Dynamic Magazine – issue 20

Women in charge

In 2021, women only held 21% of the leadership positions in tech, and just 14% of the software engineering positions. Dynamic looks at some of those at the top of the industry

BIG STORY Akshata Murty

A profile of the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak’s wife. What influence will she have over his tenure at No.10?

FEATURE

Covering autism

In the latest of our big articles on neurodivergence, Dynamic looks at how autism is being failed across education and social services

11.1%

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

PLATINUM MEDIA GROUP

All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial. The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher. No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit. Surrey Business Magazine is owned and published by Platinum Media Group Limited.

www.platinummediagroup.co.uk | JANUARY 2023

❛ ❛ As a father, I want to know my daughter will have the same opportunities as my sons. We need to be committed to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work

REGULARS

News

6 In The Right Direction

Good news stories at a time of their scarcity

8 A few stories to make your mind boggle

Books

38 Further reading on subjects covered in various issues of Dynamic

Health

40 Taking care of your brain’s health – at any age 42 Debunking detox. Be careful about what cleanses your palate after Christmas

Travel

44 The swanky, indulgent and fabulous Fairmont, Windsor Park

46 Winter getaway icepods in Finland and Switzerland

Art Scene

48 Annie Lyle, aka Ula Ceramics, shares with Dynamic pieces that she has been working on

Girl Torque

50 Fiona Shafer road-tests a Honda Civic Type R

Wine & Dine

52 Matt Gillan’s Heritage, at The Chequers, Slaugham, West Sussex

What’s On

54 A brief snapshot of art and culture cross Sussex and Surrey

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Luvvie Ajayi

FEATURES

Fintech grows and grows

12 Financial technology is growing exponentially in the 21st century. We list the world’s top 10 fintech companies

34Kreston Reeves

Alison Jones suggests ways in which women can realise their personal finance goals

Being a Mum and a CEO

36 What my twin girls taught Erika Eliasson-Norris about individuality

Self employment

18 Samantha Kaye of Wellesley discusses that while millions of women work for themselves, they are not alone. Help is always available

SPOTLIGHT

30 LGBTI+ campaigner Joanne Monck OBE tells us of her transitional journey from her own personal darkness into the light

32 Ekaterina Blake who founded InspoHub, a creative agency specialising in video production and live broadcasting, a little over five years ago

FEATURE

28

B Corp

Donna Okell, founder and director of UK For Good tells us about B Corp – and why it matters for the future of business

CONTACTS

PUBLISHER: Maarten Hoffmann maarten@platinummediagroup.co.uk

EDITOR: Tess de Klerk tess@platinummediagroup.co.uk

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Lesley Alcock lesley@platinummediagroup.co.uk

EVENTS DIRECTOR: Fiona Graves fiona@platinummediagroup.co.uk

HEAD OF DESIGN: Michelle Shakesby design@platinummediagroup.co.uk

SUB EDITOR: Alan Wares alan@platinummediagroup.co.uk

WWW.PLATINUMMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

In a world that wants women to whisper, I choose to yell

EDITOR’S NOTE

A very warm welcome to our fi rst issue of Dynamic in 2023.

January has such a feeling of a fresh start, while last year, with all its chaos, is done. We have plenty of interesting content to settle us all into the new year with some of our regular features such as Spotlight, Arts, What’s On, Books and Women in Charge alongside a major feature on autism.

With neurodivergence in the workplace becoming an increasingly important subject, we have focussed on the next generation of workers and leaders who have children with autism, and the travails they face. It is shocking the problems that parents have to deal with.

In addition, we speak to Erika Eliasson-Norris, CEO of Beyond Governance about what she learnt from her twin girls about individuality while Donna Okell, founder of UK for Good writes on the subject of why it makes sense to put good before profit.

I was reminded of wisdom again recently when watching The Dropout, which showcases the trainwreck of Theranos, the company founded by Elizabeth Holmes, youngest ever self-made female billionaire. Elizabeth lost sight of ‘good before profit’ and, in so doing, let down the entire female sex - especially women in business who came after her. There is a chance that she may have made better judgement calls had she had the right people behind her, but that is a topic for a future edition of Dynamic.

Speaking of the right people, Kreston Reeves explains how to take care of your personal finances, and Wellesley discusses helpful insights for the self-employed or anyone considering taking the leap.

In Travel, I take a look at some special places in Winter Wonderlands and tell you all about my fabulous trip to the Fairmont Windsor Hotel & Spa in Surrey. Fiona reviews the Honda Civic Type R, and in our new News section, In the Right Direction, we find the good news for you - someone must!

We hope that you enjoy this month’s Dynamic Magazine, and, as always, let me know of any topic that you would like covered in our pages. Spotlight is where we get the opportunity to shine a light on someone - so let me know where it should shine.

Tess de Klerk

Editor, Dynamic Magazine tess@platinummediagroup.co.uk

RAINFORESTS BREATHE A LITTLE EASIER

In a move hailed a “major breakthrough for forests,” the EU has approved legislation banning goods linked to deforestation. Businesses will have to show that their products have not contributed to tree loss if they want to sell them within the bloc. The new law will apply to companies selling soy, beef, palm oil, wood, rubber, cocoa and coffee, plus some derived products like leather, chocolate and furniture.

SPEAKING OF FORESTS…

Expect to see more of them in the UK, where a ‘mini forest’ revolution is gathering pace. Tiny pockets of land across the country are being transformed using a groundbreaking technique that aims to build ecosystems rather than simply plant trees. Earthwatch Europe, an environmental charity based in Oxford, has plans to plant 500 mini forests across the UK by 2030. Other countries have similar ambitions.

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

FIRST FEMALE REFEREES

French referee Stéphanie Frappart made history as she became the first female to officiate in a men’s World Cup tournament match.

Female referees Rwandan Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita were also due to officiate, though they were limited to being fourth officials. Meanwhile, three assistant referees, Mexican Karen Diaz, Brazilian Neuza Back and American Kathryn Nesbitt became the first females in their role.

Though many wonder why it took so long, their appearances were milestones for inclusivity in the sport. That it happened in Qatar, where women’s rights are restricted, made it all the more poignant.

“There are some difficulties [in Qatar] for women,” Frappart told the BBC. “I hope that this World Cup will help them.”

A BRIGHT IDEA!

The French Senate has approved a bill requiring all large parking lots across France to be topped with solar canopies in the next six years. They are predicted to generate as much energy as 10 nuclear reactors. The legislation was approved by France’s upper house in November, and it will come into effect in July 2023.

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MALTA PLEDGES ABORTION LAWS REFORM

The Maltese government has pledged to change the law to allow doctors to terminate a pregnancy if a mother’s life or health is at risk. Malta is currently the only EU nation that enforces a total ban on abortion.

Gynaecologist Isabel Stabile, one of many doctors who challenged the law, told the BBC that it was a “step in the right direction,” but that there “will still not be any provision to terminate pregnancies in cases of rape or incest, or in cases of a fatal, foetal anomaly.”

DRUG TESTING TEAM SECURES CHARITY STATUS

The Loop has been saving lives by offering drug testing at music festivals for years, providing revellers with information about what’s in their substances, along with harm reduction advice – all on an anonymous basis. Recently it also started working in city centres. Its new charity status will enable it to secure more funding and expand its operations.

LOW-COST RAIL FIRMS INCREASING ACROSS EUROPE

Low-cost rail firms are springing up across Europe to tempt passengers away from carbon-heavy flights. The latest service, by Spanish operator Iryo, has started running its first all-electric service between Madrid and Barcelona with fares starting from €18. Services to Valencia, Seville and others will follow. According to Greenpeace, replacing the EU’s busiest short-haul flights with trains would save 3.5m tonnes of CO2 per year.

Billie Jean King, tennis legend and gender equality advocate

Yousafzai, Pakistani education campaigner

At the world’s biggest wildlife summit, 186 nations voted to regulate the global trade in shark fins. This adds 60 threatened shark species to the list of creatures protected under Cites – the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The measures will apply to the requiem shark family, including tiger sharks, as well as six species of hammerheads, which have been hunted to the brink of extinction for shark fin soup.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make

Dame Jane Goodall, British primatologist

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I raise up my voice — not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back Malala

AT LAST, THE SHARK FIN TRADE REGULATED

❛ ❛ Champions keep playing until they get it right

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TOAD LICKING TURNING PAUPERS INTO PRINCES bizarre NEWS

The US National Park Service is warning visitors to stop licking one of America’s largest toads. The potentially deadly Sonoran Desert Toad excretes a toxin that can cause psychedelic effects. According to an Oakland Zoo, some people have exploited the toad’s toxin as a psychedelic, smoking it to experience euphoria and hallucinations.

The service released a picture of one of the toads captured by a motion sensor camera, staring into the lens at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. “As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking,” the US National Park Service wrote.

The Oakland Zoo added that one of the chemicals found in the toad’s skin, bufotenin, is illegal to possess in California, but in neighbouring Arizona, one can legally capture up to 10 toads with the proper license but people are selling the substance illegally.

TRUTH CAN BE STRANGER THAN FICTION

FOR A GIGGLE

For the first time in two years, the ‘No Trousers Tube Ride’ returned to London, the name of which is pretty self-explanatory. Making eye contact on the tube can already be pretty awkward, so imagine if your fellow commuters were in their underwear, too!

I attribute my success to this –I never gave or took any excuse

Florence Nightingale

Known as ‘goat man,’ Thomas Thwaites has written about his unusual lifestyle choice in a book, ‘GoatMan: How I Took A Holiday From Being a Human’. The 34-year-old said he made the decision to live as a goat after dog-sitting his niece’s ‘happy, joyous’ dog when he thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to just have a break from all of this stress?”

Thomas was surprised when he was granted funding for his project from the Wellcome Trust, which he used for prosthetics, including prosthetic hooves and prosthetic back legs, before setting off for a goat farm in the Alps. There, he even attempted to give his stomach similar digestive qualities to those of a goat by eating grass.

Mr Thwaites recommends being a goat, describing it as a “special kind of time”.

A Russian yoga teacher has been arrested for “illegal missionary activity” under controversial new laws designed to combat terrorism. Dmitry Ugay is said to have fallen foul of the country’s anti-terror measures, dubbed a ‘Big Brother’ law by Edward Snowden, while giving a talk about the philosophy of yoga at a St Petersburg festival. He was released after two months in detention and a fine.

STRESSED MAN LIVES LIFE AS A GOAT ❛ ❛

VIAGRA AND COCAINE MADE

Those looking for seaside views got more than they bargained for when a man on a stag do performed a strip show for local fishermen and onlookers in Cornwall. The fishermen reported that he ‘stripped completely naked’ but the excitement was too much and the anonymous man had to be taken to A&E where he was treated for ‘heart palpitations’.

SUPER VIGILANT POLICE RESCUE MANNEQUIN

An employee of Laz Emporium in London’s Soho area came downstairs from making a cup of tea to discover the doors off the hinges and two confused police officers.

Police had broken down the doors of the London art gallery to save a woman slumped unconscious over a table - only to discover she was made of packing tape and foam filler. The lifeless woman they had been trying to save was in fact an art installation entitled ‘Kristina’ which is on display at the London gallery.

“Officers forced entry to the address, where they uncovered that the ‘person’ was in fact a mannequin,” a police spokesperson told Artnet News.

CAT MORE POPULAR THAN OTHER MAYORAL CANDIDATES IN SIBERIAN CITY

Residents of the Siberian city of Barnaul have nominated Barsik the cat for mayor in an unofficial poll, in protest of corruption among local officials. Of the six human candidates and one cat, the ambitious feline won 91.2% of the 5,400 votes cast.

Regional officials among Russia’s opposition parties approved of the cat – one politician said his candidacy is an effective protest about how regional politics is run.

