” adds Alison. “We need to change the language around it – stop talking about green roles and focus instead on the impacts these will have in sectors such as manufacturing and retail, so people can get their heads around why they need those particular skills.”

The connection between green living and green jobs will help people relate to how their jobs impact on the world around them, believes University of Derby sustainability champion Orla Kelleher and Ross Nicholson, director at Down to Earth Derby, a community interest group that oversees nature-based regeneration projects.

Ross adds: “There’s a big opportunity for SMEs – for the first time, they are likely to win the battle for talent against the corporates. People are more insistent on what the company they work for is about, so the smaller firms that are much nimbler have an advantage.”

Ultimately, green should become embedded within jobs rather than being a bespoke role. Ross suggests SMEs should go one further and give overall sustainability responsibility to HR leads so it is embedded within the entire organisation and the jobs it creates Finally, businesses should be prepared to “fail forwards”.

He adds: “It’s a difficult thing to contemplate right now given all the pressures facing businesses, but SMEs are in a great position to trial and error.

“We have incredible skills in the East Midlands. They just need curation by getting SMEs that don’t usually work together in the same room to think sideways and understand how they can help each other.”

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How has adopting green growth principles impacted your business?

Carbon reduction is central to the composites industry because we’re about making lightweight parts. However, we’ve gone further and looked at how we can also develop a more energyefficient and circular manufacturing process, at the same time as striving to produce higher volumes of parts at lower costs.

Initially we focused on the fact that our materials were inherently recyclable, but the market has been driving for greater and broader sustainability.

We can now offer that through our lower-emission, lower-waste manufacturing process, and through our ability to repurpose and re-use (not only recycle) the parts we make.

It’s what the market wants and it’s something we can do – today.

It just makes good business and environmental sense.

We are now developing solutions for many sectors that realise it can’t be business as usual and are looking for viable, sustainable alternatives.

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

The sustainability agenda is very important for us — it’s the biggest issue facing our world right now — but we also have to make sure that the components we produce are affordable and available in the volumes our customers need.

We can offer all three attributes – sustainable, affordable, higher-volume composite parts.

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

Because of our work devising a more sustainable composites manufacturing process, we have been shortlisted for the Sustainability: Net Zero Initiative award at the Composites UK Awards and will find out if we have won it on 2 November.

While we are keeping our fingers crossed for a win, we are busy working on ideas for new sustainable products and projects, which could add more value for our clients.

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CHAMBER FEATURE NEWS

BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

How to unlock your trapped cash

By Mark Roe (pictured), director at Haines Watts (East Midlands)

The Chancellor’s 2022 Spring Statement committed to increasing the spend on research and development (R&D) relief.

From April 2023, the scope of relief will also include data and cloud computing costs.

For businesses that push boundaries and adopt a forwardthinking approach, R&D tax relief continues to be one of the most valuable tax incentives.

HMRC’s latest R&D claim statistics show claim numbers are rising each year, although we know that claims have reduced since the pandemic.

Recently, many R&D businesses have struggled and been forced to reduce their R&D expenditure. It is therefore positive to see indications of increased awareness of the scheme among SMEs. This is apparent from the latest data showing a higher growth in claims among SMEs compared with large businesses, and it is SMEs that are more than ever in need of this support.

The data also reveals geographical disparity continues, with a concentration of the claims by companies with registered offices in London and the South East. Outside these areas, businesses should consider whether they are capturing their qualifying R&D expenditure.

WHAT IS R&D RELIEF? R&D relief is a tax relief given to companies that innovate to create new or improved products, processes, devices, materials, or services.

HOW DOES THE RELIEF WORK? The relief works by providing an uplift on the costs incurred on qualifying R&D activity to provide a tax deduction, refund or payable cash credit.

There are two schemes for R&D, which have differing levels of relief.

If you’re a profit-making SME – for R&D tax relief purposes, a company with fewer than 500 employees with either a balance sheet of less than €86m, or turnover below €100m – the SME scheme allows you to deduct an extra 130% of qualifying costs from your yearly profit, as well as the original 100% deduction, to make a total 230% deduction.

This results in a tax saving of 24.7% of the qualifying expenditure at current rates. If you are a lossmaking company, you are able to carry back or forward the additional losses generated in the usual way, or surrender your unrelieved taxable losses up to a 62

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maximum of 230% of the qualifying expenditure in return for a cash credit of 14.5%. This can therefore generate a benefit of up to 33.35% of the qualifying expenditure.

If a large company – more than 500 employees, or a turnover of over €100m and a balance sheet exceeding €86m – you must claim under the less generous Research and Development Expenditure Credit scheme (RDEC).

This relief comes in the form of an above-the-line cash credit against a company’s R&D costs designed to incentivise innovation in the UK. The RDEC credit is calculated at 13% of your company’s qualifying R&D expenditure (with the net credit after tax being around 10.5%).

To claim the relief in both instances, you need to demonstrate how a project meets HMRC’s definition of R&D.

COULD I BE ELIGIBLE? The Midlands remains a manufacturing and automotive powerhouse, with the transport, IT and research sectors continuing to drive substantial growth in the region.

It is anticipated the introduction of the HS2 will offer connectivity to the UK’s up and coming science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) talent, helping the region to continue to innovate.

Whether it’s food, machinery, textiles or pharmaceuticals, the manufacturing industry is huge.