The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me Ayn Rand

RUSSIAN MAN ARRESTED AFTER TALKING ABOUT YOGA

THE

ME DO IT

WHITNEY WOLFE HERD

AMY HOOD

Hood graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in economics and then obtained an MBA from Harvard University. She started her career with Goldman Sachs in investment banking. She joined Microsoft in 2002 as part of the investor relations group. Hood was ultimately announced as the company’s first female CFO in 2013. She was ranked 28 in the 2022 Forbes world’s 100 most powerful women.

An American entrepreneur, Whitney is the founder and CEO of Bumble, Inc, an online dating platform. She was previously the vice president of marketing and Co-Founder of Tinder. In 2021, she became the world’s youngest, female, self-made billionaire when she took Bumble public. ❛ ❛

In 2021, women only held 21% of the leadership positions in tech, and just 14% of the software engineering positions. Gender equality is still far from reach, even in the tech industry. Here, Dynamic highlights some of tech’s leaders…

WOMEN IN CHARGE

Being a woman on a team of all men, means that you are going to have a unique voice. It’s important to embrace that Erin Teague, Product Executive, YouTube

REBECCA BUNYAN

Rebecca is a Chief Information Officer at Lloyd’s, the world’s leading insurance and reinsurance marketplace. Previously, she served as CIO at Aldermore Group PLC, a specialist lender and savings bank. She also was a Head of IT at Hiscox, where she developed an IT strategy that resulted in the realisation of business targets. Rebecca is a seasoned change and technology leader, who has successfully led many business transformations in banking and insurance.

VIJAYA KAZA

Vijaya Kaza is a Chief Security Officer, Head of Engineering and Data Science for Trust and Safety at Airbnb, responsible for information security and trust technology to protect Airbnb’s community and platform. Vijaya worked for 17 years in multiple executive and leadership roles at Cisco, where she led product development for security products that generated more than $1bn in annual revenue.

ELIZABETH CHURCHILL

A psychologist specialising in human-computer interaction and social computing, Churchill is a Director of User Experience at Google, having gained a BSc degree in Experimental Psychology and an MSc in Knowledge Based Systems from Sussex University, completing her PhD in 1993 at Cambridge University. She also has more than 50 patents granted or pending, and more than 100 published articles in fields of psychology and computing.

FEI-FEI LI

Dr. Li is an American computer scientist, the co-director of Stanford University’s HumanCentred AI Institute and was Vice President at Google. She is the inventor of ImageNet, a database of over 15 million images, which has contributed to the latest developments in deep learning and AI.

CYNTHIA STODDARD

Cynthia is a Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Adobe, where she oversees Adobe’s global Information Technology and Cloud Operations teams. Before Adobe, she was SVP and CIO at NetApp, a data storage and management company, where she led traditional IT functions while expanding focus on innovation and strategic partnerships.

She has more than 25 years of business experience and IT expertise.

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The word female, when inserted in front of something, is always with a note of surprise. Female COO, female pilot, female surgeon — as if the gender implies surprise. One day there won’t be female leaders. There will just be leaders

Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Meta

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I think it’s very important to get more women into computing. My slogan is: Computing is too important to be left to men

Karen Spärck Jones, computer pioneer

Fintech, a portmanteau of ‘financial technology’, refers to firms using new technology to compete with traditional financial methods in the delivery of financial services, AI, blockchain, cloud computing and so on

FINTECH GROWS And grows

The fi ntech industry is estimated to be worth over $130 billion as of 2022, with predictions of the valuation surpassing $400 billion by 2027. With this in mind, which of these fi ntech giants dominating the industry is the most valuable?

The team at Utility Bidder has revealed which fi ntech companies reached a $1 billion valuation the fastest, which fi ntech companies are the most valuable, and which countries are home to the most fi ntech companies.

TOP 10 MOST VALUABLE FINTECH COMPANIES IN THE WORLD

RANK COMPANY COUNTRY CITY VALUATION

1 Stripe USA San Francisco $95bn 2 checkout.com UK London $40bn 3 Revolut UK London $25bn 4 Chime USA San Francisco $25bn 5 Ripple USA San Francisco $15bn 6 blockchain.com UK London $14bn 7 Plaid USA San Francisco $14bn 8 Brex USA San Francisco $12bn 9 Deel USA San Francisco $12bn 10 Bolt USA San Francisco $11bn

*FTX had been listed as the fourth largest fi ntech company in the world, valued at $32bn until investigations for massive fraud closed the company in November 2022. See page 22 of this month’s Platinum for the full story.

+ UNICORN STATUS

In business, a unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at over $1bn. The term was first published in 2013, coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee, choosing the mythical animal to represent the statistical rarity of such successful ventures.

Since then, ‘Unicorns’ with over $10 billion in valuation have been designated as ‘decacorn’ companies. For private companies valued over $100 billion, the terms ‘centicorn’ and ‘hectocorn’ have been used.

SpaceX is in the forefront to reach the elusive ‘superunicorn’ status, to reach over $1 trillion valuation while remaining as a private company.

TOP 10 FINTECH COMPANIES

The UK has the second highest number of fi ntech companies valued at over $1 billion with a total of 26

The research revealed:

• Stripe has been revealed as the most valuable fi ntech company in the world, with a total valuation of $95 billion. After being established in 2010, it took the company four years to achieve unicorn status in early 2014.

• Checkout.com’s $40 billion valuation places them in second place - after being founded in 2009, the company took 10 years to achieve unicorn status.

• Tying up the top three is Revolut with a $33 billion valuation – the fi ntech company reached a $1 billion valuation in 2018, taking fewer than three years from launch.

The research also revealed the following:

• Pacaso reached unicorn status the fastest out of all the companies on the list - taking fewer than six months to reach a valuation of $1 billion. They are followed by Magic Eden who achieved the status in just over nine months.

• The United States takes the crown for fi ntech capital of the world - home to 132 companies with a unicorn status; the fi ntech companies in the US make up over 50% of all companies in the list.

• The UK has the second highest number of fi ntech companies valued at over $1 billion with a total of 26. Apart from one of these being based in Peterborough, all are based in London.

www.utilitybidder.co.uk

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THE BIGGEST FINTECH COMPANY

Stripe Inc. is currently listed as the world’s largest fintech company, dual-based in Dublin and San Francisco.

It was founded by Irish entrepreneur brothers John and Patrick Collinson in 2009 in Palo Alto, California. Through growth, acquisition and investment – including £2m from PayPal founders Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, Irish entrepreneur Liam Casey, and others – Stripe achieved ‘unicorn’ status in January 2014.

In 2021, former Bank of England governor Mark Carney was appointed to the board of Stripe.

The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2022 that the company’s internal share price had fallen causing its implied valuation to drop from $95 billion to $74bn. In November 2022, the company announced it intended to initiate layoffs, believed to be around one in seven of their workforce.

Pacaso reached unicorn status the fastest out of all the companies on the list –taking fewer than six months to reach a valuation of $1 billion

Whenever a male Prime Minister newly takes office, there is inevitably the excessive, maybe even slightly invasive interest in their wife or girlfriend. Or both, in some cases.

Samantha Cameron had to put up with ‘Sam Cam’. Skipping over Theresa May, we come to Boris Johnson’s wife / partner / muse Carrie, and probably wished we hadn’t. So what of Akshata Murty?

AKSHATA MURTY

– CHIC INDIAN HEIRESS

Akshata Narayan Murty, was born in Nubli, India in April 1980 and, as wife of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has attempted to assimilate into something approaching an ordinary life in the UK. Or at least as normal a life as a wealthy heiress whose husband holds the highest office in the country can ever ascribe to.

Early life for Akshata Narayan Murty in Jayanagar, a suburb of Bangalore, was middle class and comfortable. Her father NR Narayan Murty’s software company, Infosys, was in its infancy in those days. While fairly successful, it was not yet the billion-dollar leviathan it is today.

The work ethic for which Narayana is famed is often cited as an influence on Akshata and her own business ambitions. Yet more believe it’s her mother, Sudha, a writer who runs the Infosys charitable foundation, who ‘is really the underestimated force in her daughter’s life’.

In the 1990s, Murty attended Baldwin Girls’ High School, Bangalore, and in 1998 studied economics and French at Claremont McKenna College in California. She has a diploma in clothes manufacturing from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, California.

It was while she was at Stanford University that she met Rishi Sunak. He was studying for a Master of Business Administration postgraduate as a Fulbright Scholar. They married in 2009.

Rishi Sunak, although born in Southampton to a wealthy family, entered Parliament for the safe Conservative seat of Richmond (Yorks) in 2015. Every step of the way, Akshata has been there with him. But now, with his rapid elevation to the top job, how will she fulfi l her distinctly unofficial role?

Even in higher echelons of Government, Akshata is still something of an enigma

LOW KEY HOME LIFE

For example, if you found yourself on a train from King’s Cross to Darlington, there’s a chance you may sit near or opposite a fairly anonymous woman in her early 40s, with a ponytail, tucked under a baseball cap, with two daughters being encouraged to get on with their homework. Mathematics, presumably.

If by chance you do see these three, there’s a chance that you are peering at Akshata. Doubtless there will be a curtain of security (whether they’re visible or not is down to the trained eye) in the vicinity, but this is an example of how the Prime Minister’s wife wishes to get on with life.

Home – aside from No.10 – is Kirby Sigston Manor in Sunak’s own constituency of Richmond (Yorks). A relatively modest manor house - as manor houses go - it was bought for an equally modest £1.5m, and is located in a beautiful spot - to use a colloquialism - in the middle of nowhere. The county town of Northallerton, for reference, is a little over three miles away.

It has proved itself, say friends, to be a shelter from the rough and tumble of politics. Renovations are said to have cost £400,000 for a swimming pool, gym and a lavishly verdant garden.

It has also given Akshata and her family the refuge away from the hurly-burly of Westminster politics that she wishes to be no real part of.

‘SUMMER OF CHAOS’

Summer 2022 was a bruising time personally and professionally for the family. With Boris Johnson’s eventual resignation as PM (brought about in part by Chancellor Sunak’s own resignation leading to an unprecedented governmental collapse), the hustings were open for the new leader.

Despite Sunak’s predictions of economic chaos if they chose Liz Truss as leader, the Conservative party voted her in as Prime Minister. The family assumed that their political elevation was over, or at least stalled, and Murty was said to have told friends that, despite the disappointment on behalf of her husband, she could look forward to quieter times.

The fact that Sunak’s predictions came frighteningly true within the fi rst few weeks of her tenure offered no respite for the City, nor for the UK economy as a whole. It also meant that Truss’ brief reign was over and Sunak’s appointment as Prime Minister was more or less a coronation.

The couple now officially reside at No.10, which Akshata refurbished when Sunak was Chancellor. Yet even in higher echelons of Government, she is still something of an enigma. Jeremy Hunt, a close ally of Rishi Sunk, still had not met Akshata a few weeks into his tenure at No.11.

PERSONAL WEALTH

For those who do have access to her, Akshata is said to be very guarded about her public persona. She is painfully aware of how she is judged in numbers. A personal wealth of £730m sets her apart from, well, almost everyone. That level of comfort doesn’t make it easy to show a caring face, especially during a cost of loving crisis, infl ation, recession, strikes and more.

Having a diploma in clothing manufacturing does help make the appropriate informed choices, one supposes

Kirby Sigston Manor and Lake

The then President of India, Dr. APJ. Abdul Kalam presenting the Padma Shri Award to Dr. Sudha Murty

Akshata’s father Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy

The money – the eye-watering sum above – comes from being one of two children of NR Narayana Murty, one of India’s richest men and founder of the Infosys tech company, which he started in Pune with seed capital of $250 more than 40 years ago and is now valued at $85 billion.

Most of her fortune is derived from a holding of just under 1% in the company, supplemented by her own investments in Catamaran Ventures, the family’s private investment arm.