Eligible activities include: • Developing and optimising the manufacturing process with new cost-effective materials • Designing new process controls including software • Integrating robotics • Adjusting and enhancing products to give them new features and/or properties • Prototyping a new design or product.

Many businesses are taking part in far more qualifying R&D activity than they realise and are missing out on tax reliefs they could be claiming, which is why any failure to make the most of the support available seems like such a waste.

If you are not claiming already, it is more important than ever to find out if you can unlock any trapped cash. Finding a chartered accountant that has an R&D sector specialist team, experienced in dealing with businesses on R&D claims, is important - as they are more likely to know which projects will be successful, and which may not be relevant.

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FEATURE

BUSINESS BANKING & FINANCE

Navigating to exit a business in uncertain times

By Adam Rhodes (pictured), CEO of Rhodes Wealth Management and senior partner practice of St James’s Place

here are three basic considerations for an entrepreneur wishing to ensure their financial future when planning an exit: • Personal finance plans, with assumptions about the sum needed to strengthen your financial future and fund retirement. One of the first rules is to establish “what is your magic number” to facilitate your plans post-exit

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• A business plan, which will spell out how the value of the business will be built to achieve your magic number.

• How to access that value in the most tax-efficient manner.

the exit value for your business, and provide you with a target and timeframe to work towards.

No-one has a crystal ball, but it’s important that any personal financial plan considers potential changes to the tax environment.

Business asset disposal relief, formerly entrepreneurs’ relief, allows you to pay 10% tax on the first £1m of gains when selling your business, rather than the standard 20% capital gains tax.

These plans must be flexible enough to survive the uncertainties faced by entrepreneurs and their businesses – in recent times, we have had to contend with the pandemic, Brexit, soaring inflation, rising interest rates, uncertain markets and conflict in Europe for the first time in a generation – the importance of properly planning an exit has never been clearer.

WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF AN EXIT STRATEGY?

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY?

How you choose an exit strategy is one of the most important parts of selling your business. Get it right and you can increase the value of

the sale and gain control of your financial future.

“You need to be prepared,” says Adam Rhodes, founder and chief executive of Rhodes Wealth Management. “That means emotionally, commercially, legally and financially. It’s also important to keep the business performing while going through a sale. These processes do take time and you might promise you’re going to hit certain milestones, so it’s vital you keep the business trading strongly.”

Having a trusted team around you is also a crucial element of an exit strategy.

“You need to get your team together, both those in the business who know about the transaction and your group of advisers,” says Adam. “A highquality team of experienced people is paramount and it’s often worth paying extra for that.”

WHAT ARE THE COMMON EXIT STRATEGIES A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER WOULD CONSIDER? Exit planning is important because it can give you more control over what can be a stressful process.

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With so much unpredictability in the economy, it can be easy to think the whole world is against you. Yet it’s vital to keep focused on growing your business, which is what potential buyers will be interested in when it comes to negotiations.

“In a sense, we’re talking ourselves into a recession,” says Adam. It’s useful for small businesses to know what’s going on, but it shouldn’t stop you on your growth journey. It’s important to keep the mindset of driving the business forward.

It can be difficult to maintain focus with so much going on in the world, but you should channel your energy towards those controllable factors that impact your business rather than become distracted by the daily twists and turns of the economy.

If you’re trying to sell your business during times of economic uncertainty, it pays to be agile and dynamic in your approach. In times of uncertainty, it’s useful to question the fundamental modus operandi, which might not have happened before. It’s often most helpful to have that thinking challenged by an outsider to bring a fresh perspective.

Finally, it’s wise to revisit your business plan and make sure it’s aligned to your personal finance plan. With the disruption to businesses caused by inflation and fears of a recession, it becomes even more important to ensure these two plans are co-ordinated.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & EVENTS

DATE: 7 November COST: £225 + VAT Trainer Martin Perry will take beginners through the interactive data visualisation software, enabling them to create reports and dashboards.

A night to celebrate the very best of our enterprising women

ILM Level 3 award in coaching

Our pictorial round-up of this year’s Enterprising Women Awards

UPCOMING COMMERCIAL TRAINING COURSES An introduction to Microsoft Power BI

DATE: 7 November COST: £895 + VAT This five-day course, delivered by Challenge Consulting, is aimed at line managers, supervisors and team leaders with coaching responsibilities.

ILM Level 5 certificate in coaching and mentoring DATE: 9 November COST: £1,595 + VAT Seven-day course resulting in a qualification for individuals who wish to become more effective at coaching and mentoring, including line managers as well as established or aspiring coaches and mentors.

ILM Level 7 certificate in leadership and management DATE: 10 November COST: £2,400 + VAT A 10-day programme plus two online sessions, this postgraduate level qualification is aimed at current and aspiring senior managers who with to extend their skills and knowledge to make effective strategic plans.

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Assertiveness and personal effectiveness DATE: 14 November COST: £245 + VAT Equips participants with the skills and knowledge needed to become more confident in exchanges at work and in the wider aspects of their life, including dealing with conflict and situational self-confidence.

Selling for non-sales people DATE: 22 November COST: £245 + VAT Trainer Charles Barnascone will give delegates powerful techniques that are simple to apply in order to identify what motivates clients to buy, how to represent value in their language, and how to gain further sales opportunities.

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Effective telephone techniques DATE: 25 November COST: £245 + VAT Practical workshop that challenges attendees to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their current telephone style, and help them develop more confident and successful communication behaviours.

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Customer service excellence DATE: 28 November COST: £245 + VAT This highly practical day focuses on the challenges – and rewards – of managing both internal and external customers effectively face to face and over the telephone.

Problem solving in the workplace DATE: 2 December COST: £245 + VAT Helping delegates to quickly identify and evaluate a range of options when handling unexpected situations or difficult challenges at work.

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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & EVENTS

ENTERPRISING WOMEN AWARDS 2022 WINNERS BUSINESS WOMAN OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY FUTURES HOUSING GROUP

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO WORK IN STEM – SPONSORED BY PICK EVERARD

Emily Smith - Michael Smith Switchgear

De Montfort University

FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY MIDLANDS ENGINE INVESTMENT FUND

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY EMA TRAINING

Dawn Brown – Rose Cottage Doggy Day Care

Ruby Birks – Purpose Media

SOCIAL COMMITMENT AWARD – SPONSORED BY SHE INSPIRES GLOBAL

RISING STAR AWARD – SPONSORED BY AMANDA DALY – THE TURNAROUND CEO

Gift Wellness

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY UNIQUE WINDOW SYSTEMS Fraser Stretton Property Group 7

FEMALE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY SMALLMAN & SON Karen Miles – trentbarton

Jessica Barnett – Timms Solicitors

DIVERSITY CHAMPION – SPONSORED BY BREEDON CONSULTING Stephen Gould – Everards Brewery

TEAM OF THE YEAR – SPONSORED BY PPL PRS

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – SPONSORED BY PARADIGM WILLS AND SALES SOLUTIONS

TwentyTwenty – Love4Life

Rosemary Conley CBE DL

1.

TwentyTwenty – Love4Life won the Team of the Year award

2. Eileen Perry MBE DL and Jean Mountain

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3. Fraser Stretton Property Group owners Jaz Kaur and Narinder Nijjar 4. Guests at the Enterprising Women Awards

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5. Karen Miles BEM, trentbarton - Female Employee of the Year 6. Jessica Barnett, of Timms Solicitors, with 'The Turnaround CEO' Amanda Daly after winning the Rising Star Award 7. More guests at the Enterprising Women Awards 8. Rosemary Conley CBE DL 9. Eileen Perry MBE DL and Jean Mountain (centre) with Chamber chair of the board Ian Morgan (left) and chief executive Scott Knowles 10. Fraser Stretton Property Group - Small Business of the Year 11. Gift Wellness - Social Commitment Award

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12. EMA Training team

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

Project helps business sow Seeds for growth Alphageek founders Alex Mills, Art Lindop and Kieran Flynn

Agency gears up for Black Friday Derby-based Alphageek is offering existing and new clients a no-profit, no-fee campaign in the run-up to Black Friday.

The digital agency has been creating social media and payper-click advertising campaigns to help businesses get noticed ahead of the national discount day, which will take place on 25 November this year.

The offer will culminate in a day-long event on Black Friday at Alphageek’s offices in the Cubo building, where the team will entertain clients with food and drink and set up screens so that they can watch their sales rack up.

Sales director Alex Mills said: “Black Friday is now so influential that shoppers have even got into the habit of holding back on certain purchases, planning to buy when they know there’ll be a deal on offer.

“With the economic situation as it is and money scarce this year, we expect people will be even more savvy and amplify this effect further.

“Even now they will be starting to be presented with Black Friday adverts on across social media such as Facebook, which in our experience is where many brands chose to focus their efforts during this time.

“Any retailer, with the right marketing and a decent offer or discount can do well, especially in the current economic climate, when their competitors might be acting cautiously.”

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A business has pivoted its creative expertise to help protect the planet after receiving support from the Chamber’s Digital Upscaler project.

Creative media agency Seed Creativity, in Leicester, has received advice and one-to-one support from Digital Upscaler adviser Tom Conway to make significant improvements to its IT infrastructure and gain access to some of the most influential tech minds in the world.

Co-founder and brand strategist Jonny Prest said: “Working with Tom and becoming involved with the Digital Upscaler project has given us the inside track. With Tom’s support, we’ve been able to identify the right contacts to engage and in doing so, tap into high value intelligence needed to realise our growth potential.”

‘Tap into high value intelligence needed to realise our growth potential’ Seed Creativity was founded in 2011

by Jonny. He was later joined by his partner in business, and in life, Natalie Squance, who came on board in 2018.

The business employs two fulltime members of staff, and works with organisations in highly specialised “space tech” and “clean tech” areas, including universities and social responsibility think tanks.

Utilising brand strategy, technical animation and video, it helps clients harness advanced creative media to articulate research insight around key areas such as climate change, circular economies and food waste reduction.

In 2019, the business embarked on a major shift to focus on using the team’s skills and resources to contribute to the protection of the planet and its people, causing it to switch from a training academy to a creative agency.

Jonny got in touch with the Digital Upscaler programme to help to raise Seed Creativity’s profile among academic research centres and institutes, specialising in areas such as bioscience and ecology. He also needed assistance to build a robust CRM to capture key credentials.

He added: “Tom’s made a substantial contribution to helping us mobilise and upgrade our IT infrastructure and procure solutions

Jonny Prest and Natalie Squance

that are right for us and our strategy.