The spoils of inheritance are an easy stick be beaten with. This is not helped by Rishi Sunak wearing his wealth like a huge banner, in stark contrast to what is supposed to be the conservative (with a small ‘c’) archetype of the Prime Minister, who is supposed to be leader for everyone in the UK, and that his salary is paid for by the public purse.

Akshata, on the other hand, reveals herself to a pointedly muted style in comparison. When supervising the removal team into Downing Street, she wore a fluff y gilet, leggings and faux-fur sliders. Her low-key look has been rumbled on occasion, however. When she brought out a tray of tea for photographers outside their Kensington home, it was served in mugs, noted the Daily Mail, that cost £38 each.

+ NON-DOM STATUS

In early 2022, newspapers reported that Murty had non-domiciled status, meaning she did not have to pay tax on income earned abroad while living in the UK. The status costs approximately £30,000 to secure, and allowed her to avoid paying an estimated £20 million in UK taxes.

None of this is illegal, of course, but with a husband who was Chancellor of the Exchequer, and himself being a US citizen, it wasn’t a good look. To avoid further political fall-out, Murty herself made a statement in April 2022 that she would pay UK taxes on her global income, adding that she did not want the issue “to be a distraction for my husband”.

‘FIRST LADY’

Observers are waiting with keenness for when Akshata makes her fi rst public moves as - to use an imported phrase - ‘First Lady’. Insiders say the plan is to distance the Sunaks from Boris Johnson’s leadership; Downing Street needs to change from a place regarded as a fiefdom of the sycophantic in-crowd of the Johnson era, run by the ‘Court of Carrie’ clique.

Specifically, Akshata intends to use the couple’s connection to Yorkshire to bring ‘more of the north to Downing Street’, promoting British crafts and trades as a USP of post-Brexit Britain.

As for No.10 itself, Akshata has designs on it in a more literal sense. Under Sunak’s chancellorship, she set about redecorating the residence, commissioning exquisite fabrics, including fi ne damask.

The upholsterers made long, fully interlined curtains, hand-pleated and held back with heavy coordinating tassels in red, gold and the ivory of the damask. The ornate cornicing was hand-gilded, as it would have been originally, and a rug was commissioned to almost fi ll the room.

Akshata, it was said, was very involved and keen to see how things are made. She was also not afraid of getting stuck in and helping either. Having a diploma in clothing manufacturing does help make the appropriate informed choices, one supposes.

If this apparent opulence concerns as you ‘more of the bloody same’, especially given the Johnsons’ outrageous refurbishment of No 11, and the pilfering of the public purse to fund it, this was all paid for by the Sunaks, at a very substantial cost. It’s almost as if the ambitious chancellor guessed he might return to Downing Street one day…

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty promote Poppy Day

The work ethic for which her father is famed is often cited as an influence on Akshata and her own business ambitions

Akshata Murty offers the waiting press some tea - in £38 mugs

SAMANTHA KAYE from Wellesley discusses some of the key areas self-employed women often battle with while being your own boss has undeniable benefits, this way of working can also come with particular challenges – but you don’t need to face them on your own

SELF-EMPLOYED WOMEN:

You work for yourself but you’re not alone

More and more women are self employed nowadays, whether that’s running a business, freelancing or contracting out. Females currently make up approximately a third of the five million people who work for themselves,1 with the number of freelance working mothers soaring by 79% since 2008. 2

It’s a seismic shift in a world where the self-employed sector has historically been dominated by men.

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Being your own boss can give you a real sense of freedom, both professionally and personally. You can set your own rates and hours, specialise in a vocation that suits you, and focus on clients who you’ve chosen to work with. Yet being a self-employed woman can also present certain challenges. More often than not, females find themselves juggling clients and workload as well as further challenges. For example, you’re battling the gender income and pension gaps, childcare costs and other unpaid responsibilities.

Here’s how you can thrive in three key areas that selfemployed women often battle with:

It can be a balancing act to tick all the boxes, but it’s crucial to have a plan in place nevertheless

1INCOME

A changeable workflow means it’s far trickier to budget or plan ahead when revenue changes month by month. You might also be spending so much time dealing with clients and overheads that your own fi nances are last in the priority pecking order.

Start by creating a plan for regular spending needs, such as your mortgage and living costs, and set up a direct debit to ‘pay yourself’ each month based on an average of what you earn. Next, concentrate on longer-term needs –for example, planning for retirement, or the potential for a period of maternity leave or childcare costs, if you decide to have children.

Calculate what to put aside for these life events – perhaps your pension gets a twice-yearly boost after a specific client pays you. True, it can be a balancing act to tick all the boxes, but it’s crucial to have a plan in place nevertheless.

2TAX

Th ink beyond the amount that you take as income – it’s just as important to consider the most tax-efficient way of doing it. On the whole, paying into a pension from your company will be the best way of maximising your income while minimising your exposure to tax.

The drawback is that you can’t access money in a pension until the age of 55 (57 from 2028). The advantage, however, will be that you’ll have control over how much income you withdraw, and therefore how much income tax you’ll be subject to.

3CONFIDENCE

Self-employed men earn 43% more on average than their female counterparts. 3 Th is may indicate an ‘entitlement gap’, where freelance females set lower rates for their work. Ladies – it’s important that we advocate for ourselves, by valuing our services accordingly and tightening up those negotiation skills!

Women often feel they have to do everything themselves. However, outsourcing fi nancial planning – just as you would with any other business need – can mean you have one less thing to organise. After all, you’re not in this alone!

Sources:

1 Coronavirus and self-employment in the UK, O ce for National Statistics, April 2020 2 e opportunities and challenges of being a self employed mother, IPSE, August 2020 3 Men earn 43 per cent more than women in self employment, IPSE research reveals, IPSE, March 2020.

Samantha Kaye

Chartered

Adviser,

Wellesley E: samantha.kaye@sjpp.co.uk www.wellesleywa.co.uk

The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise. You may get back less than the amount invested.

The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time and are generally dependent on individual circumstances.

St. James’s Place guarantees the suitability of advice offered by Wellesley when recommending any of the services and products available from companies in the Group. More details of the Guarantee are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products

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In last month’s issue, we covered neurodivergence, prompted by Richard Branson’s belief that his dyslexia and ADHD are his superpowers. Neurodivergence is a catch-all for many conditions, and this month we look at autism. BY

MAARTEN HOFFMANN

Covering autism

Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people and is something you’re born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you’re very young, or indeed not until you’re older. If you’re autistic, you’re autistic your whole life.

Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a ‘cure’. However, some people need support to help them with certain things. Autism covers a spectrum meaning that everybody with autism is different, depending on how far along the scale you are. Some autistic people need little or no support, whilst others may need help from a parent or carer every day.

So autism is a wide-ranging, incredibly varied condition that can have little to no effect on one’s life or it can inhibit every element, every day. But what about the early diagnosis in children? What help is available? For those with severe cases, are there specialist schools available?

Sadly, the answers to all of these questions is grim, as we highlight on the following pages which offer fi rst-hand

accounts of living with children with autism. Matters are really not helped when government and local authorities actively, and sometimes blatantly, become economical with the information, assistance and support they are obliged to offer, on occasion to the point of giving false information regarding an individual, while absolving themselves of much of their responsibilities.

Th is of course, makes the situation impossible and leaves us with a generation of autistic kids who are likely to achieve a tiny percentage of their potential.

Last year I met a lady called Claire Krost who started an organisation called Waking up to Autism. During the hour, I went from shock to disbelief, from horror to outright fury whilst listening to her story. I will leave Claire to tell her story along with another parent and a grandparent. Th is is followed by a piece from Victoria Tofts, a highly experienced SEN specialist who has her own view on the shambolic system.

Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a cure. However, some people need support to help them with certain things

AUTISM

Claire Krost

Founder of Waking Up To Autism. Mother to Olivia (12) and Adam (10) – both diagnosed as autistic

“Establishing Waking Up To Autism back in 2020 came from a very heart-led place. Having been through the assessment process for both of my children and for them to both be diagnosed as autistic, I had experienced first-hand the difficulty faced by parents or carers to gain the right knowledge and support in order to be able to care for and support their children.

“Waking Up To Autism was set up to initially fill this gap and it soon became apparent just how much our services were needed. It was great to be able to bring parents together who had felt very alone and isolated to be able to share this journey.

“During my own growth and development, I have been shocked to see just how the current system is not designed to embrace neurodivergent children. I still remember the day I

learnt that teachers are not legally required to have training in Special Educational Needs (SEN) and it answered a lot of questions as to why our current mainstream education provisions can struggle to support our children and ensure that they are able to reach their full potential.

“We also have a staggering number of neurodivergent children who are unable to attend school due to unmet needs. The current system’s failure to ensure that SEN training is a legal requirement is not only detrimental to our children but is also failing our wonderful teachers by not preparing them appropriately for the very important job they have to do. ❛ ❛

Neurodiversity is key to keeping Britain safe. At GCHQ, some of our most talented and creative people have a neurodiverse profile –including dyslexia, autism, dyscalculia and dyspraxia and we want to employ more GCHQ’s director Jo Cavan

AUTHOR PICTURE CREDIT MARK DAVID FORD

“Over the last two years, I have also seen many incredible educators leaving the profession as they simply do not feel armed to do the job, and it has become a role that is almost impossible to do without gambling with their own mental health and wellbeing.

“And so in 2021, I created a CPD Accredited course for Embracing Neurodivergent Students in the Mainstream Classroom which has been met with incredible reviews from the education staff who have attended. My mantra is ‘Knowledge is Power’ and arming schools properly with the right knowledge and support can hugely impact a child’s experience for learning. It can also create a culture throughout the school of being inclusive of neurodiversity and seeing the huge benefits that this brings to every single student and member of staff.

“But supporting parents/carers and education settings is only part of the solution. Helping our children to reach their academic potential is key but we also have to bridge the huge gap we currently have when it comes to moving from the education setting out into the workplace.

“With 80% of neurodivergent adults unemployed or under-employed, it just shows the level of work needed to ensure that employers are inclusive and embracing neurodivergent candidates and employees into their work sectors. Looking at recruitment processes as well as support and inclusion on a day-to-day basis will open up opportunities for neurodivergent candidates to access roles that really tap into their unique strengths and abilities.

“The truth is that it is not only the neurodivergent candidates that are missing out but the business sector as a whole. The untapped potential in this incredible group of people is staggering and I strongly believe that if it were to be properly embraced, supported and nurtured the results would be immense – for everyone.

“On top of this, we cannot shy away from the mental health statistics that we see amongst neurodivergent adults which are greatly increased by the lack of employment options available, resulting in self-esteem, confidence and fulfilment issues. Autistic adults are nine times more likely to commit suicide, and this is yet another statistic that we aim to change with the work that we are doing.

“In 2023, Waking Up To Autism is passionate about launching a Mentorship Programme whereby we work with businesses to train them on what it means to be neurodivergent – to help bust the myths that society has portrayed over the years and to reduce the fear of the unknown when it comes to working with autistic people.

With 80% of neurodivergent adults unemployed or underemployed, it just shows the level of work needed to ensure that employers are inclusive

“We will mentor workplaces on how they can fully embrace neurodiversity within their workforce and ensure that they are able to provide an environment that is accessible and supportive. Businesses will also, as part of the Mentorship programme, have the opportunity to sponsor an education setting in their area. This will allow staff to receive the much-needed training they require to help the next generation of employees access the education they deserve. We will also create meaningful work experience placements for Year 10/11/Sixth Form neurodivergent students to help them transition successfully from the education setting into the workplace.

“We have the chance to make radical changes which comes with the excitement that these changes will pave the way for an incredible new workforce and inclusivity of the future.