“He understood our roadmap and had the patience and knowledge to help us get there, in a way that’s right for us as individuals. He didn’t try to ‘shoehorn’ us into a ‘one-size-fitsall’ solution, and thanks to the technical know-how provided, we’re excited to soon be commissioning a re-build of our entire CRM system, which will be pivotal in taking Seed to the next level.”

Looking to the future, Jonny and the team aim to continue harnessing the Digital Upscaler project’s support via specialised diagnostic consultancy to maximise the opportunity for further diversification.

Tom said: “I have worked with Jon over a number of years, providing advice as well as funding via our previous digital programme.

I invited him to enrol on the current Digital Upscaler Programme, as I believe the business could potentially benefit from the intensive support on offer.

“Seed’s use of digital technologies to turn vision, imagination, and ideas into great outcomes is both an exciting and challenging context to work in. Our discussions around new project ideas and opportunities are at an early stage, and other support through our innovation team along with further exploration relating to business opportunities and associated digital development are planned.”

How to access digital business support Are you a high-growth business looking to invest in new technologies to propel your business? Is your business facing barriers to growth due to a lack of understanding of new technologies? If so, then get on board with the Digital Upscaler project.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber, it aims to provide highgrowth businesses in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire with the knowledge, investment and capacity to scale up through embracing new technologies.

Visit www.emc-dnl.co.uk/digitalupscaler

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DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY

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LEGAL

Are we prepared for an EV future?

By Hélène Maillet-Vioud (pictured), transactional partner in Geldards’ property team y 2030, the UK will require 300,000 public chargers to meet the Government’s estimate of 10 million electric vehicles (EVs) replacing petrol cars by 2030. But with only 32,011 public chargers online, how prepared are we for a greener, EV future?

The Government is making some inroads. The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which made £10m available in grant funding towards buying and installing residential chargepoints, has been bolstered with a further £20m for nine local authority bid winners, including Nottinghamshire.

The rollout of the Rapid Charge Fund, which aims to install 6,000 rapid chargers across the country by 2035, is also making progress with a 9% increase in rapid devices online between April and July 2022. However, it is difficult to see the Government achieving its target without significant uptake from the private sector, which will expect a decent return on investment.

In addition to funding barriers, consideration needs to be given to suitable connection to the National Grid, as well as the tricky issues of land ownership rights, and once again rural communities are at risk of being left behind.

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WHAT THE GOVERNMENT STRATEGY TELLS US ABOUT THE FUTURE OF EV The Government’s strategy sets out four types of public charging options: 1 2 3 4

Residential on-street Residential charging hub En-route charging Destination charging

It is moving away from “easy wins” in terms of EV charging infrastructure. The Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme (EVHS) came to an end and the EV chargepoint grant now focuses on flat owners and landlords, acknowledging the need to bring these property owners onboard.

Even with grants, the rollout could be slow as multiple layers of ownership and proprietary

interests, and complex grid connection works, are often involved. Additionally, it requires an appetite from landlords and flat owners to engage.

EV charging point operators and installers are not regulated in the same way as utilities or telecoms providers, so there are not the same safeguards for interested stakeholders. This can lead to nervousness and opposing interests on projects.

‘A glaring gap seems to be the regulation around the installation of EV charging points and infrastructure’ But the immediate challenge for the Government will be helping other communities that rely on on-street parking and are often located in environmentally or historically sensitive areas.

This can lead to additional constraints, such as planning and cultural heritage.

In these communities, on-street public parking and public charging will also have additional challenges, such as residents’ concerns about how public chargepoints would impact on the precious parking space available to them, environmental or heritage constraints, and availability of electricity supply.

The Government’s strategy does consider residential charging hubs, which are now being supported at a practical and installation level via the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure pilot scheme. These fast-charging hubs could solve some issues for these communities, but the

location and speed of charging will be key in terms of ensuring usage and uptake of EVs.

WHERE WE THINK THE GOVERNMENT’S STRATEGY SHOULD FOCUS ON NEXT The Government has already implemented some regulations on manufacturers and installers of EV charging points via manufacturing and building regulations, but these do not speed up the rollout of the installations. It has also started to look at regulations around consumer use of chargepoints to make them simpler to use, and this will be welcomed by existing EV users. However, it will still not assist with rollout of infrastructure.

A glaring gap seems to be the regulation around the installation of EV charging points and infrastructure which, if simplified through a combination of updating the powers of electricity suppliers, the planning process and regulation of EV operators, could speed up rollout considerably.

This would give people confidence to enter into simpler and more standardised land arrangements in order to facilitate the installation of EV chargepoints. It would also give lenders and insurers confidence to develop products that can support their customers’ needs in this area and reduce risk.

It feels as though there is quite a bit of synergy between the needs of developing the EV charging market and the telecoms sector, and the Government should turn to the latter’s experience to speed up the process.

A formal consultation with EV operators and installers would be a good place to start as they would welcome some regulation to help smooth the installation rollout, as well as give customers and investors’ confidence in the longer-term operation and management of the infrastructure.

Finally, wayleave is vital.

Overall, it’s important the Government does more so EV provision is accessible to all. And particularly from a planning point of view – which includes the rights, obligations, and legislation – so landowners can’t take advantage.

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FINANCE

Reducing imbalances in investment support As the UK Government’s economic development bank, the British Business Bank aims to make finance markets work better for small businesses in the UK at all stages of their development: starting-up, scaling-up and staying ahead. This includes identifying and helping to reduce regional imbalances in access to finance and supporting investment in green growth, as East Midlands senior manager Lewis Stringer explains.

IMBALANCE IN THE EAST MIDLANDS These imbalances, specifically in terms of equity investment and other forms of growth capital, are clearly evident in the Midlands, particularly the East Midlands.

For example, historically, the number and value of bank loans and overdrafts approved in the region have been in line with the small business population (between 6% and 7% of the UK’s small businesses). This is also the case with peer-to-peer lenders, leasing, hire purchase and vehicle finance.

By comparison, only 2% of the UK’s equity deals by number, and less than 1% by value, relates to East Midlands businesses – even though the region also accounts for 6% of the UK’s high-growth business base. The number and value of angel investments, as measured by Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) deals, are equally very low.

WHAT IS THE BRITISH BUSINESS BANK DOING TO ADDRESS REGIONAL DISPARITIES? The bank manages three regional funds, with the East Midlands region covered by the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), which was fully launched in 2018.

This fund supports more than £300m of investment to boost SME growth in the Midlands and is a collaboration between the British Business Bank and 10 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the West, East and South East Midlands.

MEIF provides commercially-focused finance through small business loans, debt finance,

proof-of-concept, and equity finance funds. Loan funding between £25,000 and £1.5m and equity finance between £100,000 and £2m is available.

Up to 31 July 2022, MEIF fund managers had already made 828 investments in 582 SMEs totalling over £188m, with almost half made in the East and South East Midlands.

‘There remains a reluctance to use long-term finance among the UK’s smaller businesses’

From left: The FSE Group investment manager Ann Marie McFadyen, International Energy Products director Emma Beresford and British Business Bank’s East Midlands senior manager Lewis Stringer

increasingly important as the UK economy recovers and businesses consider growth funding.

HELPING SMALLER BUSINESSES Furthermore, our Regional Angels Programme, designed to help reduce regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance for smaller businesses across the UK, received an additional £150m of funding in October 2021. This built on its initial £100m allocation, which has been fully committed.

EAST MIDLANDS BUSINESSES MAKING THE MOST OF MEIF FUNDING A recent example of a regional investment is International Energy Products, a metal stockholder and processor of speciality alloys servicing the oil, gas and renewable energy industries, as well as aerospace, marine and defence sectors, based in Chesterfield and led by Emma Beresford.

This business secured a £1m investment from MEIF, provided by The FSE Group Debt Finance Fund and backed by the British Business Bank’s Recovery Loan Scheme.

MEIF provides the region’s smaller businesses with alternative finance options – and it is these kinds of funding opportunities that will become

But it is not just a matter of providing funding.

Alongside the bank’s range of programmes to help reduce imbalances in access to finance, on the demand side, our UK network team works to encourage and enable smaller businesses to seek the finance best suited to their needs. There remains a reluctance to use long-term finance among the UK’s smaller businesses.

At the same time, barriers to using some types of finance persist, including a lack of awareness and reluctance to give up control, with many of the region’s smaller businesses still relying on their own experience when considering finance options. This reinforces the need for businesses to seek out the necessary advice and guidance on these options.

So, the message for the region’s businesses is clear – there are finance options out there to support your growth.

One source of impartial information and guidance to consider is our Finance Hub at www.british-business-bank.co.uk/financeoptions

Businesses warned over plastic packaging tax

Mike Trotman of Centurion VAT

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Businesses have been warned not to be caught out after HMRC indicated its concern over the low level of registrations for a new plastic packaging tax (PPT).

Centurion VAT’s environmental tax specialist Mike Trotman said the Government’s tax department believed the number of companies enrolling for the tax, which was introduced in April this year, was much lower than expected.

The tax requires firms that

manufacture more than 10 tonnes of taxable products in the previous year, or have imported the same weight of packaging on products over the same period, to pay PPT. Mike said: “While the principles of PPT are pretty straightforward – to tax products that contain less than 30% recycled plastic to encourage recycling – determining which products are taxable and who must register has proven to be rather more complicated.

“We now understand HMRC is concerned about the low number of PPT registrations. Having expected tens of thousands of registrations, it seems the number of applications to register were only some 10% of projected numbers, and HMRC is keen to identify the rest.

“The challenge for businesses is to allocate the resources to comply with this new tax regime and to do so before HMRC comes knocking on their doors.”

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BUSINESS NETWORK

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

How does

“good change” protect your business?

Sarah Roach (pictured), founder of Fishinwater shares her thoughts on how some basic change management approaches and processes can help protect your business. ’ve worked around change for, well, all my working life. I've experienced change throughout my personal life too. But that doesn’t make me special - because so have you!

It’s easy for companies to do change without noticing and sometimes that means they can leave their organisation vulnerable – they may break a process or not implement a new piece of software with the right security measures.

For instance, a key part of business protection is having business continuity planning in place. That’s there when unplanned things happen that mean you must do business differently. How many Business Continuity Plans crumbled into dust the moment Covid hit? And that’s because, let’s be honest, when was the last time they were really put to the test? How regularly are they tested? Since these have been produced, I’d say you’ve had some change in your organisation….