“One saying I heard which I carry with me is: ‘I wouldn’t change my children for the world but I sure as hell would change the world for my children.’ ”

AUTISM

Claire Hutcheson

Mother to Patrick (12) diagnosed as autistic. School Business Manager in a Mainstream Primary School, West Sussex

“In 2010 I became a Mum and although I knew life would change, I wasn’t prepared for the challenges that lay ahead. From a young age, we knew Patrick was unique but it wasn’t until he started school that we saw a huge difference between him and his peers.

“As a parent, choosing a school for your child feels like one of the biggest decisions you are ever going to make. Unfortunately for us, it’s a decision we’ve had to keep reviewing as we have repeatedly found a huge lack of understanding and awareness of autism and its presentations. Patrick has frequently been labelled naughty, with parenting blamed for his misunderstood behaviour.

“Like all children, Patrick didn’t come with an instruction manual and this didn’t change after his diagnosis. It wasn’t until 2020 that Waking Up To Autism was established and although we already had a diagnosis, it was a relief to fi nally feel understood and supported. For years we had read up on autism. However, we never really found the answers. It wasn’t until I attended a Waking Up To Autism training course that I could actually say I understood autism and what it meant for our son and our family.

“Th is really made me think. As well as being a Mum to an autistic son I am also a School Business Manager. I see fi rst-hand the challenges facing schools in supporting children, especially those with SEN. If I as a parent couldn’t understand my son without support and training, how can we expect our educational settings and work environments to understand autistic people? What small changes they can make, to make a huge difference.

“Every school worker, without exception, wants to educate and support all children in their schools but often lack of funding leads to extremely difficult choices. How do you choose between essential resources and essential staff training?

“For autistic children to have the same opportunities as neurotypical children, they need to be able to access an education that gives them the right to be themselves and realise their own ambitions. To enable this, we must embrace and understand autism and not apologise or be ashamed of it. I am grateful for my son and all he has taught me; I know he has the ability to make a huge contribution to society if only he can be given the opportunity.”

I can honestly say that autism is an enhancement to life , not a hindrance

AUTHOR PICTURE CREDIT MARK DAVID FORD

Lisa Denscombe

“When I became a grandmother for the fi rst time to my grandson Mason, my life changed dramatically. Mason was always different from other children and he was diagnosed with autism and learning difficulties at the age of six.

“It was not just understanding his having autism, but caring for, and loving him in a very different way that was relative to his special world. Learning how to do this gave me far more understanding and patience than I had ever known and it enhanced my role as a grandmother.

“To support my daughter and grandson, I learned everything about autism and how it affected life for those with it. I began as a novice but after fi nding out about Waking Up To Autism (WUTA) I can now speak out and explain to others what autism actually is.

“My main frustration throughout my learning is the fact that so many people have no idea what it is, and when you try and explain they do not take any of the actual facts on board. WUTA has given us knowledge and awareness to

navigate through autism and we now see that Mason will be able to thrive.

“WUTA has given me the strength and encouragement for living a life that includes autism. Without judgement, they support not only my daughter and Mason but me too. There is a total understanding that being different is usual. WUTA is our breath of fresh air. Dealing with life now for Mason is less difficult than before and there is hope for his future, not uncertainty.

“WUTA has given my daughter a sense of sanity to show that she is not alone and stands with many families that are in the same position. She has been given power through knowledge as to how to fi ght her son’s corner with strength, encouragement, love and emotional support that sometimes is not always given within our own family, due to lack of understanding.

I can honestly say that autism is an enhancement to life, not a hindrance and we should all take a leaf out of Mason’s Life Book and look at the world in his way.”

Every school worker, without exception, wants to educate and support all children in their schools but often lack of funding leads to extremely difficult choices

Grandmother to Mason (9), diagnosed autistic

By Victoria Tofts, BA (Hons) Primary Education; MA Professional Studies in Education; PGDip Teaching Children with Autism

Inclusive Exclusion?

One of the emerging concerns around SEN, especially in mainstream schools at the moment is whether, what we have labelled ‘inclusion’ since the Warnock report in 1978, really is inclusive. Or, as I suspect, are we still just integrating?

In my many roles within SEN over the last 15 years, it has been easy to scapegoat the local authority as the root of all problems involving children with SEN, whether it be funding, Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) applications or placements. It can be incredibly frustrating as a parent or professional to feel as though you are fighting against a system.

This is what it can often feel like in order to secure the right funding, provision or placement. I have been recently frustrated at the lack of places in special schools. However, having worked in both mainstream and special schools, there are many children attending special schools who really should be able to access mainstream education.

I have come to realise that most of these issues could be resolved with effective and appropriate ‘true’ inclusion. A recent publication entitled ‘The Inclusion Illusion’ by Rob Webster, explores this through case studies, how our teaching in mainstream schools is not real inclusion but rather the integration of children with SEN into mainstream schools. This can include time out of the classroom, additional paid for interventions and professionals to come into school to advise on the best ways to include individual children in our schools.

If you are a parent of a child with SEN in a mainstream school, this will be very familiar to you but I would argue that the very fact that we are doing something completely different for some children such as different work set, time out of the classroom and adjusted expectations, means we are not truly enabling them to fulfil their potential alongside their peers.

Surely a one-for-all approach can work much more effectively for children with SEN and, as such, benefit all the other children in the classroom. As we know, all of us benefit from experiencing neurodiversity within our daily lives. Too many children are placed in special schools, and this does not enable society to develop their understanding or those with neurodiversity to display their skill set.

In order for this approach to work, teacher training needs to be overhauled. Teachers are just not prepared to teach the majority of children with neurodiversity. Although I began my training in 2003, I received one lecture on neurodiversity and it was heavily weighted towards teaching children with dyslexia, which is a very specific type of learning disability and, as a rule, does not in itself affect any other parts of a person’s learning or development.

More recently, I was interviewed by some teachers taking part in a ‘one year and done’ teacher training course who were, frankly, shocked and amazed at some of my answers. I was giving them a very basic overview and I was shocked in return to find out how little they knew and how little they were being taught about neurodiversity and how to adapt your teaching to enable all children to achieve their full potential.

Until teachers are fully prepared and trained to deliver the best to all of our children in mainstream schools, the system will keep failing children with SEN and neurodiversity. This is where more funding needs to be allocated rather than on catching up later on in the process or paying for more and more special school places.

Until teachers are fully prepared and trained to deliver the best to all of our children in mainstream schools, the system will keep failing children with SEN and neurodiversity

DONNA

OKELL, Founder

and Director of UK for Good, tells us about B Corp and why it matters

UK FOR GOOD: helping businesses to be a force for good

The world is changing at pace, and the role of business is changing too. Businesses that are doing good, are those that are doing well. Following 35 years of leadership experience across a wide range of businesses, and in the charity sector, I set up UK for Good to help businesses do just that. My new-found passion developed as I became increasingly aware of the climate emergency and the serious social challenges facing the world.

As a mother of three children, I’m genuinely fearful for the world I may be leaving them. Th is led me to explore how I could use my experience and skills to shape a better world for future generations. I wondered, if not me, then who? And if not now, then when?

In 2021, I launched UK for Good to support businesses on their journey towards a better tomorrow. Today, people want to buy from, work for and invest in organisations they can trust. Recent research by B Lab, the non-profit arm of B Corp, revealed that 72% of people believe that companies should have a legal responsibility to the planet and people, alongside maximising profits.

Doing the right thing is no longer an option, it’s a necessity. One way to demonstrate that your business genuinely cares about your people, communities, and the environment, is to become a B Corp. The B Corp principles inspire and underpin the work UK for Good does.

B Corp Certification is not just another tick box exercise

WHAT

IS B CORP, WHY DOES IT MATTER, AND HOW CAN YOU BECOME ONE?

B Corp is still relatively new to the UK but, increasingly, organisations are waking up to this better way of doing business. B Corp Certified businesses, or B Corps for short, are for-profit businesses that are responsible, transparent, independently verified, and legally accountable.

The B Corp Certification is globally recognised and looks at every aspect of your business: your governance, employees, communities, the environment, and your customers. The application process is rigorous and intentionally difficult. To become B Corp Certified you must score above the minimum 80-point threshold using a free-to-access online assessment, known as the B Impact Assessment.

As of December 2022, there are over 5,500 Certified B Corp businesses across the globe, including a thousand in the UK. The UK is the fastest growing B Corp movement in the world, showing that businesses are beginning to recognise that they need to demonstrate their positive impact on their people, communities, and the planet as well as make profit.

B Corp Certification is not just another tick box exercise. It’s a way to celebrate the good work you are already doing and identify areas where you can improve your impact.

HOW UK FOR GOOD CAN HELP?

Whether you’re not sure where to start your better business journey, or are ready to pursue B Corp Certification, help is available. Joining the UK for Good membership community of forward-thinking business leaders is a cost and time-effective way to progress your better business journey.

Monthly online meetings offer an opportunity to learn from better business experts, often leaders from the B Corp Movement, and learn from their experiences. Members explore in breakout rooms how they can develop their own businesses in ways that make a difference to their people, communities, and the planet.

For businesses who are ready to embark on their B Corp journey, we offer light-touch support through our online B Corp Accelerator Programme or tailored one-to-one B Corp Consultancy if that suits you best.

Creating a greener, cleaner, fairer future for all is not easy. It requires passionate leaders to make a real difference, and the world needs more of them. That’s why we recently launched our innovative, Leadership for Good Programme, designed for sustainability consultants, or in-house better business advocates, to help either their clients, or the business they work for, to understand how they can act as a force for good, and how to navigate the B Corp journey.

SO, WHAT’S NEXT?

With 2023 now here, I’m looking forward to further growing our own impact and supporting the growth of the B Corp Movement in the UK. We will continue to inspire, inform, and enable businesses to make more of a difference to people and the planet – wherever they are on their journey. We are committed to doing all that we can to help businesses shape a better world.

www.ukforgood.com

Doing the right thing is no longer an option, it’s a necessity

In our brand new Spotlight feature, we highlight women who are doing good things in their community. They’re not always seen but we think they should be.

SP OTLIGH T

Joanne Monck OBE, FRSA

Joanne Monck works tirelessly in support of the LGBTQI community. Her company, From Darkness to Light and Beyond has taken her across the UK and Europe. Here Joanne tells us of her journey in her own words.

So, do you know what it’s like to be transgender? Unless you are transgender, the answer will be no. However, do you understand, and are aware of, what it’s like to be transgender? When you were born, try to imagine a tree being planted. Over the years that tree would grow with its trunk and branches shaping your personality and strengths, and the roots feeding you for the rest of your life.

David was born in 1955. (I’ve given my age away now.) At his birth, an imaginary tree was planted. Over the years that tree would grow. Its trunk and branches would shape David’s personality, character and strengths. However, the roots were never his. They belonged to Joanne who would feed him with her thoughts, emotions and desires until he released her from the body she was incarcerated in.

This is what it’s like to be transgender. That was to take 58 years. David knew at about the age of five that he should have been born a girl. All his friends were girls. He couldn’t tell his parents how he felt. His sex had been decided by what was between his legs, and not what his brain was telling him.

He was bullied constantly at school. His battle to validate his life as a male took its toll. In his early 20s he was buying women’s clothes on the pretence of buying them for a girlfriend. He would wear them whenever he was on his own and in private. His mental health took a downward spiral because of the intensity of his feelings, and Joanne’s powerful influence over him.

Over the years that [imaginary] tree would grow. Its trunk and branches would shape David’s personality, character and strengths. However, the roots were never his

He had a nervous breakdown. His emotions were draining him. However, he was alive and just battled on hoping the thoughts of being a woman would go away. He got married and had twin boys. His wife sadly died when they were 18 years old.

It wasn’t until a dark day in 2014 when he had had enough, and he contemplated taking his own life. Shortly afterwards he accepted his destiny to be a woman and released me from his body. You see, David had to die in order to let me live.

My two boys were very accepting and understanding. After my gender reassignment surgery in 2017, one of my boys came to visit me at home, and out of the blue, said, “Is it OK if I call you mum now?“ Even my father said he understood.