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The first challenge a lot of businesses have is identifying change – not all change is glaringly obvious, so being able to identify change is key because it relies on us really understanding the how things are now, our “baseline”. And then

it’s key that some basic principles are applied; Fishinwater can work with you to put in place a fit for purpose process that can ensure change doesn’t damage your company – Change Can Be Brilliant!

EIGHT STEPS TO “GOOD CHANGE” 1. BASELINE: Do you know your legal requirement and internal processes?

2. IDENTIFY: The right people to consider, agree and set your change objective 3. IMPACT: Think about how change will impact the whole business 4. OPTIONS: Do nothing or choose an option with the greatest benefit against your objective 5. DECISION: The correct people to decide on what change will happen 6. COMMUNICATE: Inform everyone who will be affected by the change 7. DELIVER: How change is to be implemented across the whole business 8. REVIEW: Has the change objective been met successfully and securely?

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

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SKILLS

Skills urgently needed to drive growth in clean technology

By Lisa Bingley (pictured), director of operations for the MIRA Technology Institute (MTI) emand for cleaner, greener transportation solutions is fuelling innovation within the automotive sector as the switch to electric vehicles gathers pace.

New, more efficient powertrain technology is bringing ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) to the road network. The logistics industry is increasingly working to harness the potential of hydrogen to boost the successful decarbonisation of road transport.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) can be re-fuelled very quickly, minimising downtime for HGV and LGV fleets. An HGV can travel for 600 miles on a hydrogen tank that can be filled in 15 minutes.

However, there is a risk that technology and infrastructure will outstrip the skills and capabilities required to deliver the automotive revolution due to a predicted shortage of skilled individuals within the workforce.

According to Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) research, there will be 160,000 vacancies in the sector by 2031, a situation the organisation describes as the biggest skills challenge for the sector this century.

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ELECTRIC FUTURE Every business within the automotive supply chain is now embracing new ways of working, whether they are producers of electric vehicles, or involved in their sale, transportation, recovery, maintenance, servicing, or repair.

The commitments made at COP26 to the clean technology agenda are forcing everyone who works in the sector to approach familiar tasks and work schedules in a completely new way.

As electric vehicles become mainstream, every operator within the sector will need some level of awareness and understanding of the technology – from dealerships extolling the benefits of making the switch from petrol and diesel, to logistics operators introducing hydrogen fuel cell power, to businesses offering EVs as company cars.

Within the next five years, the EV service, repair and maintenance sector is set to grow, so workshop teams need to be start preparing now so they have the expertise, knowledge and qualifications to meet demand professionally and safely.

CAPACITY BUILDING The MTI is a campus of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC), which has led a successful bid to secure £2.7m from the Department for Education’s Strategic Development Fund and to build capacity for training in electrification and hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Working with regional college partners – SMB College Group, Loughborough College and Leicester College – NWSLC and the MTI will collaborate with employers to establish their skills and training requirements, and to design courses that meet their needs.

The MTI is the result of a unique collaboration led by NWSLC and its partners, HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, the University of Leicester, and Loughborough University. It is helping to create specialist skills in some of the new emerging technology areas, including electrification and driverless cars.

Since it first opened its doors, the MTI has welcomed more than 12,000 students and delegates. This includes over 800 studying for accredited qualifications from a Level 1 Institute of the Motor Industry certificate up to masters’ degrees, and more than 360 following apprenticeships at all levels. More than 8,000 automotive professionals have taken part in professional development activities.

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PROPERTY

Buildings of the past need to be part of green future With lofty net zero challenges facing the commercial property sector, Becky Valentine (pictured), co-owner at Spenbeck – which recently launched a consultancy service that includes sustainability support for retrofitting – outlines the challenges in making heritage buildings more environmentally friendly and explains what support is required.

In the rush to promote the use of green roofs (reduced energy use and increased insulation), blue roofs (rainwater retention), air and ground source heat pumps and solar panels in new builds, it is conveniently forgotten that such developments will forever remain less environmentally sustainable over the course of their lifetime than their existing counterparts.

This is due to the presence of “embodied carbon” – essentially all the greenhouse gases resulting from the whole life of a building, from construction to possible demolition.

In 2019, Architects’ Journal launched its RetroFirst campaign, proudly proclaiming “the greenest building is one that already exists”.

And there’s the rub. In the rush to reach net zero, carbon neutrality and everything in between, what are we actually measuring and – far more importantly for heritage and protected buildings – how will we deal with the challenges in meeting these targets required of our architectural heritage?

The Government published its Heat and Buildings Strategy in October last year and stated that “non-domestic buildings need to reach EPC (energy performance certificate) band B by 2030, where cost-effective”.

This is all well and good, but when you consider that 69% of Nottingham’s circa 8,000 such buildings have a rating below band

The historic Birkin Building in Broadway, Nottingham, is managed by Spenbeck

C, the challenge becomes clear.

Heritage is not a barrier to reaching these requirements. However, given the implementation of required technologies and infrastructure in listed buildings will take longer and likely require significant investment, the importance of this issue for the heritage sector and councils pledging carbon neutrality urgently needs addressing.

While there are no explicit exemptions for listed buildings at

present, the key phrase “where cost effective” provides something of a financial lifeline in the everspiralling costs of retrofitting.

Historic England firmly believes sustainability and heritage have a symbiotic relationship in support of each other rather than being mutually exclusive. It is collecting case studies identifying best practice in infrastructure retrofitting to guide and support the sector, as well as evidencing appropriate

technologies through wide-ranging research. A key tool in the Government’s domestic armoury, air source heat pumps are emerging as best practice for heritage buildings too.

While construction appears to remain resolutely focused on energy-intensive new builds, voices are getting louder in insisting that retrofitting, and with it a focus on historic buildings, is given equal consideration in achieving net zero.

Summit highlights new development sites A number of new development sites in Chesterfield are set to be opened up for future commercial, industrial, office and residential investment with the town “ready to do business”.

This was the message at the 2022 Chesterfield Investment Summit, in which it emerged these developments will add to the current £2bn growth programme already underway across the town centre and borough.

Hartington Industrial Park, a new 800,000 sq ft industrial and warehouse development located on the site of the former Coalite Plant in Staveley, aims to build on the success of Markham Vale – where job numbers created by

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Chesterfield Borough Council leader Tricia Gilby addresses the investment summit

businesses based on site are now beyond those when it operated as a colliery.

Alongside industrial sites, Chesterfield

Borough Council has also made significant investment in town centre office accommodation, meeting the post-pandemic demand for high quality, flexible workspace.

Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre opened in July and 17 of the 32 offices are already tenanted.

Later this year, Chesterfield will gain Grade A, large footplate offices following the completion of One Waterside Place as part of the £320m Chesterfield Waterside regeneration scheme.

Chesterfield Borough Council leader Tricia Gilby said the local authority was working with partners and inward investors “to ensure the next five years are as good as, if not better, than the last five years”.

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PROPERTY

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MOTORING

Kia boosts its new electric

By Nick Jones, motoring journalist he electric market is making massive strides, with quicker charging times and longer range being achieved by some of the latest cars meaning more practical motoring for everyday use.

Here then is South Korean manufacturer Kia’s new EV6, one of maybe a dozen cars purported to be on the horizon for the future. It looks great in my eyes, drives well, charges quickly and has bags of space internally. Unlike previous Kia models, the EV6 is a more sporty, enthusiastic version that is sure to appeal to many drivers.

One can have a 320-horsepower (hp) version that features four-wheel drive and a dual motor, or a 225hp version, which is rear wheel drive only. Both have a 77 kilowatt-hours (kWh) battery and work with an automatic gearbox with three separate settings: eco, normal or sport.

Sport is good fun – it uses instant throttle response and is sprightly to say the least off the line, but be

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FACTFILE MODEL Kia EV6 Air

PRICE OTR From - £44,000

PERFORMANCE wary this option reduces the range noticeably.

There are three trim levels – Air, GT-Line and GT-Line S – with the entry-level version stacked full of goodies that you would think would be saved for the top two.

Kia has raised the bar and I can think of two or three standard items it features that would normally be on the options list.

Internally, it’s great. Normally saved for more premium manufacturers, it comes with a no-fuss dashboard, curved screen and a floating centre console with a rotary gear selector.

Externally, things are just as sweet – the body is bold and sweeps back to reveal a prominent rear spoiler and distinctive buttress effect, with a low-slung nose up front. Neat handles are hidden within the doors, but you do need a nimble-fingered approach to gain entry.

I still think going electric is the way forward, albeit a tad expensive to purchase in the first place. The whole infrastructure is still not quite there yet in terms of charging points and stations, but Kia – with the EV6 – has produced a fine car to join the revolution.

Top speed: 115mph 0-60 mph: 7.4 seconds

RANGE – 320 miles

CHARGING TIME 72 mins (quick); 7 hours (long)

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INFORMATION

Making sustainable travel part of your net zero commitment According to the Department for Transport, 27% of UK greenhouse gas emissions come from transport, and some of these will be in travelling to and from business events we attend or help deliver. With more organisations committing to net zero, Dr Ian Murdey (pictured), project manager at Leicester-based sustainable travel consultancy Go Travel Solutions, explains what changes can be made in this area.

Several years ago while working for a local university, I was invited to a policy launch by one of our district councils. The venue was close to a motorway junction with good road links and had, as they were at pains to point out, “plentiful free parking”.

The problem for me was I had no access to a car and no other transport options were offered or explained. This left me having to work out for myself how I should get there. In the end, I cycled and locked my bike to a post.

That was annoying, but the bigger – and somewhat ironic – frustration was this was the launch for the council’s first ever local sustainable transport plan!

Too often, event organisers assume that attendees will all travel by car. We recently supported the Chamber by providing travel

options to attendees for its Sustainability Summit and feedback was positive. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as driving and parking in cities can be expensive and stressful, and many people embrace the chance to use public transport, walk, or cycle.

There’s no rocket science behind how to create travel advice for events – information is freely available to all, so we’re confident that given the time and the will, any event organiser could provide similar support.

Here are some of the processes and resources we use that others could replicate: • Our aim is not to be anti-car or preachy, rather it is pro-choice – giving people the tools to choose the most appropriate option for them

• Google Maps is our starting point.