I developed a passion for raising awareness of the issues faced by the transgender community. I didn’t want others to have to go through what I had during my life as David. Initially I volunteered for South East Coast Ambulance as a Community first responder, and was asked to be a Diversity Champion for them. These positions were short lived after I was diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition.

I was asked to join the Sussex Police Transgender External Reference Group. This advisory panel was set up to help bust the myths and stigmas attached to the transgender community and help the Force to engage more proactively with this minority community. Indeed, Sussex Police are extremely inclusive with their workforce and I personally know several people who are a part of the LGBT community.

My work with the Transgender reference group, quickly lead to me being asked to serve on several other groups including hate crime, (which is rife in the LGBTQI community), stop and search and use of force, and the Force Contact and Control centre. I’ve become a ‘critical friend’ to Sussex Police and in 2020 was presented with a Chief Constable’s Commendation.

Because of the social climate of the 1950s and 1960s, David was not able, or even felt comfortable, talking to his parents. Neither was there any support from organisations such as Mermaids. He had to do his best to hide the feelings he had that he should have been a girl.

And that was what eventually led to mental health issues. In the UK, puberty blockers can be prescribed to children that are identified as having gender dysphoria (a deepseated belief that they should have been born the

opposite sex). However, we as a society, and responsible parents, MUST be sure it is not just a phase which may be grown out of.

It is crucial that parents support their children, but also not push them into something that they don’t want. Whilst Mermaids is under investigation, which I can’t comment on, it has always been there as a charity to support young transgender children and their families. Hormone replacement therapy by UK law cannot be given to anyone under the age of 16 and gender reassignment surgery is not offered without intense psychological evaluation until at least the age of 18.

Had organisations like Mermaids been available to David and his parents when he was young, then maybe David wouldn’t have had to suffer the way he did. However, that’s life. David was always searching for his rainbow. It may have taken him 58 years but he found it. There was no pot of gold at the end of it though, just sacksful of happiness.

My motto is ‘Believe to Achieve’. Believe in your destiny and ability in order to achieve success and happiness. After starting my transition, I did just that. My education business ‘From Darkness to Light and Beyond’ has lead me to talk to organisations all over the country and Europe. I share my story as an Independent schools role model to students, telling them it’s OK to be who you want to be.

In 2020 I was the highlighted winner of We Are The City Top 100 RisingStars in the Diversity category. Following a recommendation from the Prime Minister, I was given what I believe is the highest honour ever given to anyone for Services to Transgender Equality; an OBE in our late Queen’s 2021 New Year Honours. I was runner-up and highly commended in the Sussex Business Awards in 2022.

I am also now an Ambassador and Consultant for three national and one international organisations. I am also Director of Global Education and EDI for Believe Global CIC, and Director of EDI for the Believe Foundation, a new totally inclusive domestic abuse charity launching in 2023. I’m also a Fellow of the RSA.

www.believeglobal.org www.thebelievefoundation.org.uk

It is crucial that parents support their children, but also not push them into something that they don’t want

I believed and I achieved

Ekaterina founded InspoHub, a creative agency specialising in video production and live broadcasting, a little over five years ago. She is trusted by an impressive client list that includes Aston Martin and England Rugby. This year she won the Young Professional Of The Year at the Dynamic Awards among stiff competition.

Dynamic has long been impressed by her obvious grit and tenacity and decided to dig a little deeper into her story…

Ekaterina Blake

Ekaterina is a Russian-Finnish entrepreneur catapulting a fast-growing UK creative agency into the realms of perceived impossibility. She is an example of how grit and determination in the face of adversity can, over time, flourish into a rewarding and profitable business venture.

Ekaterina moved from Russia to Finland at the age of 18 to complete a bachelors in International Business. Having fi nished her degree with First Class Honours, she began working in the marketing field, and, after four years, gained a senior management role at a fast-scaling fi ntech start-up. A little over a year later, she was illegally dismissed. Th is was a turning point. Having won the court case against the company, InspoHub’s foundations began to be laid.

Here, Ekaterina faced a new challenge. Would she start a new role at a similar company and potentially face similar adversities? Would she join an established business at a lower-rank role, or start a new venture that did things differently?

Ultimately, she decided to take a leap of faith, channelling her wide skillset in business, marketing and people management into a business of her own. She set up a company that would operate on the foundations of youth,

and opportunity that did right by its employees and clients. In November 2017, InspoHub was formed.

Initially, InspoHub struggled to gain momentum in what started out as an influencer marketing agency for small businesses. It became clear that many newly founded businesses weren’t utilising traditional marketing, let alone influencer campaigns. Ekaterina’s focus switched, and all efforts turned to offering broader marketing services.

In 2018, Ekaterina moved to London and InspoHub followed. Finding local UK-based clients wasn’t easy, but with keen networking and various outreach strategies, by the end of 2018 InspoHub was profitable and had its fi rst employee.  2019 was a year of growth. Growing the team, the client base and retainer contracts zr. New employees entered the frame and, shortly before the pandemic, Ekaterina and her husband Ben relocated to Brighton.

As with all businesses, the pandemic brought a wave of complications. Clients tightened their purse strings, with marketing being seen by many as the fi rst expendable service. Despite this, Ekaterina kept hold of every client, adapting InspoHub’s offering to ensure clients continued to thrive. It soon became clear that marketing services weren’t

equality

Ekaterina’s devotion to creating a business built on the wellbeing of its employees and clients is evident

as profitable as they needed to be for the business to grow. Ekaterina, who was fast burning out, took a step back and audited InspoHub from top to bottom.

It was at this point that Ekaterina’s husband was invited to join the company. As a TV and video content producer, Ben brought a whole new array of expertise to complement the existing creative services implemented by Ekaterina. Before long, InspoHub’s primary offering became video production and distribution marketing. With a team that was keen to adapt and stay in InspoHub’s working culture, Ekaterina and Ben allocated time and budget into developing employees in new roles that allowed them to play an integral part of InspoHub’s transition.

By the end of 2022, InspoHub regularly collaborates with the likes of Aston Martin, Klaviyo, RFU and one of the world’s biggest multinational investment banks. Th is is testament to Ekaterina’s dedication to a wider cause –creating content differently.

Her devotion to creating a business built on the wellbeing of its employees and clients is evident. A key example of this is the 50:50 crew gender split on all-female sporting events covered by InspoHub. Th is is a pioneering effort to give opportunities to all in a heavily maledominated industry. Add to this the fact that the average age of the InspoHub team is 25 years-old shows the concentrated efforts in nurturing young creative talent.

Left to right: Dynamic Awards presenter, Natasha Kaplinsky, winner Ekaterina Blake with Donna Holland from Rockinghorse

Ekaterina has achieved the goals she set out five years ago. She nurtures and develops team members to help them surpass their potential. She has created a welcoming and equal environment for young creatives to thrive. And most importantly, she has selflessly drawn from her own personal challenges to ensure that others don’t have to experience the same.

The next step? It’s time to look ahead to the next five years and see what is held for this fantastic, female-lead company.

www.inspohub.io

She set up a company that would operate on the foundations of youth, equality and opportunity that did right by its employees and clients

Whatever your age or income, it’s important to consider your personal finance objectives. The earlier you start, the longer you have to achieve your goals. By

ALISON JONES, Partner, Kreston Reeves

REALISE YOUR PERSONAL FINANCE GOALS

We’ve identified 10 personal fi nance actions to help you get started.

1 SET YOURSELF REALISTIC FINANCIAL GOALS BASED ON YOUR CURRENT INCOME, AND REVIEW THEM ANNUALLY.

At the beginning of each fi nancial year, consider what you want to achieve, your dream retirement lifestyle, your fi nancial legacy, and what you need to do to achieve these goals. Plans and fi nancial priorities may change, but starting early means your savings and investments add up over your lifetime.

2 WRITE A WILL AND KEEP IT UP TO DATE

The last few years has taught us not to leave anything to chance. Everyone over the age of 18 should make a Will and, if you have children, appoint guardians for them. Wills date as personal circumstances change; moving house, having children, getting married, divorced, or embarking on a new relationship. Take the time to reflect on your wishes.

3

IS NOW THE TIME FOR A LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?

Life can change in a moment and if you are no longer able to make decisions about your property and fi nancial affairs and/or health and welfare, then an LPA helps maintain control and ensures your wishes will be followed.

4

INVEST IN, REVIEW, AND UPDATE YOUR PENSIONS

It’s never too early to start thinking about funding retirement, retire age and lifestyle. State pension entitlement has changed in recent years and you can check for free what you will qualify for at www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Consider investing in a company and/or private pension throughout your lifetime as it’s one of the most effective and reliable ways to plan for and fund your retirement. Review regularly to ensure it’s on track to meet your goals. If it’s not, consider investing more or fi nding alternative methods.

Keep track of previous pensions and the accumulated benefits they may have. The Government has a free Pension Tracing Service. Update your pension beneficiary forms to ensure they go to who you would like to inherit them.

5

REVIEW AND CONSIDER YOUR INSURANCE POLICIES

Are you and importantly your loved ones adequately covered if you need to make a claim? Check if your insurance policies are written in trust so that funds paid out may not be automatically part of your estate and subject to Inheritance Tax.

Everyone over the age of 18 should make a Will and, if you have children, appoint guardians for them

6 REVIEW YOUR EXPENDITURE AND BUDGET

Households’ income and expenditure change all the time, so take the time to review them. Areas where you can save money are things such as transport, holidays, eating out and entertainment. Set yourself a realistic budget for the lifestyle you want and consider how to save as much as you can.

7

PLAN YOUR ROLE IN A BUSINESS

Would you like to work for yourself in the future or are you already involved with a business you part own? Either way, considering how and when to exit a business is important to ensure it’s valued appropriately, to minimise exposure to certain taxes such as Capital Gains Tax and to ensure the business is in strong shape to continue for the future.

8 UNDERSTAND YOUR INHERITANCE TAX EXPOSURE

As you get older and accumulate more wealth and assets, carrying out a periodic review of your fi nancial position and your potential exposure to Inheritance Tax is important. Should you decide to gift some of your money or assets to family and friends, consider all the implications around Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Stamp Duty.

9

GIVING TO CHARITY

If you can make donations via gift aid, you enable the registered charity to receive an extra 25% at no extra cost to you if you pay sufficient tax.

For higher or additional rate taxpayers you may also be eligible to claim the difference between the rate of tax you normally pay and the basic rate on your gross donation. There may also be additional Inheritance Tax benefits of leaving 10% of your estate on your death to charity.

10 CREATE AN ‘IN CASE OF EMERGENCY’ DOCUMENT

Family members often struggle to fi nd important documents. If you keep all the information in one document listing details of any wealth manager, accountant, solicitor along with the names of banks or building societies where accounts are held then this will make it easier to deal with.

No one likes to think of the worst happening to them but thinking about your fi nancial security and your loved ones throughout your lifetime can give you peace and security for a brighter and more secure, fi nancial future.

Th is isn’t an exhaustive list, but these points can help get your New Year off to a flying start and allow you to keep track of your long term fi nancial goals.

Alison Jones is a Partner at Kreston Reeves and can be contacted at alison.jones@krestonreeves.com

Visit www.krestonreeves.com or call us on 0330 124 1399.

Set yourself a realistic budget for the lifestyle you want and consider how to save as much as you can

From a young age, we are taught to ‘be yourself’ but in the business world, this can be difficult. ERIKA ELIASSON-NORRIS, CEO of Beyond Governance, always thought she had to fit in to be successful, but after having twin girls, they taught her a valuable lesson about individuality

What my twin girls taught me about individuality

Being a single mum to identical twin girls and running my own business is like juggling balls, with new ones being thrown in and taken out all the time; you just have to try not to drop the ‘glass ones’.

Balancing home and work life doesn’t get easier as they grow, it just changes. My daughters are now eight years old and, just like raising children, when you’re running your own business, it sometimes feels as if you have it all together.

BECOMING A MUM

I became a first-time mum with the birth of my daughters and, at the time was an employee working in a large corporate. Like so many women, sadly I experienced various challenges returning to the workplace on terms acceptable to me.

As a result, I applied for new roles at the tail end of my maternity leave and returned to a brand-new part-time job. I had a whole host of new skills valuable to my employer but also a rather giant unwanted ‘monster’ of insecurities over my ability to fit in, bring value to my new company and balance the ‘mum guilt’ I often felt when returning to work. I know now this was ridiculous as the skills honed from being a mum added another dimension to me.

TWINS AND INDIVIDUALITY

Every day my daughters teach me about the importance of celebrating individuality beyond the surface. On having them I’ve had to hone many skills which I now use at work and at home. For instance, it’s a careful path to tread celebrating successes with twin girls; you need to balance sensitivity and the realities of life that not everyone is good at everything and sometimes you’re not in the limelight. These skills of diplomacy, compassion and honest feedback are vital to an employer and a must for all management roles.

In my business, I now have deeper conversations with my team. I seek to understand what makes each employee happy

Not being a twin myself, I’ll never fully appreciate their special bond nor the challenges of being mistaken for your sister on a regular basis, particularly at school. Being a singleton though gives me the skills to support them in celebrating their individuality. No one should feel like they are being tarred with the same brush, whatever their background. Th is is so important in business when we’re recruiting team members; we shouldn’t be looking for a carbon copy replacement for the person who left.

CLEAR COMMUNICATION

I have learnt clearer, simpler communication too; I always have an eight yearold witness to my home conversations willing to give constructive feedback to me that I was ‘unclear in my delivery’. Simple, clear communication is vital in day-to-day working life but particularly important when appraising employees; we should ensure we’re clear in setting expectations and, however much we think we’re great at communication, there’s always more to learn.

In my business, I now have deeper conversations with my team. I seek to understand what makes each employee happy, and what drives them and I never make assumptions about what life is like walking in their shoes. Assuming two children of the same age and gender will react in the same

way to the same stimuli has gotten me in trouble so many times.

Communication is the key to good sustainable relationships in and out of work. We shouldn’t assume people know us well even if we spend a lot of time with our colleagues; they will have lived a different life and had different experiences. As a parent, you learn to anticipate your child’s tantrums but there is a long period of time when you just don’t know what you’re doing.

Babies and toddlers cannot tell you how they feel other than through tears and you spend many hours watching and observing in the early years, honing these skills to catch the breakdown before it occurs – and yet we still get it wrong sometimes. Time must be taken to get to know work colleagues too.

Before having children, I thought I valued different skills equally but becoming a twin mum has put this to the test and I realise now how unrefi ned my skills used to be. Learning how to explain to an identical twin why there is a disparity in how accomplished they are in different areas compared to their sister is something that must be delivered with kindness but also complete honesty. Additionally celebrating success uncovers a new challenge when both have tried their best, but one has been recognised with a certificate, a shout or a school merit mark.

BEING A MUM AND A CEO

Being a mum is one of the most difficult and rewarding jobs. The skills I have honed include extrovert tendencies; talking to new people (networking), being more explicit in my communication and problem-solving with two humans, and only one pair of hands set me up perfectly for my business venture.

I started my corporate governance consultancy, advisory and training business Beyond Governance in 2019. We advise, train and consult with boards, directors, executive management and investors on how best to ensure their organisations are sustainable, efficient and effective now and will remain so in the future. I owe so much to my daughters for teaching me so much about myself but also for teaching me how to value every aspect of a person far beyond skin deep.

www.beyondgovernance.com

Every day my daughters teach me about the importance of celebrating individuality beyond the surface

On the back of so many topics covered in Dynamic, here is some suggested reading if you wish to delve deeper into each subject

FURTHER READING…

INSPIRING MORE CONFIDENCE, AND LESS DOUBT

W

hy Brave Women Win focusses on impostor syndrome and endeavours to show women how to be themselves and take on the success they deserve.

Jill Bausch, a top head-hunter for international organisations, has seen hundreds of women underestimate themselves.

Have you ever felt you weren’t good enough and that you’re just waiting to be found out?

Impostor syndrome - feeling like you don’t deserve your achievements or you’re a fraud, is something that a lot of us can relate to, and even more so if you’re a woman.

KPMG research showed that a staggering 75% of executive women have experienced it.

So why do so many highly accomplished women frequently struggle with feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt and low self-confidence. And what can they do about it?

Why Brave Women Win is a practical, inspiring and entertaining self-help book that provides stories and tools for women who want to tackle impostor syndrome, increase their confidence, show their authentic self and gain authority while they reach success and fulfi lment in their personal and professional lives.

Author Jill Bausch, a talent management and leadership

TACKLING IMPOSTOR SYNDROME

Impostor syndrome

– feeling like you don’t deserve your achievements or you’re a fraud, is something that a lot of us can relate to

This book addresses why capable people suffer from impostor syndrome and creates a roadmap for thriving despite it. Having suffered from impostor syndrome that threatened to derail her academic and career aspirations, Dr. Valerie Young made it a priority to understand why so many intelligent people end up feeling fraudulent. While her expertise is in impostor syndrome in women, her work is widely accepted as being applicable to anyone.

The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Su er From the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It – Dr. Valerie Young (Random House, 2011)

specialist who now works with the UN, LVMH Paris, Apple and WHO, chose to walk away from her ‘dream life’ and exciting career as a top executive to focus on bigger, purpose-led missions: combatting the HIV pandemic and helping to uplift sex workers and women across the world.

Taking on these challenges and going against what was expected from her as a corporate executive, a woman, wife and a mother required great bravery. But Jill is proof that brave women really do win.

In her book, readers discover:

• Why and how to mirror confidence – until it becomes natural

• The different levels of listening, and how they impact your success

• The habits of highly successful women giving practical techniques

• How to package yourself for maximum impact without compromising your integrity or authenticity

• How to be a lasting leader during turbulent times. Why Brave Women Win shares Jill’s personal journey, experiences and advice in a thought provoking, open and highly entertaining way. It is a must-read for any woman at any stage of their life and career who wants to achieve their full potential.

Why Brave Women Win: Creating Your Path to Con dence and Power in the Workplace by Jill Bausch (Leaders Press, 2022)

BE WHO YOU ARE

Written by distinguished shame researcher Dr. Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection imparts a multitude of learning points for anyone struggling with impostor syndrome. With her knowledge derived from not only extensive research but also personal experience, Dr. Brown conveys the importance of cultivating values like courage, compassion, and connection to combat feelings of shame and inadequacy. This, she argues, is how we come to feel we are ‘enough.’

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – Dr. Brené Brown (Hazelden Information & Educational Services, 2022)

CREATIVE DOUBTS

Those for whom work is largely a creative endeavour are often familiar with impostor syndrome. Not only is the value of their work subjective, but creatives also spend long stretches of time working solo, with little in the way of positive feedback. Godin raises the possibility that impostor syndrome is a sign you’re doing ‘important work,’ with fear of failure almost a prerequisite for personally meaningful projects.

The Practice: Shipping Creative Work –Seth Godin (Penguin Books, 2020)

Godin raises the possibility that impostor syndrome is a sign you’re doing important work

Taking care of braın health – at any age

BY TESS DE KLERK

“It’s a myth that ageing means irreversible decline and that there’s nothing you can do about it,” says neurologist Dr Robert Friedland, who is lauded for his book Unaging: e Four Factors at Impact How You Age.

Dr Friedland is a clinical and research neurologist devoted to the study of the brain, especially related to how we age according to our brain health. He wants us to see ageing as an opportunity to preserve our functions and enhance our abilities. As he points out, “Ageing is an opportunity because we’re here and we’re alive. It doesn’t happen to everybody and we all know people who have died young.” How do we make the best use of this opportunity?

Friedland, who teaches at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, wants us to know that the way we grow older is not entirely up to genes, time, or fate.

“Genes are important,” he says, “but while we can’t change those, there are lots of things we can do.” Unsurprisingly, it is all about lifestyle choices and the earlier in life we start implementing these, the better. But making changes and the right choices, right now, whatever your age, is paramount.

“Another way of looking at it, though, is that if a 60-year-old man who smokes, drinks too much alcohol, eats badly, and never exercises stops doing all those bad things, and does good things, by the time he’s 70 he could be in better shape than he was when he was 60. Even though he’s

Practice paying attention

Constant multitasking is not good for our brains. Studies show that when our brain is constantly switching gears to bounce back and forth between tasks, especially when those tasks are complex and require our active attention, we become less efficient and negatively affect working memory. Dr Friedland stresses the importance of focusing on only one thing, without interruption, for extended periods.

KEEP THE MIND ENGAGED

For example, think about what you watch on screen. Choose content that is cognitively

stimulating, engaging the brain in asking questions, looking

PLAY CHESS

There are few leisure pursuits more cerebral than pitting your tactical wits against your chess opponent. Draughts is OK, but chess is the real deal.

NURTURE AND MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS

Friendships, close relationships with siblings, children, and lovers are extremely important to a healthy life, says Dr Friedland. A lonely person may be twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease in late life than someone who is not lonely, according to a study by researchers at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Centre in Chicago.

Constant multitasking is not good for our brains

TRY NEW THINGS

Our brains love the stimulation of new things, be it travelling somewhere exciting or visiting a gallery. Our brains fire up when presented with something new.

BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

“Physical exercise should be pursued as if life depended on it, because it does,” says Friedland. Physical activity throughout life has beneficial effects on the development

10 years older, the fact that he stopped the bad things could allow him to improve his pulmonary function, his ability to walk, and his heart disease could be reversed.

“He could have had diabetes at 60 but no longer have it at 70 because he did the right things.” It’s not that all agerelated changes can be prevented, says Friedland, but a lot of the declines in function we see with ageing are also the result of what he calls “harmful lifestyle behaviours” that we can change.

So what does he speci cally recommend? Keeping the brain engaged is at the heart of it because the brain is inextricably linked with every other part of our health and wellbeing.

” ere are lots of things we can do to make a di erence,” he says, “to try and cherish the opportunity to age as best we can.” His book is full of practical advice.

Dr Robert P Friedland is a clinical and research neurologist at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. His book Unaging: e Four Factors at Impact How You Age was published by the Cambridge University Press in October 2022.

MAINTAIN ORAL HEALTH

Studies have shown that oral health directly affects the brain. As periodontal disease is caused by bacteria, individuals with gum disease have an increased risk of difficulty with their basic cognitive functions. When left untreated, gum disease can interfere with a person’s memory and ability to take on new information.

LOOK AFTER YOUR ‘SECOND BRAIN’

Researchers have found that a lesser-known nervous system in our guts (our second brain) communicates with the brain in our skull. Together, ‘our two brains’ play a key role in certain diseases in our bodies and overall health. Taking care of our gut health is of paramount importance – take those probiotics and eat fermented foods daily.

Studies have shown that oral health directly affects the brain

DETOX DEBUNKED

Th is can lead to:

TANYA BOROWSKI is a highly experienced nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner, specialising in hormones and all areas of women’s health. This month, she dispels some of the myths over a popular post-Christmas detox…

It’s easy to be swayed at this time of year by the notion that drinking juice is ‘healthy’ and that it will negate all the sins of December. Persuasive and attractive marketing encourages us to embark on three, five or even 10-day juice cleanses and liver detoxes to improve our health or lose weight. It’s pure fruit juice, so it’s good for us, right?

LET’S BEGIN WITH FRUIT SUGAR

The sugar that comes from fruit is called fructose. It is meant to be consumed in a whole fruit with all its natural fibre. If it is not, then fructose is bad news for our health. Why so?