Its database and mapping is second-to-none for a quick overview of the local travel options, including bus stops, rail stations and timetables. The Street View function is particularly useful for looking at the quality of local infrastructure such as pavements, lighting and cycle routes • However, Google Maps doesn’t include public transport prices, so this must be sourced from local operators’ websites • Some areas in our region have a specific source of local travel information that goes into greater detail – for example www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk across Leicestershire • We recommend a hierarchy in how the information is presented

– where options are available, this would be: • Walking • Cycling • Public transport • Car sharing • Driving – including parking charges.

• In response to feedback, in future we will include safety advice for modes that may be considered by some people to be a higher risk, such as car sharing with strangers.

Here at Go Travel Solutions, our vision is to make sustainable travel the norm, not the exception, for communities and workplaces. We want to encourage event organisers across our region to support event attendees and provide sustainable travel options.

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3. Biz Network Oct 63-84.qxp_Chamberlink 27/10/2022 09:43 Page 82

COMMENT

THE LAST WORD Chamber president and Futures Housing Group chief executive Lindsey Williams discusses what the Decade of Action and wider sustainability agenda means to her.

GREEN IS GOOD This month’s Business Network shines a light on sustainability. So, given that writing this column is a temporary privilege for me, I have a shortlived opportunity to talk to you about a topic – perhaps the topic – that we all need to be thinking about on a very long-term basis.

I’m sure most of us would agree that, globally, we take the planet we call home for granted. At least we have done for much of the history of people-kind. But now truly feels like a watershed moment to change our thinking and, more importantly, our individual and business behaviour if we are to secure a future as we would wish for generations to come.

The topic has been particularly front of mind for me recently as, alongside opening the Chamber’s recent Sustainability Summit, I’ve been reading Sir David Attenborough’s book A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future. And like everyone else in the country, the soaring price of energy and fuel has made me think much more seriously about the energy use of both my organisation and, of course, my personal lifestyle. Recognising that some decisions may be by choice and some by necessity.

THE SCALE OF THE CHALLENGE We are now two years into the Decade of Action, which is the call for accelerating sustainable solutions to all the world’s biggest challenges.

Much has been achieved already but recent events worldwide and closer to home show these gains could all too easily be lost or reversed.

Some of the facts and figures in Sir David’s book looking at the longer-term picture are particularly startling as you can see in the table above.

This clearly shows we have decades of harm to compensate for. But the evidence is that we don’t have decades to get the planet on a more sustainable track. Thankfully some great minds have been thinking about solutions for a long time so we know what we should be doing.

The challenge, of course, is to do it. And that’s where our influence as leaders can really come into play. The Sustainaibilty Summit, as well as 82

business network November 2022

1937 Global population

1971

2011

2020

2.3bn 3.7bn

7bn

7.8bn

Atmospheric carbon (parts per million)

280

326

391

415

Remaining wilderness (as a percentage of total land mass)

66%

58%

39%

35%

raising questions and issues to be considered, enabled Chamber members to showcase some of the forward-thinking actions already being taken and the support available to businesses.

THE ANSWERS ARE OUT THERE Some of the things we should be doing, according to Sir David, include: • Switching to clean energy • Taking up less space • Rewilding the land • Planning for peak human (managing the shift from relentless population growth to slowing down or reversal) • Living more balanced lives.

We have some great resources and skills in our region to help us not just contribute but lead on many of these fronts. We will face challenges, although surely our position means we are well placed to tackle them.

SMALL STEPS ADD UP As an example of one small initiative, Futures Housing Group, the housing association where I am CEO, is increasingly replacing “lawn-style” spaces around our estates with more natural “wild” planting. It saves on toxic chemicals and fuel, and creates a home for wildlife.

Not all our customers are happy though – some prefer the well-manicured look. So we are having to invest in engaging with people more to encourage them to join us on our journey. It can feel a struggle at times but the longer-term gains are clearly worth it. Your businesses and industries will have similar issues, and I urge you

to get creative and stay committed as this stuff really matters.

The Summit was a great opportunity to put our heads together and do just this. It also highlighted for me that we may not have all the answers or perfect solutions up our sleeves. But every step in the right direction will count and we can all start right now if we haven’t already.

Futures has a small team focused on sustainability and I asked my colleagues for some top tips. Their suggestions were: • Understand where and how your own business can make the most impact on sustainability • Make a plan and engage your people – their insights and expertise will be invaluable • Engage with others, share best practice and be open about things that haven't gone so well • Think about culture and behaviour change.

This can have huge benefits, doesn't cost much and can save organisations money.

They are certainly principles we are taking to heart and I hope they give you some ideas and inspiration too.

LET’S TALK ABOUT POWER No – I’m not talking about boosting your leadership prospects this time. I’m talking about the Chamber’s Midlands Energy Summit that takes place on 1 December. This will dive deep into the region’s energy security and future prosperity. Clean growth will be a key theme so if you missed the Sustainability Summit, this is a second chance for you to get stuck into learning more about building a sustainable future together.

CELEBRATING THE BEST Autumn also means it’s awards season for the Chamber and the Business Awards will soon be upon us. As ever, we have three rounds for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.

Finalists were announced in July and you can find out more on the Chamber’s website. I’m really looking forward to finding out who our 2022 champions will be, and I hope you’ll join me in celebrating and congratulating everyone who is in the running.

3. Biz Network Oct 63-84.qxp_Chamberlink 27/10/2022 09:43 Page 83

3. Biz Network Oct 63-84.qxp_Chamberlink 27/10/2022 09:43 Page 84