Nearly every cell in our bodies can use glucose for energy. In contrast, only liver cells can break down fructose. What happens to fructose inside liver cells is complex but one of the end products is a triglyceride, a form of fat. Uric acid is also formed.

• Triglyceride build up in liver cells and liver damage

• Triglycerides released into the bloodstream that can contribute to the growth of fat-fi lled plaque inside artery walls.

• Uric acid can turn off production of nitric oxide, a substance that helps protect artery walls from damage.

Another effect of high fructose intake is insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. So, while the sugar in a piece of fruit is perfectly balanced when eaten in single portions, drinking concentrated litres of fructose in the form of fruit juice will lead you down a path of poor metabolic health.

BUT JUICE CONTAINS LOTS OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS, DOESN’T IT?

Sadly, the calories and the sugar in juices are simply not worth the vitamins and minerals they provide. There is little vitamin C, antioxidants or arguably the most important of all – fibre in juice. Fibre is what assists in the production of health enhancing short-chain fatty acids in the gut, which keeps you fuller for longer and enhances regular bowel movements for optimal and natural detoxification.

A single serving of just one kiwi fruit provides so much more – and costs just 50p! If you eat the whole piece of fresh fruit, you’re eating the skin, flesh and possibly the seeds, so you’re getting all the fibre and the juices in a controlled portion. You’re not getting the excess sugar from three or four pieces of fruit at one time.

There is little vitamin C, antioxidants or arguably the most important of all –fi bre in juice

PRESSED JUICE VS PROCESSED JUICE

Most processed juice, even 100% juice from supermarkets, undergoes a very unnatural process. We’ll use orange juice as an example. Oranges are picked, the juice extracted, heated and pasteurised. Then they are stored in gigantic vats, where the oxygen is removed so it can be stored for up to a year or more. Removing the oxygen removes a lot of the fl avour. Therefore, big juice companies hire fl avour and fragrance specialists to formulate ‘fl avour packs’ to make the orange juice taste like oranges again. Th is is insane.

Prepacked smoothies aren’t better. Brands boast of their smoothies containing impressive amounts of fruit and vegetables but unfortunately the majority of antioxidants and vitamins are lost in pasteurisation as well as the extended time it sits in supermarket fridges.

The ‘trendy’ cold pressing process does negate the pasteurisation pitfall but these are commonly pushed within detox or slimming cleanses which cut out whole food groups such as protein. Protein is vital for detoxification.

In summary, if you are thirsty, drink water. Make fl avoured waters by using fi ltered water, orange slices or a few raspberries, fresh ginger or mint leaves.

In health, Tanya.

IF YOU WANT TO ‘DETOX OR CLEANSE’ HERE ARE MY TOP FIVE TIPS

Give up alcohol for five weeks – there are so many wonderful botanical non alcoholic drinks now. Give them a try and you’ll be amazed how much brighter you feel.

2

Detox WiFi – turn off all computer screens by 8pm and be in bed for 10.30pm. This will reset your circadian rhythm and kick start your natural detoxification process.

3 Avoid the centre of the supermarket aisles which are packed full of processed foods containing artificial flavourings which burden the liver. Instead, top up on whole foods in the form of fresh vegetables, grains, pulses, berries, nuts and seeds which will improve your gut microbiome and natural detoxification.

4 Finish eating by 7:30pm and have an overnight fast through to 9.30am the next morning. Studies show that controlling the times we eat or undertaking short-term fasts can aid in weight reduction, fat loss and improve blood lipids like cholesterol.

5 Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. This will cleanse your body more effectively than a juice cleanse. Plus you get to save your pennies at this time of year.

Tanya Borowski is a holistic health practitioner.

E: admin@tanyaborowski.com

Big juice companies hire fl avour and fragrance specialists to formulate ‘fl avour packs’ to make the orange juice taste like oranges

1

The Fairmont has only been open for about a year or so but the attention to detail and consummate professionalism of the team can easily allow one to believe that this smooth ship has been sailing for years.

BY TESS DE KLERK & INDIA HOFFMANN

THE FAIRMONT WINDSOR PARK Swanky, indulgent and fabulous!

It is clear that Surinder Arora, one of the UK’s most successful hoteliers, spared no expense in creating this very smart spa hotel on 40 acres of peaceful Surrey countryside, just an hour outside of London.

ATMOSPHERE

The approaching drive winds over a toytown bridge stretched across a lake with whimsical fountains on each side to reveal the resplendent hotel built in the same style as the Jacobean manor house which had previously occupied the grounds. Upon entering the striking glass-domed atrium reception, it becomes clear that you’re in for a superlative stay where classic is melded with modern; where everything glitters in its newness, yet somehow manages to avoid feeling uncomfortably fl ashy.

ACCOMMODATION

Our suite was truly exceptional. It was enough to provoke delusions of grandeur, if one is so inclined. All I can say is that if you can book one of the One Bedroom Balcony Suites, then do so - you won’t be disappointed.

We could easily have spent all our time in the spacious suite with its indulgent touches, opulent living area, sumptuous bedroom and deluxe bathroom laid out in clean and crisp white marble. That said, of the rooms that I saw at the Fairmont, all were elegant and luxurious with pleasing neutral pallets and quality fi nishes throughout. And all designed for comfort and pleasure.

SPA

As expected from a hotel of this calibre, we found the spa to be beautiful, spacious and luxurious. The large outside hydrotherapy pool was a favourite, comfortably warm with powerful massaging water jets to knead away any lingering outside-world tensions. Of course, if hands-on is more your thing then choose from an array of massages and other impressive body treatments using only top-of-therange products.

Dip into the 20-metre lap pool or lounge in the lovely whirlpool. Enjoy a sauna or cleansing steam and cool down in the tropical rainforest experience shower before relaxing in the Himalayan salt room or the quiet room with its adjustable beds and weighted blankets. Amenities at an extra cost include a hammam, and there is an option to book the private spa area which comes with its own hydrotherapy pool and room service.

Cryotherapy can also be booked at the state-of-the-art cryo chamber.

The Facebible is an on-site doctor-led wellness and aesthetic clinic stocked with the latest equipment of the aesthetic industry while also running a private GP service. Th is means that blood tests can be ordered, prescriptions issued and all your health needs tended to ensure an encompassing health and wellness service.

Naturally, fully equipped indoor and outdoor gyms as well as tennis courts are part and parcel of your stay at the decadent Fairmont.

Our suite was truly exceptional . It was enough to provoke delusions of grandeur, if one were so inclined

WINING & DINING

Find a variety of choices from high tea at the pretty Orchard Room to whisky tasting at the wood-panelled Library Club, or head straight to the dark and decadent 1215 Bar for fantastic cocktails. Afterwards, move to its adjoining restaurant for fabulous food made from the freshest seasonal produce. The tasting menu is popular but I opted for the Windsor estate venison loin with braised red cabbage, pear and beetroot and it was melt-in-the-mouth glorious.

GOOD TO KNOW

Fifteen state-of-the-art meeting rooms are available for business needs, cleverly designed to allow the rooms to adjoin for larger events.

Access for guests with mobility impairments? Yes, the hotel offers accessible Fairmont King Room options, which are situated on the ground floor. The spa is also accessible.

Family-friendly? Absolutely. All the restaurants serve a kids’ menu and there is an extensive list of activities for the little ones to enjoy.

Children are permitted in the spa swimming pools at selected times.

Price per night: A Fairmont King room will cost from £423 in January 2023. Our suite was £1500 per night.

BOOK THROUGH SPABREAKS.COM

The multi-award winning spa booking platform works with over 600 spas in the UK and Ireland, arranging spa days and breaks for up to 6,000 people a week. As Europe’s number 1 spa specialist, the talented team works closely with spas to create packages that showcase the best each destination has to offer. Customer service is central to everything they do, with their UK-based team of spa experts ready to help individuals find the right experience for them.

www.spabreaks.com/venues/fairmont-windsor-park

Winter becomes magical in the right setting, and the Finns and the Swiss have a special knack for encouraging and nurturing a passion for the icy season. Take a look at these two very special resorts – far off the beaten track.

BY TESS DE KLERK

UNIQUE WINTER WONDERLANDS

WHITEPOD, SWITZERLAND

Whitepod is an eco-luxury resort at the foot of the Dents du Midi (‘Teeth of Noon’) mountain range in the Swiss Alps. It faces the renowned ski resort Villars and stands above the city of Monthey. Pods range from cosy to deluxe while the Timeless suite was designed by Audemars Piguet to include a private sauna and outdoor Nordic bath, complete with todie-for views. That said, all of the 18 pods boast absolutely breathtaking views.

There is an array of active winter pursuits that will suit many tastes. Or you can simply cocoon in the wellness area and enjoy the calm of the stunning mountains from the outdoor Scandinavian bath and outdoor sauna.

Summer sees an even more expansive selection of activities, including speleology - that’s caving to you and I.

On site is the Restaurant Les Cerniers offering ‘wild cuisine’ from local products and the chef’s foraging. The Pod House is the place to be for breakfast and tea; or order a picnic basket to take with you on your adventures.

Pod House can also serve meals to your pod, if snuggling up is all you want to do.

Whitepod caters to groups and corporate events too, with a giant pod and chalet fully equipped for group meetings, seminars and conferences.

HOW TO GET THERE: Fly direct from Gatwick to Geneva with a choice of airlines. Return flights in January with easyJet start from £64. The drive from Geneva to Whitepod takes around 1h30 with taxi pickup charged at around £400 per car. Alternatively, take the train to Monthey and a taxi from there for around £50 per car. Starting from £347 p/n during the winter season https://whitepod.com/en

All of the 18 pods boast absolutely breathtaking views

KAKSLAUTTANEN, FINNISH LAPLAND

Located above the Arctic Circle, in a remote corner of Finnish Lapland, a sprawling complex boasting various types of accommodation, including luxurious log cabins, snow igloos (yes, made from nothing but blocks of ice and snow), traditional Lapp houses and glass igloos whose unique design allow guests to see the Northern Lights from the comfort of their own beds. Seeing the otherworldly colours glow across the sky is always magical and here, so far north and so remote, the near complete lack of light pollution makes for the most intense and prolonged display.

There is plenty more to do too, from ice swimming to reindeer safaris to cross-country skiing and snowboarding. After a day of activity, recuperate in one of five smoke saunas and enjoy traditional Lappish cuisine at one of two restaurants and a glass igloo bar.

Best time to visit: Kakslauttanen welcomes guests throughout the year with unique adventures offered according to the season. It’s worth noting that the sun never

sets during Lapland’s intense summers - between mid-May and early August. It’s the perfect excuse to squeeze too much into one day! The glass igloos are available to book throughout the Northern Lights season, beginning from around August 24th until the end of April.

How cold is it, you ask? The snow igloos are defi nitely not for the heat-seekers amongst us, with the inner temperature kept between -6 and -3ºC. Igloo guests are provided with hats, sleeping bags and woollen socks for extra warmth but if that is not your cup of hot chocolate then book one of the Kelo glass igloos or chalets with wood-burning fi replaces and saunas.

HOW TO GET THERE: Fly with Finnair from Heathrow to Ivalo Airport. This includes a stopover in Helsinki. Return flights in January start from £255 and take around six hours. Kakslauttanen provides a pick-up service from the airport. Starting from £447 p/n during the winter season www.kakslauttanen.fi

Kakslauttanen welcomes guests throughout the year with unique adventures offered according to the season

Dynamic caught up with Annie Lyle, aka Ula Ceramics, and asked her to share with us pieces that she has been working on, and her thoughts behind her work

ART SCENE

I’m an artist based by the ocean in Brighton, where I continually explore my local nature, creating ceramics to remind us of the earth’s beauty and our connection to it.

My ceramics are sculptural and functional, taking the shapes of vessels, bowls and plates. These shapes resemble a feminine energy, pregnant with new beginnings. My vessels are a depiction of our own human bodies, our bones and our DNA.

My aim is to convey the similar vibrations and subtle mysteries I feel communicated from the earth. I want to help bring us back to nature and bring a touch of nature to our homes.

I teach pottery and painting classes in Sussex and London, where I help people connect with their creativity and destress with art. My classes and courses are very chilled and open for people to share about themselves and their lives. I really do believe anyone can make anything with the right amount of encouragement and kindness, and I’m happy to create this space for people.

These are two are my latest pieces. I often make two together, resembling the male and the female slotting into one another or joining in some way. The clay is textured with sand and glazed with gloss on the inside showing the light within. The curves have their own story and unique experience with a desire to grow and reproduce. They are, like the rest, a co-creation with nature herself.

Annie teaches ceramics, sells her own work and welcomes commissions. Email: annie@ula-ceramics.com

These shapes resemble a feminine energy, pregnant with new beginnings

Fiona Shafer had one or two misgivings about road-testing a Honda Type R. Once behind the wheel, however, most of those concerns soon disappeared. Fiona is the MD of MDHUB

Handling the unexpected

To review or not to review - that was my immediate thought when Maarten let me know that the Honda Type R was next up on the delivery schedule. Th is was the fi rst time I had ever pushed back on a car review.

My own personal bias had automatically kicked in as to whether or not a technical ‘hot hatch’ would be of interest to (or, indeed, wasted on) both myself and the overall demographic of the Dynamic readership. Then I remembered that it is often the husbands and partners of said readership that read this column as well. In addition, there are other variants of the Civic that might be of interest despite this review of the ‘slightly unhinged’ version.

I had Maarten’s words ringing in my ears. ’And this is exactly why you should review it, Fi,’ backed up wholeheartedly by my business partner Phil Green.

It also prompted the memory that I had once been the proud owner of a Golf GTI for a number of years, largely driven by a younger boyfriend who I suspect thought it was handy to hop onto my insurance and have a blast.

That particular love affair – with the car I may add –came to an end after too many blown head gaskets. Then the fi nal nail in that coffi n came when I went to work one morning to fi nd the Thatcham alarm had been disabled and the entire dashboard and steering wheel had been stolen and were likely en route back to Germany to be sold as precious replacement parts. Shame that the car thieves forgot to take said boyfriend with them as well.

So I decided to get over myself and crack on - the irony of a menopausal woman in a hot hatch not being lost on me.

How times move on. As Honda celebrates its 30th anniversary of the Type R, my anxieties of driving something quite hideous and luminous around town – now elevated to the term ‘Super hatch’ with a massive spoiler on the back –were calmed upon sight of a rather gorgeous graphite grey Type R, with a discreet and unusually subtle small wing spoiler.

In fact, let’s take the word spoiler out as, in the literal sense, it is not. Instead, let’s stick with small wing as it calmed my sensibilities. It also does not cut across as much of the visibility at the back window as it might normally do, which is a good start.

For die hard Hot Hatch fans who like an aggressive, sharp design that either courts envious attention and screams ‘look at me’ or alternatively sends eyes rolling, this is quite a departure by Honda’s designers but I rather liked it. Honda has been promoting this car as ‘understated’, and Top Gear described it as being “as shy and retiring as a nocturnal field mouse.“

This is quite a departure by Honda’s designers but I rather liked it

POSITIVES

• It’s fun and super sporty

• Shiny, titanium gear knob which is great to hold

• More power than an AMG 35, BMW M135, Audi S3 and Golf R

• No more bonnet scoop

• 420-litre boot space

• An extraordinarily useful and well written 835-page manual, starting with ‘What to do if’

• Great value for money – starting at £34,450

DYNAMIC

TECH STUFF

MODEL TESTED: Civic Type R

ENGINE: 2.0-litre turbocharged POWER: 329 bhp SPEED: 0-62 5.4 secs TOP: 170 mph

ECONOMY: 34.4 mpg PRICE FROM: £34,490

NEGATIVES

• Infotainment system – rather underwhelming

• A rather puny sounding horn

• Comfort seats - You can end up in the lap of the passenger in the back if you’re not careful

• It has a disconcerting screech when you apply the brake pedalsee the manual

• The Honda factory at Swindon has now shut and is no longer making them but the Germans have picked up the manufacturing mantle, so watch out for the new model in 2023.

If a Sports Car can ever mature to reach a wider audience, then the Type R might be just what you are looking for in 2023

8.5/10

I think that was a little unkind. I don’t believe it to be either.

The 20-inch wheels have been changed for 19-inch rims. Th is, in turn, means that rural driving, normally pretty uncomfortable in the fabulous R Type setting, was surprisingly acceptable even though I did have the very odd experience of getting out of the car and feeling like I had just disembarked from a boat onto dry land; ever so slightly wobbly.

Then again, with 60mph arriving in 5.8 secs on such a setting, the car was going to make itself known somehow. Stick to the Comfort or Sports settings and you might not need a lifebelt!

Internally, the upholstery is a matt black velour-look fabric with smart white and black stitching. It’s OK but with the classic red seat belt wrapped across you, you could be mistaken for resembling a box of Black Magic Chocolates.

With a top speed of 168mph, it fortunately has brakes as sharp as hyena teeth, comes complete with the customarily throaty triple exhaust, handles extremely well and has a highly visible speed check (officer…).

With 60mph arriving in 5.8 secs on such a setting, the car was going to make itself known somehow

By TESS DE KLERK

MATT GILLAN’S HERITAGE RESTAURANT

After stumbling upon The Chequers in the picturesque village of Slaugham towards the end of 2018, Chef Director Matt Gillan decided that the charming Edwardian property was the ideal location for his fl agship restaurant. Matt has enjoyed a lauded career thus far and was originally the man behind South Lodge’s The Pass, which earned a Michelin star not long after opening. You may also recognise him from the BBC series, Great British Menu. Heritage is the culmination of Matt’s many years of experience cooking at the highest level.

The former pub makes for a lovely atmosphere where you can enjoy an aperitif at the elegant bar or lounge on the plush sofas in front of the fi replace before being seated in the rather minimalist restaurant overlooking green pastures. Book one of the five boutique upstairs rooms to fully emerge yourself in the charming village experience.

Heritage offers multi-course tasting menus ranging from three to nine courses with the choice to pair with great wines or creative cocktails. Menus are seasonal, and focused on produce available from the surrounding area.

Our meal started with a creative amuse-bouche of which the tempura oyster was absolutely outstanding! Complimentary bites devoured, we moved on to the four and five course taster menus with dishes of traditional ingredients infused with creative twists. Butternut squash tart with tarragon emulsion perfectly complimented by ginger ice cream served by our charming and knowledgable server.

My grilled huss with madras crust was cooked to perfection, light and fluff y while the crispy cauliflower hashbrown added a a golden crunch and perfect off set to the delicately favoured fish.

Small in size but huge on fl avour, the braised lamb shank, BBQ leg, savoy cabbage with red cabbage ketchup is a dish I’d travel a long way for. Shredded lamb peek from the soft centre of the bonbon, the rich gravy is poured at the table to keep the coating crisp, and the soused vegetables and red cabbage add fl ashes of brightness to an otherwise deep and resonant dish.

It was Coco Chanel who advised women to remove one accessory before leaving the house, a maxim I wish had been applied to my dessert before it left the kitchen. The vanilla and parsnip mousse with blackberry compote and apple sorbet was always going to be slightly risky, but the light mousse worked well with mostly vanilla and a slight parsnip undertone being quite complimentary.

I enjoyed each bite until the near last when I popped the singular blackberry in my mouth only to bite into a mouthful of vinegar. It was such a shame - the berry horribilis completely ruined the dish and nearly all the good memories of the meal. The unexpected mouthful of vinegar pickled berry was so potent that it shot through my sinuses and the taste seemed to linger for a couple of hours.

Heritage by Matt Gillan, The Chequers, Slaugham, West Sussex RH17 6AQ www.heritage.restaurant

Heritage offers multi-course tasting menus… with the choice to pair with great wines or creative cocktails

Chichester

Defined by its iconic chalk-cliff coastline and the rolling expanse of the South Downs, Sussex has inspired artists and writers across the centuries. Alongside works by contemporary artists, the exhibition includes works by J.M.W Turner, William Nicholson, Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Ivon Hitchens, Eric Ravilious and Edward Burra.

Pallant House, Chichester Until April 23rd www.pallant.org.uk/whats-on

SUSSEX LANDSCAPE: CHALK, WOOD AND WATER EXHIBITION WHAT’S ON...

A brief snapshot of art and culture in Sussex and Surrey

SOUNDS OF THE 60s LIVE WITH TONY BLACKBURN

Guildford

Following this year’s success, BBC Radio 2’s popular Sounds of the 60s series will take to the road with a live show hosted by Tony Blackburn, the station’s iconic DJ. G Live, Guildford January 26th www.ticketmaster.co.uk/tonyblackburn-an-evening-of-60sclassics-guildford-26-01-2023/ event/37005D4EEF7B50CE

Henfield

See how rum is made by taking part in a walking tour of the Goldstone distillery. You’ll be led through the making process and tasting where you’ll learn the flavour profile and characteristics, and which rum works best in which cocktail.

Goldstone Rum Distillery, Henfield Every Saturday 10-11am https://goldstonerum.com/tours

Wisley

Find yourself in a colourful reef below the surface of the sea, where familiar houseplants mix with other weird and wonderful plants from the Wisley Glasshouse collections, colonising undersea rocks, shipwrecks and treasure chests.

RHS Gardens, Wisley Every day from February 4th www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley

DENBIES ONE DAY WINE ENTHUSIAST WORKSHOP

Dorking

Denbies One Day Wine Enthusiast Workshop will cover all aspects of wine tasting and appreciation, grapes varieties and wine regions in a fun and relaxed way. Hosted by our Wine Expert, your day includes refreshments throughout the day, two course lunch with Denbies award winning wine and plenty of wine tasting!

Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking From February 9th

www.denbies.co.uk/fc-events/ one-day-wine-enthusiast-workshop

CONCORDE EXPERIENCE

Weybridge

Take the Brooklands Concorde Experience and see inside the world’s most famous aircraft. Re-live the excitement of the supersonic age in this fascinating 25-minute tour, evoking emotional memories. The Concorde Experience runs every day the Museum is open and requires both a Museum admission ticket and an additional Concorde Experience ticket to be purchased.

Brooklands Museum, Weybridge February 13th-17th (half term) 10.00am - 5.00pm www.brooklandsmuseum.com/explore/ exhibitions/Concorde-Experience

COMEDY: ZOE LYONS

Worthing

Zoe is the host of BBC2’s Lightning. She’s known as a star of Live at the Apollo and a regular on Have I Got News for You (BBC1), QI (BBC2), and Mock the Week (BBC2). Other credits include Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (BBC2). See her on her ‘Bald Ambition’ Tour.

Pavilion Theatre, Working February 25th

https://wtm.uk/events/ zoe-lyons-bald-ambition-tour

TRIBUTE ACTS

Pink (Vicky Jackson) Concorde 2, Brighton January 21st

The Best of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Capitol Theatre, Horsham January 21st

The Style Councillors

ELIZABETH LOWRY

Lewes

Novelist literary supplement writer Elizabeth Lowry will be giving a talk about her work, including The Bellini Madonna (2008) and Dark Water (2018) – both highly acclaimed.

All Saints Arts Centre, Lewes February 28th www.ents24.com/lewes-events/all-saintsarts-centre/elizabeth-lowry/6580954

The Venue, Worthing January 22nd St Paul’s Church Centre, Worthing January 27th

Simon & Garfunkel – Through the Years Ropetackle Centre, Shoream-by-Sea January 27th

Transmission: The Sound of Joy Division Con Club, Lewes January 28th

Hello Again – The Neil Diamond Songbook New Victoria Theatre, Woking January 29th